These are the 2017 AIA Los Angeles Chapter Presidential Honorees

Every year, the American Institute of Architects Los Angeles Chapter recognizes individuals, firms, practitioners, and advocates that demonstrate the transformative nature of architecture. The Presidential Honoree program, as it is called, distinguishes those whose passion, talent, and dedication has made an undeniable contribution, improving upon the region, city, community and lives of residents in Los Angeles. This year, the program honors a life long builder whose beginnings include collaboration with the esteemed Louis Kahn, a developer who is redefining how Angelenos view supportive housing, and a writer who communicates her passion for the design process to deepen the public’s understanding of architecture, among many others. 

AIA|LA President, Douglas Teiger spoke of this year's awards, noting that "we bestow the 2017 AIA|LA Presidential Honoree awards at time when some of the region’s most pressing challenges call on the role of the architect. This year’s recipients demonstrate our core values as a field, how we as a profession may serve both individual client and society as a whole, in addition to the value of design excellence.” 

With that, the 2017 President Honoree recipients are:

• Emerging Practice: Catherine Johnson, AIA; Rebecca Rudolph, AIA | Design, Bitches
• Design Advocate, Builder: Steve Matt, Affiliate AIA | LA, Co-Founder, MATT Construction; and late Paul Matt, Co-Founder, MATT Construction
• Community Contribution: Southern California Chapter, National Organization of Minority Architects (SoCalNOMA)

• 25-Year Award: Grand Central Market Restoration
• Building Team: Wilshire Grand Building Team
• Honorary AIA|LA: Tibby Rothman, Marketing Strategist, AIA|LA | journalist, writer, creative

• Gold Medal: Lawrence Scarpa, FAIA; Design Principal, Brooks + Scarpa
• Design Advocate, Developer: Mike Alvidrez, Chief Executive Officer, Skid Row Housing Trust
• Educator Award: Dr. Douglas E. Noble, FAIA, Ph.D; Discipline Head, Building Science, Director of the Master of Building Science, University of Southern California, School of Architecture