Announcements December 6, 2023

Our LA studio honored at this year’s AIA|LA Awards

UC Riverside Plant Research building
University of California, Riverside Plant Research 1

Our Los Angeles studio received awards in two categories at this year’s AIA|LA Design Awards. Plant Research 1, a project we completed for the University of California Riverside, received the Honor Award in the educational category for built projects, the highest recognition in that category. For unbuilt “Next LA” projects, our 1811 Sacramento office building project received a citation award, one of two commercial/mixed-use projects to be recognized.

Yan Krymsky, design director of our Los Angeles studio, and August Miller, a senior project designer in the studio, attended the event in person and received the award for UCR Plant Research 1 on stage. The jury praised the research facility’s “spot on proportions” and “beautiful repetition,” along with its overall design that “makes it a place one would genuinely want to work in every day.”

Yan Krymsky and August Miller (center) accepting the Honor Award for Plant Research 1

Plant Research 1 is a 30,000-square-foot greenhouse facility that equips UC Riverside researchers to conduct studies previously unattainable at the institution. Some recent experiments include investigating how well bees can pollinate in different climates, testing how to grow rice to withstand drought and flooding conditions in countries like India, and examining how different kinds of plants can act as a decontaminant for soil.

1811 Sacramento is a new office building design currently undergoing entitlement. Some of the project’s most prominent features include its intricate louver system, which was recently presented at the FACADES+ Los Angeles conference, and its unprecedented inclusion of leasable outdoor workspace, a characteristic that has drawn growing interest from architectural and design media this year.

In an announcement about the event, AIA|LA said: “The historic Los Angeles Theatre set the stage for this extraordinary celebration, creating a backdrop that echoed the rich architectural history of the city. The prestigious venue added an extra layer of significance to an evening dedicated to acknowledging outstanding contributions to the built environment.