ARTS + CULTURE ENGINEERING

Engineering buildings, exhibitions, and the artworks that define them

Nous Engineering works across museums, galleries, and cultural environments where structural performance and artistic intent must align. We support both the long-term architecture of cultural spaces and the temporary installations that continually reshape them. Nous frequently partners with architects, galleries, artists, and fabrication teams on:

  • Museum and gallery renovations

  • Structural support for temporary and traveling exhibitions

  • Seismic retrofits for cultural buildings

  • Anchorage design for suspended or cantilevered works

  • Support for heavy sculptures and concentrated loads

  • Integrated hardware coordination

  • Vibration and deflection analysis for sensitive works

  • Digital modeling and fabrication alignment

Hilbert Museum of Art | Chapman University

Scope included long-span exterior courtyard gallery framing, strengthening for new daylighting strategies, discreet lateral integration, and wall systems designed for evolving exhibition requirements.

MUSEUMS + GALLERY BUILDINGS, EXPANSIONS, AND FITOUTS

Museums and galleries rely on structural strategies that support clarity, flexibility, and long-term performance. These buildings often require:

  • Clear spans to preserve uninterrupted exhibition space

  • Vibration control for sensitive artworks and precise viewing conditions

  • Discreet lateral systems integrated into finished surfaces

  • Adaptive reuse solutions that strengthen aging buildings while preserving character

  • Structural upgrades that accommodate daylighting strategies, environmental systems, and changing program needs

Roberts Projects | Los Angeles, CA

Scope included a retrofit of a former industrial building, free-standing gallery walls, localized roof strengthening, and preparation for future heavy artworks and suspended pieces. Continued work includes reinforcing display surfaces, wall capacity analysis, minimal-profile hardware strategies, and coordination on artwork placement and safety including the Amoako Boafo exhibit above. The structural system for the complete recreation of Amoako’s Accra studio, constructed in the main gallery space, as designed by Accra-based architect Glenn DeRoche. The structure needed to be stable without anchorage or damage to the main gallery space.

Phillips Gallery | Los Angeles, CA

Scope included strengthened floors for sculpture loads, updated lateral systems, flexible partition support, and integrated attachment points for suspended and wall-mounted works.

GALLERY + MUSEUM INSTALLATIONS

Rotating exhibitions introduce installation-specific challenges that require targeted engineering, including:

  • Suspended artworks needing precise anchorage

  • Concentrated loads from dense materials and large sculptures

  • Eccentric or cantilevered massing

  • Custom hardware for unconventional pieces

  • Sequenced installation guidance for safe handling

  • Minimal-visibility interventions that preserve curatorial intent

Marian Goodman Gallery | Los Angeles, CA

Existing building unreinforced masonry repair and upgrades, new framing for open exhibition volumes, and infrastructure supporting high-turnover installations. For the Knife Installation, custom structural support and anchorage including concealed bracing, load-path validation, and installation procedures coordinated with gallery staff and fabricators.

Renwick Gallery Installation | Smithsonian American Art Museum

Suspended installation with custom connection detailing and roof coordination for nine large-scale ceiling forms in the Grand Salon.

Luther George Park Installation | Springdale, AR

Peer review and code consulting for a complex non-linear sculptural surface, including load-criteria development and coordination with the architect and local contractor.

SPECIALTY STRUCTURES

Beyond museums and galleries, Nous supports installations and sculptural works across festivals, civic campuses, transportation hubs, parks, private interiors, and public space. These projects often involve unconventional materials, accelerated timelines, strict environmental loads, or advanced fabrication methods.

Mateo Sculpture | Los Angeles, CA

Structural engineering for a multi-building adaptive reuse and retail campus in the Arts District, including seismic retrofit, new circulation cores, and integration of modern structural systems within existing industrial shells.

Pagoda | Private Collection

Hybrid glass and steel sculptural pavilion using bonded glass–epoxy interfaces, low-mass seismic isolation, and precision fabrication coordination.