Transforming a 100-year-old museum with 21st-century technology. Designing a hospital people actually want to visit. Creating space for scientists to discover the next breakthrough. Building projects in eighteen states from one Los Angeles office. These are just a few of the accomplishments that led CO Architects to be named California Architecture Firm of the Year.

From the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County to advanced laboratories for genomic computing and nanocrystallography at the University of Texas at Austin, the buildings that CO Architects designs communicate commitment, construct connections, and contribute to community.

“This award recognizes the importance of the work that architects do on a daily basis,” says Scott Kelsey, FAIA, BArch ’80, managing partner of CO Architects, “and honors the hard work and talents of our team of architects, designers, and planners.”

Continually hailed for design and innovation within traditionally restrictive—yet programmatically complex—project types, CO Architects has advanced the design of healthcare, university, medical school, and cultural facilities for almost thirty years. The firm’s consistency of vision is due partly to its sustained leadership; six of the nine principals have been at the firm for more than twenty years.

Above: Scott Kelsey

The American Institute of Architects, California Council (AIACC), Firm Award is bestowed annually on a firm that consistently produces distinguished architecture, contributes to advancing the profession, promotes collaboration, and mentors the next generation. This is the highest honor given to a firm by AIACC. The jury was impressed by the firm’s “focus and philosophy on building, and the desire to create buildings that will stand for well more than 100 years.”
         
CO Architects also recently ranked second in the nation in Architect magazine’s “Architect 50” ranking of the Best Architecture Firms in the U.S.

Above: CO Architects’ Health Sciences Education Building at Phoenix Biomedical Campus, in Phoenix, Arizona. Photograph by Bill Timmerman.