Water + Life Museum by LG Architects in Hemet, California

LG Architects designed Western Center for Archeology and Paleontology + Center for Water Education at Hemet, California in 2007. This center has won many awards.

The entire rooftop is covered with efficient solar array

• Architects: Lehrer Architects
• Completion: 2007
• Location: Hemet, California

Ten steel monoliths blaze across the desert sky

The Diamond Valley Lake Reservoir, completed in 1999 by the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, is the largest earthworks project on US soil. During the massive dig to create the reservoir, some very significant fossils were unearthed. These fossils were on display at the Diamond Valley Lake Visitor Center or in storage and desperately needed a new home. To these ends, The Center for Water Education Foundation and the Western Center Community Foundation asked for the design of two new facilities with a large outdoor connecting terrace. The complex is the first museum building to secure a Platinum LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) rating, the highest bestowed by the USGBC. The award is doubly impressive, as the 70,000-square-foot museum complex met the most exacting green standards (including those regarding energy and water consumption), despite the harsh desert environment of Hemet, where triple-digit summer heat is the norm, but where water can freeze in winter.

Framed glass is interspersed between monoliths

Awards

• Beyond Green™ 2007 / High Performance Building – Sustainable Buildings Industry Council
• Honor Award Institutional / Educational 2007 – WATER+ LIFE Museums and Campus
• The American Institute of Architects Pasadena Foothills – Best Sustainable Commercial Project 2007
• Pacific Coast Builders Conference, Gold Nugget – Award of Merit, Best Public/Private Use Facility 2007, Pacific Coast Builders

Monoliths create deep eaves for shadow and light control

Twin structures site across the plaza

Loggia is topped with custom-made solar tiles

Colored, perforated steel identifies eras of pre-history

Crenelated steel clads the rectangular volumes

Latticed steel creates filtered light patterns

Perforated steel structures frame artful views

Site context

Site plan

Tags: California, Hemet

Category: Museum

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