The Los Angeles Business Council recently honored 36 projects during its 2011 Architectural Awards competition. The program, now in its 41st year, annually recognizes those responsible for the city’s best architecture designs across a total of 20 categories, including the Best in L.A. Architects, Community Impact (scroll down to view video) and an overall Grand Prize.

Taking home this year's Grand Prize was Urban Design Group (UDG) for its University of Southern California (USC) School of Cinematic Arts design (shown above left), which is home to the oldest film school in the U.S. The existing structure had become overcrowded and was not up to building codes. The project was completed in two building phases, which first realized the construction of two buildings placed around a central courtyard and then replaced the school’s existing sounds stages with four new ones. A new classroom building also was placed adjacent to the first phase project. All spaces are equipped with and connected by the most up-to-date technology for simultaneous video project production throughout the campus.

Raymond R. Kahl, AIA, principal of Urban Design Group says, “By using an integrated team approach and adapting the way building information modeling is used in all phases of design and construction, as well as in facility management, UDG was able to deliver the project well below budget and ahead of schedule…USC’s vision has set a new standard for other educational institutions, but most importantly, it has contributed to the legacy of preparing students for the future of the cinematic arts profession.”

Two Best of L.A. Architects Awards were bestowed in the Domestic and International categories. RTKL was named the Best of L.A. – International Award winner for its City Crossing Shenzhen project in China, which is regarded as an innovation model for contemporary mixed-use development in the area. Structures within the project include the MixC shopping mall, a 32-story China Resources Tower, luxury residences, international retails, and an iconic five-star Grand Hyatt Hotel.

The Morongo Band of Mission Indians Administrative Complex, located in Banning, Calif., won Gruen Associates the Best of L.A. – Domestic Award. Serving as a City Hall for the Native American reservation, the project features natural materials and sustainably harvested Ipe wood, linking the facility to its site history.

Download the full list of the 2011 Los Angeles Business Council Architectural Awards recipients and project descriptions.

The hundreds of 2011 Los Angeles Business Council Architectural Awards submittals were reviewed by 14 design and building experts. Evaluations were based on the projects’ aesthetic design value, use of materials, and contribution the neighborhood/community. To qualify for the 2011 competition, projects must have been completed within the last two calendar years, except for projects entered in the Under Construction (started by December 2010) and Design Concept (not yet under construction by 2010) categories. All winning projects are located within Los Angeles County, except for the Best of LA Architects designs, which are projects by local architects that are completed outside the area.

Awards were presented during an awards luncheon on June 30 at the Los Angeles Marriott at L.A. Live.