Platt-Whitelaw Architects

Architecture

Gloria Nonaka-Rubio Joins Platt/Whitelaw

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How a family on the frontlines of history influenced her career ambitions

Our team is diverse in many ways, including in our professional backgrounds. For example, Platt/Whitelaw’s newest team member, Gloria Nonaka-Rubio, cut her chops at both engineering and general contracting firms.

“Attention to detail is one of my top strengths,” Gloria said. Through her time working with engineers and contractors, she saw how even a small mistake or inaccuracy on architectural drawings could lead to issues down the line.

Becoming an architect

Gloria’s initial motivation for choosing a career was to help people. She had a strong interest in art and design growing up, but she thought the legal profession would better suit her ambitions. After trying out law school, she realized that architecture was a better professional match for her. She also realized that it, too, offered ways to help people.

Gloria is a licensed architect in Mexico and has worked on both sides of the border. She parlayed her design experience with industrial, retail, residential and high-rise buildings into providing architectural support, primarily for school projects, at Platt/Whitelaw.

In addition to supporting communities through school design, historic preservation—another Platt/Whitelaw specialty—also suits Gloria’s passion for design. She’s already had the chance to work on the historic Julian Witch Creek Schoolhouse belltower through Platt/Whitelaw.

History through the lens of the Nonaka family

Gloria’s enthusiasm for history is firmly rooted in her family history. Her grandfather owned Tijuana’s first photography studio and documented much of Tijuana’s growth. Gloria’s father was involved in the Tijuana Historical Society, and Gloria herself fought to preserve a Tijuana building where she worked.

Her family played a role in some historic events, too. Her Japanese grandfather fought in the Mexican Revolution. Then, during World War II, he and his family were given 48 hours to move from Tijuana to Mexico City. Residents of Japanese descent were removed from coastal areas and ordered to the east, with no compensation.

Explaining her passion for history and its associated architecture, Gloria said: “We are who we are because of it.”

Moving forward

While work keeps her very busy, Gloria’s current ambitions include earning her California architect’s license and completing LEED Certification training. She also makes time to spend with her husband and their two dogs and to support dog adoption groups.

 

 

Architecture a Century from Now

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How our Senior Associate Peter Soutowood helped shape the conversation at the AIA Young Architects Forum’s Summit 30: Mission 2130

Can you imagine the role of architects more than 100 years into the future?

That’s exactly what Platt/Whitelaw Senior Associate Peter Soutowood had the chance to do when he was selected as one of 50 AIA members from around the country to participate in the AIA Young Architects Forum’s Summit 30: Mission 2130.

Chosen based on essays they submitted, the 50 participants were asked to imagine and address challenges the profession will face in the next 100 years, focusing on architecture, society and our planet.

“I think I was chosen because I put a lot of work into my essay and was very honest. I addressed the state of things now and how much they need to change, including food and the environment, not just architecture,” Peter said.

Through this Summit, the AIA hopes to understand what energizes a new generation of architects, even if the topics identified are outside the purview of architecture. In fact, Peter says the majority of the Summit group believed that the discipline of architecture, as we know it, would change massively over a century.

Future Solutions

Some thought artificial intelligence (AI) systems would take over many tasks. But, they asked, how vastly different would AI be in the future? Regardless, Peter points out that humans need to design for humans, and even AI is programmed by humans.

He also realizes that current AI systems reflect a lot of bias from the programmers, so the next step is to create a fresh system and use AI to see how the past can inform current and future architecture in a positive way.

Many Summit participants were excited about AI for code compliance and believe certain architectural tasks should be automated already. Also, they asked how AI can make architects more accessible to everyone—especially when current avenues are so limited and generally require a contract and money.

Peter’s working group at the Summit was called The Planeteers. Looking at a 100+-year timeline, they thought about milestones needed to eliminate fossil fuel use. For example, within the next 30 years, implementing intentional rolling blackouts may get people used to the necessity of those blackouts and further incentivize conservation. They also considered implementing a trash tax to encourage people to recycle instead of just dumping.

Several groups, including Peter’s, focused on deglobalization, where global energy and food systems would become localized. If it’s harder to transport things around the globe, they posited, people will start to localize food and energy production, thereby reducing negative impacts on the environment.

The Planeteers also discussed opening up new biomes in the ocean and on land and harvesting food and other renewable resources in different places. Peter’s group took a special interest in using waterways for food production, infrastructure and transportation.

Ultimately, each group hosted a five-minute presentation about their idea, with an oral and visual description of their vision.

Peter’s group included the idea of local neighborhood hubs for education, recycling, shade tree mechanics, energy production, food production and more.

The Summit Experience

Peter says that the Summit experience left him thinking about how to guide people to be more resilient and self-reliant and on ways to change our culture of cheap, disposable goods. While acknowledging its tragedy, Peter says that one positive outcome of the COVID-19 pandemic was the hyper-localization that happened and how quickly most of society was able to adapt to it.

Our team had a taste of this experience because Peter involved us before the workshop to further brainstorm. He presented the Summit’s prompts at a weekly Platt/Whitelaw staff meeting. Everyone, whether they specialize in architecture, marketing or administration, came up with great ideas and demonstrated that, as Peter said, “You don’t have to be an architect to know we need to make a major shift with our built environment and lifestyle. These questions of how to change behavior should be asked of everyone.”

So, esteemed reader, how do you think the design profession will change in relation to architecture, society and our planet? We’d love to hear your thoughts.

A School with a Superpower

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As school starts again this year, children attending Clairemont Canyons Academy are in for a big surprise. They will arrive at a colorful new 2-story administration and classroom building.

As kids fill the brand-new halls, work will continue elsewhere on the campus to modernize the existing school facilities and create a new joint-use field and ball court by the next school year.

We consider ourselves incredibly lucky to have provided the initial architectural assessment and then full architectural services for this special school…because Clairemont Canyons Academy has a superpower.

It’s a place for almost any kind of student to thrive. It’s a mainstream elementary school but with a high percentage of special-needs students. (San Diego Unified School District merges special ed programs with regular students for diversity and a stronger student body.) As such, the design plan for Clairemont Canyons Academy includes many unique features.

This unique school and its diverse student body inspired the architectural strategies and features we included to distinguish the Clairemont Canyons Academy learning environment.

The new building has 14 classrooms, a maker’s lab, a sensory room, and an administration core with student services, including counseling and speech and music therapy programs.

  • The sensory room has black-out curtains, a water feature, an audio system, therapeutic chairs, a special-needs harness, a projector and more.
  • Special education rooms must be on the first floor, so that floor includes a wheelchair storage area.
  • Special needs classrooms have running hot water to accommodate any required feeding tube cleaning.
  • The first floor also includes more single-use restrooms to provide space for helpers. Restrooms have a power source for mobility lifts.
  • The first-floor group restroom has its sinks in an alcove in front of the room of toilets for easy monitoring and helping kids at the sinks.
  • The new building includes two elevators instead of the usual one elevator.
  • Generous whiteboard and corkboard space is provided for teachers because they find it helpful to be able to pin, tape or use a magnet to display materials at all heights.
  • Since the campus fronts the busy and sometimes noisy Balboa Avenue, we found supercharged ways of managing the acoustics. This helps all kids, but especially those with sound sensitivities, focus on their schooling rather than auditory distractions.

Other creative ideas we employed had more to do with the site and circumstances than the diversity of students.

  • The long, narrow site for the news administration and classrooms building meant long, straight corridors. We broke those up with fun pops of color on the walls and the floor.
  • Reception areas can get noisy at any school. With especially high ceilings in Clairmont Canyons Academy’s reception area, we chose to hang artistic acoustic baffles above the main counter to quiet things down.
  • Natural light quality varied between offices, so we designed small windows just below the ceiling that could share some light from one office into another.

Finally, we wanted to enliven and enrich the students’ on-campus experience, so we incorporated bold colors inside (as mentioned) and out. Two exterior sides of the classroom building display copper-hued metal cladding. Brightly colored exterior window shade canopies are both practical and whimsical.

We’re excited that kids will soon fill the halls and classrooms of Clairemont Canyons Academy. We wish them, the teachers and the staff the very best for the 2022-2023 school year and beyond!

 

 

 

Give Me Shelter

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Pallet City in Chula Vista will provide temporary homes for more than 130 formerly unsheltered people

Community architecture is our jam, and that means architecture for everyone. We’re so pleased to work on a project that will provide individuals, couples and families – all of whom currently live without shelter – with temporary homes at Pallet City in Chula Vista, California.

At a recent groundbreaking ceremony, covered by CBS8, Chula Vista city officials, the building team and community members celebrated the start of construction for 66 pallet homes, also known as tiny homes, on city-owned land.

Located near Broadway and Main Street, the tiny-homes neighborhood, the first of its kind in San Diego County, will shelter more than 130 people and their pets starting this fall.

Residents at Pallet City will also have access to multi-purpose rooms, restrooms, showers and a laundry facility. On-site services will include job assistance, medical care and 24-hour security. Residents chosen for Pallet City are vetted through Chula Vista’s Homeless Outreach Team (HOT).

Originally envisioned as one large structure, Platt/Whitelaw Architects helped the city pivot during the pandemic to accommodate small, individual structures instead of one communal space. Working with prime contractor Kimley-Horn, Platt/Whitelaw managed site planning with support from electrical engineering consultant Turpin & Rattan and fire consultant Jensen Hughes.

This work included accessibility measures; layout of the units and property gates; hardware; signage; site lighting; electrical service upgrades; and fire suppression in each unit and common areas. Principal Naveen Waney led our team with assistance from Samantha Saltzman.

“We’re proud to be part of this creative effort to provide homes for San Diegans who have faced trials and tribulations that led them to live in a vehicle or on the street instead of in a home,” said Naveen. “By also coordinating on-site services, the City of Chula Vista is making an admirable effort to help some of its most vulnerable citizens to better their lives in a sustainable and dignified way.”

Samantha, who incorporated homeless shelter design into her study program when attending NewSchool of Architecture & Design, added, “It makes me all the more grateful to play a small role in seeing this project through. It’s nice to work on something that is adding resources and value to our community.”

Western Rim Constructors is performing the sitework, including the building pads and anchorages, while Pallet SPC is assembling the shelters for installation by Western Rim. Federal funding will cover the $3.5 million project, as well as the ongoing operations costs.

Aspects of Creativity in the Architectural Design Process

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Architecture is unique for its blend of art and science. Architect Antonin Gaudí, for example, is world famous for his unconventional shapes, colors and textures. But, at the end of the day, his designs for the Sagrada Familia, Parc Güell and other noted structures had to be technically sophisticated enough to reach into the sky without falling down and to last for centuries.

In a profession ruled heavily by technical and codified requirements, what room is left for creativity, and how does it shine through?

We posed a series of questions along these lines to some of our staff members, and some themes emerged.

The Spark

The architectural design process starts with understanding the client’s vision and needs, as well as the context of the project, and then touring the site. During the first site visit, the architect is looking to learn more about the texture of site, its environs and neighbors, its history, the social and environmental aspects, sun angles, views and more.

After this visit, the architect needs a creative spark. From this spark comes the design concept around which the rest of the project falls into place.

“With a strong design concept, all other decisions fit easily into a framework,” said Sandy Gramley, AIA, NCARB, LEED AP BD+C. “As other people get involved, the design concept can guide them, too.”

For example, knowing that the North Pleasant Valley Desalter Facility in Camarillo, California was located on the border of the city, Naveen Waney, AIA, decided that using ‘gateway to the city’ as his design concept would spark the rest of his design.

Kristin Holbrook and Yolanda Velazco used a photo of a beautiful sunset as creative inspiration for the Oceanside Crisis Stabilization Unit color palette.

Sourcing a Spark

Where do these sparks come from?

In addition to the two examples above, the proverbial spark can come from anything.

“I look at lots of different resources,” said Naveen. “It might come from flipping through a magazine, from past projects or just about anything.”

The ‘just about anything’ often includes nature.

“We see a lot of nature-inspired design, including biophilic design,” said Sandy. “Biophilia is the practice of taking concepts found in nature and bringing them into design.”

She referenced the inspiration a fabric designer found in observing how geckos’ feet stick to surfaces to then create a removable wallpaper, and an engineer’s study of how a cactus sheds water in that engineer’s efforts to design a water preservation system.

Naveen also credits architecture schools for helping budding architects build a strong foundation for creative spark. History classes, for example, are helpful for reviewing magnificent architectural examples from the past and then working backwards to understand them, he said.

Kristin agrees, and added that travel is also important for sparking her creativity.

“Travel is a big inspiration for me personally. I don’t always get to execute the ideas I generate right away, but it opens your mind to a different aesthetic possibility.”

Sandy pointed out that technology has opened up travel as a design inspiration for designers who may not have the wherewithal to jet to a faraway destination. With the vast resources of the Internet, including Google Earth and three-dimensional or virtual reality tours, architects can expand their creative horizons much more easily than in decades past.

The Role of Technology

Technology, however, can be a double-edged sword.

“Now, computers allow conceptual designs to develop three-dimensionally much faster,” said Sandy. “But is that better or worse? You still have to be able to do a lot in your head. [Formulating the design] without a computer can be a slower process that gives you time to work through some parameters. Conversely, a computer offers more opportunity for iterations.”

Naveen added that technology can work in the opposite direction of modeling, but neither starting point is right or wrong. “My generation learned by sculpting with chipboard, but now many architects are used to having environmental data and light studies that they can use to work backwards to shape the building,” he said.

Despite technology comprising a significant part of her architectural education, Kristen realizes the standard options available in many software programs can stifle creativity.

“If you rely on technology over drawing, you can let it make all the decisions,” she said.

Will I Dream?

In 2010, the sequel to the film 2001: A Space Odyssey, the partly sentient computer HAL asks, “Will I dream?” – a chilling reminder that we don’t expect a computer to think like a human. It is, in fact, the human element that an architect must be responsible for infusing into a project.

“The architect has to understand where the project’s stakeholders are coming from,” said Sandy.
We need to step into their shoes, especially to have cultural sensitivity if that’s something relevant to project.”

Civic projects make up a big portion of our work at Platt/Whitelaw, so we often seek input from many different people and groups.

“[Community input] will always color your perspective,” said Kristin. “The architect should be sensitive to it and ask, ‘Who is this project is for? What is their culture? How do we honor it in the design?’”

Kristin added that as equity and diversity advance in the architectural profession itself, the shift will “open up exciting opportunities for creativity to unfold into projects” and to reflect sparks from more types of people.

Final words

As our staff contemplated the role of creativity in architecture, Naveen offered a good summary.

“Creativity doesn’t stop or have a specific place. It needs to continue through to building occupancy. It’s expressed consistently in figuring out how the pieces fit together.”

Photo by W K on Unsplash

Decarbonization Succeeds Net-Zero-Energy as Sustainability Goal

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By Sandra Gramley, AIA, NCARB, LEED AP BD+C

As little as a year ago, zero net energy dominated the discussion in sustainability circles. In architecture, that means designing or retrofitting buildings to produce at least as much energy as they consume.

Since that goal was based on solar energy supplied by roof-mounted photovoltaic (PV) panels, after PV panels became cheaper and more prevalent, the next step was to aim higher.

Enter decarbonization.

Decarbonization relates to the reduction of greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere. Those gasses causing the most damage are carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide and fluorinated gasses. Most of these harmful gasses are generated by producing, transporting or burning fossil fuels.

Most cites’ and states’ climate goals are closely tied to reducing the use of fossil fuels.

According to Center for Climate and Energy Solutions, “In 2015, CO2 emissions from fossil-fuel combustion in the U.S. building sector generated 565.8 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (MMtCO2e) in direct emissions, or about 8.6 percent of total U.S. greenhousegasemissions.”

This contribution makes buildings the fourth highest emitting sector in the U.S.

Health is also an issue. Air quality and public health professionals teamed to ask the California Energy Commission to safeguard public health by adopting an all-electric energy code by 2022.

Citing an article in Nature by Irene C. Dedoussi, et. al. entitled Premature Mortality Related to United States Cross-State Air Pollution, this team wrote to the Commission, “…the lack of regulation of the building sector has meant that buildings are now the leading cause of premature death from combustion emissions (particulate matter and ozone).” 

They also pointed out that one in eight Californians has asthma, and that this group of people may be at especially high risk from indoor gas appliances and systems.

Moreover, as noted in a Lancet article by Michael Guarnieri and John R. Balmes entitled Outdoor Air Pollution and Asthma, the team pointed out in their letter that “asthma rates are higher in low-income communities and communities of color.” As building codes evolve, matters of environmental justice like this are increasingly important considerations.

Fortunately, with production of wind energy on the rise and solar panels becoming more affordable, it makes sense for buildings to maximize the energy available from these clean sources.

A major aspect of decarbonization, as it relates to building design, means moving to all-electrical appliances and systems. Solar and wind energy can make electricity, and if a building uses electricity instead of gas, it can be powered entirely by clean energy.

With proper planning and design, buildings can also accommodate electric vehicle charging, thereby facilitating the transition away from combustible fuel vehicles.

Architects play an important role in this transition to decarbonization and building electrification. As such, the American Institute of Architects’ (AIA) Committee on the Environment (COTE) has been advocating for and promoting decarbonization strategies and policies.

I serve on this committee and work with other architectural leaders to encourage more public agencies to create “reach codes” that would encourage or require electrification. Reach codes are local requirements that exceed the state code.

Many cities have emerged as leaders. The City of Berkeley, California, which prohibited natural gas infrastructure in new construction last year, has led the charge on decarbonization and electrification measures. Other Northern California cities and some places in Massachusetts have taken steps too, as well as a smattering of cities in other states.

Closer to Platt/Whitelaw Architects’ home in San Diego, the City of Carlsbad is limiting the use of natural gas. Already a leader in the zero net energy movement, the County of San Diego is also one to watch.  

It is important for architects to educate their clients about how easy and affordable it is to electrify a new building that will have PV panels.  

Retrofitting existing buildings presents a greater challenge, but Berkeley is considering incentives for making this more financially feasible for owners. It remains to be seen how other cities will address this issue.

Another challenge is ensuring that essential facilities have emergency power that doesn’t rely on fossil fuel-powered generators. The game changer here likely will be high-capacity solar cell backup batteries, but the technology is still evolving.

According to an article on Nature.com, “Before the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020, emissions of carbon dioxide were rising by about 1% per year over the previous decade, with no growth in 2019.”

The need to roll back greenhouse gas emissions is dire and immediate. Electrifying buildings can make a big impact in this effort. Help spread the word by sharing this article and talking to your friends, family and coworkers.

Integrating Art into Public Spaces to Engage, Enhance and Inspire

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By Naveen Waney and Sandra Gramley, Principals at Platt/Whitelaw Architects

A percentage of estimated construction costs for new buildings are required by many public agencies to be set aside to integrate public art. This can be at the federal level, like the General Services Administration, or the local level, like the City of San Diego and Port of San Diego.

The art for a public project can easily command a budget of hundreds of thousands of dollars based on the percentage from the set-aside program. The value to the community can be even greater.

Integrating public art encourages interaction, beautifies surroundings and builds history. What would Grand Central Station be without its ceiling murals, floor tiles, Glory of Commerce sculpture or Tiffany clock? Art is one of the reasons that building has helped define New York’s identity.

Platt/Whitelaw has worked with some very talented artists from around the country who help humanize the environments we build, tell the story and invigorate those public spaces. We’ve had the good fortune to work with artists for many of our projects, including University City Fire Station 50, Point Loma Wastewater Treatment Plant, Mira Mesa Park, South Bay Water Reclamation Plant, 65th & Herrick Pump Station, Chollas Water Operations Plant and Alvarado Water Treatment Plant.

Public agencies established processes where the artist is carefully and fairly chosen and has an opportunity to work with the design team early in the process. This allows the art to truly be integrated into the design of the building or landscape.

The City of San Diego works through its Commission for Arts & Culture office to notify and select artists. Artists apply for a project, and the Commission pulls together a committee of people representing the commission, the community, the building design team and volunteer artists to review applications. Artists are evaluated on originality, professional quality, experience with a design team, communication skills, professionalism and understanding of the project. From there, the top artists are interviewed, and one is ultimately selected.

When we participate on these selection panels, we gravitate to artists who aren’t married to one form of art so there are no limitations when they become part of the creative process. We enjoy sharing our project direction with the artists and seeing how it inspires their artistic ideas. Sometimes, the artist even participates in meetings with the community that shape the vision for the entire project.

Artistic inspiration can come from all kinds of sources. At our Point Loma Wastewater Treatment Plant project, after consulting with the client and design team, artist Jean Lowe came up with particularly engaging public artwork. At the plant’s operations and visitors center, Jean used terrazzo images to tell the story of water, wastewater and how much humans rely upon water systems. From a goddess pouring an urn to a representation of human intestines, Jean found a way to transform this topic into whimsical beauty that prompts people to reflect upon its importance.

On a public project, the artist, along with the rest of the design team, needs to be thoughtful about how the art will be accessible. With emergency and essential services buildings, the public may not be able to access the entire property – sometimes very little of the property, in fact. How then can the public interact with the art?

Artist Susan Zoccola whom we are currently working with on a fire station in University City, where the structure is situated adjacent to a canyon preserve, engaged with the community and fire fighters at the inception of the project. She flew in from Seattle, met with leaders of the community, walked the local canyonlands and mapped out the topography and watershed of the area. She took this knowledge back with her and transferred the imagery onto an approximately 18- by 30-foot, three-dimensional metal wall sculpture, which was integrated with the landscaping and the building façade facing the community. Open space in our communities is an incredible resource, and the artwork at this fire station celebrates it in an accessible way. 

At South Bay Water Reclamation Plant, another secure facility, we worked with the talented local artist Paul Hobson. He devised a way to translate the flush of a toilet into a beautiful fountain bowl with its water running in a circular motion. Located in the middle of a circular driveway, the large fountain greets guests arriving at the plant. Paul also told the story of water from ancient times to current day with a hieroglyphic frieze attached to the top of the buildings wrapping the perimeters of the structure.

A “green paper” produced by Americans for the Arts’ Public Art Network Council states: Public art humanizes the built environment and invigorates public spaces. It provides an intersection between past, present and future, between disciplines, and between ideas.

At Platt/Whitelaw we design for communities; we design for the public. Our buildings serve the public’s needs, but by teaming with artists, we make sure to engage their imagination too.

[Photo icon: artwork by Susan Zoccola at University City Fire Station 50]

Pandemic Brings Changes to Everything from Offices to Apartments

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San Diego Business Journal, June 22, 2020, By Ray Huard:

Sandra Gramley, co-principal of Platt/Whitelaw  Architects in North Park, said now “is a time to reflect because we don’t have the answers.”

 “As we go forward, I think mostly about flexibility,” Gramley said.

https://www.sdbj.com/news/2020/jun/22/pandemic-brings-changes-everything-offices-apartme/