Two MATT Projects Receive 2023 ENR Regional Best Project Awards

Engineering News Record (ENR) recently announced the winners of its 2023 Best Projects competition. After an independent group of AEC experts reviewed 75 projects from across California and Hawaii, 26 Best Projects and 16 Awards of Merits were selected as winners in their respective regions.

This year, two MATT Construction projects were honored as category winners in the Southern California region: (W)rapper won Best Office/Retail/Mixed Use and the Rose Garden Tea Room Renovation at the Huntington Library, Art Museum and Botanical Gardens won Best Renovation/Restoration.

(W)rapper: Best Office/Retail/Mixed Use Project

(W)rapper is the recently completed construction of a new 235-foot-tall office building with a specialized steel frame exoskeleton, the first of its kind in the USA. With no central columns and floor-to-ceiling glass windows, this groundbreaking project pushes the boundaries of what has historically been thought to be possible for a high-rise commercial office space. (W)rapper is supported by a network of curvilinear bands that wrap around the building envelope and are supported on a base isolated foundation, allowing the building to respond safely and securely in any seismic event. The unique design of the building creates an open, column-free floor plan that allows tenants to expand and maximize their spatial experience and enjoy wide, uninterrupted views of Los Angeles.

You can read more about the complex shoring and de-shoring processes involved in bringing this project to completion here.

Rose Garden Tea Room Renovation at the Huntington Library, Art Museum and Botanical Gardens: Best Renovation/Restoration

Originally built for Henry E. Huntington’s private billiard room and bowling alley in 1911, the Rose Garden Tea Room at The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens has served as an iconic dining destination since it opened to the public in 1930. The project included the restoration of the front of the original 1911 building, a sweeping new outdoor dining area on the east side, facing the Shakespeare Garden, and upgrades to the indoor dining room, kitchen and other ancillary areas. On the west side of the building, the team also renovated the room that faces the Herb Garden, which will be made available for private rentals.

You can read more about the project and it’s recent grand reopening to the public here.

The MATT team looks forward to celebrating these incredible projects and all of the other awardees at the ENR Southern California awards event on October 19^th, 2023 in Los Angeles.