Modernizing Baker Elementary: PWA’s New Building Design Brings Innovation and Cohesion to San Diego School Campus
“School is a building which has four walls with tomorrow inside.” – Lon Watters PWA is creating a new tomorrow for Baker Elementary School in San Diego’s Mountain View community. The neighborhood school will move into the latest addition to its campus in November 2026. We feel fortunate to have provided the initial architectural assessment […]
Mira Mesa Community Park Phase II: A Family-Friendly Makeover
Transformative Upgrades Include New Pools, Play Areas, All-Wheels Plaza and More As the City of San Diego Parks and Recreation Department continues to upgrade park amenities throughout the region, Platt/Whitelaw is proud to be the Mira Mesa Community Park Phase II architect. What Will Mira Mesa Community Park Phase II Include? While Phase I, approximately [&
Helping Design Professionals and the Environment Thrive
Platt/Whitelaw Principal Thomas Brothers Cochairs AIA SD Committee on the Environment We’re proud of our firm Principal Thomas Brothers for cochairing the American Institute of Architects San Diego Chapter’s Committee on the Environment (COTE). Time and time again, Thomas shows commitment to sharing best practices with his contemporaries and the next gen
Expanding Our Team with Another Dynamic Designer
Getting to Know Arjun Urbonas From his high school to college years and into his professional career, we had the good fortune to mentor, train, and ultimately snag Arjun Urbonas. Fresh out of graduating early from high school (where he played rugby … just like one of our firm legends, Sandra Gramley!), Arjun interned at […]
Exciting Changes at Le Lycée Français
All combined, members of our Platt/Whitelaw team can speak nine languages and dialects, and we hail from six different countries. Of course, when Le Lycée Français de San Diego approached us about architectural design services to support its international French school, our answer was, “mais oui!” We’re proud to help this school expand its classroom
Lifesaver at the Bay? Designing for Comfort…Stations
Platt/Whitelaw is Architect-of-Record for Many of Mission Bay’s Most-Visited Buildings On average, humans spend up to three years in the bathroom over their lifetimes. Chances are, you visit the bathroom six to eight times a day. With the pun very much intended, isn’t it a relief to know there’s one nearby? If you’re in Mission […]
Platt/Whitelaw Architects’ Leadership Team Expands
Thomas Brothers and Peter Soutowood Elevated to Principal You don’t get to be one of San Diego’s oldest architecture firms without always planning for the future. On that note, we’re excited to announce our next generation of leadership. Longtime Platt/Whitelaw architects Thomas Brothers and Peter Soutowood are now principals of the firm, while Naveen
Innovative Strategies for Pure Water: Preserving Our Vital Resource
The North City Pure Water Facility and Pump Station is Key to Supplying Nearly Half of San Diego’s Drinking Water The North City Pure Water Facility and Pump Station will recycle water treated for use in irrigation into water so clean that the City of San Diego has to add minerals back in to produce […]
Designing a Stand-Out School to Inspire Students and Staff
This Back-to-School Year is Especially Exciting for Clairemont Canyons Academy Wildcats It’s back to school time, and we’re marking the occasion by shining a spotlight on Clairemont Canyons Academy (CCA). This public school stands out in the San Diego Unified School District (SDUSD). It’s a mainstream elementary school with a high percentage of special
Want the 411 on Balboa Park’s Botanical Building Redo? Tour with Us!
Excitement Builds as Renovation of Iconic Balboa Park Structure Progresses In the early 20th century, California was promoting redwood construction. The 1915 California-Panama Exposition was the perfect place to showcase its redwood lumber to the rest of the nation and the world. This is why the Botanical Building in Balboa Park, built as part of […]
Making Our Home in Old Town San Diego: Embracing A Fresh Chapter
After a Year in our New Platt/Whitelaw Office, We’re Celebrating with Gorgeous Photos! As architects, we may overthink when it comes to choosing office space for our firm. But you can’t argue with the results! In fact, we’re so pleased with our choice that we’re taking time to show off here with some fancy new […]
A Post-Occupancy Survey of Park de la Cruz Neighborhood Park & Therapeutic Recreation Services
Architectural Design to Transform a YMCA Building into a Recreation Destination for all Ages and Abilities. Several years ago, we were honored to transform a 25,000-square-foot YMCA building into a City of San Diego facility accommodating therapeutic recreation services (TRS) for the City Heights neighborhood and its surrounding communities. In so doing, S