Stadiums Shaped Like Ocean Waves? Museums Inspired by Flying Vessels? LABC's 51st Architectural Awards Celebrate Only-in-L.A. Designs

The Los Angeles Business Council today announced the winners of its 51st Architectural Awards, recognizing projects that draw inspiration from Southern California's unique landscape and history to create boundary-breaking designs that capture the imagination, reenergize public spaces, and add striking new silhouettes to the L.A. landscape.

The sold-out ceremony will feature remarks from architectural legend Frank Gehry, recipient of the new LA Community Legacy Award and designer of many of L.A.'s most iconic landmarks. Together, the more than 20 winners represent a new movement toward design ingenuity that re-thinks how people engage with buildings and urban spaces.

"Los Angeles welcomes dream-chasers and fearless innovators who harness our region's boundless creative energy to build something new," said LA County Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell. "From Inglewood's SoFi Stadium to the new Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, these forward-looking architectural designs will captivate locals, attract new visitors, and inspire the next generation of visionaries."

LABC received hundreds of submissions in categories including healthcare, education, housing and more. The jury panel was comprised of industry experts in architecture, design, engineering, building development and building owners.

The Grand Prize went to Inglewood's SoFi Stadium & Entertainment District at Hollywood Park ? site of the Super Bowl LVI next February ? for its unmistakable dramatic curves meant to reflect the sweeping Southern California coastline and connectivity to the outdoors. Designed by Dallas-based international firm HKS Architects, the 298-acre venue features a translucent roof, seating bowl, concourses, and landscape designed to create the feel of an outdoor venue ? with a domed stadium's flexibility.

"This year's winners break the mold for how creative, elegant design can build a better future for our city," said Mary Leslie, president of the Los Angeles Business Council. "Visionaries like the great Frank Gehry show us how architecture and development can help celebrate and reinvent LA's rich legacy, while inspiring the next generation to do the same."

One of history's most accomplished architects, Gehry, founder of Gehry Partners, received the first-ever LA Community Legacy Award, celebrating the boundless ways his work has benefited L.A., changed how residents navigate and engage with the city, and sowed even more fertile ground for big ideas.

Gehry's projects serve the public by providing shared spaces ? and experiences ? through which people can more richly connect with their surroundings. These include the L.A. River Revitalization, Grand Avenue Project, Judith and Thomas L. Beckmen YOLA Center, and Disney Concert Hall. In lieu of a traditional keynote, Gehry will share a conversation with California State Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon.

The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures ? the nation's largest institution devoted to the arts, sciences, and artists of filmmaking ? took home the prestigious LABC Chairman's Award. Located in the heart of Los Angeles on the famed "Miracle Mile," the museum restores and reinvigorates the historic May Company Department Store, adding a 1,000-seat theater shaped like a flying vessel or soap bubble, a terrace with views towards Hollywood, and more than 50,000 square feet of exhibition galleries.

"This design pays homage to the rich, dynamic legacy of filmmaking in Los Angeles, elevating a historic building on one of its most iconic streets," said Nadine Watt, LABC chair and president of Watt Companies. "This museum gives visitors an unparalleled window into the world of cinema."

Winners broke boundaries to serve the public ? and not just through built spaces. LABC awarded the Community Impact Award to the City of L.A.'s Al Fresco Dining Program and restaurants that best used the pandemic-inspired initiative, which expanded dining areas into the street, sidewalk, and private parking lots to help small businesses weathering the economic toll of the pandemic. More than half of all resources and applications approved for the outdoor dining program were earmarked for BIPOC-owned (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) businesses or those located in areas that suffered the greatest job losses due to Covid-19.

Following a remote Gala last year due to the pandemic, LABC will host today's ceremony at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. For a full list of winners and photos of this year's winning projects, please visit the Los Angeles Business Council website at labusinesscouncil.org.

About the Los Angeles Business Council

The Los Angeles Business Council is one of the most effective and influential advocacy and educational organizations in California. For over 70 years, the LABC has had a major impact on public policy by harnessing the power of business and government to promote environmental and economic sustainability in the Los Angeles region. To learn more, please visit www.labusinesscouncil.org.