California is set to mandate the inclusion of solar panels and battery storage for new buildings. Following a unanimous vote of approval by the California Energy Commission, the measure is expected to be included in an overall revision of the state’s building code in December of this year... View full entry

The concrete frames of Frank Gehry’s Second Century Project for Warner Bros. have risen, as reported by Urbanize Los Angeles.  The project, a pair of office towers resembling icebergs rising above the 134 freeway in Burbank, California, broke ground in early 2020. The undertaking is part of... View full entry

The 2x8 Exhibition is a design competition and scholarship program that highlights students' work from various architecture and design institutions across California. Led by the AIA|LA, ARCHITECTURE FOR COMMUNITIES LOS ANGELES (ACLA), and the 2x8 Committee, this year's winning... View full entry

Skidmore, Owings, and Merrill (SOM) and American artist Phillip K. Smith III have collaborated to create a site-specific installation that literally mirrors life. Commissioned by art collector Dallas Price and her husband, sculptor Bob Van Breda, Santa Monica Linear is a horizontal line of... View full entry

This post is brought to you by Architecture at Zero The American Institute of Architects, California (AIACA) announces the launch of the tenth annual Architecture at Zero competition focused on decarbonization, equity, and resilience in building design. The annual competition is open for... View full entry

Los Angeles has moved a step closer to implementing free public transport, with the Los Angeles Metropolitan Transit Authority approving a program that will give free bus and train travel to students and low-income users. The 23-month pilot program will begin in August 2021 for students, and for... View full entry

In September 2019, Lynda and Stewart Resnick, owners of LA-based The Wonderful Company, donated $750 million to Caltech to support further environmental sustainability research. This enabled plans to construct a new 80,000-square-foot facility called the Resnick Sustainability Resource Center... View full entry

California Governor Gavin Newsom has signed into law Senate Bill 7, aimed at streamlining large building developments in the state. The bill, also known as the Housing and Jobs Expansion Act, allows for certain proposed developments, particularly infill residential-led projects, to be fast-tracked... View full entry

Google’s major campus development in San Jose, California has been unanimously approved by city officials. “Downtown West” will see the delivery of 7.3 million square feet of office space for 20,000 workers, as well as thousands of housing units, spread across an 80-acre site. The scheme... View full entry

Brightline West, an affiliate of Brightline, the country’s only privately owned passenger railroad, is planning a 170-mile high-speed rail line, which would connect Las Vegas to the Apple Valley community in San Bernardino County. Set to travel at a maximum speed of 200 miles per hour, trains on... View full entry

Vancouver-based developer Westbank has unveiled plans for a collection of mixed-use projects in downtown San Jose, California. The development will feature six new or renovated buildings by leading architects including Kengo Kuma and Associates, Bjarke Ingels Group, Studio Gang, James K.M... View full entry

Researchers from UC Santa Cruz and UC Merced have proposed a “solar canal solution” to address the state’s water shortages, energy needs, and climate goals. In what they describe as a “win-win” for both water and climate in California, the researchers outlined the... View full entry

WRNS Studio has announced a milestone sustainability achievement for their Janet Durgin Guild & Commons, designed for the Sonoma Academy in Santa Rosa, California. The scheme has become the first project to achieve both Petal and Zero Carbon Certification by the International Living Future... View full entry

The allure of ADU's has grown significantly. Yet, with new state laws initiated in places like California pre-fabricated options for backyard dwelling units are more accessible to those who want them.  This past month, Los Angeles launched its new ADU Standard Plan Program to streamline the... View full entry

Mighty Buildings, the Oakland-based construction company in this joint venture, claims that it can 3D print structures twice as quickly with 95% less labor hours and 10 times less waste than conventional construction. Meanwhile in Texas, construction technology company ICON has partnered with... View full entry