Kevin Daly, assistant adjunct professor in the UCLA School of the Arts and Architecture, was awarded a 2019 Progressive Architecture Award for his design firm’s work on the Little Berkeley affordable housing project for former foster children making the transition from foster care to living on their own.
The award recognizes Daly, whose work focuses on craft, construction systems and material research design, as an architect who took design risks for the creation of a progressive and unexpected environment. With its odd angles, elevated terraces and open spaces, Little Berkeley is a miniature residential zone in Santa Monica, California, that combines playfulness and practicality.
The UCLA Margo Leavin Graduate Art Studios, designed by Los Angeles-based architecture firm Johnston Marklee and Associates, also received a Progressive Architecture Award for its design. Funded by a $20 million gift from alumna and art dealer, Margo Leavin, the facility was developed through dialogue with faculty and students and respects the practice of making art while maintaining the industrial character of the existing building.
Through these projects, UCLA’s art department has furthered its engagement with the arts community locally and globally.