LA River Recognized For Exceptional Community Impact At 44th Annual LABC Architectural Awards

LOS ANGELES, June 4, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, project teams behind three dozen of the most innovative design projects throughout the region were honored at the 44^th annual Los Angeles Architectural Awards, one of the top celebrations of cutting-edge design and architecture in Southern California. More than 500 design and building professionals attended the event at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, which was moderated by Sam Lubell, West Coast Editor of The Architect's Newspaper, and hosted by the Los Angeles Business Council.

The first awards of the 2014 season, the Architectural Awards recognize entire project teams—including architects, contractors, project managers and developers—for creating and implementing visionary, outstanding structures in L.A. County. Selected by a jury of 25 notable design and building professionals, the award categories represent a wide range of building types, from hospitals to performing arts centers to affordable housing complexes and single-family homes. All of the winning projects were recognized for achieving premier standard of excellence in design, commitment to sustainability and community impact.

The Grand Prize went to Emerson College's LA Campus in Hollywood, designed by Morphosis under direction of the Pritzker Prize-winning architect Thom Mayne. The innovative, 107,000-square-foot complex on Sunset Boulevard consists of two 10-story towers with interconnecting bridges, terrace and a helipad, with an exterior shell consisting of metal fins that utilize weather sensors to let in maximum natural light and maintain an ideal indoor temperature. The new facility establishes a permanent home for the college's undergraduate internship program in the entertainment industry.

Other noteworthy honorees included the Ace Hotel in Downtown Los Angeles for its adaptive reuse of the historic Spanish Gothic-style United Artists building, in the "Hospitality" category; the newly renovated Forum in Inglewood, in the "Preservation" category; the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts in Beverly Hills, in the "Civic" category; and Tongva Park in Santa Monica, which was honored with the Landscape Architecture Award.

"This year's winners demonstrate that Los Angeles continues to attract innovative design and building professionals who foster economic development, community growth and clean technology," said Mary Leslie, President of the Los Angeles Business Council. "These designs are changing the landscape of our city for the better, and we're proud to honor these excellent, world-class projects."

During the event, U.S. Rep. Xavier Becerra, Chairman of the House Democratic Caucus, presented the event's annual Community Impact award to 51 stakeholders supporting the revitalization of the 51-mile Los Angeles River, one of the region's most significant cultural and environmental resources. Last month, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced support for a $1 billion proposal to restore a portion of the river, which flows from the San Fernando Valley to the ocean in Long Beach.

For the third year in a row, the Architectural Awards featured a design contest among the top seven architecture schools in Los Angeles County, who each selected three students to participate in an intensive three-day competition in February to develop a vision and design for The REEF, a transit-oriented community hub in downtown Los Angeles with retail, residential, boutique hotel and gallery uses. An elite jury of eight leading architects, chaired by Joseph DeTuno of Next Century Associates and Brooke Lauter of Lauter + Gallagher, selected the team from Woodbury University as the winner of this year's competition, who submitted a project entitled "ECHO. Logic." The team from Cal Poly Pomona won an honorable mention.

The event organizers also announced the establishment of the International Sustainability Award, a new category created in partnership with Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti's office. The award was created in recognition of a growing alliance in international trade, education and business between Los Angeles and Mexico City, and acknowledges years of outstanding sustainable building practices and expertise. The category will be open for project submissions next year.

"We're proud to add the International Sustainability Award to our annual lineup for this event, honoring a mutual interest in excellent and sustainable design between Los Angeles and our sister city, Mexico City," said LABC Chairman and Psomas President Jacob Lipa. "The world-renowned projects we honored today have brought millions of dollars and thousands of jobs into our regional economy, and we look forward to honoring projects in Mexico City that carry the same vision and economic benefits starting next year."

Other featured presenters and guests included U.S. Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard, Los Angeles City Councilmember Mitch O'Farrell, Johnson Fain Founding Partner Scott Johnson, Gensler Co-CEO Andy Cohen and Watt Companies President Nadine Watt.  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.

SOURCE Los Angeles Business Council