Los Angeles Forum for Architecture and Urban Design
Los Angeles Forum for Architecture and Urban Design (founded in 1987) is a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting innovative art, architecture, design, and urbanism that takes the city as a laboratory. The Forum plays a vital role among architecture organizations nationally and internationally by initiating, presenting, and debating architectural and urbanistic speculations about Los Angeles.
Programs
LA Forum programming includes publications, lectures, competitions, and exhibitions. Featured lecture series include the Out There Doing It series that features emerging voices in the design field, and the On the Map series which stages presentations by architects in spaces of their design. The LA Forum also presents a local version of Pecha Kucha night developed in Tokyo by Klein Dytham Architects.
The LA Forum has a rich history of publications. Currently in production is a series of LA Forum Pamphlets
Pamphlets
- Dead Malls, ed. Warren Techentin
- Out The Window: LAX, by Zoe Crosher with essays by Norman Klein, Pico Iyer, and Julian Myers
- Polar Inertia, by Ted Kane with essay by Greg Goldin
- "After the city, this", story and photographs by Tom Marble design by Juliette Bellocq
ForumFest
The LA Forum annual fundraiser is an event that draws together the Los Angeles area architectural community in a social event. Proceeds support LA Forum programming. Each event has honored an influential figure in Los Angeles design culture.
Past honorees
- Merry Norris
- Aaron Betsky
- Craig Hodgetts and Ming Fing
- Thom Mayne
- Hank Koning and Julie Eizenberg of Koning Eizenberg Architecture, Inc.
Organization
The LA Forum is led by an all volunteer board which develops all programming and publications. Founded in 1987 the Forum has provided a platform for emerging voices and a compelling forum for architectural discourse.
Past presidents
- 1988-1990 Christian Hubert
- 1990-1992 Aaron Betsky
- 1992-1993 Michael Saee
- 1993-1996 Ming Fung
- 1996-1998 John Dutton
- 1998-2000 Joe Day
- 2000-2002 Ric Corsini
- 2002-2004 Frank Escher
- 2004-2006 Kazys Varnelis
- 2006-2007 Warren Techentin
- 2007-2008 Michael Pinto
- 2008- 2009 Mohamed Sharif
- 2010 - 2011 Jason Kerwin
- 2012 - 2013 Thurman Grant
- 2014 - 2015 Ella Hazard & Mimi Zeiger
- 2016 - 2017 Roberto Sheinberg