AIA Honors LA’s Best Architects

No Mass House by Neil M. Denari Architects/NMDA was awarded a Next LA Honor award and Best in Show.

Hosting the 2011 AIA/LA Design Awards gave the Pacific Design Center an opportunity to celebrate the completion of its Red Building and the 85th birthday of Cesar Pelli, who designed the PDC triad forty years ago. Awards were bestowed on 30 buildings in four categories, and the big winners were Johnston Marklee for three houses, Belzberg Architects for the LA Museum of the Holocaust (three awards), and Neil Denari/NMDA, who won the chapter’s gold medal, an LA Next honor, and top prize for the HL23 apartments in New York. As AIA/LA President, Hsinming Fung presented the 25-year award to Frank Gehry’s Loyola Law School Campus, saluted Merry Norris for her design advocacy, and paid tribute to the late John Chase for his contribution to the community: honors that were richly deserved. Lee and Mundwiler won the emerging practice award. The buildings and projects were diverse and consistently good—some consolation for the current lack of commissions, and the absence of new LA buildings by architects who are celebrated everywhere but in their home city. A full list of awards will appear in the January/February issue of Form.