Sustainability Studio Qualifications

Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, Los Angeles, CA

Location in Los Angeles, the Lucas Museum was conceived with the bold ambition to challenge how our societies appreciate art museums. Inspired by its resolute mission, the engineering design blasted off with the vision to deliver a lasting, centenarian building in harmony with its site. The carbon zero design harnessed heat and coolth from the soil beneath the museum with over 700 vertical bores. This constituted the deep-earth, pulsating aorta of the geoexchange field. A thermally active water feature introduced the second element of nature, which increased the site’s innate cooling capacity. These features were modulated by the high -efficiency, heat recovery central plant that provided all-electric, simultaneous heating and cooling (and no gas fired boilers). Environmental quality for prime spaces – galleries, state-of-the-art theaters, and lobbies – was controlled with underfloor air distribution and radiant floors. Smart controls gently nudged temperature and ventilation parameters to adjust to visitors’ comfort. The superstructure lifted off with an exterior façade that self-shaded the thermal shell, effectively reducing cooling demand. Curved onyx glass organically traced the rooftop, which formed the solar PV field. At 365 kW capacity, the renewable energy source reduced an estimated 10-15% of the electricity demand and swung the carbon footprint negative. Ahead of its time, the Lucas Museum will open its doors as an eco- friendly, ‘net zero energy’ -ready museum that gives back more to its community than it claims.