PALM SPRINGS, CA.- Palm Springs Art Museum Architecture and Design Center, Edwards Harris Pavilion was recognized at the 45th Annual Los Angeles Architectural Awards today during a gala luncheon hosted by the Los Angeles Business Council. More than 40 world-class projects from a diverse spectrum of the architectural field were celebrated at the Beverly Hilton Hotel for their design excellence and community impact.
As the hub of the museum's exploration of architecture and design, the Architecture and Design Center features related exhibitions, educational and community programs, research space, the Bradford W. Bates Vault: The Museum Design Store, and a storage area for the museum's growing architecture and design collections and archives. The center, which opened in November 2014, has received worldwide media attention and was also recently recognized by Docomomo US with a distinguished Award of Excellence for the 2015 Modernism in America Awards program. The current exhibition, Eye on Design: Andrea Zittel's Aggregated Stacks and the Collection of Palm Springs Art Museum, is on view through July 26.
“It is extremely rewarding to receive recognition by this esteemed organization for the restoration of this classic midcentury structure, which the museum envisioned and planned for several years,” said Elizabeth Armstrong, The JoAnn McGrath Executive Director of Palm Springs Art Museum. “We are extremely proud that the Architecture and Design Center has been awarded on a local and national level, and now regionally by the Los Angeles Business Council – all in the short time of being open for only about seven months.”
Featuring an engaging keynote address by world-renowned architect Shigeru Ban, winner of the 2014 Pritzker Architecture Prize, the annual event drew a crowd of approximately 600 of the region’s leading architects, designers, building professionals and media. Entire project teams – including building owners, designers, contractors and developers – were honored for their contributions to exceptional design in L.A. County and beyond.
"The L.A. Architectural Awards are an opportunity for us to recognize and celebrate outstanding projects that marry excellent design with meaningful sustainability,” said Los Angeles Business Council President Mary Leslie. “Today’s winning projects exemplify the entrepreneurial, innovative spirit that makes Los Angeles unique.”
A distinguished jury of owners, contractors, architects and civic leaders selected this year’s winners from hundreds of submissions. The Grand Prize went to the project team behind the restoration of the iconic, Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Hollyhock House. Councilmember Bob Blumenfield, LADWP Director of Economic Development Kecia Washington and Haworth Director of Business Development Ron Frantz honored the winners of a new competition—the LADWP Community Impact Award Landscape Design Competition— which recognized projects for outstanding innovation in environmentally conscious and water conserving landscape architecture.
For the fourth year in a row, the Architectural Awards featured a design contest among students at the top six architecture schools in Los Angeles County, in this case participating in an intensive two-week competition to develop a vision and design for the South Wetland Park Facility. A video about the 2015 Julius Shulman Emerging Talent Award student design competition is available at the LA Business Council’s website, www.labusinesscouncil.org.
For 45 years, the LABC has hosted the Los Angeles Architectural Awards ceremony and luncheon to honor design teams for both their aesthetic vision and their contributions to the community as a whole. Please visit www.labusinesscouncil.org or contact michelle@sugermangroup.com for more information about the 2015 Architectural Awards, including video footage of the ceremony and photos of all project winners.
For additional information about Palm Springs Art Museum and the Architecture and Design Center visit www.psmuseum.org. The Architecture and Design Center can be reached at (760) 423-5260 and the main museum at (760) 322-4800. The Architecture and Design Center is located at 300 S. Palm Canyon Drive in downtown Palm Springs.
