LA 2000+

Los Angeles is a breeding ground for adventurous experimental architects and a magnet for their high-profile clients. L.A. 2000+ assembles the best work completed in the city since 2000, offering a snapshot of the region and its architecture at the dawn of the twenty-first century. From the widely celebrated Walt Disney Concert Hall in downtown Los Angeles by ?ber-architect Frank Gehry to lesser known but equally arresting works such as Studio Pali Fekete Architects? Somis Hay Barn in Ventura County and Godfredsen-Sigal's Hustler Casino in Gardena, the picture that emerges is sometimes startling and unexpected but always impressive. The beautifully designed volume collects thirty strikingly original new buildings, designed by both as yet unheralded talents such as null.lab and predock_frane and internationally renowned architects such as Gehry, Thom Mayne of Morphosis, and Eric Owen Moss. The introductory essay by urban designer John Leighton Chase puts these works in historical and architectural context, offering a unique perspective on the opportunities and difficulties inherent in building in a region known not only for its explosive population growth but also for the artistry of its inhabitants. John Leighton Chase, the urban designer for the City of West Hollywood, is a native of Los Angeles. A former architecture critic for the San Francisco Examiner, he is a coeditor of Everyday Urbanism and the author of Glitter Stucco and Dumpster Diving.