CityLAB, times 10

Marking its tenth anniversary by looking ten years ahead, cityLAB-UCLA and six emerging architects kindle debate about the future of Los Angeles through design and research. For the past 10 years, cityLAB – UCLA has been at the center of innovative thought about the architecture of the city, particularly in Los Angeles. By bringing together research and design, and through collaborations between the university, the architectural profession, citizens, and municipalities, cityLAB models a new form of practice – one that seeks prototypical projects where design can be leveraged to open new possibilities for the urban fabric of Southern California and beyond. Rather than a retrospective, this exhibition is projective; rather than a presentation of completed works, you see a laboratory of evolving experimentation. The three cityLAB themes of desk, neighbor, and place represent unconventional scales of architectural undertakings, demonstrating how multi-year, multifaceted studies weave together to advance new design approaches. They also allude to the intersectional relations between the body, politics, and the environment, –guiding commitments for cityLAB’s practices. cityLAb, times 10 nods to the past decade, the next ten years, and the “powers of ten” by which design ideas can scale and proliferate with implications far beyond a single project. Six original projects by young architects for L.A.’s coming decade embody innovative directions for design and research. While there are abundant issues confronting Los Angeles, architecture must seek proper targets. Times 10 asks: What design ideas will spark public conversation about the future of Los Angeles? Is there an architectural portal to an unexpected future for the city?