NCARB Update: ARE 4.0 Retirement—Six Months to Go

Important Messages for ARE 4.0 Candidates Anyone currently testing in ARE 4.0 should be aware of the following key points:

The last day to take an ARE 4.0 division in a test center is June 30, 2018. Candidates who have not completed ARE 4.0 by this date will need to complete any remaining divisions in ARE 5.0 to satisfy the examination requirement for licensure.

Now is the time to make a plan to finish the exam if you are currently testing in ARE 4.0. There are several resources available on NCARB.org to help candidates make their plan. NCARB’s Customer Relations team is also available to help candidates understand their individual testing options.

Your rolling clock will not change if you transition to ARE 5.0. Candidates must still complete the test within five years of their first pass—whether through ARE 4.0, ARE 5.0, or a combination of both. Expiring ARE 4.0 divisions could impact the credits received in ARE 5.0 when transitioning.

Prometric test centers fill up fast, so candidates will need to plan ahead when scheduling their remaining divisions in ARE 4.0. When the exam transitioned from ARE 3.1 to ARE 4.0, candidates encountered difficulty finding test appointments in the final months before the exam retired. If candidates plan on testing in May and June, they should book these appointments as soon as possible.

The ARE retake policy will remain the same. Candidates must wait 60 days before they can retake a division of the ARE, and can only take a division three times within 12 months. This means if a candidate has taken a division of ARE 4.0 since the end of June this year, they will only have two more opportunities to take that division between now and the retirement of ARE 4.0. They will also need to take their second attempt before April 30, 2018, to have the option of one more retake before ARE 4.0 retires.

For more information, visit NCARB.org

Member News: Cuningham Group Architecture Announces Promotions

Firm Announces New Associates in San Diego Cuningham Group Architecture, an international architecture firm with 10 offices and nearly 400 employees, is thrilled to announce the recent promotion of Marleen Milligan, CID, LEED^® AP, Ernesto Quintanar, Bradley Stech, LEED^® AP, to Associates in its San Diego office.

"The promotions recognize the contributions each of these employees has made to the growth of our firm," said Cuningham Group President Tim Dufault. "We are fortunate to have such a talented group of emerging leaders. They represent our commitment to building and maintaining strong and dynamic teams that exemplify the firm's vision and core values."

Marleen Milligan, NCIDQ, LEED^® AP

Marleen joined Cuningham Group in 2014 and currently works in the firm’s Heal Market Group. Her primary focus is designing and managing all aspects of small and large scale complex commercial healthcare facilities, including hospitals, multi-specialty clinics, and tenant improvements of physician suites within medical office buildings.

Ernesto Quintanar

Ernesto joined Cuningham Group in 2016 and currently works in the firm’s Heal Market Group. His primary focus is project outcome. He is an award-winning architectural designer and project architect with more than 25 years of overall professional experience. Ernesto exceeds at establishing productive working relationships with clients, consultants, team members, and public agencies to advance the project goals through a unique combination of technical and design skills.

Bradley Stech, LEED^® AP

Bradley joined Cuningham Group in 2017 and currently works in the firm’s Heal Market Group. His primary focus is developing and managing a range of project sizes and complexities from inception through completion to include programming, conceptualization, design, documentation, agency coordination/approvals, client interface, and construction administration.

In addition to these promotions in San Diego, Cuningham Group also recognized the following individuals in its other offices.

Associate Principal

Amy Cheever, AIA, NCARB, LEED^® AP, Minneapolis

Scott Krenner, AIA, Minneapolis

Nathan Leblang, AIA, ASHE, Phoenix

Charlie Stoffel, AIA, LEED^® AP, Minneapolis

Brent Thompson, RA, Beijing

Senior Associate

Erin Anderson, AIA, NCARB, LEED^® AP, Minneapolis

Adam Dake, Minneapolis

Tim Davis, AIA, Culver City

Steve Epley, AIA, LEED^® AP, Minneapolis

Brittany Johnson, CID, NEWH, Minneapolis

Amine Khemakhem, Minneapolis

Jan Knutsen, AIA, Minneapolis

Ed Morin, Minneapolis

Lisa Schenck, Minneapolis

Craig St. Clair, AIA, NCARB LEED^® AP, Minneapolis

Bret Thompson, Minneapolis

Associate

Marilyn Castro, LEED^® AP, Culver City

Gardner Clute, LEED® AP, Denver

Jeremiah Johnson, AIA, Minneapolis

Andy Kellermann, Minneapolis

Srdan Kovacevic, AIA, LEED^® AP BD+C, Culver City

Kristen Nelson, Minneapolis

Whitnie Noxon, AIA, Minneapolis

David Scott, AIA, Minneapolis

Stephanie Thompson, NCIDQ, LEED^® Green Associate, Minneapolis

About Cuningham Group

Founded in 1968, Cuningham Group® is celebrating 50 years of Uplifting the Human Experience through great design and a client-centered, collaborative approach. Cuningham Group transcends tradition with architecture, interior design, urban design, and landscape architecture services for a diverse mix of client and project types. Awarded the American Institute of Architects Minnesota Firm Award, the firm is consistently recognized as a design leader and has grown to nearly 400 employees in offices in Minneapolis, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Biloxi, Denver, San Diego, Phoenix, Seoul, Beijing and Doha.  For more information, please visit cuningham.com.

Member Blog: Improving Audio - Bells Ring at Veterans Tribute Tower

Improving Audio - Bells Ring at Veterans Tribute Tower By John Whitcraft, P.E., Whitcraft Engineering Solutions, Inc.

One of the most satisfying aspects of my consulting work is offering useful electrical solutions for projects involving our military veterans. If my work can somehow honor their sacrifice and memory, it is a privilege for me to be part of the process.

It was a special honor to create design drawings for the carillon. The formidable Veterans Tribute Tower at San Diego’s Miramar National Cemetery is 30 feet tall. It contains the digital carillon – an electronic bell set – that plays over 100 patriotic songs several times a day, with a 250-pound cast metal bell made of custom-cast bronze. Located at the highest point of the 313-acre cemetery, the tower is “a focal point for patriotic reflection and reverence for those that paid the ultimate price for our country,” explains Dennis Schoville, President of the Miramar National Cemetery Support Foundation and a Vietnam War Army helicopter pilot (See Foundation video illustrating this memorial).

Before creating the drawings, I walked the construction site with electrician Jeff Simonides of Triple S Electric. While walking, I measured the distance with my large measuring tape. The distance was approximate, since we weren’t sure of the location of the underground plumbing. It turns out there is a very large water pipe running through the site. The site was also moved slightly, right before foundation excavation began. It took longer than usual due to the bedrock at the site.

Based on the distance, I selected a heavier (thicker) conductor to avoid a voltage drop. Such a drop would cause poor audio or a misfiring bell ring. Jeff was impressed that the voltage level had almost no drop at the far end of the line, especially under a full equipment load.

I insisted that a ground conductor for lighting protection be used instead of a 10-foot buried ground rod. The conductor is called an Ufer after its inventor Herbert G. Ufer, an engineering executive at Underwriters Laboratories, who assisted the U.S. military with ground-resistance problems at installations in Arizona. Ufer’s findings in the 1940s proved the effectiveness of concrete-encased ground electrodes. I recommended using the Ufer instead of a deep ground connection, because the site contained difficult-to-dig bedrock.

The $400,000 project was funded from various donations, including contributions from local businesses across San Diego. The addition of the bell is the largest private gift to date for the six-year-old veterans’ cemetery and provides a sense of peace and remembrance for those visiting. When the carillon plays, it shows respect for our military veterans.

The tower is especially dedicated to soldiers of the U.S. 3rd Infantry Division who fought in the June 1953, Battle of Outpost Harry during the Korean War and also honors veterans of all U.S. military services.  The Miramar National Cemetery Support Foundation, which coordinated funding and construction of the tower, sponsored its dedication on Veteran’s Day in 2016.   For more information, contact John Whitcraft at (858) 229-8722.

References:

Whitcraft Engineering Solutions, Inc.

Miramar National Cemetery Support Foundation video

27th Annual Kitchen of the Year for 2018

 

Kitchens of the Year contest is a professionally juried program that honors excellence in kitchen design.

All projects in San Diego County completed within the last two years, not published by other local and regional media, and not in homes for sale are eligible.

27th Annual Kitchen of the Year for 2018 - Deadline for Entry is 2/5/18. Click here for entry form

Member News: RAD Lab Featured in Modern Luxury San Diego

Congratulations to AIASD members, RAD Lab for their recent feature in Modern Luxury San Diego's January 2018 issue. Issue is available on newsstands now or view their digital copy to learn more about the trio.

Member News: Mark Silva Featured in San Diego Home/Garden Lifestyles Magazine

Mark Silva, AIA is featured in the November 2017 issue of San Diego Home/Garden Lifestyles Magazine for his work on a residential remodel in Pacific Beach. Silva transformed a 1950s-era mid-century home into a contemporary and open design. Read more at San Diego Home/Garden.

Member News: Kim Grant Design Featured in San Diego Home/Garden

Kim Grant, AIA featured in 8-page spread in the August 2017 issue of San Diego Home/Garden Lifestyle Magazines. The home is considered "potentially historic" thus making it difficult to navigate a remodel without the right experience. Visit San Diego Home/Garden to read the complete article.

Member News: Stephen Dalton Architects Featured in San Diego Home/Garden Magazine

Stephen Dalton Architects is featured in the January 2018 issue of San Diego Home/Garden Lifestyles Magazine for their Del Mar residential remodel. The architect transformed the project from a pseudo-Italianate style house to a contemporary minimalist beach home. Visit San Diego Home/Garden for more information or pick up a copy at newsstands.

Member News: IS Architecture Featured in San Diego Home/Garden Magazine

IS Architecture's Ione Stiegler, FAIA and Sandra Escobedo's recent project, a La Jolla kitchen refresh is featured in the San Diego Home/Garden Lifestyles Magazine January 2018 issue. Visit the website for more details, or pickup your copy at newsstands.

Member News: Bluemotif Architecture Featured in San Diego Business Journal

AIASD Member, Bluemotif Architecture is featured in the November 20, 2017 issue of San Diego Business Journal.

Member News: AIASD Firms Featured in San Diego Business Journal Report

AVRP Skyport Studios, Gensler, BNIM, and LPA mentioned in San Diego Business Journal's Special Report: Commercial Real Estate feature "A New Day at the Office."

Member News: Greg McClure, AIA, LEED AP BD+ C, Delawie's Senior Associate, Promoted to Principal

San Diego, California – January 3, 2018 – The award-winning architectural and interior design firm, Delawie, is pleased to announce the promotion of Greg McClure, Senior Associate, to Principal. Greg has been a senior project manager and designer for a number of the firm’s recent projects, including BioLegend's corporate headquarters here in San Diego, CSUB’s University Office Center, Veterans Village of San Diego's Escondido housing development, and various Qualcomm Incorporated projects.

With over 20 years of experience, Greg will continue to exhibit design excellence in all phases of projects, from life science and technology to corporate and civic, provide hands-on leadership to the firm's projects, and support the firm’s longstanding clients and consultants.

Greg will continue to cultivate the firm's unique culture and talented staff. His responsibilities will include leadership focus on business development for new and expanding markets and working closely with the other four firm principals in the overall management and strategic vision into the future.

“I’m very excited, humbled and honored to serve the Delawie staff, grow relationships in the community and continue the legacy of the Delawie name for the next 25+ years!” – Greg McClure

Greg is a licensed architect in California as well as North Carolina and has a Bachelor of Architecture from Virginia Tech. He is a member of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) San Diego Chapter and Biocom. Greg joins Principals Michael Asaro, AIA, LEED AP, Frank Ternasky, AIA, LEED AP, M. Andrew Rodrigues, AIA, and Paul Schroeder, AIA, Associate DBIA, to guide the future direction of the firm.

About Delawie Delawie, founded in 1961, is a leading sustainable and high-performance architecture firm headquartered in San Diego, California. The firm’s principals mentor over 55 design professionals and leverage the firm’s size and experience to provide design services to clients with projects of varying scope, size and complexity. Delawie’s current projects include the Moxy in downtown San Diego, Marriott’s newest hotel brand, the expansion of the award-winning Pechanga Resort and Casino in Temecula, California and BioLegend's corporate headquarters here in San Diego. More information on Delawie and its services can be found at www.delawie.com.

Member News: Jonathan Segal, FAIA Featured in LA Times

View original article here

L.A. Times: A father and son's La Jolla masterpiece wins top architectural award by R. Daniel Foster, December 15, 2017 6:00AM

What the eye doesn’t see — empty space — is correlative to what it does see.

Architect Rudolph Schindler grasped this deceptively simple perceptual law in spades, creating buildings of pure grace. No wonder, then, that a La Jolla residence built by architect-developer Jonathan Segal has drawn so many Schindler comparisons.

An American Institute of Architects San Diego jury also referred to Schindler when awarding the three-bedroom home (build cost: $1.55 million) its sole “honor award” last month.

“We used the most simple gesture to get the job done,” said Segal, who, sharing design credit with son Matthew, completed the 5,300-square-foot home in 2014 after nine months of construction. “If we could have removed more, we would have.”

Indeed, this is architecture by subtraction.

The Segals began with a simple rectangle box sketched on paper, erasing plane after plane until left with mere suggestion: the implied shape of an adjacent patio, a vast exterior room. The area is delineated by a few brush strokes — concrete supports that faintly outline the area, its roof nothing less than a framed sky.

The L-shaped interior (two stories above ground, one below) cradles all that negative space, mirrored by an L-shaped pool at the front that the home appears to float on. Built of cast-in-place concrete sheathing floor-to-ceiling glass, the home embodies a gravitas shot through with light — warmed by flooring and built-ins of California walnut.

Wood form casts were used to riddle the concrete with holes, grain and tone gradations, a “rude, nasty, unfinished look in contrast to the pristine walnut and glass,” said Jonathan Segal, 56.

The coarse surfaces further marry the structure (its glass walls recede, creating an open-air pavilion) to nearby bluffs and, 80 yards away, the crashing ocean.

Sweeping cantilevers that appear razor-thin shield the inset glass walls; a 50-foot beam that spans the patio is just 8 inches thick, made possible by the concrete construction.

Since building the home, the Segals, in fact, have shunned wood-frame construction.

“These kind of cantilevers just weren’t practical or feasible with wood,” said Matthew Segal, 30, a recent graduate of USC School of Architecture.

Other notable features: the generous 2,000-square foot basement lit by lengthy strips of skylight, a rooftop 6.5-kilowatt solar array and the skinny 5,000-square-foot lot. Adjacent properties are about four times that size, noted the American Institute of Architects, extolling the Segals’ efficient use of space.

The home’s sole decorative feature is a 9-foot-tall safety gate created by Christopher Puzio that separates the lap pool from the front reflecting pool. The portal’s jagged design is artfully mirrored in the water and casts exceptional shadows.

The home sold last month for $5.5 million.

A neighborhood comparison: In the home’s 92037 ZIP Code, based on 615 sales, the median sales price for single family homes this year through September was $1.178 million, up 12.2 % over the same period a year earlier, according to CoreLogic.

Member News: Carrier Johnson + CULTURE Receive 2017 Best of Design Awards for Building of the Year

Read the original article on The Architect's Newspaper here 2017 Best of Design Awards for Building of the Year – West - Archpaper.com 2017 Best of Design Awards for Building of the Year – West

By Daisy Alioto December 4, 2017

Pictured here: Carrier Johnson + CULTURE's Point Loma Nazarene University Science Complex in San Diego, California. (Lawrence Anderson Photography)

2017 Best of Design Awards for Building of the Year – West: Point Loma Nazarene University Science Complex

Architect: Carrier Johnson + CULTURE Location: San Diego, California

This 3,500-student university in California—a coastal campus with 1800s landmarks in the theosophist vernacular—is known for rigorous science programs and successful medical school placements. Recently, this evangelical Christian institution dedicated a large science and academic center almost twenty years in the making. The work makes the school’s vibrant dialogue between scientific progress and biblical teachings physical. The 13 new labs and classrooms are wrapped in insulating glass and smooth concrete, equipped inside for biology and chemistry classes. A feathered curve of perforated-metal panels extends on its south exposure, embracing a grassy slope where students gather. Conceived for shade, the environmental-screen is laser-cut with Greek letters, alpha and omega, symbols with religious and scientific allusion, while filtered light streams through to suggest a cathedral wall.

“The campus building embraces the slope while maintaining a sense of levity. The perforated aluminum louvers play with light and juxtapose the floating geometric roof slab. It is interesting how the walls weave around the roof column.” —Emily Bauer, landscape architect, Bjarke Ingels Group (juror)

General Contractor: Rudolph and Sletten

Landscape Architect: Spurlock Poirier Landscape Architects

Structural Engineer: Hope Amundson

Mechanical Plumbing Engineer: MA Engineers

Electrical Engineer: Michael Wall Engineering

Member News: SCA Architecture Completes Design of 23-Acre Campus Expansion for Viasat in Carlsbad

NEWS FROM:  SCA ArchitectureCONTACT:  Bonnie Kutch, bkutch@kutchco.com, 619-299-1010

SCA Architecture Completes Design of 23-Acre Campus Expansion for Viasat in Carlsbad, Calif.

The new campus augments Viasat’s existing main campus, and can accommodate six office buildings, three parking structures, a cafe/conference center and employee amenities

SAN DIEGO – December 14, 2017 – SCA Architecture (formerly known as Smith Consulting Architects), a San Diego-based architectural firm, has completed the planning, design, and entitlements for a new 23-acre campus expansion on behalf of global communications company, Viasat (Nasdaq: VSAT), located on El Camino Real, Carlsbad, Calif., announced SCA Architecture President and Founder Cheryl (Dennie) Smith.

Located across the street from Viasat’s existing headquarters, the new campus is being built on a 23-acre vacant parcel of land, which Viasat acquired in October 2015.  The site is south of Gateway Road, north of Town Garden Road and west of Alicante Road, near the master-planned community of Bressi Ranch. The campus expansion can accommodate six office buildings, three parking structures, a cafe/conference center and recreational amenities for company employees.

The new campus is designed to embody Viasat’s culture of creativity, exploration, freedom and innovation, as well as foster interaction between employees, clients and visitors. The two- and three-story office buildings range in size from 77,000 to 120,000 square feet, and total 587,000 square feet of space.  The corner building at El Camino Real and Gateway Drive features below-grade parking to provide visitors a secure entrance without compromising the open campus feel.  Careful consideration was given not only to the internal campus elevations, but also to those buildings facing El Camino Real and Viasat’s adjacent neighbors.

Three parking structures, subterranean parking and a surface parking area accommodate a total of 2,053 vehicles, with 1,955 stalls between the parking structures, 70 stalls underneath the corner building, and 16 surface stalls in front of Building 12. The concrete structures are situated on the low side of the site, affording 5.3 acres of open space within the campus, once phase three is complete.

Woven throughout the open, outdoor space are “unexpected experiences” such as hammocks, swings, bocce ball courts, jogging trails, water filling stations, several shade structures for informal meetings including some with banquette seating, trees surrounded with bar-height counters for outdoor eating, an outdoor stage, fire pits, a barbeque, charging stations for mobile devices and other amenities, as well as displays of Viasat’s latest technologies.

Whiting Turner, general contractor, broke ground late February 2017, with the first phase scheduled for completion in August of 2018.

Mark Langan is principal-in-charge for SCA Architecture, with Arati Rangaswamy, Milos Makaric, and Julie Spiegel serving as co-project managers.

Project consultants include PLSA as civil engineer; Ground Level, landscape architect; Wiseman & Rohy, structural engineer; Syska Hennessy, mechanical/plumbing engineer; Michael Wall, electrical engineer; and Brummitt Energy Associates, serving as energy consultant.

About SCA Architecture:

Founded in 1988 by Cheryl (Dennie) Smith, SCA Architecture is a full-service planning, architecture and interior design firm. In addition to corporate headquarters and office facilities, the firm has specialized expertise in retail, R&D, life science, medical, manufacturing, and industrial facilities. SCA Architecture is a member of the U.S. Green Building Council, with extensive expertise in energy efficiency and sustainable design.  The firm is comprised of 25 design and support professionals, and located at 13280 Evening Creek Dr. South, Suite 125, San Diego, CA 92128.  More information about the firm can be found on the Web at www.sca-sd.com.

Member News: Victor Navarro, AIA Joins Architects Mosher Drew

Read original announcement on the Architects Mosher Drew website here Victor H. Navarro, AIA, NCARB, approaches architecture through a collaborative process called Emergent Design. His work engages discussions on social and environmental issues, and evokes a hybrid of research, rationale, and intuition, resulting in unique design solutions.

Born in Chile into a military regime, Victor’s family fled to the U.S. in the late 70’s for 10 years and returned after democracy was reinstated. He began his architecture studies at Universidad Central de Chile and later obtained an M.Arch and B.Arch degrees with honors from Lawrence Technological University in Michigan.

His specialties include single family residential, multifamily mixed-use, restaurants/hospitality, retail, and education.

Victor is also a faculty member at Newschool of Architecture and Design and co-authored the book Social, Growing and Expandable Housing in a Border Community.

For Sale: Canon iPF825 and Scanner

Spurlock is putting our Canon imagePROGRAF iPF825 MFP large format printer and Colortrac Ci C40 Color Scanner (with stand and monitor) up for sale.  The images are excellent quality and it has worked without issue for the past three years.

We purchased ALL of the accessories, and there will be ink cartridges that will be part of the package.  Everything is in great working condition and looks like new.

If you know someone who might be interested, please let me know.

https://www.usa.canon.com/internet/portal/us/home/support/details/printers/support-imageprograf-printers/imageprograf-ipf825-mfp

https://www.colortrac.com/scanners/mfp-solutions/ (scroll down page for Ci 40 inch)

Contact Dana Sather at dsather(at)spurlock-land.com or (619)681-0090.

Member News: Lance Hosey, FAIA's Op-Ed "Time to retool San Diego's skyline?"

(You can read the original op-ed on the San Diego Union Tribune here)

Time to retool San Diego’s skyline?

Commentary/op-ed by Lance Hosey, FAIA

San Diego has an identity crisis.

On the one hand, real estate is booming. Sales continue to break records, and development races to keep up with demand. Over the past eight years, monthly housing construction starts have multiplied by six or seven times, making the area one of the “hottest markets” in the U.S. right now, according to Realtor.com.

On the other hand, new development generally is exacerbating a problem the region has had for decades — it is losing its unique character.

Apartment buildings and condos are going up all over downtown, but one after another is a generic vanilla midrise. Go to any other growing city in North America, and you see the same structures — architectural cookie cutters. These are the urban equivalent of the McMansion.

Even our best buildings aren’t much better. Among the most recognizable structures in the skyline, One America Plaza was designed by Chicago architect Helmut Jahn in the ’80s with a crown that resembles a screwdriver or drill bit — hence the skyline’s nickname, “The Toolbox.” Yet the same architect has peddled the same wares in several other major cities. Philadelphia has two, in fact. The U.S. Courthouse (2012) at Broadway and State Street is typical fare for New York architect Richard Meier. The Pacific Gate condo tower, now finishing at the west end of Broadway, is yet another prismatic glass tower from the global design firm KPF.

These are all decent designs, but they could be built quite literally anywhere. Where’s the “there” here?

San Diego has one of the world’s most distinctive settings: a perfect climate, gorgeous beaches, a welcoming bay, slender islands, rolling terrain, dramatics bluffs, mountains on the horizon, beautiful coastal vegetation. Our landscape has a singular sense of place, but our architecture wants to be somewhere else. Anywhere else, really.

It wasn’t always this way. Before the past half-century, generally everything built here was designed to fit well. Many older buildings, influenced by Spanish colonialism but specifically adapted to our materials and climate, are practically extruded from the land with earthen walls that keep them cool in the day and warm at night. The colors are bright enough to avoid absorbing too much heat but not so reflective to create discomforting glare (a serious problem with many modern glass buildings). Overhangs and ornament shade the walls and temper how much light bounces off, and deep recesses offer shady places to escape the sun. Towers and cupolas punctuate the skyline and often draw hot air up out of the buildings, making the spaces below more habitable.

While historic buildings such as the gorgeous Santa Fe Depot (1915) may no longer be feasible, architects need not copy the past to learn from its principles. Appropriate materials shaped around sun and wind not only are affordable — often they actually can save money by relying less on mechanical and electrical systems. Technically, few buildings need more than 30 percent glass to have good natural light and views without too much heat and energy consumption. Yet many new buildings are 100 percent glass. Optimal solar orientation requires facing most of a building’s exterior toward the north and south, to avoid undue heat gain when the sun drops low in the afternoon. San Diego’s roughly square urban grid demands ingenuity from architects to respect the city fabric while reaching intelligently and elegantly for the sky.

The benefits are clear. Research shows that distinctive architecture spurs home sales and occupancies, as well as stronger retail profits. Climate-responsive design can significantly reduce the energy consumption, operating costs and market value of buildings, as well as the comfort, health and well-being of occupants. And the aesthetic appeal of a place is among the most significant factors determining whether its residents are happy. Economists call this “the beauty premium.”

“Unique architecture” is routinely listed as one of the primary tourist attractions of cities such as New York, Chicago and Miami. “When people go on vacation,” says preservationist Richard Moe, “they generally seek out destinations that offer them the sense of being someplace, not just anyplace.” Think of Sante Fe, with its generous adobe. Or Nantucket, with its shingle siding weathered by the sea wind. Italian hill towns seem carved directly out of the hills. Now imagine San Diego with this kind of a consistent character, an architectural appeal that is unmistakably tailored to this place.

San Diego is a world-class city waiting to happen. Don’t we deserve a built environment more in sync with our natural environment? Let’s retool the toolbox.

Hosey, an architect and author, oversees design for the San Diego office of Harley Ellis Devereaux. His latest book is “The Shape of Green: Aesthetics, Ecology, and Design.”

Member News: Webb Cleff Architecture Changes Name, Location

Congratulations to AIASD member, Rebecca Peterson Ibarra who has been named a principal/Vice President of StudioWC Architecture and Engineering! From San Diego Business Journal:

Webb Cleff Architecture of Encinitas has changed its name to StudioWC Architecture and Engineering.

The firm, which specializes in designing elementary schools, also moved its offices to 515 Encinitas Blvd. in the North Coast Business Park. It had been in smaller offices in the same business park.

“When we began our business nearly eight years ago, we believed we needed the name recognition of Webb and Cleff, that of myself and Bob Webb,” said Debra Vaughan-Cleff, president of StudioWC.

“Since then, architect Rebecca Peterson Ibarra has been named a principal and we’ve added other professional staff to provide the level of talent and responsiveness our clients demand,” Vaughan-Cleff said. “The time was right to have a name that better reflects our culture or collaboration and creativity.”

The firm provides planning, design, and construction services for a wide range of projects, from shade structure additions to the planning and construction of complete school campuses.

Member News: domusstudio architecture Relocates To New Space

Local San Diego firm, domusstudio architecture has moved to a new location in the Bankers Hill area repurposing an original Homer Delawie structure from 1962!

"In 1962, the celebrated San Diego Modernist Architect, Homer Delawie designed a doctor’s office siting on a mesa within Maple Canyon. Fifty-five years later, domusstudio has re-imagined the space into our new studio."

Their phone number will remain the same, but their new address is:

domusstudio architecture 2800 Third Avenue San Diego, CA 92103

We can't wait to visit our members at domus studio!