ARG is pleased to announce the elevation of architect Liz MacLean from Senior Associate to Principal. Liz joins ARG’s long-time principal, Katie Horak, to lead the Los Angeles office.

“Liz has been a valued leader of our Los Angeles team for eight years,” Katie said. “She’s passionate about our collective work, dedicated to design and technical excellence, a skilled cultivator of client and partner relationships, a natural mentor, and an inspiration for the rest of us to do better in the work we do. I’m delighted to have her join me in heading our LA office.”

Liz joined ARG in 2016 after working in leading design offices including SPG Architects and 1100 Architect in NYC and later with Predock Frane and Gehry Partners in Los Angeles. At ARG she brings her meticulous attention to detail and unwavering commitment to design excellence to some of the studio’s most significant projects in Southern California. Her nuanced approach to integrating historic preservation and conservation with adaptive reuse strategies and new construction results in timeless architectural designs seamlessly blending old and new elements. Her natural leadership and dedication to creative collaboration with her clients and design colleagues are evident in the success of her projects regardless of their age, size, or program.

“I’m excited to help lead ARG’s Los Angeles office.” Liz shared. “It’s a dream to work on iconic buildings with clients who entrust us with envisioning their future and to practice alongside an incredibly supportive team of colleagues. The great design inherent in all ARG’s projects pushes us to think harder, be more collaborative, and strive to create designs where new elements are inspired by historical elements and successfully bring out the best in both.”

Liz’s current projects include the Eames House Master Plan, a years-long collaboration with the Eames Foundation, to create an implementation strategy to conserve and future-proof the iconic home and studio of Charles and Ray Eames. Lucia Dewey Atwood, Executive Director of the 250 Year Project and Eames Foundation, praised the collaborative vision Liz and the ARG team brought to the project, saying, “Future-proofing the Eames House would daunt most; not only are there the physical and technical challenges, but also the need to holistically wrap them into the Foundation’s choice to preserve the spirit of Charles and Ray’s home. Liz worked with multiple consultants to create a Master Plan of Work that gives us confidence that we can meet our goals for our 250 Year Project: that your great, great, great, and great-grandchildren will be able to visit the Eames House and have the same authentic experience as you may have today.”

ARG joined the Eames Foundation and the Getty Conservation Institute in August 2023 to present the Master Plan and Conservation Management Plan to visiting international scholars.

Photo © Eames Office LLC.  

All rights reserved. Site Photograph by Emilia Siandou.

Other recent projects that have benefitted from Liz’s approach to elevating architecture design, both new and existing, include the Norton Simon Museum exterior improvement project, the multi-phased Pasadena Conservatory of Music expansion, and the renovation and expansion of the historic Rose Garden Tea Room at The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens.

ARG and consultants studying the podium wall and Heath-clad tile facade at the Norton Simon Museum.

Photos by Elon Schoenholz, courtesy of the Norton Simon Art Foundation.

Liz was also the design lead for the tenant build-out of ARG’s LA office, including custom plywood furniture. Located in the heart of historic Little Tokyo in Downtown Los Angeles, the LA office includes architects, planners, historians, and conservators leading projects across the Southwestern United States.

ARG’s Los Angeles Office in LA’s historic Little Tokyo neighborhood.