GRAND ORCHID WINNER

Jury Comments: “Lux”uriously executed from top to bottom and more than just a gallery, Lux is a place that invites visitors to “see art happen” in a combined artist residence, studio and exhibition space. The artist pavilion is discreetly nestled into the hillside while maximizing views to the San Elijo Lagoon and Pacific Ocean. The art extends outside the walls of the building with specially commissioned installations which show visitors the benefits of native planting and xeriscaping. The small scale of the building adds to the intimacy of watching an artist at work. As one website user commented “it’s a refreshingly unpretentious place to view art.” The studio wall slides back to reveal sweeping views to the landscape beyond and provides natural ventilation. Angled skylights admit indirect natural light, providing an ideal space for making art. The quirky forms of the skylights lend some personality to an otherwise restrained building. This one-of-a-kind complex will surely continue to bloom with the planned addition of more galleries, classrooms and the creation of a hilltop plaza. “Lux” - latin for light - is a shining star in North County’s art scene.

Lux Art Institute, slated to be the first LEED-certified “green”art museum in California, opened its doors on November 11, 2007. Designed by renowned architect, Renzo Zecchetto, AIA (whose other significant architectural projects include the award-winning Church of the Nativity in Fairbanks Ranch, Calif., and the Alusa Printing Company in Santiago, Chile), the contemporary crafted “Artist Pavilion” is the first permanent structure for the ambitious Lux Art Institute that had been more than nine years in the making.

The building, expected to receive a LEED-certification from the U.S. Green Building Council, is nestled amidst a wildlife preserve above the San Elijo Lagoon Ecological Preserve and blends seamlessly into the native landscape. Zecchetto designed Lux to have minimal impact on its natural surroundings while capturing the views of the lagoon and vistas of the nearby Pacific Ocean. The structure is designed to use renewable-energy sources (making up more than a third of the Institute’s energy use), green cleaning products, bike racks, ample recycle bins, and multiple skylights providing natural sunlight. Lux’s mission to be “green” will also extend to the landscape with a native xeroscaped garden.

Lux is one of the first facilities in the United States with an artist-in-residence program in which significant international, national, and regional artists are invited to live and work on site while producing a commissioned work of art. This one-of-a-kind institution promises not only to let visitors “see art” but also to “see art happen.” The structure includes living space and a working studio for the artist, as well as state-of-the-art exhibition space, administrative office, library and conference room. The opening of Lux marks the completion of the first phase of construction of the expansive project. When done, Lux Art Institute will have two face-to-face buildings separated by a series of gardens. Indoor paths will guide the way through vaulted exhibition spaces, public lecture areas, a library, administrative offices, a museum store, and an event plaza at the top of the knoll.

Image