Magazine Layout pgs. 20-41.qxp_Layout 1 9/10/19 11:24 AM Page 26
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ENVISIONING A NEW LA BREA TAR PITS AND MUSEUM Three visions for the future for a museum focused on the past
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1 Copenhagen-based Dorte Mandrup’s design would create an exhibition space in an elevated “halo” with a rooftop garden. It would “float” above a public plaza and entrance with additional exhibit and research space underground. The surrounding park would be recreated with a focus on engaging visitors the moment they walk onto the property with outdoor exhibits, landscaping and other natural features.
2 New York-based Diller Scofidio + Renfro’s proposal calls for reconstructing the museum building and maximizing the amount of greenspace surrounding it. The museum would be recreated in a central, glass-lined structure surrounded by landscaped, interconnecting geometric plates, and an expanded public plaza would be created near Wilshire Boulevard. In the surrounding park, areas would be compartmentalized following a theme of “ecotones” delineating different climates.
3 WEISS/MANFREDI, of New York, proposes a looping configuration of pathways in the park to improve visitors’ access and engagement with the Tar Pits and museum. The museum building would be recreated on a plateau, and a new wing would be constructed to the northwest, expanding the amount of exhibition space available. The idea is to have buildings with partly translucent glass exteriors to further connect people inside with the surrounding park.
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Lori Bettison-Varga, president and director of the Natural History Museums of Los Angeles County
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUMS OF LOS ANGELES COUNTY
The process of reimagining the La Brea Tar Pits and Museum is underway with three designs by renowned architectural firms under consideration. Plans call for one of the designs to be selected by the end of December.