continued

Also recognized in the LA AIA awards was the Santa Monica Civic Center Parking Structure in Santa Monica, California by Moore Ruble Yudell Architects & Planners. The parking structure is notable for its facade of colored channel-glass panels, set in a seemingly random pattern, and a striking series of rooftop solar panels that simultaneously acts as a shading device.

Two new residential projects were also recognized: the Off-Grid iT House in Pioneertown, California, by Taalman Koch Architecture, and the Canyon House in Los Angeles, by the Office of Hadley + Peter Arnold. The Canyon House is a remodel of the 1947 Lohrie House by architect Rodney Walker.

Another award went to the Disney Store Headquarters in Pasadena, by Clive Wilkinson Architects.

The merit award-winners also included three other Los Angeles projects: Dark Side of the Moon, an installation by Michael Maltzan Architecture; Camino Nuevo High School by Daly Genik; and the Los Angeles Music Center's Ahmanson Founders Room by Belzberg Architects.

Other Awards

Along with the 2008 design awards, a raft of other awards were given by AIA Los Angeles in June.

The Next LA Awards for unbuilt designs came from a separate jury of Los Angeles-based architects: Paul Danna of DMJM H&N, Julie Eizenberg of Koning Eizenberg Architecture, and Hraztan S. Zeitlian of Leo A Daly.

Next LA honors went to HL23 in New York City, by Neil M. Denari Architects, and to the Art Center College of Design Housing Complex in Pasadena, by Daly Genik.

The AIA/LA 25-Year Award went to the Century Plaza Towers by Minoru Yamasaki. The Century Plaza opened in 1966 and was designed a decade before Yamasaki would find greater fame with New York's World Trade Center. The hotel, which underwent a major facelift in 2005, was dubbed the "Western White House" in the 1980s because Ronald Reagan stayed there so frequently as President.

The CAC Design Award, which recognizes design excellence in civic architecture done for Los Angeles city agencies, bestowed an honor award for the unbuilt Art Bridge project in North Hollywood, by wHY Architecture. The jury called the Art Bridge an "excellent example of a civic project in that it really engages two existing landmarks for the city: our river and an important mural in the public art landscape."

Scott Johnson and William H. Fain, Jr., principals of Johnson Fain, were given the Gold Medal award. Their firm has designed everything from affordable housing and cultural centers to a Dodger Stadium renovation and corporate headquarters for Genentech and Toyota.   >>>

Brian Libby is a Portland, Oregon-based freelance writer who has also published in Metropolis, The New York Times, The Christian Science Monitor, and Architectural Record.

Discuss this article in the Architecture Forum...

SUBSCRIPTION SAMPLE The Santa Monica Civic Center Parking Structure, designed by Moore Ruble Yudell, was the first parking structure to receive LEED certification. Photo: © John Edward Linden Extra Large Image A photovoltaic array and colored glass panels adorn the mixed-use Santa Monica Civic Center Parking Structure. Photo: © John Edward Linden Extra Large Image SUBSCRIPTION SAMPLE The Off-Grid iT House in Pioneertown, California, was designed by Taalman Koch Architecture. Photo: Courtesy Taalman Koch Extra Large Image The open plan and simple steel-and-glass structure of the Off-Grid iT House recall the previous century's Case Study House program. Photo: Courtesy Taalman Koch Extra Large Image The Office of Hadley + Peter Arnold redesigned and remodeled the 1940s Lohrie House designed by Case Study House architect Rodney Walker. Photo: Courtesy Office of Hadley + Peter Arnold Extra Large Image Much of the original Lohrie House was replaced with new construction that recalls the original design. Photo: Courtesy Office of Hadley + Peter Arnold Extra Large Image Clive Wilkinson Architects remodeled a historic 1927 brick building in downtown Pasadena as the new Disney Store Headquarters. Photo: Benny Chan/ Fotoworks Extra Large Image Trendy modern furniture and interior elements stand in stark contrast with the pragmatic historic structure of the Disney Store Headquarters building. Photo: Benny Chan/ Fotoworks Extra Large Image Disney Store Headquarters floor plan drawing. Image: Clive Wilkinson Architects Extra Large Image Disney Store Headquarters axonometric drawing. Image: Clive Wilkinson Architects   Click on thumbnail images to view full-size pictures.