The Los Angeles Business Council’s Best Retail Project Award was recently bestowed upon Venice's Jerde Partnership for the visually striking construction of Santa Monica Place, which will celebrate its one-year anniversary next month. The honor was presented to the architecture and design firm at the council's 41st annual Architectural Awards ceremony.

The council noted the removal of the roof from the former mall, which the firm retrofitted for its new iteration. The architects were also recognized for the renovated mall's open-air rooftop—which features restaurants and the newly opened Market and is where the Movies on the Deck series takes place.

“Our primary goal in designing Santa Monica Place was to give this project back to the city and its people,” said the principal designer of the mall, Jerde partner David Rogers, AIA. “Santa Monica is best experienced outside in the sunshine and ocean breezes, so removing the roof was a necessary part of tying the new project into the urban experience. In order to create an attractive communal gathering space, we took great care to make the project look and feel like a natural extension of the city.”

Look above for photos of Santa Monica Place, along with captions detailing the design elements that helped the Jerde Partnership win the Best Retail Project Award.

This article first appeared on Santa Monica Patch.