The Great Wall

Seoul based firm, Yamasaki Ku Hong Associates Design Lab, designed 'The Great Wall,' a mixed used housing complex that is currently in progress in Suizhong, China. The complex also includes office, retail and differentiated public outdoor courtyards which are sandwiched in between two different types of retail, which allows for a concentrated and continuous shopping experience.

The idea of stacking small-size factories in an apartment format is received well, but there have been some problems associated with access to day-lighting and poor working conditions. As a response, they tried to develop next generation ‘apt-factories’ with improved ecological, economical, flexible and social bases in mind.

Click to read more ...

Inexpensive and Eco-Friendly "House-In-A-Can"

Architects Austin + Mergold have a proposal for how to reuse agricultural silos and other circular structures of the U.S. farm belt: A-House-In-A-Can.

Click to read more ...

40th Annual Los Angeles Architectural Awards Announced

*Click on project links to see image galleries.

Grand Prize sponsored by MACERICH
LAPD Police Administration Building
Architect: AECOM in a joint venture with Roth Sheppard Associates
Contractor: Tutor-Saliba Corporation
Building Owner/Developer: City of Los Angeles, Department of Public Works, Bureau of Engineering

Civic Awards sponsored by DIFFENBAUGH
Civic - #1
California Science Center - Phase II - Ecosystems
Architect: EHDD/ZGF A Joint Venture
Contractor: Morley Builders
Building Owner/Developer: California Science Center Education Award sponsored by AECOM

Civic - #2
The Annenberg Community Beach House at Santa Monica State Beach
Architect: Frederick Fisher and Partners Architects
Contractor: Charles Pankow Builders, Ltd.
Building Owner/Developer: City of Santa Monica, Community & Cultural Services

Education Awards sponsored by AECOM
Education - Public
South Campus Project, Los Angeles Trade Technical College
Architect: MDA Johnson Favaro / Gruen Associates
Contractor: Taisei Corporation
Building Owner/Developer: Los Angeles Community College District

Education - Private
Cahill Center for Astronomy and Astrophysics at Caltech
Architect: Morphosis Architects
Contractor: Hathaway Dinwiddie Construction Company
Building Owner/Developer: California Institute of Technology

Green Building - Awarded to City of LA Police Stations - sponsored by Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton LLP
Hollenbeck Area Community Police Station
Architect: AC Martin Partners
Contractor: FTR International
Building Owner/Developer: City of Los Angeles

L.A.P.D. Harbor Replacement Station and Jail
Architect: Perkins + Will
Contractor: Pinner Construction Co., Inc.
Building Owner/Developer: City of Los Angeles, Bureau of Engineering Prop Q Program

Click to read more ...

New LEED Platinum (pending) Mixed-Use Project by Pugh + Scarpa opens in LA

Bicoastal, cutting-edge architecture firm Pugh + Scarpa has just completed a new 12 unit Mixed-Use, LEED Platinum(pending) building in Los Angeles. Cherokee Mixed-Use Lofts is an urban infill, mixed-use, market-rate housing project. The building is inspired by the series of paintings by the British artist Patrick Hughes titled, Prospectivity, whose paintings appear to be ever changing(click for video) and physically moving while being viewed. At Cherokee the main architectural feature of this project is the building’s owner-controlled operable double facade system. By allowing the occupant to adjust, at will, the operable screens of the building façade, the facade is virtually redesigned “live” from within the space, reflecting the occupants of the building within, in real time. In effect, it becomes a live canvas to be painted upon daily or more often.

Cherokee is the first LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Platinum (pending) Certified building in Hollywood and is the first LEED Platinum Certified mixed-use or market rate multi-family building in Southern California. The building distinguishes itself from most conventionally developed projects in that it incorporates energy efficient measures that exceed standard practice, optimize building performance, and ensure reduced energy use during all phases of construction and occupancy.Cherokee Lofts by Pugh + Scarpa

View Larger Map