Prize(s) Winners in Interior Architectural Illumination
Company L'Observatoire International
Lead Designers Hervé Descottes
Other Designer's names Wei Jien, Wen Y. Lin, Thomas Mnich
Architecture Company OMA, Gruen Associates
Client Wilshire Boulevard Temple
Photo Credits Jason O'Rear
Completion Date September 2021
Project Location Los Angeles, CA, USA
Entry DescriptionAdjacent to the Wilshire Boulevard Temple in the center of Los Angeles, the Audrey Irmas Pavilion shapes a new presence for this busy city corner and frames the entry to the Temple complex. L’Observatoire International worked with OMA and Gruen Associates to amplify the urban presence of the building, while retaining a welcoming atmosphere for the community.
As it rises, the building angles away from the Sanctuary and its adjacent historic school, changing its rectilinear footprint and bringing lightness into the spaces between the buildings. The exterior is illuminated in a soft wash of light, shaping the building as a monolithic whole. It elevates the striking identity of the building, heightening the detailed materiality of its hexagonal facade panels, while underscoring the minimalism of the architecture as a whole.
Several social and event spaces puncture the solidity of the building and are articulated as carved openings in the facade. These voids are accentuated through the lighting, radiating interior lighting towards the exterior and showcasing the building’s community-oriented program.
Company DescriptionL’Observatoire International is a lighting design firm, founded in 1993 by Hervé Descottes.
