Artworks and dinosaurs: new wing of NHM opens in Los Angeles

The Natural History Museum (NHM) is one of the most established cultural institutions in Los Angeles. With a collection ranging from 4.5-million-year-old meteorites to newly discovered species, it is not only a cultural landmark for exploring the history of life on the planet but also a powerful social magnet, thanks to the many entertainment and science education initiatives extended to a wide audience. Sunday 17 November was the inaugural opening of NHM Commons, the new wing of the museum on the south-west side which will be a distributive node among the buildings of the complex and the park and a place freely open to the city to celebrate new possible interactions of science, nature and community. “The Natural History Museum has created an inclusive community space that will serve Angelenos with free and accessible exhibitions, programs and expanded educational opportunities. This is especially important at a time when many Angelenos find it increasingly difficult to afford high-quality cultural experiences”, said Los Angeles County Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell.

The approximately 7,000 square metre extension and renovation project was designed by Frederick Fisher and Partners, while Studio-MLA was responsible for the landscape design and Studio Joseph for the exhibition spaces. The new wing includes a reception centre, a theatre, a multi-purpose space, a café, shops, exhibition rooms and outdoor green spaces. The transparent volume radiating with light creates a direct visual connection between the museum spaces and the park, blurring the boundaries between indoors and outdoors. Particular attention was paid to environmental sustainability, thanks to the renovation of the existing building to improve its performance by reducing consumption and ecological footprint, which earned the intervention a LEED Gold certification. “NHM Commons is a site for access, discovery, and community. The singular gesture from the very beginning was to connect the new museum Commons and entry to its surrounding context of Exposition Park and let the park flow into the Museum. Our philosophy from the start was that the building itself is not the content but rather a framework to allow NHM and the community to make it their own through programming, exhibitions, events, and ongoing research. We are delighted that people are attracted to its transparency (…) and we are very proud to have had a hand in shaping the future of this iconic community institution”, said Fred Fisher, Founding Partner of Frederick Fisher and Partners.

Visitors are welcomed by a mural by artist Barbara Carrasco “LA History: A Mexican Perspective” (1981) and by Gnatalie, the most complete sauropod skeleton (about 23 metres high) on the west coast and the world's first green dinosaur fossil mounted for display worldwide, “smiling” from the Judith Perlstein Welcome Center.