Almost completed construction on George Lucas' otherworldly museum located in Los Angeles; an exclusive preview offered.
The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art: A Sustainable Oasis in Los Angeles
The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, co-founded by George Lucas and Mellody Hobson, is nearing completion in Los Angeles' Exposition Park. Originally envisioned for a site in San Francisco's Presidio in 2010, the museum was rejected by the Presidio Trust, and in 2016, it was selected to be built in its current location.
The museum's design, by Ma Yansong of Beijing studio MAD Architects, with Stantec as executive architect, is inspired by natural topographies - mountains, clouds, waves, creating a spatial experience that feels both grounded and otherworldly. The five-story, 300,000 sq ft building houses galleries, theatres, classrooms, dining and retail spaces.
The museum's architecture elevates the building, creating a public plaza beneath that integrates with the surrounding landscape and encourages community interaction. The plaza is connected to the surrounding landscape and streetscape, with the building acting as a canopy over it. An elliptical oculus crowns the plaza, serving as a gateway to Exposition Park.
Mia Lehrer's vision for the museum's landscape is to evoke emotion and create a sense of wonder, openness, imagination, and peace. The new landscape will feature undulating landforms, 200 trees, hundreds of native and drought-tolerant plantings, a hanging garden, amphitheatre, meadow, and a waterfall.
Together, these features reflect a comprehensive approach to sustainability. The key sustainability features of the museum include a geothermal system for energy-efficient heating and cooling, a rainwater harvesting system to manage and reuse water, an expansive 24,000 sq ft rooftop photovoltaic (solar) array generating renewable energy, a super-insulated building envelope to minimize energy loss, seismic isolation engineering designed to withstand major ground movement for safety and durability, and a nearly 1.5-acre green roof landscaped with native and drought-tolerant plants, contributing to passive cooling and blending the structure with the park's topography.
The museum will house much of Lucas' art collection and artifacts from the Lucasfilm archives, including props, costumes, and storyboards from Star Wars and Indiana Jones. Ma Yansong, the architect of the Lucas Museum, hopes his architecture will move people and create a range of responses shaped by the experience of space.
The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, with its sustainable design and immersive landscape, promises to be a unique addition to Los Angeles' cultural landscape, fostering a living system that connects the museum, park, city, and nature. Visitors will soon be able to experience it firsthand.
[1] Source: https://www.archdaily.com/913599/the-lucas-museum-of-narrative-art-by-mad-architects-stantec [2] Source: https://www.architectmagazine.com/technology/sustainable-strategies-lucas-museum-of-narrative-art_o [3] Source: https://www.architecturalrecord.com/articles/14224-the-lucas-museum-of-narrative-art-in-los-angeles [3] Source: https://www.fastcompany.com/90214463/the-lucas-museum-of-narrative-art-is-nearly-complete-and-its-a-beauty [4] Source: https://www.dezeen.com/2014/09/03/lucas-museum-of-narrative-art-chicago-george-lucas-studio-mla-mad-architects/ [5] Source: https://www.curbed.com/2019/11/25/20981098/lucas-museum-of-narrative-art-exposition-park-los-angeles-studio-mla-mad-architects-stantec-george-lucas-mellody-hobson [6] Source: https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/the-lucas-museum-of-narrative-art-is-coming-to-los-angeles [7] Source: https://www.archdaily.com/913599/the-lucas-museum-of-narrative-art-by-mad-architects-stantec [8] Source: https://www.dezeen.com/2019/11/25/lucas-museum-of-narrative-art-exposition-park-los-angeles-studio-mla-mad-architects-stantec-george-lucas-mellody-hobson [9] Source: https://www.architecturalrecord.com/articles/14224-the-lucas-museum-of-narrative-art-in-los-angeles [10] Source: https://www.fastcompany.com/90214463/the-lucas-museum-of-narrative-art-is-nearly-complete-and-its-a-beauty [11] Source: https://www.curbed.com/2019/11/25/20981098/lucas-museum-of-narrative-art-exposition-park-los-angeles-studio-mla-mad-architects-stantec-george-lucas-mellody-hobson [12] Source: https://www.architectmagazine.com/technology/sustainable-strategies-lucas-museum-of-narrative-art_o
- The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, with its immersive landscape and advanced sustainable features, offers an entertaining and educational experience, making it a must-visit destination for both locals and tourists.
- The museum's design, inspired by natural topographies, combines entertainment and education, creating a spatial experience that is as captivating as it is informative, engaging visitors in narratives from various artistic genres.
