LA County Natural History Museum - Education and Community Facility
Additional Info
Award Winner : Pacific Mobile Structures, Inc.
Architectural Excellence : The office facility for Mark Ridley Thomas, member of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors for the 2nd District, has been open for mere months; yet the building blends into the landscape like it’s been there for years. The building is equipped with terracotta roof tiles and the exterior stucco includes architectural features that took considerable time and effort to get right.
With very specific interior design features in mind, the building spent 45 days in factory, and the Pacific Mobile Structures team was able to complete the project exponentially faster than if traditional construction methods were used. One of the most striking features is the high ceiling in the meeting room. Every visitor’s eye is drawn to the beams that span the room and the “box look” is both simple and beautiful. The height of the room gives the feeling of openness, which leads to productive meetings and happy staff.
Cost Energy Effectiveness : Sustainability played an important factor when creating the design of the new structure. Pacific Mobile made the building work with the limited space they had, and did everything possible to keep the old trees integral to the area. There were three trees that specifically couldn’t be removed, so the size/shape of the building was adjusted to accommodate these longstanding trees. In addition to the sustainable features, the new Education and Community facility exceeded many California and Los Angeles building codes including the 2013 California Energy Code and the 2013 California Green Code. With the use of modular construction, rapid approvals from the building inspectors were possible. In every aspect of the project, modular construction enabled the client to save time and money, respect the environment, be energy efficient and appropriate seamlessly into the surrounding buildings.
Design Firm Name : Mackler and Associates
Installer Firm Name : Echo Contracting
Occupied Date : 4/28/2017
Owner Firm Name : Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County
Production Start Date : 10/12/2016
Project Location City : Los Angeles
Project Location State Name : CA
Technical Innovation : One of the most valuable features modular construction offers clients is efficiency. With the Education and Community facility, two phases of construction took place simultaneously. Most building projects must wait to do any other work while the foundation is being laid. In this case however, while the modular design was being built, Pacific Mobile installed the concrete foundation; the modules were ready and waiting before the concrete was dry.
Time is money in the construction industry, LA Natural History Museum chose modular construction for the fact that it could shorten the buildings project time. Modular construction means there is little guesswork and the finishing process goes smoothly. All 12 of the finished modules were shipped on semi-trailers and once they arrived on-site, it took only 14 days to install and another 65 days to complete all the interior finishing work. The project included electrical, carpeting and plumbing and when completed was ready for occupancy!
Total Square Feet : 7928
Category : Permanent: Office: any square footage