Water + Life Museums

Western Center for Archeology and Paleontology + Center for Water Education

Location: Hemet, California; completed 2007

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.

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 Conference, Gold Nugget