8/9/2019 Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County Renovation by CO Architects

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Natural History Museum of LosAngeles County Renovation by

CO Architects

CO Architects continues its restoration, renovation, andmodernization of the venerable Natural History Museumof Los Angeles County (NHM) with an innovativeexpansion and re-imagination of the institutions NorthCampus, which dates back to the 1920s. The $30-millionprojects elements include a redesigned front faade withentry bridge, pedestrian-friendly terraces and communalareas, a new two-level car park, and a major landscapeprogram encompassing 3.5-acres of recovered greenspaces with programmed gardens and outdoor learningenvironments. The outdoor garden spaces are created incollaboration with landscape design firm Mia Lehrer +Associates. Currently under construction, the North

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Campus is set to open 2011/2012, and is overseen byproject manager Cordell Corporation.

Led by CO Architects principal and project director Jorgede la Cal, AIA, LEED AP, and by associate principal andsenior project designer Fabian Kremkus, AIA, the firmscommission to transform NHM into a state-of-the-art,21st-century museum began in 2006 with the award-winning renovation and seismic upgrade of the iconic1913 Building. That recently completed endeavor was thefirst phase of an institution-wide metamorphosis

including the roll-out of major new exhibitionsleadingup to the Museums 2013 centennial. CO Architects workon the 1913 Building has been honored with aPreservation Design Award by the California PreservationFoundation and a Los Angeles Architectural Award forPreservation from Los Angeles Business Council.

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While changes on the 1913 Building were primarilyinvisiblethe directive was to retrofit and restore theBeaux-Arts gem and its infrastructure without affecting itsappearanceCO Architects reinvention of NHMs North

Campus will involve a highly visible transformation of thefaades, ingress and egress points, public areas, andexhibition spaces. The redesigned North Campus willenrich the visitor experience, more fully engagingmuseum-goers with the exhibitions inside, the greenspaces outside, and the neighborhood overall, as well asputting an interactive and contextually responsive publicface on the museum.

The Museums North-facing front entrance looks towardbusy Exposition Boulevard, and will be easily accessible

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by public transportation. According to Metro, the ExpoPark/USC Station on the new Expo Line anticipates a 2011opening. Redesigned in the 1970s, the faade was setback from the street. It was almost Brutalist in nature,not very inviting, says de la Cal. To remake the imposingfrontage into a welcoming portal for visitors and aninviting urban landscape for passersby, CO Architects isdemolishing the concrete terraces that formed theapproach to the museum, and is excavating the entireNorth Campus entry area to provide improved access ontwo levels.

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A prominent feature of NHMs new front yard will be apedestrian bridgearced like the shape of a whaleboneleading from the sidewalk to the Museums first level.Kremkus had dual inspirations for the bridge designtheMuseums notable fin whale skeleton and his nativeFrisian Islands in Germany, where retired sea captainswould erect massive whale bones in front of their homesto indicated their eminence in the community.

CO Architects also graded the buildings front grounds tosmoothly flow into what was formerly the basement level.Ultimately, programmed indoor and outdoor spaces willintersect all along the street level, including ticketing,information facilities, and a new restaurant extending outto an open-air patio. Further renovations on theMuseums south faade include a glass elevator and largewindows in the east exhibition hallsincluding the onesthat will house the dinosaursintroducing day lightinginto those galleries for the first time.

Since the master plan involves green space reclaimedfrom a former parking lot, CO Architects designed a newtwo-story car parka subterranean and on-grade meshstructure for 221 vehiclesmaintaining the number of

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spaces there previously. The flowering vine-toppedfacility is sited to minimize impact on pedestrian flowthroughout North Campus, and is designed for maximumnatural light and ventilation. Thick, circular glass bricksembedded into its floor and walkways will allow daylightto flow between levels and from outside.

A 12-foot green screen will alert drivers to vehicularentrances at the north and south ends of the structure,and resin-cased nature specimens (insects, leaves, etc.)will delineate parking spaces. This is one of the wayspeople will feel welcomed into the Museum experiencefrom the minute they enter its grounds, either on foot orin their cars, says Kremkus.

Resulting from CO Architects re-thinking of the NorthCampus is 3.5 acres of outdoor space ripe for educationalprogramming and urban wilderness natureexperiences. The new landscape design by Mia Lehrer +Associates intends to dynamically engage visitors with

interactive representations of the ecologies of the LosAngeles area, spotlighting native flora and fauna in thespirit of urban biodiversity and backyard science.Vibrant community-integrated green spaces will extendthe mission of the Museum, and its reverence for nature,into the greater Exposition Park area.

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Home to centuries of Los Angeles historyas well asmillions of artifacts spanning billions of yearstheNatural History Museum of Los Angeles County is thecenterpiece of Exposition Park. Modernized and restoredfor the future, NHM is ready to take on 21st-centuryurban life.

In addition to de la Cal and Kremkus, the CO Architectsteam includes Ed Martinez, Peter Junru Pan, LEED AP, LisaCanoy, and Chao Chen, LEED AP. In addition to CordellCorporation and Mia Lehrer + Associates, affiliated firmsinclude electrical engineers IBE Consulting Engineers,structural engineers John A. Martin & Associates, and civilengineers Psomas.

Nationally recognized, Los Angeles-based CO Architectshas a proven expertise in meeting the programmatic,contextual, and humanistic needs of high-performance,interdisciplinary buildings and master plans. The firm hasdesigned major benchmark and award-winning facilities

for clients that include the University of California,Claremont Colleges, Palomar Medical Center West, andLos Angeles Unified School District. The award-winningfirm is internationally recognized for its specialization indesigning civic, academic, healthcare, research, andmedical education environments.