City: Los Angeles

 

Connecting and providing accessibility to and from the many neighborhoods of Los Angeles, California, the Regional Connector Transit Project will link three public transit lines in the downtown area. When complete, the three-station, 1.9-mile tunnel will tie together the city’s expanding transit network, improving access to local and regional destinations.

With an eye to current and future generations, the Regional Connector will enable all the region’s transit systems to operate more efficiently, attract higher ridership, reduce congestion and improve air quality, while extending the benefits of mass transit to additional communities — from downtown to the beach and beyond.

 

Designed to fit within the urban context of the Los Angeles Civic Center, the new 491,000-square foot Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) Headquarters features areas dedicated to police administration and operations. The design is modern with both physical and metaphorical connections to the surrounding community. Setbacks, necessary for security reasons, are captured as opportunities for integrating the site at the human scale: a one-acre park; public art program, and plaza relate to passers-by and engage them with the headquarters.

The LAPD Headquarters project was recognized in 2009 with the American Institute of Architects’ presidential honor award for “Building Team of the Year.” The award acknowledges an important aspect of the project – the successful collaboration between AECOM’s design team, the City of Los Angeles Bureau of Engineering, the police department, the community, consultants and contractor. The process included the Department of Public Works, City Council members, Office of the Mayor, Chief Administrative Office, Chief Legislative Analyst, Cultural Affairs Commission, and the Project Restore First Street Design Team. More than 30 public workshops were held with community members.

Responding to the city’s goal of sustainable building practices, this project has achieved a LEED Gold certification from the US Green Building Council. Numerous sustainable strategies were incorporated into its design, including recycled content building materials; energy-saving daylighting design and lighting controls; a high-efficiency HVAC system; large amounts of locally produced materials; and water-efficient plumbing fixtures, irrigation systems and landscape materials.

Awards

• 2010 Institutional Design Award, Southern California Development Forum (SCDF)
• Architectural Foundation of Los Angeles 2010 Design Green Merit Award
• Los Angeles Cultural Affairs Commission Award, 2010
• (AECOM/Roth Sheppard), AIA Merit Award for Built Architecture, AIA Colorado, October 2010
• (AECOM/Roth Sheppard), AIA Merit Award for Built Architecture, Denver Chapter, September 2010
• Public/Institutional Honor Award, Westside Urban Forum Westside Prize Awards, June 2010 (highest award given in the category)
• Grand Prize Community Impact Award, Los Angeles Business Council (LABC), 2010
• AIA Committee on Architecture for Justice, Justice Facilities Review, 2010
• The Alliance for Quality Construction, “Q” Award, June 2010
• Rose Award (30th Annual Roses and Lemon Awards) Downtown Breakfast Club, April 2010
• Building Team of the Year, American Institute of Architects, Los Angeles, Presidential Honor Award, 2009
• PCI (Pre-Cast Institute) best public / institutional building for 2009
• LABC Community Impact Award to the City of Los Angeles, 2008

Publications

“Open Arms of the Law,” Christopher Hawthorne, Los Angeles Times, October 24, 2009
“Enforcing Good Design: Justice for All,” Monocle magazine, October, 2009
“Which Way LA,” Warren Olney, KCRW (94.7FM, Los Angeles NPR affiliate), October 28, 2009

 

DTLA South Park is a mixed-use multiphase development, by Mack Urban in partnership with AECOM Capital, on six acres in the South Park neighborhood of Downtown Los Angeles. In total, the development will include approximately 1,484 residential apartments, and a 214-room hotel.