Platt-Whitelaw Architects

San Diego Business Journal

Platt/Whitelaw Architects’ Leadership Team Expands

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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 Waney, AIA, becomes senior principal.

Here’s a recap of what ran in the San Diego Business Journal about our news.

In his 22 years of experience with Platt/Whitelaw Architects, Thomas Brothers rose through the ranks after starting as an intern. Thomas now leads many of the firm’s school and water and wastewater projects. He taught sustainable design at NewSchool of Architecture & Design and served as an ACE Mentor and volunteer with Habitat for Humanity. He looks forward to continuing the firm’s focus on mentoring, sustainability and community outreach.

Peter Soutowood’s diverse experience includes seven years in international affairs and 20 years in architecture, including seven at Platt/Whitelaw, and four years as a restaurant owner. Peter leads a variety of public-facing projects for the firm. He also led the La Mesa Village Association as chair for more than three years and spent three years chairing the City of La Mesa’s Design Review Board. He is looking forward to leading the firm as it evolves and expands.

A lot has happened in our firm’s 70 years, and we know this is the right leadership team to keep us moving forward.

Woot! Sandra Named to SDBJ’s Women of Influence!

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We’re celebrating our co-owner Sandra Gramley, AIA, NCARB, LEED AP BD&C, for landing a second consecutive spot on the San Diego Business Journal’s annual Women of Influence in Architecture list!

To understand why she’s such a rockstar, we’re sharing some of the ways Sandra has built her distinguished career and made a difference in our region and in our profession.

  • Sandra is co-owner of one of San Diego’s oldest architectural firms…that’s us! She continues our firm’s legacy of designing for public/community projects, and many of our region’s schools, libraries and park facilities, came from Sandra’s imagination and talents.
  • Sandra’s expertise in historic architecture helps preserve the legacy of San Diego – including work in Balboa Park, at SDSU and other historic preservation projects in the county.
  • Sandra believes in employing people that reflect an array of cultures, races, lifestyles, and genders, and that our projects are more successful for it. She safeguards Platt/Whitelaw Architects’ reputation for diverse hiring practices — not just accepting different cultures but celebrating them.
  • A champion of improving accessibility for everyone, many of Sandra’s projects involve accessibility improvements to public spaces. For example, she recently worked with the City of San Diego to develop a Therapeutic Recreation and Agewell Services Recreation Center, the first of its kind on the west coast.
  • For 13 years, Sandra taught interiors and sustainable design at the Design Institute, helping a new generation of designers start designing spaces with minimal environmental impacts.
  • Sandra has given generously of her time and talents to the American Institute of Architects (AIA), serving as president of the San Diego Chapter in 2020, interim president last year, and in several other AIA roles over the years.
  • Many years ago, Sandra and her AIA San Diego Committee on the Environment team worked with the community to determine specific goals. They then secured a Sustainable Design Assistance Team grant from the national AIA organization to set up the Pacific Beach Eco-District. To this day, the Eco-District works to increase equity, resilience and climate protection for the Pacific Beach region.
  • Sandra served a two-year term on the AIA California’s Board of Directors.

We’re all honored to work with such a great role model and someone who genuinely cares about elevating the architectural profession. Thank you to the San Diego Business Journal for recognizing Sandra and including her on the Women of Influence list.

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/

Adaptability Keeps $8 Million Project on Schedule

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San Diego Business Journal article, April 12, 2020, By Ray Huard:

“Designed by Platt/Whitelaw Architects of San Diego, the project includes construction of a new 2,045 square-foot administration building for park staff, renovation of an existing 1,960 square-foot general store with the addition of an 800 square-foot kitchen, and construction of a 4,664 square foot steel framed dining deck stretching over the water of Lake Four from the general store.”

https://www.sdbj.com/news/2020/apr/12/adaptability-keeps-8m-project-schedule/

Congratulations to our own Sandra Gramley!

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Sandra Gramley, AIA, NCARB, LEEDap BD+C, was recently named as one of Seven Women chosen as San Diego Business Journal’s Top Women in Construction and Design.

Ms. Gramley co-owns one of San Diego’s oldest architecture firms, Platt/Whitelaw Architects (PWA), and as one of the firm’s lead project architects, she plays an important part in developing and perpetuating PWA’s reputation as a sustainable design leader now, and over the 20 years she’s been with the firm.

Sandra serves the current American Institute of Architects (AIA) San Diego president. In this role, Sandra is helping create the Center for Design, the AIA’s effort to create a gathering space, located in downtown San Diego’s Civic Center, that celebrates architectural design and designers and engages the general public.

A champion of accommodating people from all walks of life, many of Sandra’s recent projects at Platt/Whitelaw involve designing public spaces. Over the past year, these include the award-winning Cesar Solis Community Park in San Diego’s Ocean View neighborhood, modernization improvements for public school campuses, and a Therapeutic Recreation and Agewell Services Recreation Center for the City of San Diego, the first of its kind on the west coast.

Gramley SDBJ Interview

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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 the Netherlands, San Diego was ranked 18 among the country’s 30 largest metropolitan areas in having green-certified office buildings. The study ranked these areas based on the amount of office space that’s been Energy Star or LEED certified. More than 41 percent of commercial space in the 30 top metropolitan regions of the U.S. has been certified as green, but only 29.8 percent of the commercial space in San Diego has been certified.

In San Diego’s defense, Gramley shares that San Diego’s lack of corporate headquarters and mild climate may have something to do with it.

Sandy shared, “There’s a lot of people here (in SD) doing the right thing and working at it. There’s a lot of us in the industry that realize there’s a moral imperative to do the right thing and keep our buildings green and our cities more sustainable.”

Recent changes in California state law and building codes, including the California Green Building Standards Code that took effect in January, are likely to move this process forward significantly. The new code imposes standards that are nearly equal to those required for green certification.

For more about what Sandy and others had to say on this topic, San Diego Business Journal subscribers can read the full article here.