HEALTHCARE AIA AWARDS The Duke (University) Integrative Medicine center combines conventional treatments with alternative therapies such as acupuncture, acupressure, yoga, and meditation. Closely tied to the mission of the new center was the goal of creating a building that evoked warmth and nurtured the well-being of patients and practitioners. — Published 2010.1201
	EMBEDDED LAB The new Center for Embedded Network Sensing (CENS) building designed by Culver City-based Studio Pali Fekete Architects (SPF:a), is unlike the red brick edifices that grace most of the University of California, Los Angeles campus. Surrounded on all sides by 1960s buildings and occupying a formerly neglected courtyard, the glass and steel structure is like a diamond in the rough. — Published 2007.0117
	PREFAB PLATINUM On a cloudy day in April 2006, a crowd of curious onlookers gathered on a hillside street in Santa Monica, California, to watch the installation of the first LivingHomes prefabricated house. Over the course of eight hours, 11 modules were hoisted by crane onto a concrete slab in a dramatic departure from traditional residential construction. — Published 2006.1206
	LA COLOR SCHOOL From her desk, Dena Primary Center principal Patricia Romero can watch children playing in the central courtyard. She also uses the vantage point to admire this new campus that is nestled in a densely populated neighborhood of East Los Angeles. Rachlin Architects have designed an elliptical amphitheater-style courtyard bordered by an administrative complex and two multipurpose buildings. — Published 2006.1018
	L.A. URBAN "Downtown L.A." may not be an oxymoron much longer, because when the construction dust finally settles, the sprawling metropolis of Los Angeles, California will have its own urban center. Ten years ago nobody would have believed it, but since an adaptive reuse ordinance was adopted in 1999 to eliminate many regulatory barriers, construction investment in downtown L.A. has ballooned to $12.2 billion. This according to a study released in February 2006 by the Downtown Center Business Improvement District (DCBID). — Published 2006.0607
	SANTA MONICA ELECTRIC In light of rising energy costs and potentially disastrous environmental policies, timing couldn't be better for the opening of Colorado Court, one of the first 100-percent energy-neutral housing developments in the United States. Located on a busy, urban street corner in Santa Monica, California, the award-winning five-story, "green" building is designed not only to reduce energy consumption but to return unused power back to the city's electrical grid. — Published 2003.0212
	LA EXPANSIVE The view from the 23rd-floor lobby of the White, O'Connor, Curry & Avanzado law office is as good as it gets in Los Angeles. Nearly floor-to-ceiling glass curtain walls reveal an awe-inspiring backdrop of the city, mountains, and Southern California's endlessly blue sky. Located in a corporate high rise in the prime business district of Century City, the new headquarters of one of LA's leading litigation law firms is a workspace to be envied. — Published 2002.0925
	PEACEFUL CAMPUS The red-tiled rooftops of Soka University of America rise over the dry hillsides of Aliso Viejo, California. From a distance, it resembles a Tuscan village. — Published 2002.0626
	POSTCARD FROM PASADENA Dear ArchitectureWeek, In Thailand, the sala is a simple roadside pavilion, a stopover for weary workers to rest. Transposing the idea to Pasadena, California, Saladang Song is a respite from the noise of the street and the relentless activity of the city beyond. In essence, Saladang Song is an urban retreat — a place to dine, a place to reflect. — Published 2002.0529

Allison Milionis