Del Mar Civic Center wins an Orchid award

The “beautiful detailing” of the Del Mar Civic Center and Town Hall has won a 2018 Orchid for Architecture from the San Diego Architectural Foundation.

City officials accepted the award during ceremonies Oct. 4 in San Diego, where Assemblyman Todd Gloria served as the awards presenter.

“The jury was impressed by the beautiful detailing and the masterful execution of the new Del Mar Civic Center and City Hall, as well as its ability to express the culture and physical attributes of Del Mar,” Gloria said. “Jurors noted the effective integration of the building into the site’s topography and the site into the village streetscape.”

The $19.1 million Civic Center on Camino del Mar at 10th Street opened in May.

Designed by the Miller Hull Partnership, the municipal complex was one of 118 nominees and one of 16 to receive an Orchid for its outstanding architecture.

Spurlock LandscapeArchitects designed the Del Mar Civic Center’s exterior spaces. The general contractor was R.A. Burch Construction Co. - EC Constructors, A Joint Venture.

For 42 years, the Orchids & Onions program has celebrated or scorned the buildings, parks, plazas and other developed spaces that make up the region’s built environment.

Categories include architecture, landscape, interior design, historic preservation, adaptive re-use and urban planning.

In Del Mar, the Civic Center is designed to protect public views and maximize public access for gatherings, the Saturday farmers market and enjoyment of the plaza and viewing decks.

Single-story and low-slung, the sandstone-colored City Hall sits beneath a gently-sloping roof supported by exposed, heavy timbers. A breezeway connects the building to a glass and wood-sided Town Hall, which is crowned by a multi-angular, glass-and-timber cupola.

A full list of Orchid & Onion recipients can be seen at www.orchidsandonions.org