Architect Peter Zumthor's new design responds to concerns that his original design could obstruct scientific excavations into the rich subterranean world of fossils underneath the LA Brea Tar Pits. The mostly transparent building would now reach across Wilshire to the museum's Spaulding Avenue parking lot, thereby limiting the footprint of construction on the tar pits.

Read more on LA County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky's blog.