A Civic/Institutional Design Citation of Merit is awarded for the modernization of the Pritzker Hall Psychology Tower at the University of California, Los Angeles, designed by Paul Revere Williams and Claude Coyne in 1967. The design of Pritzker Hall reflects a shift from the International Style to more robust 1960s monumental architecture and it is also significant as one of the outstanding works of Williams, the first African American to become a licensed architect west of the Mississippi. Interior and exterior improvements aimed to modernize the building’s facilities, preserving original finishes while increasing accessibility and introducing necessary system upgrades. Crucial structural improvements were made to accommodate a seismic upgrade. UCLA’s engineering school collaborated with the project’s structural engineers to execute an extensive computational and physical modeling analysis, coupled with a material testing program for the existing concrete structure, to “fine-tune” the structural retrofit, thereby minimizing adverse impacts to the original design. Ultimately, the modernization is projected to extend the building’s lifespan by more than 75 years. 

University of California, Los Angeles

CO Architects: Scott Kelsey, FAIA, Principal in Charge, Phillip White, AIA, Project Manager, Fabian Kremkus, AIA, LEED GA, Design Principal, Sussan Movassagh, Senior Designer, Rachel Bascombe, Project Architect, Stephanie Horstman, Interior Designer, Deborah Moman, Project Administrator; Page & Turnbull, Historic Preservation Consultant; Rudolph and Sletten, General Contractor; KPFF Consulting Engineers, Structural & Civil Engineer; MEP Engineer + LEED Consulting: Affiliated Engineers. Inc.; Studio-MLA, Landscape Architect; KGM Architectural Lighting, Lighting Designer; Waveguide, Acoustical and Audiovisual Consultant; SKA Design, Environmental Graphics; Jensen Hughes, Fire Life Safety Consultant