Architecture

University Gateway is a mixed-use student housing project adjacent to the campus of the University of Southern California. This eight-story concrete structure contains a bookstore, restaurants, retail, and student facilities on the ground floor, with housing units above for 1,600 students.

The Ventura County Courthouse, also known as Ventura City Hall, was designed in 1910 by one of the early pioneers of architecture in Southern California: Albert C. Martin, Sr. Noted for its gleaming terra cotta exterior, friars heads, and copper sheathed dome, his grand neoclassical design created one of the most beautiful civic structures in California. Located in downtown Ventura, the building became the Ventura City Hall in 1972.

This Middle School Conversion project at Walters Jr. High School started construction in summer of 2017 and was completed in multiple phases with final move into new classrooms in August of 2019. The scope of this project focused on urgent infrastructure upgrades and reconfiguration of classrooms in existing buildings in conjunction with new classroom buildings to accommodate growth in student population from 736 to over 1,400 including the addition of a new 6th grade level. Our team was able to get three new classroom buildings through DSA in 3-1/2 months and ready for bid. Building modernization’s throughout were driven by the following criteria: code compliance and accessibility upgrades; enhanced functionality, interior finish improvements, interior layout modifications, expanded technology, acoustic improvement, flooring surface improvement, and other upgrades to meet CHPS criteria and provide better and healthier classroom environments; mechanical improvements for cooling and thermal comfort in individual classrooms, improved control systems, power and lighting upgrades, technology expansion and enhancements; improved building performance/energy savings.

The remodel of San Juan Unified School District’s Winston Churchill Middle School included an 11 classroom wing designed for 21st Century Learning and future ready environments. Designs modeled both interior and exterior group learning spaces, a new High Tech Media/Library Center, and classrooms with fully integrated wireless technology for individual connectivity to wall mounted flat screen displays. The rooms were prepared with white boards surrounding the classroom walls with no “front” of the classroom teaching spaces. The Band/Music room was designed to be repurposed to PE and the Administration Office was repurposed to the Band and Music Facility.

The design process of this new campus began with a needs assessment and a list of objectives from critical stakeholders, including Students, Instructors, Program Volunteers, Maintenance Staff, and School and District Officials. The design team met regularly with the stakeholders, as well as key Consultants to ensure the design fulfilled anticipated needs. The new site will feature teaching labs, a working farm, and a professional quality training kitchen. A new multi-purpose center will also be included as a venue to showcase VHS and its exciting programs. All facilities are set up in conformance with relevant industry standards. The educational labs will share an outdoor court with direct access to vineyards, vegetable gardens, and barns. Students and staff will host community events on the court, featuring student grown/ student-prepared cuisine. This site is located in a boundary area between agricultural and residential uses; therefore the barns are largely kept away from neighboring properties. However, all buildings are carefully sited to allow for construction of additional facilities as the programs continues to expand over time.

Dumosa Senior Village provides the rural town of Yucca Valley in San Bernardino County some much needed affordable senior housing. Strategically located within short walking distance to the city’s senior center, library, shopping and bus line, the 85-unit project features a community clubhouse and comfortable outdoor living areas shielded from prevailing desert winds by specially configured buildings. Prefabricated modular construction and sustainable materials were employed throughout the project to reduce environmental impact. Dumosa Senior Village is designed in a “contemporary pueblo” architectural style, featuring deep recessed windows and a striking stone clad rotunda punctuating the entrance to the city’s civic center.

Esprit is a 1,022-unit luxury apartment development on two parcels in Marina Del Rey. Consisting of five levels of wood framing over two levels of parking, this unique marine community accommodates both apartment dwellers and boating enthusiasts with new boat slips surrounding the buildings. The units are creatively configured to provide views for all residents, and include a range of types from flats to multi-level townhouses.

Located along the Walnut Street Corridor in the Central District of Pasadena, Hudson West creates a vibrant mixed-use development that addresses the housing needs of the area and provides neighborhood serving retail and much-needed public open space. A public plaza on Walnut Street, flanked by ground-level retail spaces, opens onto a central courtyard for the residents. Above the ground level are four stories of Type V construction, providing 82 units.

Meeting the challenges of a difficult hillside site in Los Angeles’ Chinatown District, this 60-unit, eight-story project provides the region with high quality affordable housing. The 4,000 sf rooftop recreation area includes gardening plots, a tot lot and passive areas for residents to enjoy. Built to LEED Platinum standards by Affirmed Housing, solar-powered water heating has been integrated with high-efficiency boilers. Located within walking distance of light rail, this transit-oriented development also features a semi-automated mechanical “car matrix” which is integrated into the underground garage to drastically reduce the space required for parking. Lotus Garden is a recent Gold Nugget Award of Merit recipient from PCBC.

The first of a four-tower master plan, the 16-story high-rise with rooftop pool/spa terrace and lounge features a dramatic 270’ tall tapered transparent glass “sail” accenting the cosmopolitan architectural style. Located at the crossroads of La Jolla Village Drive and Genesee Avenue and adjacent to University Town Center, LUX UTC reflects urban planning principles that focus on pedestrian connectivity. The main lobby and individual townhome units at the tower’s base have direct access to the community’s pedestrian path system.