12th annual event celebrates intersection of dine and design
From elegant outposts of farm-to-table cuisine to neighborhood watering holes that have been refurbished, The American Institute of Architects Los Angeles (AIA|LA) Restaurant Design Awards celebrate design as tantalizing and tasty as the culinary hotspots the architecture envelops.
Registration to enter a project for the 2016 RDAs opens Tuesday, March 1, 2016.
Now entering its twelfth year, the 2016 RDA program is an opportunity for owners and designers of restaurants, bars, cafes, nightclubs and lounges, to showcase the design of their premises. All finalists are invited to present work at a popular Dwell on Design panel along with jury members.
A jury will consider and award outposts from LA, the United States and across the globe. Submissions are accepted in three main categories: restaurant, café/bar and lounge/nightclub, but scale of project is not a factor. Ultimately, good design is noted whether for a locally owned neighborhood cafe, a large restaurant or bar with extensive corporate financing, or the many possibilities in between.
Projects located in the United States or projects outside of the USA done by US based architects/designers may be entered.
Call for Entries opens Tuesay, March 1, 2016 with registration of entries due by Friday, April 1, 2016. Once registered, restaurateurs and/or architects and/or designers must file submission materials by Friday, April 29, 2016.
Matthew Noonan Promoted to Principal of Cavignac & Associates An account executive in the firm’s Employee Benefits Department since 2007, he joins five existing principals who comprise the company’s executive board of management
SAN DIEGO, CA -- (March 21, 2016) – Matthew Noonan, RHU, CIC, CHRS, CCWS, has been promoted to a principal of Cavignac & Associates, announced Jeffrey W. Cavignac, CPCU, RPLU, CRIS, principal and founder of the San Diego-based risk management and insurance brokerage firm.
Noonan, who joined Cavignac & Associates in 2007, is an account executive in the agency’s Employee Benefits Department. He specializes in the creation and implementation of employee benefits programs for Southern California-based businesses. He joins Jeff Cavignac,
Jim Schabarum, Scott Bedingfield, Patrick Casinelli and Matthew Slakoff in part ownership of Cavignac & Associates, participating on the company’s executive board of management and helping to drive the future success of the agency.
“Matt Noonan has played a critical role in navigating the increasingly complex area of employee benefits, and done an exemplary job at helping our clients understand the new laws and employer options,” said Cavignac. “We’re privileged to have him as part of the management team.”
Prior to joining Cavignac & Associates, Noonan spent five years in the financial services industry, managing a branch office of a national bank before moving into the commercial insurance field.
“With the enactment of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) in 2010, employee health benefits became far more complicated for human resource professionals to figure out on their own,” said Noonan. “While the early renewal strategy in 2013 helped employers delay the affects of the law, and grandmothering helped in 2014, the 2015 renewals for companies with 2-50 employees realized the biggest impact of the ACA. This has presented our department with the enormous challenge of properly educating our clients and walking them through the necessary steps – a challenge we’ve embraced and strive to do better than our competitors.”
Born and raised in San Diego, Noonan graduated in 2000 from the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) with a Bachelor of Science degree in sociology. During that time, he was part of the UCLA Bruin Men’s Volleyball team, and helped lead the team to three NCAA National Championship titles.
He is an active member of the San Diego Association of Health Underwriters, the California Professional Association of Specialty Contractors, Bruin Professionals and several community nonprofit organizations.
Noonan and his family reside in the San Diego community of San Marcos. He remains an avid sports fan. In his leisure time, he enjoys volleyball, golfing, traveling and spending time with his family.
About Cavignac & Associates:
Founded in 1992, Cavignac & Associates is a leading risk management and commercial insurance brokerage firm providing a broad range of insurance and expertise to design and construction firms, as well as to law firms, real estate-related entities, manufacturing companies and the general business community. Company principals are Jeffrey W. Cavignac, CPCU, ARM, RPLU, CRIS, MLIS; James P. Schabarum II, CPCU, AFSB; Scott A. Bedingfield, AAI, CIC, CRIS; Patrick Casinelli, RHU, REBC, CHRS; Matthew Slakoff, CIC, CRIS; and Matthew Noonan, RHU, CIC, CHRS, CCWS. The firm employs a staff of 45 at offices located at 450 B Street, Suite 1800, San Diego, Calif., 92101. More information about the company can be found on the Web at www.cavignac.com.
Washington, D.C. – March 23, 2016 – The Architecture Billings Index saw a dip into negative terrain for the first time in five months in January, but inched back up in February with a small increase in demand for design services. As a leading economic indicator of construction activity, the ABI reflects the approximate nine to twelve month lead time between architecture billings and construction spending. The American Institute of Architects (AIA) reported the February ABI score was 50.3, up slightly from the mark of 49.6 in the previous month. This score reflects a minor increase in design services (any score above 50 indicates an increase in billings). The new projects inquiry index was 59.5, up from a reading of 55.3 the previous month.
“March and April are traditionally the busiest months for architecture firms, so we should get a clearer reading of underlying momentum over the next couple of months,” said AIA Chief Economist, Kermit Baker, Hon. AIA, PhD. “Hopefully the relatively mild weather conditions recently in most parts of the country will help design and construction activity move ahead at a somewhat faster pace.”
Key February ABI highlights:
Regional averages: South (51.1), West (49.9), Northeast (49.5), Midwest (49.3)
Sector index breakdown: multi-family residential (53.0), commercial / industrial (52.3), institutional (48.1), mixed practice (47.7)
Project inquiries index: 59.5
Design contracts index: 51.7
The regional and sector categories are calculated as a 3-month moving average, whereas the national index, design contracts and inquiries are monthly numbers. About the AIA Architecture Billings IndexThe Architecture Billings Index (ABI), produced by the AIA Economics & Market Research Group, is a leading economic indicator that provides an approximately nine to twelve month glimpse into the future of nonresidential construction spending activity. The diffusion indexes contained in the full report are derived from a monthly “Work-on-the-Boards” survey that is sent to a panel of AIA member-owned firms. Participants are asked whether their billings increased, decreased, or stayed the same in the month that just ended as compared to the prior month, and the results are then compiled into the ABI. These monthly results are also seasonally adjusted to allow for comparison to prior months. The monthly ABI index scores are centered around 50, with scores above 50 indicating an aggregate increase in billings, and scores below 50 indicating a decline. The regional and sector data are formulated using a three-month moving average. More information on the ABI and the analysis of its relationship to construction activity can be found in the recently released White Paper, Designing the Construction Future: Reviewing the Performance and Extending the Applications of the AIA’s Architecture Billings Index on the AIA web site.
For immediate release:Washington, D.C. - March 22, 2016 – The American Institute of Architects (AIA) today announced that it has signed on as charter members of “Parity for Main Street Employers” (PMSE), a coalition pushing for comprehensive tax reform that treats small business fairly.
Formerly called the Pass-Through Coalition, the “Parity for Main Street Employers” steering committee is made up of nine national trade groups actively representing private employers in the tax reform discussion. The group’s general membership is made up of those trade groups that have signed on to the tax reform principles letter that forms the core of the group’s advocacy efforts.
The most recent iteration of that letter was released last week ahead of tomorrow’s hearing on Tax Reform before the House Ways and Means Tax Policy Subcommittee. The letter, which is signed by more than 100 business groups including the AIA, calls on Congress to enact tax reform that is comprehensive, restores tax rate parity for all businesses and reduces or eliminates the double tax imposed on corporations.
“Almost 80 percent of AIA members are small businesses,” said AIA President Russ Davidson, FAIA. “Any attempt to reform the tax code must protect such small businesses and restore rate parity between corporations and so-called pass-through businesses that contribute more than 50 percent of business income to America’s economy.”
“The AIA is proud to be a part of the PMSE as well as serve on its steering committee,” Davidson said.
The letter closes, “By embracing these broad concepts, Congress can move the taxation of business income in a direction that helps all employers, regardless of how they are organized, to invest and create jobs here in America.”
About The American Institute of ArchitectsFounded in 1857, the American Institute of Architects consistently works to create more valuable, healthy, secure, and sustainable buildings, neighborhoods, and communities. Through nearly 300 state and local chapters, the AIA advocates for public policies that promote economic vitality and public wellbeing. Members adhere to a code of ethics and conduct to ensure the highest professional standards. The AIA provides members with tools and resources to assist them in their careers and business as well as engaging civic and government leaders, and the public to find solutions to pressing issues facing our communities, institutions, nation and world. Visit www.aia.org.
About Parity for Main Street EmployersParity for Main Street Employers represents more than one hundred national business groups representing millions of Main Street employers. The coalition’s Steering Committee is made up of eight national trade groups – American Council of Engineering Companies, American Institute of Architects, Associated Builders and Contractors, Associated General Contractors of America, Independent Community Bankers of America, National Beer Wholesalers Association, National Roofing Contractors Association, S Corporation Association, and National Association of Wholesalers – while the general membership is made up of groups that have signed the letter outlining the three principles they believe tax reform should follow – comprehensive, restore rate parity, and reduce or eliminate the corporate double tax.
Donations in Kay Kaiser’s memory can be made to the Ilan-Lael Foundation in Julian, the San Diego Public Library or to the Ruocco Fund at the San Diego Foundation. Learn more about Kay Kaiser here.
Kay also wrote the text to "The Architecture of Gunnar Birkerts" published by the AIA in 1989.
The American Institute of Architects (AIA) has selected 12 recipients for the 2016 AIA Young Architects Award. Young Architects are defined as professionals who have been licensed 10 years or fewer regardless of their age. This award, now in its 23rd year, honors individuals who have shown exceptional leadership and made significant contributions to the profession early in their careers. The Young Architects Award recipients will be honored at the 2016 AIA National Convention in Philadelphia.
Seth E. Anderson, AIA
Anderson graduated magna cum laude from Washington State University in 2002 and became licensed in 2007. By age 32 he had earned the title of senior associate. Anderson opened Ascent Architecture & Interiors in 2012 with the desire to provide clients with a personalized approach to architecture. In 2014, Anderson formally outlined Ascent’s business plan, finishing third place of 51 entries in the Charrette Venture Group’s Architectural Business Plan competition. Anderson believes in supporting emerging professionals, the architecture profession, and the Central Oregon community where the firm is located.
Armed with a passion for public architecture, coupled with a commitment to mentorship and community involvement, Aust has devoted her career to thoughtful design of public spaces, including multiple award-winning federal government, public library, and university campus projects. Aust, who received a BArch from Iowa State is currently an associate with Des Moines based Substance Architecture and is the current President of AIA Iowa, the third woman to lead the chapter in its 110-year history. A strong advocate for excellent design and its benefit to communities, Aust uses her expertise to advance the profession in multiple contexts.
Carraher, an assistant professor at the University of Utah's School of Architecture, works to empower students to make a positive impact beginning on the first day of school through an integrated approach to scholarship, creative work, teaching, and service. She graduated with a BArch from Virginia Tech and a MArch from Yale and practiced with BKSK Architects in New York City before moving into teaching full-time. Carraher concentrates on developing projects that engage students with practitioners, researchers, and community organizations in the development of built work. She is active with the AIA, NAAB, and NCARB through a variety of service and committee work at the local, state, and national levels.
Ganser is an award winning designer, educator and a mentor. He is an advocate for the value of quality design and the architectural profession. Ganser is currently an architect at MSR Design in Minneapolis. In 2005, he co-founded CityDeskStudio Architecture and Design - the small firm he helped to shape over 11 years of practice. He has also worked in the offices of HGA Architects and Engineers and Snow Kreilich Architects. Ganser has been a design studio instructor for the School of Architecture at the University of Minnesota since 2006 and is co-chair of the AIA Minnesota Committee on Design.
Kalar’s passion, talent, and dedication has a profound influence on her profession and community through a combination of advocacy, education, and innovative practice. She earned a MArch from Montana State University and is a Senior Associate with HGA Architects and Engineers. She practices as a healthcare architect and medical planner, using evidence-based design to bring innovation to healthcare environments. A leader in promoting women’s roles in the AEC industry, Kalar co-founded the AIA-MN Women in Architecture Committee. Her blog, ArchiMom.com, is dedicated to parents in architecture.
Lo graduated from Iowa State University with a BArch in 2004. His work received numerous design awards and has been featured in various media outlets such as ArchDaily, Hinge Magazine and Hospitality-Interiors Magazine. Lo served on the AIA Long Beach-South Bay chapter Board of Directors and is currently serving on the AIA Construction Contractor Administration Knowledge Community Advisory Group, AIA Diversity Council, AIA California Council COTE and the Advocacy Advisory Committee. He is also a Senior Editor for the AIA YAF CONNECTION and the Editor-In-Chief of the NOMA Magazine and AIBD Magazine.
Lu’s commitment to design excellence and to positively impacting future generations of architecture professionals and global citizens is evident in her professional work and service to the AIA and her community. Lu received a MArch degree from Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design and is a Senior Associate at HGA Architects & Engineers. She previously worked with VJAA and Selldorf Architects. Currently serving on the AIA Minnesota Leadership Forum Advisory Committee, she is also the Board Chair of Yinghua Academy, a K-8 elementary school and national leader in Chinese immersion education.
Morris earned a MArch from Texas Tech University. Currently he is an Associate Principal at Beck where he has led or been part of over $500 million of design and design/build work. The AIA has provided Morris the opportunity to pursue one of his personal passions, education, helping initiate the AIA Atlanta Youth Architecture Fair. Morris has served throughout the AIA as YAF Advisory Committee, the AIA SAR YAF Director, AIA Atlanta Director of Public Awareness, AIA 2015 National Convention Committee, and AIA National Convention Tours Co-Chair.
Nagle graduated with a BArch from Iowa State University and is an Associate Principal with BNIM in Des Moines. His award-winning high performance design projects have helped to define design excellence as a balance of design and building performance. Nagle is a holistic practitioner with a broad range of notable project experience, professional leadership and community contributions that demonstrate his rare combination of humility, integrity and drive.
Scheaffer earned a BArch from the University of Tennessee-Knoxville and currently works for LS3P in Charleston, South Carolina, where he brings particular expertise in healthcare design and digital visualization. He believes that the greatest responsibility healthcare architects have, is to create healing environments that enhance and support the care, treatment, and healing process. His aim is to place human welfare at the heart of the art and science of building design. Scheaffer recently served as 2013-2015 AIA-SC State Director - Lowcountry, and is deeply committed to professional and community service.
Shrock, Senior Associate at Moore Ruble Yudell Architects & Planners, holds a BArch from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. Her portfolio is comprised of various complex project types, including American embassies. Shrock’s commitment to a better built environment carries into her passion as a leader and mentor. She is currently serving on the AIA/LA Board of Director and is Chair of the Design Awards Committee. As the IDP Coordinator and NCARB Licensing Advisor, she guides candidates through the extensive licensure process. Extending into the local community, Shrock energetically introduces young students to architecture as a potential career path.
Silkwood is a graduate from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo and an Associate at RMW architecture & interiors in San Jose, California. She is a leader in raising the bar for the architecture profession through service, advocacy, and by empowering and educating future leaders of the profession. Throughout her early career, Silkwood has continuously focused her energy on elevating and improving the public image of the architecture profession through her involvement with AIA Santa Clara Valley, AIA California Council, AIA National Young Architects Forum, California Architects Board, and NCARB.
The jury for the 2016 Young Architects Award includes: Albert W. Rubeling, FAIA, Chair, Rubeling & Associates, Inc.; Lenore M. Lucey, FAIA, LML Consulting; Virginia Marquardt, AIA, DLR Group; Raymond 'Skipper' Post, FAIA, Post Architects; John Sorrenti, FAIA, JRS Architect, PC and Edward Vance, FAIA, EV&A Architects, Inc. You can view past recipients of the Young Architects Award here: http://www.aia.org/practicing/awards/AIAS075294
Carol Lanham has returned to HDR as a civic principal in the Los Angeles architecture studio. Originally in the Dallas architecture studio from 1988 to 2001 as a project architect, Carol says she is “extremely excited” to work with her friends and colleagues again.
Carol says she learned everything she knows about justice architecture and good design from her mentors at HDR. Through her new role as a civic principal, she will help build the firm’s civic and justice architecture practice in California and the West. A 28-year veteran in the justice architecture field, Carol most recently served as the assistant circuit executive for space & facilities for the Eighth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals headquartered in St. Louis.
Carol is a problem-solver who enjoys working with a team toward a common goal. She enjoys finding out why people work a certain way, why they utilize a particular process and why they need a new space. This is what comprises the essence of good design, she says.
She also strongly believes in mentorship. “You can’t continue to have a successful business or team without training,” she says. “It’s important to lead by example, and to pass along the knowledge and wisdom gained from experience.”
“Carol brings a depth of experience in civic architecture that broadens our reach in the justice and corrections markets,” says Amy Williams, managing principal of the Los Angeles architecture office. “She brings a no-nonsense approach to architecture, and leveraging this with our existing design talent will allow us to do great things for our clients.”
You can connect with Carol by email and on LinkedIn.
About HDR
HDR has partnered with clients to shape communities and push the boundaries of what's possible since 1917. We specialize in engineering, architecture, environmental and construction services. With nearly 10,000 employees in more than 225 locations around the world, we think global and act local.
We are committed to strengthening communities through accessible, sustainable and inspiring public buildings. Through creative place-making, we strive to reinforce civic engagement, understanding that inclusion and participation is at the heart of community—whether it be a small rural town or a large international city.
JCJ Architecture Invited to Become a Knowledge Partner in the American Architectural Foundation’s Design for Learning ProgramFirm to Support Personalized Learning Efforts with 21st Century Design Expertise
Hartford, Conn.– January 27, 2016 – JCJ Architecture has joined forces with the American Architectural Foundation’s (AAF) Center for the Advancement of Architecture to support its national Design for Learning initiative. The firm will serve as one of six Knowledge Partners that will help AAF achieve its goal of providing key stakeholders with a single place to turn for information, technical support and inspiration on school design.
Design for Learning, which builds upon the ten-year legacy of the Great Schools by Design program, encourages elected officials, superintendents, school boards and other civic leaders to enhance the relationship between student learning and the school environment through design innovation. Its personalized learning design initiative, recently launched with a generous grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, is currently working with six school districts to transform their existing schools.
JCJ will contribute the services of its experts to support design workshops with partner school districts. AAF design experts explore the role of design with local educators and administrators, encouraging thinking about design and change management in new ways to create spaces that more effectively support innovation and student-centered educational programs. The firm also participated in the recent AAF National Summit on School Design held at the landmark Crow Island School in Winnetka, IL.
“Educators nationwide are facing a challenging paradox: the need to cultivate skills for a creative 21st century economy within school buildings that were often built during the industrial era to prepare students for factory jobs,” said James LaPosta, JCJ's Chief Architectural Officer and a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects. “Design for Learning’s platform for collaboration is fostering broader dialogue about the role school building design can play in transforming teaching and learning.”
JCJ’s role as a Design for Learning Knowledge Partner complements the firm’s vast project portfolio in STEM/STEAM education and 21st Century Learning – including Fairchild-Wheeler Interdistrict Magnet Campus in Bridgeport, Conn.; Marine Science Magnet High School in Groton, Conn.; University High School of Science and Engineering in Hartford, Conn.; Regional Center for the Arts in Trumbull, Conn.; Portsmouth Middle School in Portsmouth, N.H., and Glover Elementary School in Marblehead, Mass., among others.
Other Design for Learning partners include Cuningham Group Architecture, DLR Group, FGM Architects, Perkins & Will and Steelcase.
About JCJ Architecture
Founded in 1936, JCJ is headquartered in Hartford with offices in Atlanta, Boston, New York City, Phoenix, San Diego and Stamford. The firm is recognized nationally as one of the country’s most respected architecture firms, providing clients with comprehensive planning, programming, architectural and interior design, project management and construction administration services. With a long standing reputation for creativity, excellence and business acumen, JCJ Architecture works across a broad range of building types including K-12 and higher education, civic and community, sports and recreation, mixed use, hospitality and entertainment. For more information, visit www.jcj.com.
There were a few occasions where demand for design services decreased from a month-to-month basis in 2015, but the Architecture Billings Index (ABI) concluded the year in positive terrain and was so in eight of the twelve months of the year. As a leading economic indicator of construction activity, the ABI reflects the approximate nine to twelve month lead time between architecture billings and construction spending. The American Institute of Architects (AIA) reported the December ABI score was 50.9, up from the mark of 49.3 in the previous month. This score reflects a slight increase in design services (any score above 50 indicates an increase in billings). The new projects inquiry index was 60.2, up from a reading of 58.6 the previous month.
“As has been the case for the past several years, there continues to be a mix of business conditions that architecture firms are experiencing,” said AIA Chief Economist Kermit Baker, Hon. AIA, PhD. “Overall, however, ABI scores for 2015 averaged just below the strong showing in 2014, which points to another healthy year for construction this year.”
Key December ABI highlights:
Regional averages: West (53.7), South (53.3), Northeast (46.7), Midwest (46.1),
Sector index breakdown: multi-family residential (52.9), institutional (52.2), commercial / industrial (47.3), mixed practice (46.5)
Project inquiries index: 60.2
Design contracts index: 51.0
The regional and sector categories are calculated as a 3-month moving average, whereas the national index, design contracts and inquiries are monthly numbers.
About the AIA Architecture Billings IndexThe Architecture Billings Index (ABI), produced by the AIA Economics & Market Research Group, is a leading economic indicator that provides an approximately nine to twelve month glimpse into the future of nonresidential construction spending activity. The diffusion indexes contained in the full report are derived from a monthly “Work-on-the-Boards” survey that is sent to a panel of AIA member-owned firms. Participants are asked whether their billings increased, decreased, or stayed the same in the month that just ended as compared to the prior month, and the results are then compiled into the ABI. These monthly results are also seasonally adjusted to allow for comparison to prior months. The monthly ABI index scores are centered around 50, with scores above 50 indicating an aggregate increase in billings, and scores below 50 indicating a decline. The regional and sector data are formulated using a three-month moving average. More information on the ABI and the analysis of its relationship to construction activity can be found in the recently released White Paper, Designing the Construction Future: Reviewing the Performance and Extending the Applications of the AIA’s Architecture Billings Index on the AIA web site
Over 35 Million Monthly Unique Users Nominated Best Home Building, Remodeling and Design Professionals in North America and Around the World
Silva Studios Architecture of San Diego has won “Best Of Design” on Houzz®, the leading platform for home remodeling and design. The 30-year old architecture firm was chosen by the more than 35 million monthly unique users that comprise the Houzz community from among more than one million
active home building, remodeling and design industry professionals.
The Best Of Houzz is awarded annually in three categories: Design, Customer Service and Photography. Design award winners’ work was the most popular among the more than 35 million monthly users on Houzz. Customer Service honors are based on several factors, including the number and quality of client reviews a professional received in 2015. Architecture and interior design photographers whose images were most popular are recognized with the Photography award. A “Best Of Houzz 2016” badge will appear on winners’ profiles, as a sign of their commitment to excellence. These badges help homeowners identify popular and top-rated home professionals in every metro area on Houzz.
“Anyone building, remodeling or decorating looks to Houzz for the most talented and service-oriented professionals” said Liza Hausman, vice president of Industry Marketing for Houzz. “We’re so pleased to recognize Mark A Silva of Silva Studios Architecture, voted one of our “Best Of Houzz” professionals by our enormous community of homeowners and design enthusiasts actively remodeling and decorating their homes.”
Follow Silva Studios Architecture on Houzz http://www.houzz.com/pro/markitect
About Silva Studios Architecture
Based in Southern California and founded in 1986, Silva Studios Architecture creates place as a direct reflection of you and your site. Award winning architect, Mark Silva makes your project a fusion of your dreams, the personality of the site, and the authenticity of architecture.
About Houzz
Houzz is the leading platform for home remodeling and design, providing people with everything they need to improve their homes from start to finish – online or from a mobile device. From decorating a small room to building a custom home and everything in between, Houzz connects millions of homeowners, home design enthusiasts and home improvement professionals across the country and around the world. With the largest residential design database in the world and a vibrant community empowered by technology, Houzz is the easiest way for people to find inspiration, get advice, buy
products and hire the professionals they need to help turn their ideas into reality.
AIA San Diego President, Daniel Stewart, AIA wrote an op-ed for The San Diego Union Tribune about the future of San Diego. Read the original article here.
AIA San Diego member firm, LUCE et Studio was recently selected by the Mingei International Museum to "design and implement 'a comprehensive transformation' of the Balboa Park institution... The project, which is expected to cost roughly $15 million, will renovate the galleries, expand space for community programs, forge a more welcoming connection with the newly opened Plaza de Panama, and better integrate the Cafe Mingei and the museum’s store with the museum."
Congratulations to Jennifer Luce, AIA and LUCE et Studio! Read more about the project in the San Diego Union Tribune here.
Congratulations to our colleague, Gerald W. Shonkwiler, AIAE for his work in photography! His work will be featured in the 2016 Annual International Photographic Contest sponsored by Black & White Magazine.
The image selected this year is the City of Arts & Sciences in Valencia, Spain by the famous Valencian “Starchitect”, Santiago Calatrava. The photo was taken fairly early in the morning before the crowds had started to arrive and there were no breezes to stir up the reflecting pools around the buildings.
Señor Calatrava has also designed many unique projects throughout the world, including The Milwaukee Art Museum and the new Transit Center soon to be completed at Ground Zero in New York City.
BNds has received international recognition for design by the Assoc. for Learning Environments (formerly Council of Educational Facility Planners International)
The world's largest juried exhibit recognizing exceptional planning and inspired architectural design of high quality learning environments selected Perris Union High School District's New High School #4 for for Design Concept Award for Projects in Design.
The $106 million campus is designed for 2,500–2,700 students in grades 9–12 on the 52-acre site and serves students in the Menifee area.The campus planning is based on strategic priorities of Flexibility, Collaboration, and Socialization and focuses on three primary academic concepts:
Small Learning Communities (SLC). The design forms four SLCs, each with a decentralized administration, teacher professional center and student services creating a personalized learning experience for students.
Centers of Applied Learning (CAL). Paired with each SLC, is a CAL providing specialized career-path instruction to support both college and career readiness and defined from student interests, community input, local labor trends, and articulation with local community college programs. The resulting CAL’s support career paths in Global Business, Health Sciences, Applied Technologies, Public Safety & Service.
Center for Advanced Science Exploration (CASE) provides specialized lab environments for the application and exploration of the sciences and their integration into the academic environment of each SLC.
The design also incorporates extensive sustainability strategies that result in building performance that exceeds Title-24 energy requirements by 25%
Congratulations to Jonathan Segal, FAIA for The North Parker, which received an award in this year's 2015 AIA Housing Awards.
Jury Comments
I love the courtyard and the way it relates; it looks like it works on the inside and it makes a big statement on the outside. Clean, light, and fun. It’s a fun project. I think it’s a vital mix of uses that get united into one large scales project. It’s admirable taking a 1950’s modernist aesthetic and making it very sophisticated. It grabs from the outside and doesn’t disappoint. It is flexible and can serve needs for a long time. It enhances the street.
“A very significant building that we think needs to be acknowledged and celebrated.”
“A beautiful building.”
“There’s a lot going on, but the design is very clean.”
Those were all things a group of about two dozen architects and architecture students said as they toured a San Diego building this week.
They were talking about Qualcomm Stadium.
Yes, the Qualcomm Stadium that the Chargers hate so much they might leave the city over. The Qualcomm Stadium that draws Yelp reviews from fans calling it “old, decrepit and an eyesore.” The Qualcomm Stadium that NBC analyst Chris Collinsworth called “a terrible stadium” that was arguably the worst in the NFL.
Late last week, I tagged along on a behind-the-scenes tour of Qualcomm, which is considered an architectural gem in certain circles. The tour was organized by the local chapter of the American Institute of Architects.
“We felt it was important to have a tour of the building since it’s been in the news so much and it’s potentially threatened with demolition,” said the tour guide, David Marshall, president of a local historical architecture firm. “A lot of people know it just as the place where the sports teams play, but from an engineering and architectural standpoint it’s a very significant building that we think needs to be acknowledged and celebrated.”
Qualcomm Stadium is one of just two San Diego projects to have won a prestigious, national AIA award (the other is the famous Salk Institute for Biological Studies). Completed in 1967, the massive concrete stadium is an example of a style of mid-century modern architecture called brutalist.
“Which sounds harsh,” Marshall said. “But it comes from the French term, brut, which means concrete. Think [of brutalist architect] Le Corbusier – or massive concrete that communicates strength and functionality.”
The stadium was designed by San Diego firm Frank L. Hope & Associates. Frank Hope Jr., principal of the firm when it landed the stadium contract, joined Thursday’s tour to help Marshall dive deeper into the design of the multi-use stadium, which has hosted three Super Bowls and two World Series.
Frank Hope Jr. thinks Qualcomm is all right.
After a brief introduction and a failed attempt to watch a short documentary detailing the construction of the stadium (some of the electrical outlets in the club lounge weren’t working), Marshall led the group through the walkways, press boxes and locker rooms inside Qualcomm. The big recognizable concrete circular entrance ramps inspired most on the tour to whip out their phone cameras and snap pictures.
“I love these ramps,” one woman said.
Stains on the concrete, smells emanating from restrooms and other wear-and-tear was evident in the nearly 50-year-old building. But Hope said he thought things were going to be much worse.
“It looks fine to me,” he said, addressing the group in the Aztec locker room, which smelled of decades of sweat. “After reading what I read in the paper of the sports writers I expected that the whole place was junky, but it looks nice.”
In the city’s environmental impact report analyzing the possibility of replacing Qualcomm with a new stadium, the historical section, which was prepared by Marshall’s firm, lists the current stadium “as significant at the local level and eligible for historical listing in the National Register, the California Register and the City of San Diego Historical Resources Register.”
That historical status doesn’t mean the stadium can’t be torn down. If the city does opt for demolition, though, it’ll need to do something to soften the blow, like document the building through historical reports and photographs, or possibly create some kind of interpretive display.
Hope and Marshall told the tour crowd they recognize the old stadium’s need for an upgrade – smaller things like a new Jumbotron, plus larger construction projects like moving the club houses so they have views of the field (they currently offer views of the parking lot).
Overall, though, the pair said they think the building’s worth saving.
“It just came at me that [stadiums] are the biggest buildings in almost any town or city and they’re the ugliest,” Hope said. “You know; they really were ugly. And I said look, this is going to be a beautiful building, whatever happens. And it turned out to be that way.”
Meanwhile, the city has shown no signs of a last-minute embrace of Qualcomm Stadium. The mayor’s office recently doubled down on the effort to build a new stadium in Mission Valley by releasing a videoshowing off the design concept.
Even if the city does ultimately demolish Qualcomm, Marshall has some ideas on that front too.
“There’s a lot you could do inside this concrete shell,” Marshall said. “It’s as much about sustainability and keeping this out of the landfill than it is about architecture and adaptive reuse. I think we should be looking at what we can reuse.”
By Roger Showley | 4:58 p.m.Nov. 6, 2015 | Updated, 12:29 p.m. | Nov. 7, 2015
Frank Hope Jr., who led the design team at his architectural firm for Qualcomm Stadium in 1965-67, visits the facility on a tour for local architects. — K.C. Alfred
Retired local architect Frank Hope Jr. returned to Qualcomm Stadium 50 years and three days after voters approved his $28.5 million design for San Diego’s first major league sports facility.
And contrary to the drumbeat for a $1.2 billion replacement, Hope, 85, pronounced the present facility in good shape and serviceable for many years to come.
“I do think it’s a very nice piece of architecture,” Hope said as he provided a running commentary to more than 40 architects who toured the stadium Thursday. “It’s easy to look at. It’s fun to use.”
Some other commentators call the stadium a “dump” and “dilapidated,” an embarrassment to the NFL, its fans, players and the sport.
But when it was built, Qualcomm, then known as San Diego Stadium, was considered state of the art and won the first honor award for a sports facility from the American Institute of Architects, whose local chapter organized the tour.
David Marshall, who led the tour and authored a historic assessment for the city’s environmental impact report on a new stadium, acknowledged the stadium might not survive if a replacement is built. But he argued that renovation and modernization is both the economical and environmentally responsible course to take.
“I haven’t heard any real strong reasons (for replacement) other than it’s an old building and it’s easier to build a new one,” said Marshall. “It might be easier but it is not cost effective and it doesn’t take into account the significance of the building or the quality of the architecture.”
Compared with the current high-stakes battle over a new stadium as a way to keep the Chargers in town, Hope’s stadium sped through the design, voter approval and construction process in 16 months as smoothly as 30-yard field goal.
Did it go over budget, one tour attendee wanted to know.
“There were no cost overruns because there was no cash for overruns,” Hope said.”
He recalled City Manager Tom Fletcher pleading for voter approval, saying it would only cost the equivalent of a “carton of cigarettes” per person.
“And we did get 68 percent or something like that,” he said when voters approved the bond measure on Nov. 2, 1965.
Hope, whose father founded his firm in 1928, said he first was hired to find a site. Then he toured six or seven stadiums around the country and returned to town to share his findings. He won the design and engineering contract, a notable feat for an architect at age 35 with no stadium experience.
Qualcomm Stadium was designed with innovative circular pedestrian ramps that add a distinctive element to the all-concrete structure. — K.C. Alfred
Hope Design Group went on to design multiple other buildings, from Seaport Village to an airport terminal expansion, colleges and museums, hospitals and hotels -- and the Union-Tribune in Mission Valley. The firm also did work in Saudi Arabia, the proceeds of which underwrote one of the first computers for architectural design in San Diego.
“It just came to me that these are the biggest things in almost any town or city and they really were ugly,” Hope said, following his stadium study tour. “And I said to Gary (Allen, his design architect) and everybody, ‘Look, this is going to be a beautiful building whatever happens,’ and it turned out to be that way.”
He offered some insights into what sets it apart from other football stadiums:
▪ Concrete, not steel: The 68,000 cubic yards of poured-in-place and precast concrete meant the building’s structure would explicitly express its function without the need for tacked on architectural flourishes. The modern “brutalist” style, Marshall added, refers to the French term for raw concrete, not a brutish monstrosity.
▪ The round pedestrians ramps, stairs, escalators and multiple gate entries simplify access and exit, compared with other facilities where fans can get lost between the parking lot and their game seat.
▪ The lighting system, contained in a series of 28-ton precast concrete rings surrounding the seating bowl, adds not only an elegant architectural element but also makes it easy to change lightbulbs. Stadium Manager Mike McSweeney said he was keeping the building together with “spit and paper” -- a reference to the city’s shortfall in maintenance funding -- but thanked Hope for “giving us such a great spot” and making his assignment the “pinnacle of my career.”
▪ The facility was built atop a 37-foot “mountain,” built from 2.5 million cubic yards of dirt excavated from the north face of the cliff across Friars Road. That solved two problems: It raised the stadium above the flood plain and buried the lower seating sections to reduce the facility’s bulk. There’s no soils stabilization problem, Hope said, because the stadium sits atop a series of steel columns extending to bedrock. “If they tear this thing out and want to level it out, they’re going to have to pull out I don’t know how many columns,” Hope said.
▪ The multipurpose use for both baseball and football necessitated the installation of movable seating sections. Hope said he approached a local Firestone sales representative over cocktails one day and the man returned with a unique rubber-tire solution that remains in place today.
But the stadium design incorporated solutions that annoy users and fans today.
The lowest seats are just above the field level and make it difficult for attendees to see the action when someone stands up in front of them.
Hope said he proposed early in the design phase to eliminate those seats but an advisory panel said people would buy the seats regardless.
“These last three rows have been bugging me for years,” Hope said. “People stand up when something happens, whether it’s in the first seat or the 10th seat,” Hope said, even in the newest stadiums. And Qualcomm’s obstructed sight lines exist only at those field seats (and around some columns) and virtually nowhere else.
The solution is a giant television JumboTron scoreboard that fans can view when their view is blocked -- and that recalls a tale all its own.
Hope said the city issued a separate contract for a state-of-the-art scoreboard and the mayor’s oversight committee took charge of that element. But the video didn’t work right for two years and he escaped any blame.
“That was the best thing that ever happened to us,” he said.
NFL owners, players and managers complain about the locker rooms, while sports writers complain about the press box.
But after looking at the Aztecs’ locker room -- not much more attractive than a high school facility, as one touring architect said -- Hope smiled.
“It looks fine to me,” he said. “After reading what I’ve read in the paper by sports writers, I expected the whole thing to be a junk heap. It looks as nice as almost any athletic facility looks. So I’m not going to believe them anymore.”
As for the press box, he said, somewhat tongue in cheek, “You can never really satisfy the press with anything. You’ll hear stories that it’s not big enough; there are special requirements. But you don’t really need all those damn reporters.”
One other complaint about the stadium is the stains on some of the concrete and other cosmetic blemishes. Architect Marshall said some could be removed through power washing but he did not recommend painting the concrete -- since that would necessitate perpetual repainting at great cost.
Marshall’s report said there are some hairline cracks and and some chipping and flaking of the concrete but no signs of settlement, structural damage or hazards.
For all its architectural innovations, Qualcomm does not sport luxury skyboxes for high-roller corporate ticket holders and lacks the electronic bells and whistles evident in the newest stadiums.
Some of that could be remedied through a thorough renovation, estimated to cost between $350 million and $700 million. But as the cost of new stadiums has escalated beyond the billion-dollar level, the gap could give more credence to preservationists’ arguments that it’s foolish and wasteful to throw away a building that hasn’t even turned 50.
“I’m not sure what NFL modern standards are,” Hope said. “If it has to be the same kind of stadium as the new Dallas or some of the other billion-dollar ones, I don’t think we can do it (with Qualcomm)... The question: Is San Diego prepared to do that? I don’t believe they are.”
City officials plan to ask the voters that very question next November, depending on the outcome of the NFL’s decision on which team, if any will be allowed to relocate to Los Angeles. The Chargers have indicated their intentions to apply for relocation next year.
Marshall said Qualcomm is clearly eligible to be declared a historic site, perhaps even at the national level, and if it sounds odd to call a 1967 stadium “historic,” it is certainly a landmark, he said.
“When people think of San Diego and they think of architecture, this building is on national TV many times a year, and that makes it significant, and being a quality design, of course, helps as well,” Marshall said.
Hope, who said at that early stage in his career he should have been designing houses instead of a major sports stadium, recalls attending the first game on Aug. 20, 1967, and feeling the roar and stomping feet of 50,000 football fans.
“It was the most exciting thing I’ve ever had happen,” he said. “Coming in here to see the whole thing full of people, it was an incredible feeling to me.”
UC San Diego Jacobs Medical Center Central Utility Plant
Richard’s Grove Pavilion
North Embarcadero Visionary Plan
7th & Market
When you drive around San Diego County, you may see construction as a sign of progress, an economic stimulant and/or a window of opportunity. When you can see in one spot the breadth of commercial and residential projects that are transforming our communities and potentially shaping the future, you also realize the wealth of talented professionals in our midst. Such was the situation at the Design Awards presented by the San Diego Chapter of the American Institute of Architects that capped last month’s Archtoberfest.
Jurors — a five-member panel from AIA’s Seattle Chapter — focused not only on design, craft and beauty, but also on LEED certification and social design responsibility.
Each award presentation allowed a bit of a virtual tour with a description of the projects’ attributes that impressed the judges. Among them, I was enthralled by the UC San Diego Jacobs Medical Center Central Utility Plant. Who (besides an architect or engineer) would think that a utility plant could be a stunner? The CUP, which won CannonDesign an award, began recycling steam condensate last March. The tiered, curvilinear structure rises from the ground like a hill with a plateau top, blending with its natural surroundings in a way that should inform the way future utility plants are developed. “The integration of landscape, structure and an unsexy program in an open, expressive and well-resolved form is what makes this project special,” the judges said.
I was especially taken by Asquared Studios’ Richard’s Grove Pavilion, which also won an award. Unfortunately, it’s the city of Windsor in Sonoma County that enjoys this project, suited for anArchitectural Digest spread (Asquared also has offices in Santa Rosa). The pavilion is elevated to appear as if it floats above the ground, and its see-through design gives the Santa Fe caboose next to it definitive importance.
Joseph Wong Design Associates garnered two awards for its North Embarcadero Visionary Plan. The jury bestowed an Urban Design award on this project, calling it a transformative example of taking the waterfront back from the automobile and giving it back to the pedestrian. In the Divine Details awards category, they specifically noted the cut-out text roof of a pavilion.
While I appreciated the jury’s recognition of numerous outstanding projects, I was shocked that they withheld awards in the Unbuilt category, stating that the submissions “were not presented from a strong conceptual framework.” Pshaw. AVRP Studios’ 7th & Market rendering blew me away with its slanted walls and jutting structures below an impressive, 450-foot tower. It struck me as Dubai-ish, but scaled to San Diego. Perhaps the Seattle-ites would have been swayed if AVRP had scribbled the Starbucks name and mermaid logo onto the street-level market front.
In any event, there were many projects deserving of the recognition bestowed. Below are the awards as selected by the jury.
Architecture Awards
The North Parker, Jonathan Segal Architect
Palomar College Humanities Building, LPA Inc.
Sorrento, Steven Lombardi Architects
801 Alma Family Housing, Rob Willington Quigley, FAIA
North Park Post Office Lofts, FoundationForForm
Richard’s Grove Pavilion, Asquared Studios Inc.
UCSD Audrey Geisel University House Architectural Rehabilitation, IS Architecture
UC San Diego Jacobs Medical Center Central Utility Plant, CannonDesign
UCSD Biomedical Research Facility Unit 2, ZGF Architects LLP
Interior Architecture Awards
Guss Lodl Apartment, Luce et Studio
BKM Headquarters and Showroom, Hollander Design Group
Urban Design Awards
North Embarcadero Visionary Plan, Joseph Wong Design Associates
Urban Discovery Academy, AVRP Studios
Committee on the Environment Awards
UCSD Biomedical Research Facility Unit 2, ZGF Architects LLP
Pitzer College Residential Life Phase 2, Carrier Johnson + CULTURE
Divine Detail Awards
San Diego Central Library Major Donor Recognition Program, Luce et Studio
North Embarcadero Visionary Plan, Joseph Wong Design Associates
Weightless Lounge at San Diego Art Fair, Steven Lombardi Architects
Energy Efficiency and Integration Awards
Sage Creek High School, Roesling Nakamura Terada Architects Inc.
Celadon at Ninth and Broadway, Studio E Architects and SVA Architects
Cal Poly Pomona Student Recreation Center, LPA Inc.
Matthew Noonan Promoted to Principal of Cavignac & Associates
An account executive in the firm’s Employee Benefits Department since 2007, he joins five existing principals who comprise the company’s executive board of management![Riverside USD DfL workshop (6)[1]](http://static1.squarespace.com/static/5c3a90bb266c079ba94dd625/5c3d93905ebcd51e83dd4412/5c3d93c05ebcd51e83dd4b30/1547539392881/Riverside-USD-DfL-workshop-61.jpg?format=original)
JCJ Architecture Invited to Become a Knowledge Partner in the American Architectural Foundation’s Design for Learning Program
Firm to Support Personalized Learning Efforts with 21st Century Design Expertise
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