L.A. Architects Honor Designs

A condominium project, a fast-food restaurant, a health-care center, four office buildings and a theater were chosen as top winners in the 16th annual Design Awards Competition sponsored by the Los Angeles chapter of the American Institute of Architects.

There were 180 submissions in nine categories that included 62 residential and 46 commercial entries, 36 public facilities and six miscellaneous projects.

At ceremonies in the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, chairman of the AIA/LA awards committee, Scott Johnson, principal of the Los Angeles firm of Johnson, Fain & Pereira, said the winning architectural firms “were highly spirited and their energetic designs reflect the jurors’ excitement about the Los Angeles design com-munity.”

Honor Awards were received by William Adams Architects of Santa Monica, Frank O. Gehry & Associates of Santa Monica, Grinstein/Daniels of Culver City, David L. Gray Associates of Santa Monica, Eric Owen Moss of Culver City, Morphosis of Santa Monica and the Venice office of New Mexico-based architect Antoine Predock.

Two residential designs by Richard Meier & Partners of Los Angeles and Konig Eisenberg Architecture of Santa Monica won Merit Awards.

Grinstein/Daniels was praised for the inventive design of a Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant at 340 N. Western Ave. in Los Angeles that utilizes wood and steel framing, corrugated metal and tile to integrate the building and its signage.

David L. Gray’s design of the four-story 7th Street Office Building in Santa Monica was recognized for its “poetic” use of space, side garden and vaulted ceilings. Other winning office projects included two entries by the firm of Eric Owen Moss: the renovated Gary Group Building in Culver City, featuring work stations with landscaped courtyards and a central pool, and a second award for the design of the S.M.A. Corp. building in Santa Monica.

The Kippen Condominiums, designed for a small lot in Santa Monica by William Adams Architects, were cited for excellent design in multiple dwellings, and the renovation of the 1960s’ Salick Health Center in Los Angeles won an award for Morphosis, specifically for its dramatic structural contrasts and use of glass for maximum view of the Hollywood Hills.

A 400-seat playhouse with full backstage support and rehearsal facilities--the Mandell Weiss Forum at UC La Jolla designed by the firm of Antoine Predock--was cited for its innovative design featuring a 270-foot mirrored wall and dramatic structural lines of demarcation “into the world of dream and myth.”

Frank O. Gehry & Associates’ design for Progressive Corp.’s headquarters in Cleveland was the only unbuilt design to be recognized.

Winners of Merit Awards were a home in Santa Monica by Konig Eisenberg illustrating a mix of the romantic and the modern and cited by judges for its “simplicity of plan and beautiful entry.”

The Ackerberg House in Malibu by Richard Meier & Associates was selected for its L-shaped, two-story plan with an internal courtyard and double-height, glass-block entrance.

The AIA/LA awards jury included architects Charles Gwathmey, Peter C. Pran, Adele Naude Santos and editor-in-chief of Architecture Magazine, Deborah Dietsch.

1991 Architectural Award Winners Following are winners of 1991 Design Awards presented by the Los Angeles chapter, American Institute of Architects.

Honor Awards William Adams Architects 1436 1/2 3rd St. Promenade Santa Monica, Calif. 90401 Frank O. Gehry & Associates 1520B Cloverfield Blvd. Santa Monica, Calif. 90404 Grinstein/Daniels, Inc. 9520 Jefferson Blvd. Culver City, Calif. 90232 David L. Gray & Assoc. Architects 1546 7th St., Suite 300 Santa Monica, Calif. 90401 Eric Owen Moss Architect 3964 Ince Blvd. Culver City, Calif. 90232 Eric Owen Moss Architect 3964 Ince Blvd. Culver City, Calif. 90232 Morphosis 1718 22nd St. Santa Monica, Calif. 90404 Antoine Predock Architect 1136 Abbot Kinney Venice, Calif. 90291 Projects Kippen Condominiums 2318 2nd St Santa Monica, Calif. 90405 Progressive Corp. Headquarters Cleveland, Ohio Kentucky Fried Chicken 340 N. Western Ave. Los Angeles, Calif. 90010 7th Street Office Building 1546 7th St. Santa Monica, Calif. 90401 Gary Group 9046 Lindblade St. Culver City, Calif. 90232 S.M.A. 8522 National Blvd. Culver City, Calif. 90232 Salick Health Care 8201 Beverly Blvd. Los Angeles, Calif. 90048 Mandell Weiss Forum University of Calif., San Diego La Jolla, Calif. Merit Awards Richard Meier & Partners 1001 Gayley Ave. Los Angeles, Calilf. 90024 Konig Eisenberg Architecture 1550 18th St. Santa Monica, Calif. 90404 Projects Ackerberg House 22466 Pacific Coast Hwy Malibu, Calif. 90265 909 House 909 25th St. Santa Monica, Calif. 90403