Pugh + Scarpa

Pugh + Scarpa (now known as BROOKS + SCARPA)  has redefined the role of the architect and results in some of the most remarkable and exploratory design today. They do so by looking, questioning and reworking the very process of design and building. Each project appears as an opportunity to rethink the way things normally get done; to redefine and cull-out latent potentials that exist in materials, form, construction and even financing—to, as Scarpa says, make the “ordinary extraordinary.” This produces entirely inventive work that is quite difficult to categorize because it is driven by exploration rather than an initial intent. It is environmentally sustainable, but not about ‘sustainable design.’ It employs new materials, digital practices and technologies, but is not defined by nor molded by technologies. It is socially and community conscious, but it is not created as a politically correct statement. Rather, it is deeply rooted in conditions of the everyday, and works with our perception and preconceptions to allow us to see things in new ways.

Over the last ten years, BROOKS + SCARPA has received more than 50 major design awards, notably 18 National AIA Awards, including the 2010 AIA Architecture Firm Award and 2010 AIA California Council Firm of the Year Award, four AIA Committee on the Environment “Top Ten Green Project” awards, 2005 Record Houses, 2003 Record Interiors, and the 2003 Rudy Bruner Prize. Brooks + Scarpa was a finalist for the 2002 United Nation’s World Habitat Award and the Architectural League of New York named the firm an “Emerging Voice” in 2004. Their work was recently on exhibit at the National Building Museum in Washington, DC and has been featured in Newsweek.  Lawrence Scarpa has also appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show.

BROOKS + SCARPA is a architecture and planning firm founded in Santa Monica in 1991. Principals Lawrence Scarpa, FAIA, and Angela Brooks, AIA, LEED AP, have garnered international acclaim for their success in marrying an innovative modern aesthetic with leadership in sustainable and socially progressive design. Their exploratory, inventive approach has led to seminal work such as the Colorado Court affordable housing project and the Solar Umbrella home, both recognized for their achievements in design and sustainability. Brooks + Scarpa is currently working on a wide variety of commissions for public, private, and institutional clients.