Spotlight Award Winners: LA DALLMAN

RDA’s third annual Spotlight Award is being given to partners Grace La and James Dallman of the firm, LA DALLMAN. The international award, which recognizes exceptionally gifted architects in the early phase of their professional careers, carries a cash prize and invitation to lecture at The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. LA DALLMAN is the first United States practice to receive the prize, which was previously awarded to acclaimed architects Antón García-Abril of Spain and Sou Fujimoto of Japan.

Based in Milwaukee, LA DALLMAN is responsible for such innovative projects as ; the Miller Brewing Employee Meeting Center; the Marsupial Bridge,; the UWM Hillel Student Center; the “City of Freshwater and Great Lakes Future” permanent exhibits at Discovery World; among countless others. Led by James Dallman and Grace La, LA DALLMAN has been awarded over 30 professional honors since its inception in 1999., LA DALLMAN was named a 2010 Emerging Voice by the Architectural League of New York and was a recipient of the national 2007 Bruner Award for Urban Excellence Silver Medal.

Spotlight committee member and architecture professor at the University of Houston Rafael Longoria says, “La and Dallman are great examples for architects in Houston. They have advanced a form of strategic sustainability that goes beyond a checklist of best practices, and towards the integration of architecture and landscape. Their projects represent a diverse range from insertions within the urban fabric, to public space and infrastructure—offering a leading example of urban recycling and sensitivity to context. It is inspirational to see the quality of work being produced by a design-intensive practice in the U.S. Midwest.”

The public is invited to hear LA DALLMAN lecture on September 7, 2011 at The MFA,H.

DATE: Wednesday, September 7, 2011
TIME: 7:00 p.m. (pre-lecture wine reception begins at 6 p.m.)
PLACE: Brown Auditorium, The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
1001 Bissonnet. Additional parking is available until 7 pm for $6 in the museum garage located at the corner of Binz and Fannin Streets.
TICKETS: This event is free for RDA Members and students presenting identification. Tickets for non-members are $25, but those who join RDA that evening will receive a free ticket. Tickets are required for entry and will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis starting at
6 p.m. the evening of the lecture. Seating is limited; attendees are encouraged to arrive early.