LEED Platinum Downtown L.A. Courthouse Wins Grand Prize; LAX and Metro’s Expo Line Honored for Reimagining Mobility
LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Business Council announced June 22, 2017, the winners of its 47th Annual Los Angeles Architectural Awards, celebrating projects that embrace cutting-edge green design and smart transportation systems. Over three dozen projects were recognized for design innovation, with the Grand Prize going to the LEED Platinum designated United States Courthouse in downtown Los Angeles. More than 500 design and building professionals, along with top city officials, gathered at the Beverly Hilton for the event.
“This year, the LABC is honoring architects both locally and globally who are embracing creative design standards to create livable, sustainable cities that improve quality of life while creating jobs,” said Mary Leslie, President of the LABC.
Sustainability was a driving factor for the Grand Prize-winning federal courthouse, a striking glass and steel riff on classic architectural principles that redefines high performance green building. Los Angeles-area transportation projects also took home major awards: Los Angeles World Airport’s Capital Improvement Program won the Community Impact award for their $14 billion project meant to re-imagine, renovate and rebuild LAX. Metro’s Exposition 2 Light Rail Transit project won the prestigious Chairman’s Award, which recognized the 14-mile extension for being the first new transit connection between downtown L.A. and Santa Monica in almost 60 years.
Community Impact Award: LA World Airports-Capital Improvement Plan: Midfield Satellite Concourse North. Turner/PCL Joint Venture | Corgan/Gensler | Saiful Bouquet/Buehler & Buehler Structural Engineers | Los Angeles World Airport.
“These projects embrace cutting-edge design principles that help transform our daily lives for the better,” said L.A. County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas, who accepted the Chairman’s Award for the Expo Line. “By recognizing projects that put sustainability and mobility at the heart of their design, we can help set a new precedent that ensures that Los Angeles retains its key position as one of the most livable and productive cities in the world.”
The 45 winning projects were selected from a competitive pool of more than 200 projects. Winners were selected by a jury panel representing a cross-section of industry experts, including representatives from top architectural firms, the City of Los Angeles, developers and engineers with Jury Co-Chairs from DeTuno Consulting, Morley Builders, Marmol Radziner and Lauter + Gallagher.
Landscape Architecture Award: Water Garden. KSA Design Studio | HLW International | Morley Builders | Water Garden Realty Holding LLC and Water Garden Company L.L.C. | Trammell Crow Company & CBRE, Inc. Photo: Steve Lacap
L.A.’s role as an international city with global influence was clear at this year’s award ceremonies. 2017 was the inaugural year for the “Tripartite Award,” which was established to foster collaboration between L.A. and her two Sister Cities – Guangzhou, China and Auckland, New Zealand – as the three cities strive for shared urban development and sustainability goals. The first-ever Tripartite Award winners include the Urban Design of Yuzhu Area in Guangzhou and the Te Ara I Whiti Light Path in Auckland. Now in its third year, the Los Angeles and Mexico City Sustainable Real Estate Award, established to honor the partnership between L.A. and Mexico City, was presented to the Arts District’s La Kretz Innovation Campus for its commitment to sustainable building practices and civic engagement.
“Los Angeles is where art, culture and commerce come together — and the Architectural Awards help us celebrate what L.A. offers to the world,” said Mayor Eric Garcetti. “This event helps strengthen cultural and economic ties with our international partners, and I thank the Los Angeles Business Council for making it possible.”
Landscape Architecture Award: John V. Tunney Pedestrian Bridge at the Hammer Museum. Michael Maltzan Architecture, Inc. | MATT Construction | Armand Hammer Museum of Art & Cultural Center. Photo: © Michael Maltzan Architecture, Inc
This year’s Julius Shulman Emerging Talent Award, an award and scholarship given to students from L.A. County’s top architectural schools, went to Cal Poly Pomona students for their design for Block Party, a mixed-use residential building featuring supportive housing, affordable housing and market-rate housing units that creatively engages and activates the surrounding neighborhood.
The event was co-chaired by Robert Jernigan, Regional Managing Principal of Gensler, and Nadine Watt, LABC Chair and President of Watt Companies. Remarks were delivered by Kai-Uwe Bergmann and Leon Rost from the boundary-pushing architectural firm BIG, known for projects ranging from Google’s California headquarters to New York skyscrapers.
A full list of honorees is attached. For pictures of the winning projects, please visit the Los Angeles Business Council website at www.labusinesscouncil.org.
About the Los Angeles Business Council
The Los Angeles Business Council is one of the most effective and influential advocacy and educational organizations in California. For over 70 years, the LABC has had a major impact on public policy by harnessing the power of business and government to promote environmental and economic sustainability in the Los Angeles region. To learn more, please visit www.labusinesscouncil.org.
