KoningEizenberg Architecture

KoningEizenberg is an architecture firm interested in the power of social interaction to elevate the quality of life in buildings of daily use. Their work combines environmental strategies to create places of meaning and connection and the firm has been published worldwide and recognized with over 200 awards for design, preservation, and sustainability. Established in 1981 by Hank Koning and Julie Eizenberg, the Santa Monica-based practice started with embracing then-overlooked affordable housing and community projects. A rethinking of these marginalized typologies highlighted the untapped potential of architecture to serve the public good. Principals Brian Lane and Nathan Bishop joined the effort expanding the firm’s ambition for environmentally and socially sustainable design.  

Julie Eizenberg, FAIA, FRAIA, founding partner of KoningEizenberg Architecture, works to give visibility to the design and potential of community projects and people-oriented practices. Under her leadership, KoningEizenberg has earned over 200 design and sustainability awards and has been widely published in the US and abroad. Together with Hank Koning, Eizenberg was recognized with the AIA Los Angeles Gold Medal, the Australian Institute of Architects’ Gold Medal, an American Academy of Arts and Letters award, and in 2022, inducted into the National Academy of Design. Eizenberg teaches and lectures around the world and has shared the practice’s interests in influential monographs including “Architecture isn’t Just for Special Occasions”, which highlights the value of social engagement, and “Urban Hallucinations”, which examines how the idyll of local shapes neighborhoods. Julie Eizenberg holds a Master of Architecture from UCLA.   

Brian Lane, FAIA, LEED AP, has overseen many of the firm’s award-winning community buildings, housing, mixed-use, and hospitality projects. Lane builds neighborhoods, drawing on experience that spans a range of project types for governmental, commercial, non-profit, and private clients. His skills converge in the design of many award-winning projects, including the 28th Street Apartments, which received a 2015 National AIA Honor Award. His visualization and graphic design skills, combined with his planning knowledge, have enabled numerous cities and agencies to evaluate planning and urban design strategies. Recently, he has contributed to the dialogue on emerging ordinances that will aid housing production in Los Angeles and is frequently called upon to share his expertise in community forums and public programs. In 2021, Lane was elevated to the College of Fellows of the American Institute of Architects for design work that propels social benefit and accelerates affordable housing production, while raising the benchmark for neighborhood buildings. Brian Lane holds a Master of Architecture from the Weitzman School of Design.