Architecture firms Dorte Mandrup, Diller Scofidio + Renfro and Weiss Manfredi have revealed their competition proposals to redevelop the park and museum accompanying Los Angeles' historic La Brea Tar Pits.
The trio created the designs for the surroundings of live-dig area La Brea Tar Pits, which formed over thousands of year as tar leaked from the ground onto the surface, where it dried and preserved the remains of animals that lived there.
In Dorte Mandrup's proposal, pictured top and above, the museum is extended to follow its existing aesthetic
Dorte Mandrup, Diller Scofidio + Renfro and Weiss Manfredi are spearheading three teams that are shortlisted in a competition organised by the managers of the 12-acre site, the Natural History Museums of Los Angeles County (NHMLAC). The project, which marks the first update to the tar pits in over 40 years, aims to reinvigorate the historical site, develop the surrounding Hancock Park and expand facilities in the George C Page Museum, which was completed in 1977 to display paleontological findings.
An open foyer offers views of excavations, laboratories and exhibition spaces
Among the main challenges of the project is updating the museum building, which is partially burrowed underground, making it difficult to expand.
In Danish firm Dorte Mandrup Arkitekter's scheme, the building is extended to follow the original aesthetic but include a rooftop garden, new daylit galleries with views to the surroundings, and a research core at ...