Scripps Park Pavilion, an innovative restroom-and-shower station at La Jolla Cove, a posh nail salon, and several innovative housing projects were among the solutions recognized at this year’s Orchids & Onions. The annual event celebrates the best and worst in design, architecture, and urban planning in the city of San Diego.
With 16 picks from a pool of over 100, this year’s awards were richer than ever. For the first time in recent memory, designs from Tijuana were also included, complementing the ongoing World Design Capital San Diego Tijuana 2024 festivities.
Altezza, a seven-story luxury apartment complex in Tijuana, bagged an Orchid for its crisp, clear forms that cloistered vast interiors. Created by Saen Studio and Design Opera Architects, the open, airy complex is underpinned by a stark concrete frame, a type of construction generally found to be too expensive in San Diego, where wood-and-stucco constructions are commonplace.
Sasan Lofts in Mission Hills, another multi-story Orchid winner cloaked in pink stucco, cannot be ignored. The 53 micro-studio complex, conceived by Nakhshab Development & Design, radiates a Miami Art Deco vibe that is a refreshing addition to the San Diego landscape.
However, such developments may not sit well with everyone. Blooming tall among smaller structures, these developments might come off as overpowering. However, with burgeoning urban centers such as San Diego struggling to meet housing demands, such merges in densities could become increasingly common. The challenge for local authorities here lies in crafting an efficient design review that facilitates the approval process without escalating costs.
On the smaller end of the spectrum, on-site judges were enamored by MINIA, a Tijuana-based nail salon by simbiosis. Its neat architecture and thoughtfully designed interiors impressed the jurists, offering a refreshing take on the small-scale project.
A similar sense of admiration was extended to Scripps Park Pavilion. According to the jury, the public restrooms and outdoor showers designed by Safdie Rabines Architects was a testament to the fact that public facilities could be well-designed. The panel lauded the elevated V-shaped roof that left a gap for natural ventilation, with the V forms intended to mirror the flight of seagulls. Additionally, the concrete walls were colored and textured to blend with the coastal habitat, adding to the overall aesthetic.
The Orchids & Onions annual event is designed to foster dialogue and discussion about architecture, urban planning, and design in the region. This year, the judges’ team traipsed both Tijuana and San Diego on two separate days to assess the candidates first-hand.
The event is meant to be both a celebration and a critique of the architectural developments in the region. While Orchids denote projects that demonstrate fresh thinking and creative designing, Onions are meant to stimulate a dialogue on designs or trends that deviate from desirable principles, such as environmental sustainability, beauty, functionality, and their contribution to community building.
This year, two outlandish installations secured the Onion. There was unanimous user agreement on the massive, three-sided billboard at the Gaslamp Trolley Station, condemned for blighting the entrance to San Diego’s historical district with its gargantuan LED screens, and the City of San Diego’s stormwater infrastructure, which allegedly mismanaged the rain, leading to heavy flooding, mudslides, erosions, sinkholes, and severe property damage.
