Ehrlich Architects is internationally recognized for distinctive design, which extends the traditions of California modernism through an approach that fuses new technologies with cultural and environmental sensitivity. The firm has been recognized with prestigious accolades including eight National American Institute of Architects (AIA) awards, and was chosen the 2003 Firm of the Year by the American Institute of Architects, California Council.
Embracing the convergence of complex global factors that challenge today’s architects, the firm has evolved a unique approach to architecture and planning called Multicultural Modernism™ (the title of a 2006 Retrospective Exhibition at the Palm Springs Art Museum and the firm’s fifth monograph). Largely developed through the travels and experiences of founding Principal Steven Ehrlich (including a six-year sabbatical in Africa), Multicultural Modernism™ centers around architectural anthropology and incorporates four key elements: sensing place and listening to people; courtyards as an antidote to density and stress; the influence of Los Angeles, an “incubator of change”; and cross-cultural fusion. Multicultural Modernism™ is not a formula but a path towards an architecture that can respond sensibly, flexibly and with great exuberance to our increasingly urbanized, polyglot world, celebrating both global aspirations and local cultural uniqueness.
Steven Ehrlich, FAIA, RIBA
Takashi Yanai, AIA
