#161: AUTHENTICITY AND DISHONESTY IN MATERIALS

November 18, 2022

”If you think of Brick, you say to Brick, ‘What do you want, Brick?’

“And Brick says to you, ‘I like an Arch.’

“And if you say to Brick, ‘Look, arches are expensive, and I can use a concrete lintel over you. What do you think of that, Brick?’

“Brick says, ‘I like an Arch.’

“And it’s important, you see, that you honor the material that you use. You can only do it if you honor the brick and glorify the brick instead of shortchanging it.” So proclaimed Louis Kahn.

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#160: THE BRAVERY OF HAYDEN TRACT

October 28, 2022

Good architecture takes vision. Great architecture takes courage. Within Culver City lies Hayden Tract, a former industrial zone named after the main streets, Hayden Avenue and Hayden Place. For the past four decades, this neighborhood has served as the national stage for the audacious vision of architect Eric Owen Moss and developer/builders Frederick and Laurie Samitaur Smith.

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#159: 2022 AIA RESTAURANT DESIGN AWARDS: “AND THE AWARD GOES TO . . . ”

October 7, 2022

As a design juror for the 2022 Restaurant Design Awards of the American Institute of Architects, I handed out awards and congratulations to the winners on September 15th, who sat in suspense, fingers crossed, hoping that their names would be called. It was a celebrative evening recognizing some of our best talent in Los Angeles. The honored projects ranged from Prague, Czechia to a design that engaged large rocks, from the exploitation of marble veining to bold modesty.

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#158: LOS ANGELES BAKER’S DOZEN

September 16, 2022

As a Los Angeles architect, I am often asked, “What are your favorite buildings in the city?” Considering houses, concert halls, schools, churches—it is difficult to answer. There are so many great works of architecture. To have parameters, I stuck to the City of Los Angeles. I did not include the many treasures in adjacent cities like West Hollywood, Santa Monica, and Beverly Hills. Also, I couldn’t decide on the typical “top ten,” like I have done each year. So in no particular order, here you go: a Baker’s Dozen.

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#157: “BE WATER, MY FRIEND”

August 26, 2022

Throughout architecture, the element of water has played an impactful role—whether as a lead actor or the backdrop. Of the many ways water has been employed in design, five come to mind.

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#156: ACADEMY MUSEUM OF MOTION PICTURES: PLOT AND CLIMAX

August 5, 2022

My first thought is simply this: weird. But is weird a bad thing? After years of delay, the $484-million Academy Musuem of Motion Pictures finally opened late last year. Designed by Pritzker-prized Renzo Piano with local Gensler as executive architect, the results are indeed weird.

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