MATT Construction Honored At The 47th Annual Los Angeles Architectural Awards

LOS ANGELES – MATT Construction was honored at the 47^th Annual Los Angeles Architectural Awards, hosted by the Los Angeles Business Council (LABC) on June 22 at the Beverly Hilton. MATT received the Best Project Award which recognized the Television Academy Saban Media Center for its design excellence and innovation. MATT also received an Award of Merit for the Hammer Museum John V. Tunney Pedestrian Bridge located in Los Angeles.

A Look At The Projects

“The winners of this year’s Los Angeles Architectural Awards demonstrate how architects both locally and globally are embracing creative design standards to create livable, sustainable cites that improve quality of life for us all,” said Mary Leslie, President of the Los Angeles Business Council.

MATT was recognized for The Saban Media Center, which replaced an existing theater on the Television Academy’s campus. The Center features a state-of-the-art theater, a greenroom, a pre-function lobby space and red carpet entrance, and an outdoor dining plaza. This is a significant upgrade for the Academy over the previous facility, which suffered from outdated technology and poor crowd flow. There is also a new entrance,  presided over by a cantilevered structure of steel-supported glass walls. MATT Construction was on board from the beginning of the program, providing support pre-construction through completion.

The Hammer Museum John V. Tunney Pedestrian Bridge connects the permanent gallery in the second floor east wing to the temporary galleries in the west. The bridge improves pedestrian flow while encouraging visitors to explore the institution creates new opportunities for events and exhibits. By fabricating most elements off-site and then craning them into place overnight, the team minimized the project’s impact on regular museum operations and on the very busy surrounding neighborhood.

Joining Elite Company

The Television Academy Saban Media Center is in elite company – the 45 winning projects were selected from a competitive pool of more than 200 projects, ranging from civic buildings and transportation hubs to commercial office and creative retail. Winners were selected by a jury panel representing a cross-section of industry experts, including representatives from top architectural firms, the City of Los Angeles, developers and engineers including Jury Co-Chairs from DeTuno Consulting, Morley Builders, Marmol Radziner and Lauter + Gallagher.

This year was the inaugural year for the “Tripartite Award” which was established to foster collaboration between L.A. and her two Sister Cities – Guangzhou, China and Auckland, New Zealand – as the three global cities strive for shared urban development and sustainability goals. The first-ever Tripartite Award winners include the Urban Design of Yuzhu Area in Guangzhou and the Te Ara I Whiti Light Path in Auckland.

Representatives from MATT, along with leading architects, city officials, and business leaders, attended the awards ceremony at the Beverly Hilton. Remarks were delivered by Kai-Uwe Bergmann and Leon Rost from the visionary architectural firm BIG, known for its bleeding-edge design in projects ranging from Google’s California headquarters to New York skyscrapers.

“Award programs such as the LABC’s Los Angeles Architectural Awards are important as they celebrate the diversity of scale, ambition and the communities they serve,” Bergmann said. “The honored projects tonight provide a window into the values we hold dear and provide a path forward in how we all can improve our quality of life through  beauty, function, and public benefit in one of America’s most dynamic cities.”

A full list of honorees as well as pictures of the winning projects is available at www.labusinesscouncil.org.