Annenberg Community Beach House Tour

Come tour this 2010 Historic Preservation Award recipient from the Los Angeles Conservancy. The 5-acre oceanfront site upon which the Annenberg Community Beach House now sits was originally developed during the Gold Coast era of the 1920s by William Randolph Hearst for actress Marion Davies.

The project involved rehabilitation of the historic Marion Davies Guest House and pool, as well as construction of new recreation and event spaces. The Beach House is another step forward in the City of Santa Monica 's commitment to sustainability - it has been awarded a Gold LEED rating.

Links to parking maps are here. To register, click here.

Renovation of LAX Bradley Terminal

Leo A Daly, project architects for the renovation of the LAX terminal, spent nearly 12 years and almost a billion dollars to add, among other things, a 45,000-square-foot baggage screening area, massive upgrades to the arrival and ticketing lobbies and concourses, four new airport lounges, new furniture, restrooms, accessibility measures, elevators and escalators, better temperature control and ventilation, and a new electrical system. Renovations also included two new gates capable of handling the enormous Airbus A380 aircraft, multimedia installations, and “dynamic color and brighter views,” said Keith Mawson, corporate director of aviation programs for Leo A Daly. Read more about it here.

June 3rd Event Pics at LA Trade-Tech/LACCD hosted by FORM and AFLA

Event Images: Carolina Farias

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

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What Color Is Your Lease? - Beyond the Grid

Green leases offer sustainable and financial benefits for landlords and tenants alike

By Ina Drosu

In an environment where the ecological lobby is prevalent, and the general economic downturn begs for practical innovation that reduces operating costs, green leases are steadily gaining the interest of landlords and tenants. Profitability is key to survival of commercial ventures; without it, loftier concerns fly out the window. What better way to harness broad improvement potentials than a lease structured as economic driver accommodating comprehensive environmental regulations and allowing for necessary changes over time?

According to a study done by CRD&MI, energy costs are 29 percent of landlord
operating costs while less than one percent is paid for by tenants.

Alan Whitson, president of Corporate Realty, Design & Management Institute, created a model green lease to serve as more than a “token gesture to sustainability.” The lease provides incentives for landlords to build cost-effective peak-performance buildings that address energy and water efficiency, emission reduction, and waste minimization. According to a study done by CRD&MI, energy costs are 29 percent of a building’s operating costs while less than one percent is paid for by tenants. Most commercial leases leave energy efficiency out of the equation. He adds, “in a booming market it’s easy to be green, but now, savvy people realize it is part of an economic strategy to improve performance and productivity.”

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