LA County Hall of Records

You hear a lot about Neutra’s houses; much less about his civic work. I first came across his Hall of Records in this great article all about its clever — and ill-fated — system of sun-breaking louvers on the southern elevations. Clever because they once turned throughout the day to block the sun as it moved; ill-fated because, well, they’re broken. Which turned Neutra’s elegant alternative to the glass-box skyscraper into a complete failure that wastes energy on excessive air conditioning.

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Still an interesting landmark, though, and looked particularly nice through Shulman’s lens. In parts — like the red balconies over the main entrance — the whole thing feels much older than a building from 1962.

Barbara Lamprecht has a nice write-up on her blog.