Architecture

This project for Dublin USD is a comprehensive two-phased replacement design for Frederiksen Elementary School. Phase 1 consists of 32 new 1-story classrooms and a 13,580 sf MPR building. The MPR consists of a multi-purpose space for lunch, indoor PE, and assembly space. It also houses the school kitchen and performance stage which doubles as a music classroom that opens to an adjacent outdoor stage.

Phase 2 is comprised of an administration office building with an outdoor patio adjacent to the staff lounge, and new buildings for the onsite Extended Day Care Center, and a new Learning Center which consists of a Library, Resource Specialist rooms, and small group counseling rooms.

The existing school was part of a District-Wide seismic safety initiative prepared by our team, which led to a $56M bond. We worked with the District and community members to design the demolition and replacement of the existing Havens Elementary School consisting of 26 classrooms, core administration facilities and the development of hardscape and artificial turf playfields. We committed to designing the new 46,000 sf school replacement and obtaining DSA approval that allowed a one year construction schedule. Designing in a mature neighborhood on a small site and around a historic multipurpose building were particular challenges.

This project provides major tenant improvements to Fullerton’s original Pollak library building which is a 1966 Modernist six-story concrete building with a basement. Our team provided complete re-programming of all floors as part of CSU’s Library of the Future initiative, tenant improvement packages to levels one, four and five, as well as HVAC modernization and life safety upgrades. Improvements include: adding new windows to the existing pre-cast concrete panels on floors 2-6, overhaul of mechanical systems, updated restroom cores and elevator lobbies, miscellaneous accessibility improvements, LED lighting, and new interior finishes throughout. The improvements were conducted via design-build delivery through multiple contract packages and stages.

Originally conceived of as a metal shed, the architect worked with the client to realize a cost-effective and easy-to-construct solution, which embodies the spirit of the iron works’ true passion: steel fabrication.

The project is conceived of as a long two-story bar of 8,432 SF. The bar lines the south side of an existing fabrication building and is defined by a floating Corten steel bar over cement plaster wall panels and full height butt-jointed glass panels. The bar is oriented so that the ‘front’ end of the new building is in close proximity to the existing administration building, and also works to define the client’s brand to visitors as they enter the site. The building is organized around a central exterior core, and has four main areas: receiving is located near the site entry and at grade to process trucks coming onto the site; above that is the main conference room and accounting; at the east end of the second level is the drafting department; and a large lunchroom with multi-slide doors sits at grade near where the workers come off the steel fabrication line. The sliding doors allow workers to open the lunchroom and take advantage of the mild climate, and have larger gatherings that overflow into the adjacent site area.

Site constraints generally defined a limited footprint on which the building could sit. Bound on four sides by buildings, parking aisles and vehicular access ways, the team chose to develop an efficient two-story structure oriented to the south and west.

This project capped a 40-year relationship between the two companies as the architect’s CEO was the production architect on the original office building completed in 1976.

The Port of Oakland has a new 250,000 sf temperature controlled trans-load and distribution facility called Cool Port. Alongside Dreisbach Enterprises, Lineage Logistics, and Fisher Construction Group, we designed a state-of-the-art intermodal trans-load and consolidation facility on the 22-acre site for perishable commodities. It services 9,000 railcars and 50,000+ TEU containers on an annual basis. The facility provides electrical plug-ins for most containers, solar and fuel cell technology for power generation, natural gas power for yard trucks, and the use of natural refrigerants to reduce potential hydro chlorofluorocarbon releases.

Situated in the heart of Los Angeles’ rapidly evolving Arts District, this 12-story mixed-use development dynamically blends three key components – a 129-unit Live/Work condominium tower clad from top to bottom in artwork created by a group of local muralists, a highly creative 113-room boutique “art” hotel, and over 70,000 square feet of community-serving retail space including a diverse array of shops and restaurants. Arts District Center draws inspiration from the local LA Arts District, using art as a unifying theme. Nearly a decade in development, the resulting project has intentionally differentiated itself from others by infusing artistic flourishes throughout. Additional examples of this guiding vision include dedicating a pedestrian-friendly Art Plaza on the corner of Fifth and Seaton Streets, over 10,000 square feet of Art Gallery/Event space and over 3,000 square feet of artist-collaborative space known as “CoLab” for aspiring designers and artists.

AC Martin was selected by PCL construction to renovate their 25,800-SF Glendale office to create a “Workplace of the Future”, that meets the varied demographics of today’s workforce. By 2025, 75% of the workforce will be made up of Millennials according to the Brookings Institute. This generational shift is changing the office landscape in new and exciting ways, trading in hierarchy for community. PCL was at an exciting crossroads to rethink conventions, redefine workstyles and, ultimately, create its own “Workplace of the Future”.

Flexible, adaptable, malleable work environments are key markers of a desirable next-generation workplace. By offering a diverse array of workspaces, we aimed to help PCL retain current employees and attract new talent by respecting and accommodating different ways of working. This was done by establishing private offices, huddle spaces, and a general open environment with physical separations from the communal areas centrally located in the plan. The departments are split between the executive and project management/estimating wings based on frequency of required interactions. The wings are tied together with common interstitial spaces, furthering the concept of the office as an ideation studio – an inviting place for people to be comfortable and hang out. This allows the exchange necessary for collaboration and encourages serendipitous dialogue. Lounges, communal tables, built-in benches, and booths ultimately define the ‘heart and soul’ of this workplace. A communicating staircase was added between the two floors, allowing the estimating and accounting teams easier access to the main floor and bolstering the overall team environment.

The major change brought about by the renovation was the breakdown of barriers between departments that interact frequently. Attracting the “next gen” workforce requires answering their need for a flexible, adaptable, malleable work environment. By offering a diverse array of workspaces—open-office seating, collaborative areas, quiet huddle regions--we met the challenges that PCL will face in retaining current employees and attracting new talent. A space for everyone does not mean ‘one size fits all’, but rather a move towards individualization and a customizable work environment that offers choices—quiet and loud, small and large, private and interactive, individual and group, formal and informal.

The Digital Media Arts Center project was developed for Chapman University’s Film School. The design’s primary purpose: to provide an ‘ideation’ lab or creative collaboration studio for faculty and students to exchange ideas and further their craft. Formerly the California Wire & Cable Company building, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and the California Register of Historical Resources, it now functions with 2D animation classrooms, green screen studios, an art classroom, faculty offices and a small but well-appointed, stepped screening room.

The layout of the program takes full advantage of the restored historic shell, made primarily out of brick, by utilizing the expansive glass and steel frame windows and the unique collection of sculptural light monitors and skylights which bathe the interior space in light. The seemingly irregular plan speaks to this alignment of new program and existing site conditions. The primary social spaces and collaboration lounge are located directly beneath the grand light monitor - wrapped in floor to ceiling tack board, Idea Paint and writable translucent glass walls.

Organized as a interconnected series of collaboration spaces, the design trades hallways and corridors for a more academic approach to circulation providing places for exchange and serendipity. Built in niche benches, an oversized communal table, a natural wood communal table and individual student lockers aim to keep students engaged and in the facility before and after classes. A catering bar just inside the glass entry and a BBQ grill just outside ties together the interior social arena with the sizeable exterior covered patio, allowing students to work and collaborate outdoors. The trellis and canopy are integrated into the existing historic architecture and feature a grid of pendant lights that extend the usefulness of the terrace well into the evening hours.

Located in the heart of Hollywood just blocks from the historic intersection of Hollywood and Vine, Modera Hollywood features 248 luxury apartment units and 12,800 sf of commercial space in two buildings. This mixed-use project in this very walkable neighborhood offers a clean, sophisticated design palette with tall transparent retail spaces at the ground level and a series of contemporary floating wood masses that create visual movement to break up the building façade above. Expansive roof decks overlooking the Hollywood cityscape are provided on both buildings while top floor units capture the surrounding views with large storefront windows under a projecting canopy.

The Madera Courthouse was designed to demonstrate the transparency and dignity of democracy, providing a place to facilitate the workings of the American ideals of justice. It has been positioned on the site to work with the existing Historic Courthouse and Courthouse Park creating a "town square." Oriented towards true north, the monumental public façade reveals itself towards the Park and the greater Downtown area. The transparency in the design of the north-facing elevation welcomes the public and provides a visual connectivity from the outside to the inside. There is a procession and hierarchy in the design of the public flow, transitioning from the informal to the formal experience.

The four-story, steel-framed structure features ten courtrooms and ten judicial chambers with clerical support; administration and jury services; traffic, civil, family, juvenile and criminal divisions; prisoner holding and subterranean parking for judges and key courts personnel; and in-custody vehicle accommodations for the County Sheriff and California Department of Corrections. The design conveys the image of a courthouse, while reflecting the dignity of the public in an approachable way.