Don Knabe Wellness Center & Plaza Honored at the 47th Annual LABC Architectural Awards

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. - July 3, 2017 - PRLog -- The Don Knabe Wellness Center & Plaza design-build team of Taylor Design, McCarthy Building Companies, Inc., SmithGroupJJR, and Los Angeles Department of Public Works was honored at the 47^th Annual Los Angeles Architectural Awards hosted by the Los Angeles Business Council (LABC) on June 22 at the Beverly Hilton. The Don Knabe Wellness Center & Plaza design-build team received the award in honor of its design excellence and innovation.

More than 200 projects competing in categories ranging from education and healthcare to housing and commercial office space vied for this year's Architectural Awards.

A winner in the New Construction, Healthcare category, the Don Knabe Wellness Center & Plaza is only the first phase of a $460 million state-of-the-art renovation at Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center, one of the nation's top hospitals for rehabilitative medicine. The Rancho Los Amigos community is appreciative of what this wellness center symbolizes — a place where miracles happen and hope is revitalized. Aimed to increase both the patients' and community's accessibility to advanced rehabilitative technologies and wellness practices, this center was recently recognized by state legislators and was officially dedicated and named after Donald R. Knabe, former member of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, Fourth District.

A faceted jewel on the elliptical entry plaza, the Wellness Center emphasizes the role of patients and community in recovery. The design concept is reflective of textiles and the layering of materials incorporating a nod to the site's past use of textile weaving as occupational therapy. Textured concrete panels and an undulating metal roof scrim visually weave the modern structure together with the original poured-in-place buildings. The perforated scrim, evoking the site's historically prolific orange trees, helps to control daylight, reduce energy demands, and provide a protected pathway for pedestrians. The lobby acts as a continuation of the central plaza, allowing patients to learn to adapt to the external conditions they will face when they leave the hospital by literally opening their doors to the landscape. Rancho Los Amigos cares for approximately 4,000 inpatients each year, and services 71,000 outpatient visits each year.

"It means a great deal to our firm to work on this project. To also be recognized by LABC is an even greater reward for all involved. This is only the beginning of what this amazing project will contribute to the community and to the well -being of its current and future patients," said Taylor Design President D. Randy Regier. "The entire design-build team of Taylor Design, SmithGroupJJR, and McCarthy Construction together with the Los Angeles Department of Public Works is honored to continue its commitment to the Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center vision."

The design-build team roles included:  Executive Architect Taylor Design; Contractor McCarthy Building Companies; Design Architect SmithGroupJJR; Building Owner Los Angeles Department of Public Works; and Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center.

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