To enter, visitors must descend below the ground plane and into a sunken sculpture garden. Engaging with this threshold is essential to understanding the museum’s composition, as we experience a dramatic change in scale. The building itself, with its entrance thirty feet below ground, uses hierarchy and a simple architectural language. It consists of five volumes nested into an arcade. The arcade appears small and almost monolithic from street level, but has arched openings that look into the sunken courtyard, pulling classical forms into a contemporary context. This creates layered spaces that allow visitors to see glimpses of activity beyond.

Since the supporting structure is hidden, the gallery volumes appear to float — creating tension between the distinct elements. The volumes have contrasting proportions and levels of light on the interior, making for more dynamic spaces. This dynamism plays off the exhibited sculptures, which include works by Michael Heizer, Richard Serra, Walter de Maria, and Anish Kapoor. These contemporary artists all speak to the concepts of scale and our perception of negative space. Spaces change constantly as one moves through the building. At entry level, the visitors are allowed to move freely under and between the gallery volumes. Above, the floor slabs are pulled back, creating bridges that allow one to view the same sculptures from new perspectives.