HMC Architects participated in the Third Annual Architecture for Communities Los Angeles (ACLA) Design by Diversity (DxD) Block Party at East Los Angeles College. The event, held on Saturday, April 13, celebrated inclusivity in design-related disciplines by providing various activities and modes of engagement between students, educators, and professionals to share information, resources, and excitement for design.

DxD is a committee under the ACLA umbrella that focuses on raising public awareness regarding the role of architectural design and creating outreach programs within student communities to develop a more diverse talent pipeline. HMC hosted an interactive booth and activity, building a community with structures created from everyday objects. HMC employee-owners also shared the firm’s purpose, Design for Good, and engaged students through portfolio reviews, mock interviews, and mentorship sessions.

Each year, the DxD committee strives to spotlight a distinguished architectural personality from Southern California. This year, we celebrated Helen Liu Fong, a notable architect and interior designer hailing from Los Angeles. As one of the pioneering women to join the American Institute of Architects, Helen played a crucial role in the Googie architecture movement. Her iconic designs, including L.A.’s Norms Restaurant, Bob’s Big Boy, and Pann’s Coffee Shop, introduced an era characterized by boomerang angles and dynamic forms.

HMC hosted a booth where we invited students to participate in hourly challenges to create “things” related to Helen Liu Fong’s work. Winners of the most colorful, most futuristic, most curvilinear, most detailed, and most volumetric received a little gift. As a proud majority-minority firm whose mission is to positively impact the communities we serve, this event was a natural way for HMC to contribute and connect and we are thrilled to participate.