The Natural History Museums of Los Angeles (NHMLAC) announced the selection of Kossmanndejong (KDJ) as the firm that will lead the design of exhibition spaces and develop visitor experiences to reimagine the La Brea Tar Pits. As the world’s only active paleontological research site in an urban setting, KDJ will work through many design verticals, such as architecture, landscaping, and programming. KDJ, based in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, was chosen through an international search and competitive process to provide creative and interpretive strategies for the site-wide redesign in Hancock Park. KDJ will collaborate with the architectural and landscape design team led by WEISS/MANFREDI and Los Angeles-based Gruen Associates, who NHMLAC recently named Executive Architect of the Year.
The La Brea Tar Pits is one of the most significant paleontological sites worldwide. It serves as a portal to the Ice Age and a living laboratory where the local and international community may learn about cutting-edge research and observe archaeologists searching for plant and animal fossils preserved in the tar pits 10,000 to 50,000 years ago. This past October, the International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS), one of the largest scientific organizations in the world with more than one million geoscientists from about 120 member countries, selected the La Brea Tar Pits as one of The First 100 IUGS Geological Heritage Sites.
NHMLAC chose KDJ after a thorough selection process that involved visiting KDJ's offices and projects both domestically and abroad, asking for proposals from a select group of renowned international exhibition design companies, and spending time on location at the La Brea Tar Pits where each design team led charrettes to show off their approach to design. KDJ will collaborate closely with WEISS/MANFREDI, Gruen Associates, and the NHMLAC team to continue creating the project's schematic design after being selected unanimously by the personnel of the organization's many departments.
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Weiss/Manfredi Selected to Lead La Brea Tar Pits Master PlanIt’s a great honor that KDJ has been chosen to design La Brea Tar Pits' new exhibition galleries. The Tar Pits is such a fascinating place for so many reasons, including being the only urban spot in the world where Ice Age fossils have been found and are still excavated. We are thrilled to be part of a project where architecture, landscape, design, and programming are woven together into an integrated visitor experience.
--Niels de Jong, creative director and partner at Kossmanndejong.
When NHMLAC chose WEISS/MANFREDI in a competition with public input to develop a master plan to improve research facilities and collections space, expand exhibits, and unify the various elements of the site—the Lake Pit, the tar pits, the lawn and park areas, and the museum at La Brea Tar Pits—the planned transformation of the 13-acre campus got underway in 2019. WEISS/MANFREDI's design concept, "Loops and Lenses," would renovate the existing Page Museum building to better house and display the collection, create more cohesive outdoor recreational and learning spaces, and expand the museum with a second structure with additional exhibitions and programming spaces. The reimagining project involves a multi-year process of master planning, design, and public involvement before construction.
La Brea Tar Pits are like no other place in the world, we are excited to translate the very tactile magic of the Tar Pits, through architecture and landscape, into a place that captures the global imagination. We are thrilled to be at this pivotal moment in the master planning process, and with the addition of LA-based Gruen as Executive Architect and the exhibition designers at KDJ we are excited to give measure to this dream and deliver a world-class destination.
--said Marion Weiss and Michael Manfredi, co-founders of WEISS/MANFREDI.
Recently, many cities have focused on redesigning their primary cultural museums, aiming to create a more integrated experience in their respective museums. The Grand Egyptian Museum, designed by Heneghan Peng Architects, has been created to accommodate some of the civilization’s most precious artifacts. In Seville, Vazquez Consuegra recently unveiled the remodeling project of the Archaeological Museum of Seville. Finally, Adjaye Associates has revealed preliminary plans for the design of the Edo Museum of West African Art in Nigeria.
