The famed Griffith Observatory, located in the heart of the Hollywood hills, receives close to two million visitors every year and has appeared in such films as the classic “Rebel Without a Cause” and the not-so-classic “Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle.” Complete with a solar telescope and a 12-inch refracting telescope, multiple scientific exhibits, and one of the world's largest planetarium domes, the structure remained virtually untouched since its opening in 1935. By 1998, though, it was clear that the structure was well overdue for a full renovation, as well as a major expansion to allow for more exhibit space, offices, and visitor amenities.
Pfeiffer Partners and Levin & Associates Architects, both based in Los Angeles, took on the observatory's rehabilitation and expansion plan in 1998, with input from observatory staff, the city of Los Angeles, and the Friends of the Observatory, a nonprofit support organization. Their first and perhaps most important decision: to make sure any addition did not negatively impact the planetarium's exterior. The Building Team got around that obstacle by going underground and constructing almost 40,000 sf of new space underneath the observatory's front lawn.
“This is a very unique solution to providing much-needed space,” says BD+C Renovation Awards judge Jeff C. Pratt, P.E., principal for KJWW Engineering, Naperville, Ill. Several above-ground elements were added to the original structure, including the Café at the End of the Universe on the western edge. The designers took special care to make the newer buildings blend in visually with the original. “It's a good example of where less is more,” says Pratt.
Armed with a $93 million budget, an expert Building Team was assembled, complete with mural, paint, metal, and exterior envelope conservators. Though a lot of work went into the entire exterior, it was the dome, the structure's most dominant feature, that proved to be the most vexing problem. Made of concrete and covered with copper plates, the original copper material was removed in order to waterproof the concrete underneath. The challenge, though, was setting up a scaffolding system around the dome without actually touching it. The Building Team got around this by placing a structural tower in the planetarium pit and raising it through the dome roof. The tower supported outrigger trusses, from which the scaffolding system was suspended and anchored to the dome's base.
Lead-based paint also had to be removed from the exterior concrete walls. The walls were covered during the paint removal, repaired, and then repainted with a breathable elastomeric coating. The original metal window grilles, granite entry steps, and bronze elements only required minor repairs and cleaning.
Griffith's interior renovations were consistent with the Secretary of the Interior Standards for Rehabilitation. Special attention was given to preserving the Hugo Ballin and A.B. Heinsbergen murals. The central rotunda and the Foucault pendulum were also restored to original condition.
Related Stories
| Aug 11, 2010
Draft NIST report on Cowboys practice facility collapse released for public comment
A fabric-covered, steel frame practice facility owned by the National Football League’s Dallas Cowboys collapsed under wind loads significantly less than those required under applicable design standards, according to a report released today for public comment by the Commerce Department's National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).
| Aug 11, 2010
David Rockwell unveils set for upcoming Oscar show
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and 82nd Academy Awards® production designer David Rockwell unveiled the set for the upcoming Oscar show.
| Aug 11, 2010
Renovated city hall to revitalize California city
Los Angeles-based Nadel Architects has completed a $91 million revitalization of three landmark buildings in the Richmond (Calif.) Civic Center: City Hall, the Hall of Justice, and the Civic Auditorium/Art Center. Replacement of exterior glazing, rehabilitation of the exterior envelope, and installation of stone panels and brick bring the center back to its 1930s feel.
| Aug 11, 2010
College uses renewable materials in new library
A 93,000-sf Library and Academic Resource Center will replace Los Angeles Valley College's 1960s-vintage library. Pfeiffer Partners Architects designed the building to be consistent with the college's master plan, with its learning clusters and arcade circulation system. To obtain LEED certification, the center will use recycled and renewable materials, such as bamboo.
| Aug 11, 2010
Museum celebrates African-American heritage
The Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts + Culture recently completed construction on the Wells Fargo Cultural Campus in Charlotte, N.C. Designed by the Freelon Group, Durham, N.C., with Batson-Cook's Atlanta office as project manager, the $18.8 million project achieved nearly 100% minority participation.
| Aug 11, 2010
Northeast Lakeview College opens in Texas, to serve 15,000 students
After four years of construction, Northeast Lakeview College, the newest addition to Alamo Colleges, is complete. Designed by Overland Partners Architects in collaboration with Ford Powell & Carson, the nine-building, 285-acre campus in Universal City, near San Antonio, will serve up to 15,000 students.
| Aug 11, 2010
Recreation facility scores with sustainable features
A new $79.1 million health and learning center is under construction on the Northern Arizona University campus in Flagstaff. The 270,000-sf facility will house recreation space, classrooms, health and counseling services, and the Lumberjack Stadium for track and soccer teams. Designed by the Phoenix office of OWP/P Cannon Design with Mortenson Construction as CM, the project is aiming for LEED ...
| Aug 11, 2010
Embassy's dual façades add security and beauty
The British government's new 46,285-sf embassy building in Warsaw, Poland's diplomatic quarter houses the ambassador's offices, the consulate, and visa services on three floors. The $20 million Modernist design by London-based Tony Fretton Architects features a double façade—an inner concrete super structure and an outer curtain wall.
| Aug 11, 2010
Firehouse converted to hip hot property
Sound the alarm! A 9,000-sf former firehouse is being converted into a new multipurpose space for ZUMIX, a nonprofit music and arts organization that's partnering on the project with Landmark Structures of Woburn, Mass., and the East Boston Community Development Corporation. The $2 million renovation of the 1920s structure, known as Engine Company 40 Firehouse, includes a complete gut job to ma...