Thank you to Metropolis magazine for honoring LEVER with two 2024 Planet Positive Awards, which recognize excellence in sustainable, healthy, and equitable design across the built environment.

LEVER's project at 843 N Spring Street in Los Angeles received the award for Best Impact on Health and Wellness. This project transformed a windowless 1980s-era retail warehouse into one of the city's first and largest hybrid Cross-Laminated Timber (CLT) buildings. The design incorporates outdoor workspaces and biophilic elements, including a tiered vertical garden courtyard, open-air circulation spaces, private balconies, and a shared rooftop amenity deck, all contributing to occupant well-being. 

Additionally, LEVER's participation in the Natural Hazards Engineering Research Infrastructure (NHERI) Tall Wood Project earned the award for Best Design for Resilience. This interdisciplinary research initiative, funded by the National Science Foundation, involved seismic testing of a ten-story mass timber structure—the tallest wood building ever subjected to full-scale seismic testing. The structure features a rocking wall system designed to shift seismic loads during an earthquake, dissipating energy and reducing overall impact. The project's findings aim to inform future building codes and enhance the resilience of tall wood structures.