La Brea Tar Pits & Museum Design Competition

The La Brea Tar Pits and Museum in Los Angeles is a unique intersection of natural wonder, scientific inquiry, and public engagement and a potential redesign presented an extraordinary opportunity for innovation. Recognizing this potential, Pamela Conrad joined forces with the Martha Schwartz Partners competition team, alongside Dorte Mandrup, Gruen Associates, ARUP, and Kontrapunkt. The team wanted this project to stand apart and to make a difference so asked themselves early on in the process: how can a design competition transcend its traditional role and become a powerful ally in the global fight against climate change?

Pamela brought a pioneering climate strategy to the table, leveraging the groundbreaking landscape architecture carbon calculator developed through the Climate Positive Design Challenge. This innovative tool enabled the team to make design decisions that promise to revolutionize the park’s environmental impact. By ensuring that the park can sequester all carbon emitted during its construction within its first five years—compared to the existing landscape’s projected 52-year timeline—the proposal sets a new standard for sustainability.

Over the course of the park’s anticipated 50-year lifespan, it is projected to sequester an additional 9,393 tonnes of carbon—an achievement equivalent to offsetting the emissions of 18,786 single-family homes. This groundbreaking approach not only underscores CPD’s commitment to Climate Positive Design but also exemplifies the transformative potential of innovative collaboration in addressing the urgent challenges of our time.