When the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego’s flagship facility in La Jolla decided to expand in 2017, it wasn’t simply adding a few extra galleries; the Museum was doubling its size and quadrupling its gallery space. To do this required shutting down the museum for an extended period so that it could be temporarily shored and subsequently excavated below to create the additional usable space. The Museum has a rich architectural history, dating back to 1915 when it was originally the home of American journalist Ellen Scripps. The home was converted into an art museum in 1941 and has undergone several renovations since, but none so transformative as the recent one.

Degenkolb was contracted with the General Contractor, Level 10, to provide Construction Engineering services throughout the duration of the project. This included designing temporary bracing of critical components of the building, including the theater roof, as well as temporary shoring of existing walls and beams throughout the site. Degenkolb also provided constructability reviews of the drawing sets and on-site construction engineering support.

The newly renovated Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego is substantially complete and reopened in April of 2022. The renovations will allow the museum to display many more artists than before, as well as provide gathering and lecture spaces to the local and international art community.

This project won an Award of Merit from ENR in 2022 and Award of Merit from SEAOSD in 2023.

Photos by Javier Laos Photography