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 […]
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
HOME 2024 – What’s in Store for Our Bi-National World Design Capital?
In 2024, San Diego and Tijuana will co-host design enthusiasts from around the world who come to see the first bi-national region to be selected as a World Design Capital®. They will see graphic, industrial, architectural, artistic and other design projects that help define our region. Billing this historic event as ‘Designing Transborder Futures,’ the
The Botanical Building in Balboa Park – Makeover Edition!
Iconic San Diego structure will soon be restored to its original condition…plus a few improvements By Sandra Gramley, AIA, LEED NCARB, LEED AP BD+C, principal at Platt/Whitelaw Architects, Inc. Restoration is underway on the Botanical Building in Balboa Park! If you’ve been following our news site, you know that we’ve written about this building befo
PWA Project Profile: Park de la Cruz Neighborhood Park & Therapeutic Recreation Services
By Sandra Gramley, AIA, NCARB, LEED AP BD+C Civic projects are the crux of what we do. Designing Park de la Cruz Neighborhood Park & Therapeutic Recreation Services (TRS) in City Heights was especially rewarding for us because we were truly designing for universal use. The intention of our client, the City of San Diego, […]
San Diego History: Formative Architects and Architecture
Calling all architecture enthusiasts! Want to cement your savvy-San Diegan status? Dazzle friends with interesting cocktail party conversation? Become a riveting tour guide for your out-of-town guests? We’ve put together an overview of some of historic San Diego architects (some household names, some not), who designed notable places in San Diego. Feel fre
Unique Design Considerations for Temporary Homeless Shelters
By Sandra Gramley, AIA, LEED ap BD+C & Keiko Newton Our moderate climate and high cost of housing result in San Diego grappling with a large homelessness problem. A 2020 count found nearly 5,000 people experiencing homelessness in the City of San Diego. Platt/Whitelaw has been helping both the City of San Diego and the […]
Gramley SDBJ Interview
Where does San Diego rank as far as certified, sustainable buildings? Platt/Whitelaw Architects’ Principal Sandy Gramley was recently interviewed by Ray Huard at San Diego Business Journal about the state of sustainable design in San Diego. According to the article, in a recent study by commercial real estate services firm CBRE and Maastricht University in