LPA Wins Top Honor From Structural Engineers Association of Southern California

The structural design of West Hollywood Aquatics and Recreation Center (ARC) suspended two pools above a multisport gymnasium and developed a sky bridge over a public roadway to support a compact project that created badly needed park space for a dense city.

LPA Design Studios’ integrated design team earned an Award of Excellence at the recent Structural Engineers Association of Southern California (SEAOSC) Structural Engineering Excellence Awards for the design of the West Hollywood Aquatics and Recreation Center.

The compact, multi-level recreation and aquatic center was the only project to receive an excellence award for new construction. The design will next compete at the state level for a Structural Engineers Association of California (SEAOC) Structural Engineering Excellence Award at the state convention in September.

LPA’s design solved “extremely complex load and long-span challenges while maintaining the integrity of the architectural design,” the SEAOSC jury said. The engineering “does not overshadow the project,” while “the technical skill in its execution reads clearly and enhances the design aims of the project.”

The 88,000-square-foot WeHo ARC transformed a challenging urban site into a new hub of social and recreational activity for the 35,000 residents of West Hollywood, while creating the largest contiguous piece of open land in the dense city. Working within LPA’s integrated design process, structural engineers contrived a two-way trussed space frame to suspend the pools above the multi-sport gymnasium without columns. The structural engineers also worked with designers to create a 30-foot cantilevered sky bridge over a public roadway, connecting the rooftop aquatics center and existing rooftop tennis courts to West Hollywood Park, a popular event space along San Vicente Boulevard, and designed a system to support the multi-story sculptural grand staircase that serves as a gathering spot and the center’s most dramatic feature.

“Collaboration with the city, the community, designers and engineers was critical to creating a space that will enhance the lives of residents for decades to come,” said Director of Structural Engineering Bryan Seamer. “We were able to solve such complex problems knowing this amazing center would be the result.”

Read more about the design of the West Hollywood Aquatics and Recreation Center.