[ R AY K A P P E | W H AT M A K E S A L E G E N D ]
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Today the LEED certification program
has had a tremendous effect upon
architectural design. There is hardly an
architectural project today that doesn't
strive for either silver, gold or platinum
LEED certification. A prefab residence
I designed was the first platinum LEED
project in the United States in 2006.
Today it is commonplace in all building
types. It is wonderful that most of
the country accepts global warming
and climate change theory, and that
environmentally friendly architecture has
continued to increase to help [reduce]
carbon emissions.
[Editor's note: Kappe's green pre-fab
house in Santa Monica, based on one of
his 1960s concepts and built in just eight
hours in April of 2006, was named one of
GQ Magazine's "10 Coolest Eco-friendly
Buildings in the World" in 2007.]
SBD In your experience, what challenges
does the Los Angeles area present to
architects?
RK I came back to Los Angeles to
practice after graduating from Berkeley
because I felt that there was so much
opportunity to work on urban design
and planning projects. During the 60s,
I was involved with the Goals Council
for the City of Los Angeles. I chaired the
Housing Committee and wrote a paper on
communication and transportation for the
Planning Department.
RK The greatest challenge for Los
Angeles today is transportation. The city
is in total gridlock except for a few hours
of the day. The Metro system has a long
way to go and will probably never solve
the problem since Los Angeles covers a
vast area. The Goals Council in the 60s
arrived at a centers concept connected
by a transit system [linking] all of the
centers.
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ARCHITECT | DESIGN | BUILD 12.13.2013
