People

The seven-member Cultural Affairs Commission, which reviews the design of all buildings proposed for public land in Los Angeles, has been strengthened by the appointment of its first fully experienced design professional, architect Michael Chan.

The commission reviews scores of complex projects each year, submitted by public agencies such as the Department of Water and Power. Harvard-educated Chan, 40, brings a widely varied background in architecture and urban design in Boston and Los Angeles to bear in judging the aesthetic quality of public buildings.

After a decade of somnolence, the commission has in the past two years coaxed public agencies into improving their previously mundane architecture. Facing down stiff opposition, the commission insisted on a redesign of the proposed Central Library expansion that made a better marriage between the existing library and the new wing.