Seeking to attract more visitors to a renovated art museum at the California State University (CSU) Long Beach Horn Center, an offset diamond-shaped structure clad in metal seam panels was designed to catch the eye.

Designed by Pfeiffer Partners Architects, now part of Perkins Eastman, the updated 4,000 square-foot Carolyn Campagna Kleefeld Contemporary Art Museum sits inside the 53,000 square -foot Horn Center housing new classrooms, lecture halls, all-gender restrooms, a computer lab, outdoor seating areas and a sculpture garden in the courtyards.

The unique, diamond-shaped metal façade references the geometry of the nearby Walter Pyramid athletic facility, one of four pyramid-shape arenas in the country.

The original facility was designed by campus architect Edward Killingsworth’s office, built in 1987, and formerly served as the University’s North Library. Eventually the building became a student services center, named after campus president Steve Horn, offering academic counseling, learning assistance, and the University’s largest computer lab.

The University Art Museum moved to the Horn Center and in 2019, it was endowed by and renamed after artist and philanthropist Carolyn Campagna Kleefeld.

Whereas the pre-renovated space could only host two exhibitions at a time, the new museum features expanded galleries for multiple exhibitions, available for viewing free of charge to the public.

To support the UV-sensitive displays and galleries, a predominantly window-less building enclosure was required. This provided the architects with an opportunity to design the striking metal façade and roof, which presents like three large building blocks tilted to the side.