Downtown Diaires: A + D Museum

I had the privilege of attending the Architecture and Design Museum's inaugural exhibition at their new location in the Downtown LA Art's District. 

SHELTER: RETHINKING HOW WE LIVE IN LOS ANGELES brought together a collection of residential concepts for how we could better preserve space and reduce waste. It was incredible to see how diverse the proposals were, ranging from sponge filtration systems to aggregated units where there is currently unused land. The exhibit focused on the potential of the Wilshire Corridor and how new public transit systems and technologies can benefit the city and help solve the local environmental and housing crises. 

The buildings' designs were incredibly impressive, making the best use of space and surrounding structures while utilizing technologies that could provide better water distribution and temperature management.  

Concepts were shown alongside of their proposed final stages which allowed us to better understand the process of building these new systems. I loved that the architects (visually) walked us through the design and construction of their new housing systems.  

I found one of the most innovative proposals to be Aggregated Units in between existing city blocks. This concept suggests that new housing can be built in the voids between residential units all over the city. This would avoid massive demolition as well as provide new community zones. 

Having never been to the A+D Museum before, I was so so impressed with the experience. Although the space is small, it boasts a large enough gallery to explore for an hour as well as a sweet gift shop. I am so thankful to the Museum for not only providing an enjoyable viewing experience but for also informing us on the potential (and importance) of inventive housing systems in Los Angeles.

I am looking forward to a return trip to A + D. You can explore their current exhibition FAST FORWARD: THE ARCHITECTURE OF WILLIAM F. CODY now through September 25th. The museum is 7$ for Adults and 5$ for seniors and children. 

xoxo

~ A ~