For over 70 years, the Los Angeles Business Council (LABC) has promoted environmental and economic stability through education and outreach. Eric Garcetti, LA’s mayor since 2013, has hailed LABC as “the most forward-looking business organization in Los Angeles. And one of the best in the country.”

The LABC presents annual Architectural Awards to honor projects that meet an exceptional standard of environmental and social accountability. For the year 2019, MATT Construction received five Architectural Awards.

Photo credit: Google images by: Connie Zhou

Google Spruce Goose in Playa Vista: Chairman’s Award

The landmark Google Spruce Goose office site in Playa Vista won the Chairman’s Award for its innovative revitalization and transformation of the seven-story, 750-foot-long historic wooden hangar that formerly housed Howard Hughes’ Hercules IV airplane. The new ZGF-designed space features fluid work zones that echo Google’s ethos of openness and collaboration, incorporating meeting areas, offices, cafés and even napping pods.

Caltech Bechtel Residence: Best New Housing Development

Another collaboration with ZGF Architects, the Caltech Bechtel Residence earned Best New Housing Development for providing the campus with complete undergraduate housing capacity. The space balances individual privacy with a communal flow, holding suites, single-student bedrooms, five kitchen and lounge areas, four common areas with study rooms and a dining facility with glass walls to increase the feeling of connection and communication. The structure’s design will also play a key role in making Caltech a leader in net-zero campus energy initiatives.

The Music Center Plaza: Best Under Construction

MATT partnered with long-time colleagues Rios Clementi Hale to overhaul The Music Center Plaza located above a parking structure between Dorothy Chandler Pavilion and the Mark Taper Forum in the bustling downtown LA stretch of world-class venues along Grand Avenue. Five new one-story buildings occupy the rooftop plaza space: a welcome center, a full dining restaurant, a wine bar, a coffee bar and restrooms. The plaza also features video screens with speakers, lighting controls and lighting stations to host elaborate outdoor performances and events.

UDR’s Vision on Wilshire: Best New Housing Development

This soaring, 20-story luxury tower in LA’s busy Wilshire corridor garnered the title of Best New Housing Development as a sanctuary from hectic urban life while also connecting residents to the nearby purple Metro line, due to complete in 2024. With more than 6,850 sf of ground-level retail space, 10 penthouses and 15 impeccably finished residential levels resting over four stories of above-grade and three stories of below-grade parking, the Steinberg Hart-designed structure holds everything a busy Angeleno could need. The Sky Deck offers breathtaking panoramas of the LA skyscape alongside a pool, a spa and fire pits.

Hotel Californian: Best Beyond LA

With white plaster walls and clay roof tiles, Design ARC’s vision revitalized this seaside boutique hotel while honoring Santa Barbara’s iconic Andalusian style, achieving the Best Beyond LA title. The team preserved the historic façade while constructing a sprawling, new luxury retreat with over 20,000 sf of commercial space, open plazas, paseos, gardens, a gallery, a gym, a spa and a roof deck boasting 360-degree views of the surrounding ocean and hills. Martyn Lawrence Bullard Design infused the four-star destination’s interior with Moroccan flavor through bold stripes, gilded mirrors and geometric tiling.