Lawrence Scarpa has garnered international acclaim for the creative use of conventional materials in unique and unexpected ways. He is also considered a pioneer and leader in the field of sustainability. His firm, Brooks + Scarpa Architects, which he leads with his partner Angela Brooks in Santa Monica, is renowned for combining green design and formal experimentation in the creation of affordable housing. Their standout projects include Colorado Court Housing in Santa Monica, Rose Mixed-Use Apartments in Venice, California, The Heron in Miami Beach and the NEST Toolkit. Scarpa has received more than 200 major design awards, including 29 National American Institute of Architects Awards – Brooks + Scarpa received the National and State of California Architecture Firm Award from the AIA and, in 2022, he received the National AIA Gold Medal, the institute’s most prestigious honour – as well as six AIA COTE “Top Ten Green Building” Awards. Interior Design magazine also bestowed Scarpa with its Lifetime Achievement Award. He is currently on the faculty at the University of Southern California; he has also taught at Harvard University, UCLA, SCI-arc, Washington University in St. Louis, University of Florida, University of Michigan, University of Southern California and the University of California at Berkeley. He is a co-founder of the A+D Museum, Los Angeles, Affordable Housing Design Leadership Institute and Livable Places, Inc.; a nonprofit development and public policy organization dedicated to building mixed-use housing and to help develop more sustainable and livable communities.