Los Angeles Awards Celebration - AIA/LA Design Awards, NEXT LA, AFLA's Design Green

FORM attended the annual AIA|LA Design Awards and Party last night at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. The Design Awards party offered time for sharing architectural musings, as well as time to view the new Lynda and Stewart Resnick Exhibition Pavilion. Honoring excellence in work by Los Angeles Architects, this years award recipients were not revealed until the ceremony, which allowed for candid reactions from award winners.

In the NEXT LA category, which featured yet unbuilt designs, 20 jury awards were given in three classifications: Citation, Merit, and Honor. The Honor Awards were given to Michael W Folonis Architects for their UCLA 16th Street Outpatient Surgery and Oncology Center, as well as Your Building Here, for their Embassy of the Czech Republic in Washington DC. The same design from Your Building Here also received the Best in Show for the NEXT LA category.

In the Design Categories, 15 awards were given in the same classifications. Honor Award winners included Michael Maltzan Architecture for their Pittman Dowell Residence, Pugh + Scarpa for their Lofts at Cherokee Studios, and Morphosis Architects for their 41 Cooper Square project, which also was awarded Best in Show.

The night concluded with heartfelt acceptance speech from Brenda Levin, FAIA, Levin & Associates,  for her Gold Medal Presidental Award. Through revitalizing the urban, historical, and cultural landscape of Los Angeles, Levin reminded all attendees that the slow economic climate is no reflection of the talent, innovation, and creativity of Los Angeles architects.