Rachlin Architects Wins Award of Honor for LAUSD Dena Primary Center Design - Only LA-Based Firm to Win

(PRWEB) March 2, 2006 -- Rachlin Architects received an Award of Honor in the New Built Category at the 27th Annual Coalition for Adequate School Housing Conference’s Design Awards Wednesday afternoon, February 22 in Sacramento. This year’s C.A.S.H./AIACC (Coalition for Adequate School Housing/American Institute of Architects California Council) Leroy F. Green Design Awards recognized 12 outstanding school projects throughout the state.

Rachlin Architects, the only LA-based award winner, received the Award of Honor for their design of the recently completed Dena Primary Center in Boyle Heights, which opened its doors this fall and is among the first of a new breed of smaller, community-based schools for the Los Angeles Unified School District. A full list of the 2006 winners is at www.cashnet.org/meetings/2006_Annual_Conference/2006%20Design%20Award%20Winners. pdf.

Rachlin Architects’ progressive design articulates each of the center’s functional elements with a distinctive geometric form, arranged around a central elliptical courtyard, designed in an amphitheatre style, which serves as the nexus of the school complex and a formal and informal gathering space for students and the local community. Along with the building’s lively geometric forms, textural and sculptural details, and vibrant color palette, the architects envisioned a lively, highly functional environment that could offer identity to the surrounding urban neighborhood.

Rachlin Architects has designed more than 150 K-12 and higher education facilities and specializes in programming, planning and designing innovative buildings and interiors.

The firm’s staff of 18 architects uses a collaborative process, led by the partners that challenges the client, user and architect to develop inspired program-driven design solutions that are meaningful, community based and environmentally responsible.

Established in 1982 by Michael Rachlin, AIA, NCARB, LEED, and expanded in 1992 with Richard Ingrassia, AIA, LEED, the partners have extensive experience in higher education, K-12 schools, institutional, multi-family and historic preservation. The work of the firm and its partners has been recognized with awards for design excellence including a national AIA Honor Award. For more information go to: rachlinarchitects.com.

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