SPF:a principal discusses his departure from the Academy Museum team and more.

In 2012, Zoltan Pali teamed with Renzo Piano to design the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Museum in Los Angeles. The project, built inside and behind the Streamline Moderne May Company building, is located on the corner of Wilshire and Fairfax Avenues. This spring, the Academy dropped Pali from the project. AN West editor Sam Lubell sat down with the architect to discuss what happened, and to see what’s next for him and his firm, Culver City–based SPF:architects.

Sam Lubell: Originally three teams were shortlisted to design the Academy Museum: Morphosis, wHY, and you.

Zoltan Pali: I understood why I was on the list. We had worked with LACMA’s then-president Melody Kanschat in 2007–2008. We had done a design for the interior of the May Company building, turning it into gallery spaces and offices. We had permits, and we were going to go to construction. But the financial debacle pulled the rug out from under that. And in between all that, every now and then Melody would call me to look at something, and ultimately we did the below the canopy restoration at the May Company.

We had gotten to have a good working relationship together. So we submitted the proposal and then we did an interview. And we did well. I got a phone call saying that I did well, but at the same time, would I be willing to team up with Renzo Piano......Continue Reading

> via archpaper.com