Brooks + Scarpa
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Architecture |
| Predecessor | Pugh + Scarpa |
| Founded | January 1, 1991 in Santa Monica, California, United States |
| Founder | Lawrence Scarpa, Gwynne Pugh |
| Headquarters | Los Angeles , United States |
Area served | United States, Mexico, China |
Key people | Angela Brooks (Principal), Lawrence Scarpa (Principal), Jeffrey Huber (Principal and Director of Planning, Urban Design and Landscape) |
| Products | Architectural design services |
Number of employees | 43 (2004) |
| Website | www |
Brooks + Scarpa—initially established as Pugh + Scarpa—is a prominent American architecture firm based in Los Angeles, California, with a secondary office situated in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.
The firm’s principals, Angela Brooks and Lawrence Scarpa, were honored with the 2022 AIA Gold Medal, the most prestigious accolade awarded by the American Institute of Architects. Among other distinctions, the practice received the AIA Firm Award in 2010 and was recognized with the Smithsonian Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum Award in Architecture in 2014.
Their portfolio includes significant works such as the Solar Umbrella house located in Venice, the Orange Grove lofts in West Hollywood, and Colorado Court Housing in Santa Monica.
History
Established in 1991 in Santa Monica by architects Lawrence Scarpa FAIA and Gwynne Pugh AIA, the firm grew under the leadership of Angela Brooks FAIA, who became principal in 1999. By 2004, the company had expanded to employ 43 professionals across offices in Los Angeles, Ft. Lauderdale, and Charlotte, North Carolina.
Following Gwynne Pugh’s departure in 2010 to embark on independent design projects, the firm was rebranded as Brooks + Scarpa to reflect its new leadership structure under Brooks and Scarpa.
Angela Brooks is also a co-founder of Livable Places, a nonprofit organization dedicated to revitalizing neighborhoods within Los Angeles.
In 2015, Jeffrey Huber FAIA joined as principal and Director of Planning, Urban Design and Landscape, taking charge of operations at the Ft. Lauderdale location.
Honors and awards
In 2022, Scarpa and Brooks were jointly awarded the American Institute of Architects Gold Medal, recognizing their enduring impact on architectural practice. Angela Brooks made history in 2020 as the first female recipient of The Maybeck Award from the American Institute of Architects California. Lawrence Scarpa earned the 2018 Gold Medal in Architecture from the AIA Los Angeles Chapter. Their firm was also honored with the Smithsonian Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum Award for Architecture in 2014.
The company’s accolades include several AIA COTE “Top Ten Green Building” Awards (2003, 2006, 2011–2013), the Rudy Bruner Award for Urban Excellence in 2003, and finalist status for the World Habitat Award. In 2004, Scarpa was recognized as an “Emerging Voice” by The Architectural League of New York. Their work has been showcased at esteemed institutions such as the National Building Museum and MOCA.
Interior Design Magazine presented them with a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2009, while Brooks received the USA Network "Character Approved" Award. The firm garnered both National and California AIA Firm Awards in 2010 for consistently merging architecture with art and craftsmanship.
Co-leaders Brooks and Huber have been honored with National AIA Young Architects Awards (Brooks in 2009 and Huber in 2017). Brooks holds Fellowship status within the American Institute of Architects and has been bestowed with both the 2020 National Citizen Architect award and California's Maybeck Award for her extensive career achievements. Her accolades emphasize her proficiency in harmonizing design excellence with affordability and sustainability within their operational framework.
Sustainability
As pioneers in sustainable design, their Solar umbrella house project in Venice, California earned a place among the AIA’s Top Ten Green Projects. The firm’s Colorado Court Housing development in Santa Monica was groundbreaking as the first multi-family residential project nationwide to achieve LEED certification. Notably, Colorado Court, alongside the Solar Umbrella House and Step Up on 2nd—a facility serving mentally disabled homeless individuals—each received a unique combination of honors: a National AIA Design Award, an AIA COTE Top Ten Green Building Award, and a special interest award from the National AIA—marking an unprecedented triple distinction. In 2018, they were awarded a $4.5 million Housing Innovation Challenge Grant aimed at creating scalable and sustainable affordable housing models. Additionally, Brooks + Scarpa has been recognized multiple times for their projects addressing climate change mitigation and sea level rise adaptation within vulnerable coastal communities.
Schedule and Budgets
The company has successfully delivered office projects for prominent entertainment clients like Danny DeVito, Jennifer Lopez, Jerry Bruckheimer, and Marshall Herskovitz, earning National AIA awards. Their work for Reactor Films, Jigsaw, CoOP, and XAP Corporation has been recognized for exceptional design quality combined with swift project completion. Brooks + Scarpa has established a reputation for producing celebrated designs while adhering to rigorous budget constraints and tight schedules.
Notable Projects
- CAM Museum, Raleigh, North Carolina
- Angle Lake Station, Seattle/Sea Tac, Washington
- Metalsa Center for Manufacturing Innovation, Monterrey, Mexico
- Luxe Lakes, Chengdu, China
- Orange Grove, West Hollywood, California (2012) – Single-family home featuring an abstract and sculptural exterior
- Aronson Fine Arts Museum at Laumeier Sculpture Park, St. Louis, Missouri – 20,000 square-foot museum and educational facility situated within a 105-acre sculpture park
- Green Dot Animo Leadership Charter High School, Lennox, California – 70,000 square-foot community school equipped with 650 solar panels; anticipated LEED Gold certification
- Siquieros Cultural Heritage Museum, Los Angeles, California – Restoration of historic building and preservation of murals
- Santa Monica Public Parking Structures, Santa Monica, California (2011) – Refurbishment of six downtown parking facilities
- Make-it-Right, New Orleans, Louisiana (2009, unbuilt) – Lower 9th Ward redevelopment in collaboration with Brad Pitt
- Plummer Park, West Hollywood, California – Park enhancement including a 200-car parking garage, childcare center, and theater improvements
- Contemporary Art Museum, Raleigh, North Carolina (2011) – Conversion of 30,000 square-foot warehouse plus an 8,000 square-foot expansion into a new art museum
- Cherokee Lofts, Hollywood, California – 35,000 square-foot mixed-use live/work and commercial development; projected as first private LEED Platinum building
- The Museum at Laumeier Sculpture Park, St. Louis, Missouri – 25,000 square-foot standalone museum within a 105-acre sculpture park
- Fuller Mixed-use Lofts, Los Angeles, California – 105-unit development combining market-rate and affordable housing with live/work and retail spaces
- Step Up, Santa Monica, California (2009) – 46 residential units for individuals with mental disabilities including ground-floor commercial areas
- 18th Street Arts Center, Santa Monica, California – 80,000 square-foot mixed-use arts facility featuring galleries and live/work studios
- MGA Entertainment Headquarters, Chatsworth, California – 350,000 square-foot renovation transforming a former LA Times printing plant into corporate offices
- LATTC Athletic Complex, Los Angeles, California (2008) – 30,000 square-foot renovation of gymnasium and physical education facilities
- Los Angeles Community College Headquarters – Refurbishment of an 11-story office tower serving as LACCD District administrative offices
- Colorado Court, Santa Monica, California (2002) – 44-unit affordable housing complex; first multi-family LEED project in the U.S.; LEED Gold certified; recipient of AIA Design Award
- Santa Monica College Student Services Center – 7,500 square-foot bookstore and student activity center located at campus core
- Bergamot Station Arts Complex, Santa Monica, California (1999) – Transformation of an eight-acre former water heater plant into an arts complex
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