In 2017, I listed my all-time favorites. In 2019, I presented ten projects I called the “most seductive.” In 2020, the adjective used was “most intriguing.” In 2021, my essay displayed buildings that were the “most striking.” For the end of 2022, I highlight what takes my breath away. Defining breathtaking typically involves words such as awe-inspiring, astonishing, wondrous, and even out-of-this-world.
Upon visiting the recently completed Orange County Museum of Art, I thought of Christina Aguilera or Patti LaBelle. Maybe Whitney Houston too. All three singers engage in vocal acrobatics, excessive riffs of attention-grabbing notes in virtuoso succession. So too with the new museum designed by Culver City-based Morphosis.
”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.
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.
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.
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.
