The 4,450-square-meter campus houses photography, sculpture, ceramics, and computer labs, as well as open spaces for exhibitions, lectures, and group critiques. Elements of the design include the adaptive reuse of a 2,000-square-meter historic wallpaper factory converted into a “neighborhood” of graduate art studios, and an expansion of 2,450 square meters containing studios, laboratories, galleries, classrooms, and an artist-in-residence loft for the six disciplines that constitute the curriculum.

Under the motto of “Adapting for a Flexible Future” the architects added an L-shaped building that assembles naturally ventilated spaces interspersed by a series of outdoor courtyards to the existing wallpaper factory. The project was named after renowned art dealer and UCLA alumna Margo Leavin (1936-2021) who supported the project with a USD 20 million gift — the largest donation ever made by an alumna to the arts within the University of California system [1].

The planning of the new studio complex was based on four basic strategies: removing obsolete structures, creating a new continuous ground level to improve useability, creating a new expanded roof as a solar umbrella enabling passive ventilation, and defining a new perimeter block to engage the city. These strategies unite the existing with the new to form a coherent identity for the program. The design also updates fire protection, and seismic and sustainability infrastructure. The project was praised by the Holcim Awards jury for “bringing a nondescript building back to life through new construction, a design respectful of the existing structure, while introducing new spatial qualities to the entire ensemble”.

Playing the long game by extending building life

Reducing the material footprint of the built environment by using less material or using materials in a more efficient manner is a winning strategy to reduce their carbon footprint coefficient and aim for better circularity. By adapting the existing structure on the site so that 30% of the floor area is adapted from the existing building, Johnston Marklee have extended the usable life of the original building and reduced the material needs to complete the project – thereby lowering embedded carbon.

The original 1948 factory is a poured concrete structure. The architects wanted to harken back to the tilt-up vernacular found in this area of the city and elsewhere in Los Angeles, adapting the technique by casting in a vertical texture of “pillows” or rounded pilasters that contribute scale and detail to the project, and successfully achieved LEED Gold certification. 47,908 sf / Type III-B construction for the project [2].

The original exterior walls that required replacement used 25cm thick concrete tilt-up walls that eliminate the need for waterproofing membranes and insulation, and minimize construction waste through formwork. The wooden bowstring trusses in the original warehouse were restored and integrated with glulam trusses in the addition to create the vaulted roof in a unique configuration to reduce double curvature while maintaining large clear spans. High ceilings, expansive spaces and natural light support the creative endeavors within, which include ceramics, painting and drawing, photography, sculpture and more.

Seeing and breathing comes naturally

Lighting is an essential element in quality environments that support health and wellness while reducing energy use [3]. The lightweight roof with polycarbonate panes allows natural sunlight to flood the building and take full advantage of natural lighting. Thanks to the mild weather in southern California, passive systems can be readily deployed to minimize the use of energy intensive climate control.

The 15-25 sqm studios are arranged in clusters, connected by wide corridors with no ceilings to foster community – students share sounds, breezes, and sunshine from the skylights. The simple building volumes capitalize on ample daylighting and natural ventilation. Efficient lighting, equipment, and mechanical systems together outperform ASHRAE Standard 90.1 by 18%.

Being beautifully thrifty supports the university budget

Saving resources by re-using part of the structure and reducing the energy for lighting and cooling have benefits beyond the obvious improvement in environmental performance. Delivering the completed building within the USD 23.2 million budget demanded clever approaches to design and construction. By renovating the existing structure, the amount of demolition waste was minimized: 93% of construction waste was diverted from landfill by recycling materials where possible either on-site (which also eliminates heavy-materials transport) or via other materials use streams for 1,312 tons of material [4]. Leaving the key spaces without mechanical air conditioning allowed the architects to increase the building’s total floor area without adding to the HVAC load, and the ongoing operating costs of the building.

The design also integrates water saving measures including welcoming courtyards with drought-tolerant plantings, water recapture, and efficient irrigation that use less than half of the water required for conventional landscaping. WaterSense, low-flow, and hybrid plumbing fixtures achieved a water usage saving of 51.55% compared to conventional fittings. Every dollar saved on the operating budget of the building through efficient design enables a greater proportion of the budget to be directed towards the ongoing teaching and learning activities of the faculty.

Additional sustainability targets that measure up 

• Energy use intensity expresses a building’s energy use as a function of its size, typically in energy per square foot per year (kBtu/sf/yr). The design of the UCLA Margo Leavin Graduate Art Studios was able to achieve a 77% reduction from the benchmark on 2030 Commitment baseline EUI of 132 kBtu/sf/yr [5].
• 100% of energy use is offset or renewable, thanks in part to Southern California Edison’s Green-e electric service through the Clean Power Alliance in Culver City.
• 29 products provided Environmental Product Declarations and 27 products material ingredient disclosures.

Multiple recognitions mean sharing insights into sustainable design

The built environment shapes all our lives and is largely responsible for human-made alterations to our planet’s ecosystems. Recognizing sustainable design is an important way to place leading-edge thinking and best practice solutions in the hands of everyone. The Holcim Foundation is proud to have conferred a Holcim Awards Acknowledgement prize on UCLA Margo Leavin Graduate Art Studios under the title Elemental Construction in California, USA in 2017.

After receiving the Holcim Awards prize, the project has also been recognized by the AIA Education Facility Design - Merit Award (2022) from the American Institute of Architects National; Award of Excellence, New Construction (2021) from the Structural Engineers Association of Southern California; MGBCE Project of the Year (2021) from the US Green Building Council - Los Angeles Chapter; Wood Design Award, Regional Excellence (2021) from WoodWorks; Design Award - Honor Award (2020) from the American Institute of Architects, Los Angeles; Excellence in Achievement - Educational Buildings (2020) from the Tilt-Up Concrete Association; a Finalist - Learning Category (2020) from the Fast Company Innovation by Design Awards; Design Award - Honor Award (2020) from the American Institute of Architects, California; Built by Women Los Angeles award (2020) from the Beverly Willis Architecture Foundation; the Charles J Pankow, Jr Award (2019) from the American Concrete Institute, Southern California Chapter; and the P/A Award (2019) from Architect magazine.

Liveable and sustainable

The former factory has been transformed into a neighborhood of graduate art studios, while the L-shaped addition includes a garden, work yards, galleries, and an artist-in-residence loft that supports an array of mediums. Inspired by the concept of an urban plan with an orchestrated mix of community and private spaces, the project combines new and old to support the complete needs of the university’s program.

The Holcim Awards jury recognised the project design’s economic, contextual, and environmental aspects that combined to form a sophisticated building in an extraordinary approach for an ordinary structure. “The project gives due credit to an understanding of sustainability as a “common sense” culture, contributing to an elemental construction of poetic expression,” explains Ray Cole, Professor in the School of Architecture & Landscape Architecture (SALA) at the University of British Columbia (UBC) in Vancouver, Canada, and Head of the Holcim Awards jury for North America in 2017.

Not only a shining light for sustainability, the Studios are also dedicated to supporting emerging artists and strengthening the position of the city as a world arts capital and enhancing the vibrant cultural community of Los Angeles.

References

• [1] Gelt, J, & Knight, C (2021, October 16). Los Angeles area art dealer Margo Leavin has died at 85 - Los Angeles Times.
• [2] UCLA Margo Leavin Graduate Art Studios - WoodWorks | Wood Products Council.
• [3] Wilson. (2018, July 9). Lighting Design for Health and Sustainability: A Guide for Architects. BuildingGreen.
• [4] Gold: UCLA Margo Leavin Graduate Art Studios. (n.d.). EcoMap of LA - LEED.
• [5] The American Institute of Architects. (n.d.). AIA 2022 Education Facility Design Awards - Margo Leavin Graduate Art Studios, UCLA.