Southland Architecture: The Book

What do a water treatment plant, an apartment house with a face lift, a Metrolink station and a bevy of million-dollar homes have in common?

All are found among the 187 illustrated entries in “Building in Los Angeles,” a guidebook to the “built environment” of the greater L.A. area just published by the Mar Vista-based Southern California Institute of Architecture.

The booklet marks the 25th anniversary of SCI-Arc by paying tribute to the aesthetic achievements of some of the school’s alumni and faculty. Organized by geographic area--from the San Fernando Valley to Redondo Beach and east as far as Pomona--it is intended as a resource for self-guided tours.

Celebrated architects whose works are pictured in “Building in Los Angeles” include Eric Owen Moss, Ray Kappe, Thom Mayne, Michael Rotondi and Michele Saee.

SCI-Arc director Neil Denari says the guide showcases the ways in which the school’s faculty and alumni “engage the contemporary environment, reshaping the city” even as they rethink architecture.

The guidebook, which is $6, is available from Form Zero bookstore in Santa Monica or by mail from the SCI-Arc Supply Store, 5454 Beethoven St., Los Angeles, CA 90066.