Transmaterials and Surfer-Chick Chic

Concrete, aluminum and wood may be yesterday's building blocks. Hear about transmaterials. Plus, surfer-chick chic and architecture around town.

The Theme Building at Los Angeles International Airport, co-designed by Paul Williams.

Part of an overall $50-million "Los Angeles Jet Age Terminal Construction" project, begun in 1960, the building design was a joint venture between Paul R. Williams, Pereira & Luckman, and Robert Herrick Carter. The building itself was completed in August 1961 at a cost of $2.2 million. On December 18, 1992, the Los Angeles City Council designated the Theme Building a City Cultural and Historical Monument. After a renovation by Walt Disney Imagineering, it---s now occupied by the retro-futuristic Encounter Restaurant.

Calendar of Design and Architecture Events

NEW LISTINGS:

Please note that all calendar information is listed by closing date. Provided to us by presenting institutions, it can be subject to change or cancellation, so please confirm all information with presenting organizations.

Toyota Lecture Series: "So You Want to be a Star Designer?": Thurs, July 20

Drawing from twenty years of experience reporting on architecture, Frances Anderton discusses the 'fame game' in design and architecture, how it works, and whether it's good for design. 7:30pm at LA Times Media Center, Art Center College of Design, Hillside Campus, 1700 Lida Street, Pasadena

25 Bold Moves: Thurs, July 27

DnA host Frances Anderton in conversation about Los Angeles design at the exhibition, "25 Bold Moves", sponsored by Campari, Design Within Reach and Dwell Magazine, 7-9pm at the House of Campari, 1224 Abbot Kinney Boulevard, Venice. Reserverations required. To sign up, go to CampariUSA.com or email eventsLA@campariUSA.com.

On the Map: Thurs, July 20, July 27, August 3

LA Forum's lecture series will build a critical map of LA's architectural milieu while providing access to works that might otherwise remain inaccessible to the general public. Architects will speak about their work in a setting of their own design. July 20: Daly, Genik

July 27: Tom Marble and Pae White

August 3: AssembledgeLocations vary. Free for members; $15 for non-members.

Here There Be Monsters: Through July 31

This woven bamboo footbridge suspended over a bubbling cauldron of rainwater combines computer-aided design with handcrafted assembly to create a space that seeps, swarms and evolves over time. On Saturday, July 22, choreographer/dancer/director, Sarah Elgart performs DRIFT in the aquatic garden at M & A, followed by screening of the animations of Ondrej Rudavsky. 8pm at Materials and Applications, 1619 Silver Lake Blvd, Los Angeles

Waist Down: Skirts by Miuccia Prada: Through August 27

A design triple-treat: 100 skirts by the legendary fashion designer Miuccia Prada, an exhibition designed by New York firm 2x4, all inside the Prada Epicenter designed by Rem Koolhaas and Ole Scheeren. Prada Epicenter, 343 N Rodeo Drive, Beverly Hills

Dialogues and Interventions: Recent Architecture Pasadena to L.A.: Through September 3

Exploration of a wave of new architecture in and around Pasadena and the Arroyo Seco. Armory Center for the Arts, 145 N Raymond Ave, Pasadena

Artistry of the Orange: California Vintage Fruit Crate Labels: Through January 7, 2007

Over 120 years of the iconic produce labels that served a dual purpose as advertising for both locally-grown fruit and California tourism.Los Angeles Central Library, 630 W 5th St, Downtown Los Angeles

Breaking Into Design Journalism: Wed, July 27

DnA production assistant Alissa Walker offers these three-hour seminars to designers, architects and journalists who wants to add design writing to their repertoire

Santa Monica Museum of Art presents the first museum survey in the United States to explore the visionary fifty-year career of preeminent Portuguese architect and Pritzker Prize winner --lvaro Siza Vieira.

New Blood: Next Gen: Through August 18

The A+D Museum opens in a new space with a roundup of LA's most groundbreaking new architects and landscape designers. Check the website for updates of participating designers. Mid-Wilshire.

Links to other institutions offering public events in design and architecture:AIGA/LA, American Institute of Graphic Arts, the professional association for designArtCenter College of DesignCalArts, California Institute of the ArtsFIDM, Fashion Institute of Design and MerchandisingLA Forum for Architecture and Urban DesignLACMA, Los Angeles County Museum of ArtMOCA, Museum of Contemporary ArtOtis College of Art and DesignSCI-Arc, Southern California Institute of ArchitectureUCLA School of Art and ArchitectureUSC School of Architecture