Morphosis Architects

Morphosis Architects is an interdisciplinary architectural and design practice in Los Angeles.

History

The firm was informally founded in 1972 by Michael Brickler, Thom Mayne, Livio Santini and James Stafford. Michael Rotondi joined the practice in 1975 and remained a principal until 1991.[1] Writing in 1989, Boston Globe architecture critic Robert Campbell called Morphosis "one of the country's most interesting" architecture firms, and described its very physical, materials-focused design style as "look[ing] as if it might hurt you."[2]

Principals

Born in Connecticut, Thom Mayne (b. 1944) studied architecture at the University of Southern California and Harvard Graduate School of Design. He was a founding member of the Southern California Institute of Architecture (SCI-Arc) in 1972, and has held faculty positions at the Southern California Institute of Architecture, California Polytechnic State University, Pomona, and the University of California, Los Angeles. Mayne was the recipient of the Pritzker Prize in Architecture in 2005.[3]

Michael Rotondi (b. 1949) was also a founding member of SCI-Arc in 1972. He became the director of the school in 1987,[4] and held that position until 1997.[5] Rotondi's career awards include the 2009 AIA/LA Gold Medal[6] and the 2014 Richard J. Neutra Medal from Cal Poly Pomona College of Environmental Design.[7][8]

Projects

Landmark works by the firm include the Lawrence Residence, 1981-1984, in Hermosa Beach, California. The home has been described as "two stylistically different structures that collide at a slight angle on their narrow lot...".[9]

Awards

Mayne and Rotondi received numerous awards for their work in Morphosis, including 11 American Institute of Architects awards and 12 from Progressive Architecture. In 1992, the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters awarded them the Academy-Institute Award in Architecture.[1]

Morphosis has been recognized with more than 190 local, national and international awards, including nine for the design of the Emerson College Los Angeles campus and 16 for the Perot Museum of Nature and Science. These include the 2014 Los Angeles Architecture Awards Grand Prize, presented by the Los Angeles Business Council, for designing the campus of Emerson College in Hollywood.[10]

References

  1. 1 2 "Architects Mayne, Rotondi Cited", Los Angeles Times, May 3, 1992.
  2. ↑ Robert Campbell, "Recapturing the Creative World of Play", The Boston Globe,July 16, 1989  – via HighBeam Research (subscription required) .
  3. ↑ Gannon & Branda, Todd & Ewan (2013). A Confederacy of Heretics. Los Angeles, CA: SCI-Arc Press. ISBN 9781606062630.
  4. ↑ "Pioneering Design Student Leads Program", Los Angeles Times, October 25, 1987.
  5. ↑ "Architecture School Hires Director", Los Angeles Times, June 6, 1997.
  6. ↑ "Architect Michael Rotondi Takes the AIA/LA Gold", Curbed, July 27, 2009.
  7. ↑ "Michael Rotondi to Receive Richard J. Neutra Medal for Professional Excellence", ArchDaily, October 27, 2014.
  8. ↑ Michael Rotondi's Curricula Vitae (accessed 2015-02-25).
  9. ↑ Richardson, Sara S. (April 1987). "MORPHOSIS: Thom Mayne and Michael Rotondi". VANCE BIBLIOGRAPHIES. Architecture Series: Bibliography (#A 1806).
  10. ↑ ArchDaily (June 5, 2014). "2014 Los Angeles Architectural Awards Announced". Plataforma Networks. Retrieved 21 February 2015.

External links

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