The American Institute of Architects Los Angeles (AIA|LA) announced the winners of its prestigious 2017 Design Awards on October 30 at the Broad Stage. The evening celebrated design excellence, Los Angeles-based architects and architecture, and the contribution that designers offer the region, and the organization declared it a blow out year.
The festivities begin with an outdoor networking reception with sponsor booths for browsing. You could immortalize your most outlandish self at a photo booth, and lively music was displayed digitally. 　
The formal program inside the auditorium kicked off with a performance by Unfrozen Music, a stellar group of architect musicians. Three categories of Design Awards at three levels each – Honor, Merit and Citation – were selected by juries with expertise specific area. The first was designated for completed projects by LA based firms anywhere in the world, as well as LA based architecture by an AIA member based anywhere. The second, Next LA, recognized speculative, yet to be built projects. The third, COTE awards recognized projects incorporating sustainability. Finally, the Presidential Honoree, was chosen by the current AIA|LA President Douglas Teiger and Board of Directors.
Award winning, major international projects included St. Georges Church in Beirut, Lebanon by PARALX; Varna Library in Varna, Bulgaria by XTEN Architecture; Sberbank Technopark in Moscow, Russia by Eric Owen Moss Architects; and Hyundai Capital Convention Hall Seoul, South Korea by Gensler.
Among national projects, repeat honors came for Rice University Moody Center for the Arts in Houston, Texas by Michael Maltzan Architecture, and Southern Utah Museum of Art Cedar City, Utah by Brooks + Scarpa.
Closer home, repeat honors came for Desert Palisades Guardhouse Palm Springs by Studio AR&D Architects. Noted was its striking design blending into the desert landscape – all the more praiseworthy for such a basic functional project.
Many local award winning projects addressed LA’s notorious housing situation with multi residence projects: Sunset La Cienega Residences in West Hollywood by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP + Lorcan O’Herlihy Architects; and Crest Apartments in Van Nuys by Michael Maltzan Architecture.
At the opposite end of housing solutions was another multiple award winning project, Prototype | A True Starter Home in South Los Angeles, CA by Lehrer Architects LA.
Institutional LA projects included the Evelyn and Mo Ostin Music Center at the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music by Kevin Daly Architects. The structure was noted for its striking spatial orientation – seemingly at odds with existing campus buildings, while blending with them in perfect harmony. 　
Perhaps the most striking and multiple award winning institutional project and the latest jewel in the downtown architectural landscpace was the stunning New United States Courthouse by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP. Jurors noted the enormous demands and design challenges posed by the building’s function that it overcomes with brilliance.