In San Diego Architecture, Orchids Outweigh Onions

Monday, October 8, 2018

By Maureen Cavanaugh, Pat Finn

Above: Oceanside High School's Performing Arts Center, a 2018 San Diego Architectural Foundation Orchid winner

Aired 10/8/18 on KPBS Midday Edition

In San Diego Architecture, Orchids Outweigh Onions

GUESTS:

Laura Warner, architect and chair, San Diego Architectural Foundation's Orchids & Onions awards

Ben Dalton, architect and vice-chair, San Diego Architectural Foundation's Orchids & Onions awards

Transcript for audioclip 41875

Photo credit: Ian Patzke Photography, Courtesy SDAF

The Eitol multi-family building in Hillcrest, a 2018 San Diego Architectural Foundation Onion award recipient, is pictured in this undated photo.

At the San Diego Architectural Foundation's annual Orchids & Onions bash on Thursday, orchids definitely outweighed onions.

Of 118 projects nominated for the 2018 awards by the public, fourteen were awarded orchids for good design by the jury, including the new superior court building in downtown San Diego and Oceanside High School's Performing Arts Center.

Just four Onions for poor design were awarded, including The Park in Bankers Hill and Eitol, a rental building and gathering place for the LGBT community in Hillcrest. Eitol was also nominated for an Orchid, but didn't win.

Laura Warner, architect and design partner, for CityWorks and chair of the 2018 Orchids & Onions awards, and Ben Dalton, architect with Miller-Hull Partnership and vice-chair of the event, talk about the awards and how they shape discussion and appreciation of San Diego design on Midday Edition.

FEATURED PODCAST

KPBS' daily news podcast covering local politics, education, health, environment, the border and more. New episodes are ready weekday mornings so you can listen on your morning commute.