By Mike Boehm Times Staff Writer
Here's a feat of artistic alchemy: UCLA architecture professor Greg Lynnhas turned yellow plastic toy ducks into a Golden Lion -- which is what they call the awards handed out at the Venice Architecture Biennale.

Applying computer design technology and advanced fabrication techniques to the ducks and other colorful playthings, Lynn created "Recycled Toys Furniture," a series of sculpture-like pieces that won the award for best installation project.

The theme of this year's Venice show was "Out There: Architecture Beyond Building," meaning work applying architectural principles to creations other than buildings.

The five-member jury of architects and scholars that picked Lynn's installation said the piece was "a provocation rather than a prototype," with interesting implications for digital architectural design, new fabrication technology and working with recycled materials.