Merit Award
North Market Building Sign Program
Location
Los Angeles, CA
Design
Newsom Design, Los Angeles, CA
Design Team
Carol Newsom (Principal in Charge), Lucy Gonzalez
Fabrication
Neiman & Company, ASI-Modulex, Ironwood Studios
Client
A.F. Gilmore Company
Photos
Angelica Solis
Located on the edge of a dense, heavily used shopping center, the North Market building was built to accommodate community services and retail businesses in ground level storefronts, and high-end office tenants on the second and third floors.
The project brief was to craft a building identity that would follow architectural cues and be seen as separate from - but not overpowering - the ground floor tenant retail signage. Materials and typographic style needed to complement the low-key modernist structure feature horizontal cement board siding and dramatic window bays. With a high vacancy rate in the competing markets of Hollywood, Sunset Strip, and Wilshire Boulevard, the overall appearance of the building is innovative and distinctive.
Jury Comment
"The simple, clean message impressed the jury. The constraints and limited budget certainly challenged the designers, however this is what created such a successful solution. The modular system of positive and negative panels reinforced the messages of NORTH PARK as a shop-work environment."