Summary: The Los Angeles Business Council (LABC) honored the region’s finest architecture design projects on June 14 at its 37th annual Los Angeles Architectural Awards. The awards recognized 25 project teams—architects, contractors, and developers—for outstanding projects in Los Angeles across 12 architectural and building categories. The council also presented a special Community Impact Award to seven entertainment studios. Co-chairs Brooke Lauter, first vice president of Corporate Communications at Arden Realty, Inc., and Andy Cohen, FAIA, executive director of Gensler, and key leadership from sponsoring companies presented the awards.

The project teams honored were chosen for their developments in improving the quality of architecture and enhancing the urban fabric of Los Angeles. Awardees were selected by a nine-member jury of distinguished architects, contractors, and developers. To receive an award, projects had to be located within Los Angeles County and completed during 2005 or 2006.

The Community Impact Award was given to: Fox Entertainment Group, Inc., DreamWorks Animation SKG, Paramount Pictures, NBC Universal, Sony Pictures Entertainment, The Walt Disney Company, and Warner Bros. Studios. The studios were honored for their development of studio lots and various off-site production and corporate facilities, which over time have evolved into functional micro-cities fostering the creative process and adding to the economy of Los Angeles. “To take a tour of the studios in Los Angeles is to take an architectural tour through Southern California history and world geography,” said Cohen. “You’ll see Art Deco studios, Mission Style buildings, and cutting-edge contemporary design, not to mention replicas of some of the most architecturally historic places in our country that reside on back-lots all over this city.”

Projects honored at the Los Angeles Architectural Awards include:

Grand Prize
Griffith Observatory, by Levin & Associates Architects Pfeiffer Architects, Inc. A truearchitectural icon of L.A. Careful consideration was given to the historic renovation of the interior as well as the conservation and restoration of historic materials. The restoration and expansion has renewed one of the world’s most famous astronomical institutions.

Housing
Metropolitan Lofts, by Johnson Fain. The first urban loft building in L.A., the mid-rise lofts are a perfect blend of the clean lines of classic Modernism and urban architectural finishes and materials, with contemporary free-form spaces. (multifamily mid-rise)

Boxenbaum Residence, by Steven Ehrlich Architects. The composition of cubic columns, vertical stucco masses, and floating roof planes reinforces the direct and open nature of the floor plan in this 8,000-square-foot residence and professional artist studio. (single family residence)

Elleven, by Ankrom Moisan Associated Architects. Elleven is the first ground-up residential project in downtown in 20 years and the first downtown residential building to be certified as LEED® Silver. (multifamily high-rise)

Interiors
CAA, by Gensler. The architect designed a space to reflect its egalitarian workplace ethic, offering ample comfort and amenities to all of its employees. It inspires awe through clean modern lines, transparent elevator cabs, monumental stairs, and a six-story atrium. (commercial)

Maguire Partners, by Clive Wilkinson Architects. The geometric and functional space pays close attention to detail, and the expression of motion and energy is evident throughout the entire space. (commercial)

Snaidero USA Showroom, by Giorgio Borruso Design. The showroom is a creative and interesting space with many visual elements that generate movement while defining different functional areas. (retail)

Landscape Architecture
Virginia Avenue Park Expansion, by Koning Eizenberg Architecture. The Virginia Avenue Park Expansion is the first park in the nation to receive a LEED Silver rating. The design incorporates a range of sustainable strategies and features. A great example of how a well-designed park using some existing structures can revitalize a community.

Mixed-Use
MODAA, by Studio Pali Fekete Architects. The new building’s façade and its culturally stimulating mixed uses amplify the enthusiasm and vibrant motion of Culver City’s burgeoning revival.

New Building
2000 Avenue of the Stars, by Gensler. 2000 Avenue of the Stars signals the renaissance of a prestigious area by preserving the lines of sight and establishing an aesthetic that is sympathetic to the two adjoining Century City Towers by the creation of a 100-foot x 100-foot aperture that opens the structure to the twin towers and views of the city behind it.

Preservation
Pacific Electric Lofts, by Killefer Flammang Architects. The lofts made up L.A.’s first high-rise structure, and the building was recently placed on the National Register of Historic Places. The design is a rich, attractive layering of the different histories of the building, making the difficult job of integrating modern systems into this adaptive reuse of a historic building look easy. (adaptive reuse)

Gloria Kaufman Center, by Moore Ruble Yudell Architects & Planners. Great example of how contemporary programs, such as dance, folklore, and theater, can be successfully combined within the preservation of an historic structure. The building is eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places. (public use)

Public Use
Galen Event Center, by HNTB Architecture Inc. The event center has become a catalyst for the Figueroa Corridor renaissance and the revitalization of the area. The six two-story windows at the north end offer stunning unobstructed views of downtown. (civic)

The California Endowment, by House & Robertson Architects Inc./Rios Clementi Hale Studios. The new center has achieved Silver LEED status. The building emphasizes the positive relationships between the indoor and outdoor environments in L.A. The apparent openness of the center adds to the perception that this is a place of community, open and accessible to all, while remaining secure to the users. (civic)

The Accelerated School, by Marmol Radziner and Associates. The school incorporates indoor and outdoor spaces into the teaching environment. Teachers have the freedom to extend the interior spaces of their classrooms to take advantage of larger than normal walkways and terraces through the use of sectional doors. (institutional)

CNCA High School, by Daly Genik Architects. The design takes advantage of the length of the site by stretching the single-loaded-corridor classroom building more than 400 feet allowing for direct connections between classrooms and outdoor spaces. (institutional)

Fly-Away Terminal, by DMJM Design. The terminal is the first full-service remote airport terminal in the U.S. to create a Gateway to LAX. (industrial)

Other
Westfield Century City Dining Terrace, by Rios Clementi Hale Studios. The interior dining area blurs the boundaries between inside and outside dining. This transparency provides diners direct views to the Century City skyline and allows natural light to flood the interior. (renovation)

Richard Seaver Building, by Bauer and Wiley Architects. The Richard Seaver Building is Silver LEED-certified and integrates complex contextual site conditions, user requirements, and sustainable design to reflect the college’s vision of the future while establishing it as a leader in environmentally responsible design. (sustainability)

Noah’s Ark at the Skirball, by Olson Sundberg Kundig Allen Architects. Noah’s Ark at the Skirball is an interactive piece of built art that will remain a permanent installation in one of the foremost cultural institutions in the country. (honorable mention).

Unbuilt projects
Unbuilt projects receiving awards include:

• U.S. Veterans Administration Hospital (Long Beach), by Lee, Burkhart, Liu (civic)
• Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts, by Studio Pali Fekete. (civic)
• The Madison Theater, by Renzo Zecchetto Architects. (institutional)
• Park Fifth, by Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates PC (multifamily high rise)
• Linda Flora Residence, by Shubin + Donaldson Architects. (single-family residential).