Audrey Irmas Pavilion / OMA

The Audrey Irmas Pavilion redefines the Wilshire Boulevard Temple campus as a civic and cultural anchor for Los Angeles. Designed as a "machine for gathering," the pavilion bridges the historic and contemporary, balancing respect for tradition with a forward-looking presence. Its form begins as a simple box, carved and shaped in response to its neighbors—the historic temple and school—creating a thoughtful dialogue with its context. It slopes westward, framing a new courtyard with the temple, and leans south to open an existing courtyard to the sky, while reaching eastward to assert itself along Wilshire Boulevard as a new urban landmark.

The facade, inspired by the geometries of the temple's dome, is clad in hexagonal panels that break down the mass and add texture, while the building's iconic yet subtle form complements the temple's grandeur. Inside, the pavilion’s spaces prioritize flexibility and character, offering three interlocking voids of varying scale: a grand event hall, an intimate chapel with a terrace, and a sunken garden. These spaces, stacked vertically, frame dynamic views and light, linking the pavilion to the temple, the school, and the city beyond.

The main event hall, a column-free vaulted space, connects Wilshire Boulevard to the school courtyard and accommodates a range of events, from banquets to performances. Above, the chapel and terrace frame the temple's stained glass windows, while the rooftop garden offers expansive views of Los Angeles, the Hollywood sign, and the mountains. Together, these spaces create a layered, multifunctional environment that blurs the lines between civic, cultural, and spiritual activities, reshaping how people gather and interact within the urban landscape.