Platt-Whitelaw Architects

Sandra Gramley

Into Africa

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“Traveling – it leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller.” – Ibn Battuta

What are the chances that two of our team would visit southern Africa within weeks of each other? Turns out that in fall of 2022, those chances were pretty good.

Sandra Gramley and Dave Madigan both (though separately and with their spouses) made the long trek to visit South Africa, Zimbabwe and Botswana. While both visited the same safari park (Kreuger National Park), toured wine country and saw Victoria Falls, their trips, and stories, were unique.

Sandra’s adventure

Sandra, an avid rugby fan and former player, attended a portion of the Sevens Rugby World Cup in Cape Town, South Africa. She also took a winery tour on the Rovos Rail wine train and learned about regional cuisine from an award-winning Zimbabwean cookbook author, Sarah Lilford.

While homebased at a resort on the Zambezi River in Zimbabwe, she traveled to the Chobe national refuge in Botswana. There, she spent the morning in a jeep and the afternoon in a boat spotting local wildlife.

While staying near another animal refuge, Kreuger National Park, Sandra took a second safari tour and went sightseeing along the Blyde River Canyon.

Dave’s adventure

Like Sandra, Dave visited the Kreuger National Park area, but he toured a private safari reserve called Lion Sands that abuts Kreuger. With no barriers fencing off either park, the animals traverse both areas. The difference, says Dave, is that if you don’t see animals from the jeep on the private reserve tour, they let you get out to search on foot!

 

After spending four days at the Lion Sands Resort (and not being eaten by a lion), Dave traveled to Cape Town. His time there included a tour of the prison on Robben Island where Nelson Mandela was held. He also toured nearby Stellenbosch, famous for its wineries.

Dave was able to spend a few days in Johannesburg, too. There, he visited Soweto, the Apartheid Museum and Mandela’s first and last homes.

When Dave traveled to Zimbabwe for Victoria Falls, his tour included a helicopter ride into the area and a hike around the falls.

Impressions

Beyond these remarkable and somewhat shared experiences, we wanted to know what surprised Sandra and Dave during their visits.

Both said they found South Africa more similar to the U.S. than they were expecting but they did note a greater wealth divide between the people. The differences were more pronounced in Zimbabwe, which has high unemployment and poverty rates. The diamond trade has supported the Botswana economy, so the towns and buildings are more modern and people more affluent than in Zimbabwe.

Of course, we had to ask about what design inspiration these two architects found on their trips. For Sandra, it was Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden in Cape Town and an on-site restaurant featuring a beautiful, exposed wood design.

Dave was struck by the amount of Dutch Colonial and international modern architecture he saw in South Africa. He expected a more articulated design voice to have emerged that would reclaim the narrative of the country through architecture. Sometimes, however, it is potential that can spark design imagination.

Sandra and Dave found sparks, too, in the friends they made along their African travels and from the travel experience itself. Travel to faraway places is at once disconcerting and wonderous. It heightens all the senses and opens new doors.

May all your travels fascinate you.

Platt/Whitelaw Architects Moves Office!

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One of San Diego’s Oldest Architecture Firms Occupying Space in Old Town Plaza.

We’ve got big news! We’ve moved from the village of North Park to the historic neighborhood of Old Town. Our firm secured space at Old Town Plaza, located at 2251 San Diego Ave.

“As much as we love North Park, working in San Diego’s most significantly historic neighborhood, Old Town, is fitting for our firm and offers some wonderful public transportation options for our staff,” said Co-Owner and President Naveen Waney.

“Old Town feels right,” added Co-Owner and Vice President Sandra Gramley. “Historic preservation architecture is a mainstay of our work, so it seems appropriate. Our firm was founded in 1955, and we’re proud that it makes us one of San Diego’s oldest architecture firms.”

Our firm’s work also includes a wide range of community-serving buildings, from education, recreation, and places of worship to restaurants, wellness facilities and public infrastructure.

Our firm’s phone numbers and email addresses will remain the same. To secure, build out and move into the new office space, we worked with relocation management firm Transom, furniture design firm Cultura, general contractor Pacific Building Group and real estate services firm Cushman & Wakefield.

Thanks to our amazing staff and to everyone who helped make our office move a success!

 

 

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.

Designing a Better Way for Behavioral Health Services

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

The County of San Diego provides crisis stabilization units to deliver services in community-based or hospital settings for people experiencing a mental health or substance-use crisis.

For people in the midst of a crisis, being taken to a jail or hospital may not constitute an appropriate level of care. However, going to a place that has been specifically designed and staffed as the first line of intervention will likely yield better results in the short and long term.

Platt/Whitelaw has been fortunate enough to provide architectural design services for two of the County’s crisis stabilization units, including the Oceanside location.

Here, our firm created a way to transform a first-floor parking garage into a LEED Gold, 8,300-square-foot crisis management center for at-risk adults called the Oceanside Crisis Stabilization Unit. The center also includes landscaped indoor and outdoor spaces designed to promote peace and calm.

While not much about the past couple of years of pandemic seems fortunate, the unusual time of isolation and lockdown gave our designers an unexpected perspective about how to design the center. Mental health was in the limelight for everyone.

Our designers expressed this collective ethos through curved instead of hard edges and corners, landscaped green walls and water features, and a calming but diverse color palette.

“We wanted to give people a space that’s pretty and inspirational – a space that would let them know others care about them,” said Project Coordinator Yolanda Velazco.

Yolanda added that already having designed one crisis stabilization unit for the County meant the team was already full of ideas of what could be done, and what challenges they would need to address.

“We spent a lot of time in meetings going over door hardware,” she said. It turns out that creating a welcoming but secure center with separate entrances and treatment areas customized to different situations requires some very sophisticated door security technology.

Also notable was the design team’s approach to plumbing fixtures. Traditionally, a facility of this type would have stainless steel toilets, sinks, and faucets. Instead, the team found a way to use fixtures and finishes reminiscent of residential or high-end office spaces that still offered the safety required for a crisis stabilization unit.

The existing building presented a challenge, too. Our team had to navigate and incorporate many of the columns of the original parking garage into the design and provide the right balance of window and door openings. It took significant effort to develop ways for the covered parking structure’s transformation to include indoor and outdoor courtyard spaces, too.

As with all successful projects, the Oceanside Crisis Stabilization Unit took a village to design and build. We were fortunate to be teamed a second time with Turner Construction Company’s team, who also built out the previous crisis stabilization unit we designed.

Our collaboration with frequent sub consultants, landscape architect KTU+A and MEP engineers Turpin & Rattan, also paid off. And kudos to this project’s LEED consultant, Doo Consulting – LEED Gold certification came through for the Oceanside Crisis Stabilization Unit without a single hitch.

We commend the vision and guidance of the County and want to give a shout-out to its project manager, Project Management Advisors.

Our whole team was inspired by the chance to positively impact a sector of society that’s hurting.

If you or someone you know is looking for mental health or substance use services, call the San Diego Access & Crisis Line (ACL) at 1-888-724-7240 or visit this website for more information.

Watch San Diego County Supervisor Nathan Fletcher talk about Oceanside Crisis Stabilization Unit and the County’s efforts to build a better program for behavioral health services.

The Botanical Building in Balboa Park – Makeover Edition!

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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 before…and a time before that. But how can we not celebrate the kickoff of this historic restoration with a special article?

First, a review of the building’s history

The Botanical Building was originally built for the 1915-1916 Panama-California Exposition as part of an effort to celebrate the opening of the Panama Canal and to spotlight San Diego’s port. Bertram Goodhue was hired as site planner and architect for the Panama-California Exposition.

During this time, Goodhue and his team created the Botanical Building, the Cabrillo Bridge, the California Bell Tower, Spreckels Organ Pavilion and the buildings now known as The Museum of Us and the Balboa Park Club. Except for the Bell Tower and the Balboa Park Club, these were the few structures that were meant to remain indefinitely.

The Botanical Building itself was designed by team member Carleton Winslow to serve as an anchor for a botanical garden. It was the largest wood lath structure in the world when it was built and remains one of the largest to this day.

Restoration needed

To remain indefinitely, a building needs some regular maintenance work. The Botanical Building has suffered from a lot of deferred maintenance and changes to the original structure, but the work underway will give it new life.

Thanks to the efforts of the Balboa Park Conservancy (now rebranded as Forever Balboa Park after a merger with Friends of Balboa Park) and government funding sources, the Botanical Building is receiving some TLC. The work will also address major termite damage, severe rust and those years of structural changes and deferred maintenance. Forever Balboa Park oversees the restoration project, along with the City of San Diego and the Parks and Recreation Department.

A team of RNT Architects, Spurlock Landscape Architects and Tres Fromme (horticultural designer) created architectural bridging documents for the restoration.

Now, our team, which includes EC Constructors, Platt/Whitelaw Architects, Michael Baker Intl, Estrada Land Planning, AB Court & Associates, Degenkolb, Turpin & Rattan Engineering, Recon, Meridian and Milford Wayne Donaldson, will work through construction to refine and implement the bridging documents’ vision.

What’s happening now

Can you imagine moving over 2,100 varieties of plants out of the Botanical Building? A handful of larger plants will stay through the construction, but the majority are now headed to the City of San Diego’s nursery for safe keeping.

In addition to working around the plants that must stay, our project team is figuring out ways to lower the soil level of the building’s planting beds, which has risen over time, without compromising the plants that have to remain in place. To do this, we’ll create planters within the planting beds, surrounding what would otherwise be exposed trunks and roots.

Our team will also restore this building to its original 1915 condition. In addition to some general sprucing up and structural repairs, the work includes reintroducing arched windows on the north and south sides of the structure to return the building to its original 1915 appearance. It will also include new restrooms, water- and energy-saving measures and improved visitor and educational engagement spaces.

A new public entry on the north side is also planned to provide better access for private events. Just outside the northeast corner of the building stands a Moreton Bay Fig tree that is over 100 years old. We’re adapting the design and construction methods to save this tree and accommodate its roots – some of which have grown into the building.

Right now, we’re putting final touches on the design. The construction trailer is in, plants are moving out and the team is looking forward to getting the permit to start construction. The building is closed, but visitors can still enjoy the koi pond out front and the surrounding lawn areas. Completion is expected for summer of 2023.

Our firm is honored to help restore one of San Diego’s most recognizable buildings, most serene spaces and most beloved destinations.

-the end-

What’s Old is New: Historic Preservation Architecture

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By Sandra Gramley, AIA NCARB, LEED AP BD+C, principal at Platt/Whitelaw Architects, Inc. 

When you think of historic San Diego architecture, what comes to mind? Craftsman? Victorian? Mission? Modern? San Diego has a rich diversity of architectural styles, and preserving those buildings is some of our favorite work.

We’re taking a look back (and forward!) at Platt/Whitelaw Architects’ most recognizable historic renovation projects. We’ve also drummed up some cool facts about each so you can impress your friends with your San Diego knowledge.

We’re really excited to be underway with two landmark projects currently:

Balboa Park Botanical Building

Cool facts: The botanical building was originally built for the 1915-1916 Panama-California Exposition. (We’re stealing this next bit from our own article, “The Creation and Restoration of Balboa Park,” which you should definitely read next!)

Designed by Carleton Winslow, it was the largest wood lath structure in the world when it was built and remains one of the largest to this day.

Thanks to Alfred Robinson, the world’s leading begonia breeder of his day, the reason behind including the building in the park was to serve as an anchor for a botanical garden. The Botanical Building is now home to more than 2,100 plant varieties.

When originally built, it was one of only four Balboa Park structures that were meant to remain indefinitely (along with the Spreckels Organ Pavilion, the Museum of Us building and the Cabrillo Bridge).

What we’re doing: We are helping to restore this building to its original 1915 condition. In addition to some general sprucing up and structural repairs, the work includes reintroducing arched windows on the north and south sides of the structure.

Balboa Park Air & Space Museum

Cool facts: If you look at this building from above (Google Earth, anyone?), it looks like a spaceship. Apropos, no?

The building is listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places and was originally built for the 1935-1936 California Pacific International Exposition.

The Air & Space Museum is housed in the original Ford Building, designed by industrial designer Walter Dorwin Teague and based upon Albert Kahn’s design for another Ford building in Michigan. Teague picked up on the shape Kahn had created to reflect a gear, and he incorporated a four-door entrance with framing windows that Kahn had used for another car company. At the time, “some 18,000 hidden electric light bulbs provided lighting to shape the building’s convex-concave surfaces,” writes Richard Amero in his article for the San Diego History Center.

Noted San Diego architects Richard Requa and Louis Bodmer also worked on this project.

What we’re doing: The scope of our work includes plans for a new roof and restoring the stucco and paint.  We are also replacing the previous neon lights used to illuminate the round building with LED lighting. The light fixtures live in metal columns spaced around the building to evoke the image of a gear.

We are enjoying working on these two restoration projects in such a public, well-known park, but it’s easy to spot our previous work, too:

Villa Montezuma

Cool facts – It’s haunted! Did our architects run into any ghosts? Well, no, but plenty of people claim to have seen, felt or heard some paranormal activity.

Villa Montezuma was designed by the firm Comstock & Trotche. Jesse Shepard was the original owner of this eclectic 19th century Queen Anne Victorian home that’s been transformed into a museum.

One of Shepard’s servants was deeply saddened by his wife’s death and committed suicide by hanging himself in the mansion’s tower. This former servant is ghost number one and can sometimes be seen in the tower’s cupola.

A talented musician, singer and author, Jesse was also a spiritualist with a penchant for musical seances. During these conversations with the dearly departed – a behavior that eventually got Jesse run out of town – he liked to call up the ghosts of musical legends past. Don’t be surprised if a spectral Mozart or Chopin (or Jesse himself?) brush past you or entertain you with their musical compositions at Villa Montezuma.

What we did – While fine for its ghostly inhabitants, this home-turned-museum was structurally unfit for the living. We helped the City of San Diego rebuild the home’s brick foundation, which had to be laid brick by brick to replicate the original, complex, interwoven pattern. We also created plans for a new roof and a chimney restoration.

As if designing for ghosts wasn’t cool enough, this historic preservation project scored an award from the American Public Works Association (APWA).

Cal Western

Cool facts – Now known as Cal Western School of Law, this downtown property was originally an Elks Hall. It was designed by noted San Diego architects The Quayle Brothers, who were both Elks themselves (members, not actual Elks). Their Italian Renaissance Revival style building debuted in 1929, and the brothers received an exceptional architectural merit for their work.

What we did – Our architects at Platt/Whitelaw were lucky enough to design a series of historic preservation projects for this building. Among them were contemporary classrooms with updated technology and a general gussying up and restoration of the historic structure.

SDSU Scripps Cottage

Cool facts – Funded in part by local philanthropist Ellen Browning Scripps through a contribution to the local YWCA, San Diego State University’s Scripps cottage was completed in 1931. It’s one of the original eight campus structures originally designed by Howard Spencer Hazen.

The cottage was originally located adjacent to Aztec Café (now the Faculty-Staff Club) and served as the headquarters for the Associated Women Students. It was the first new building on the Montezuma Mesa campus of San Diego State Teacher’s College. Now located at Scripps Terrance, after being moved to make way for Love Library, Scripps Cottage is part of a federally designated historic district.

Its most illustrious claim to fame happened in 1963, when the building served as a formal reception area for President John F. Kennedy. He had come to SDSU to deliver the commencement address and receive an honorary doctorate.

What we did –Our firm had the honor of restoring the enclosed porch and adding a small storage shed, as well as assessing and designing for general repairs that made this treasure shine again.

Balboa Park Hall of Nations

Cool facts – The Hall of Nations in the International Cottages area of Balboa Park is one of the few structures remaining from the 1915-16 Panama-California Exposition. During the Exposition, it was the Kansas State Building.

All of the buildings south of El Prado were gone by 1933, except for the New Mexico and Kansas Buildings. (Today, the New Mexico building is known as the Balboa Park Club.)

During World War II, the Hall of Nations and others around it were used as living quarters for non-commissioned naval officers. Now this building is home to the House of Italy and the House of Pacific Relations. The latter organization oversees all the international cottages.

What we did – Our original marching orders included designing for an Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) upgrade of the restrooms and building entry. As the contractor started work, the crew found serious foundation damage. Suddenly, our scope of work also included designing for foundation and stucco repairs.  The other surprise was that creating an accessible path of travel revealed a very unreliable ceiling, which prompted a complete rebuild of one end of the great hall.

Mohnike Adobe Barn

Cool facts – Located in Los Peñasquitos Canyon Preserve, Mohnike Adobe Barn is named after Charles Frederick Mohnike. He was a prosperous citrus grower and real estate dealer in San Diego who came up with new agricultural technologies. Around 1910, Mohnike built a homestead, including this barn, for himself and his family. Eventually, the County of San Diego assumed ownership of this property.

What we did – The historic barn was displaced off its foundation at its southeast corner and was open and wrecked at its south side, where a large section of wall was missing. The County of San Diego retained Platt/Whitelaw to design emergency bracing and repairs to stabilize the existing structure until permanent repairs could be implemented. Emergency bracing and repairs needed to remain in place for up to ten years.

As an architecture firm with six-plus decades in San Diego, we’re all about making our city’s historic structures just as fabulous as they once were. Thank you to all the fantastic owners and agencies for giving us the chance to make these grand dames shine again.

California Western School of Law Photo by Brad Anderson Photography

Scripps Cottage photo by Mike Torrey Photography.

PWA Project Profile: Park de la Cruz Neighborhood Park & Therapeutic Recreation Services

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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, was to transform the decaying former Copley YMCA building and gymnasium into a new TRS facility. As such, the project has traditional accommodations but also those for wheelchair basketball, indoor soccer and a calendar full of special events and activities. Accessibility upgrades were a specific priority for the entire project.

Beyond ADA and other code requirements, the entire renovation was designed for the community to be able to easily access and use all the facilities. San Diego is now one of only a few cities nationwide that has a dedicated facility for TRS services. The TRS facility at Park de la Cruz is able to offer services and activities for those with disabilities and special needs within the community, along with helping veterans and seniors throughout San Diego County.

In addition to designing something for all abilities, the renovation also has a social justice component. This project enhances and encourages recreation and provides much needed services to the mid-city community of San Diego—a community historically left behind when it came to new and upgraded parks.

Our design even includes a daycare space, providing the opportunity to address a frequent barrier to employment – the availability of childcare. The governor of California, Gavin Newsom, emphasized the prominence and importance of Park de la Cruz when he held a news conference there in April about a new pop-up vaccination site in the City Heights neighborhood.

The design and implementation of the buildings’ renovation was preceded by a renovation of the adjoining seven-acre park, led by Schmidt Design Group in conjunction with Stantec. Features include a new skate park, a softball field and an outdoor multipurpose basketball court. Additional amenities added were picnic shelters, accent trees, sports lighting, solar canopy, drinking fountains, accessibility for persons with disabilities and path of travel improvements.

Our renovation of the 24,000-square foot TRS facility included offices and conference rooms for the staff, a commercial kitchen and a training kitchen, and outdoor and indoor areas for exercise and activities. Also integrated are rooms specifically for those with special needs and a variety of multi-purpose rooms for games, daycare, special events and dances, as well as for rentable space.

Gymnasium improvements include large insulated translucent windows with removable colored polycarbonate panels, fiberglass-sandwich-panel unit skylights, renovated restrooms and offices, new roofing, and new finishes, along with added air-conditioning and lighting improvements.

Earlier this year, Park de la Cruz earned an award from the American Public Works Association (APWA). We’re grateful for the chance to contribute to this terrific community resource that will serve San Diegans for generations to come.

 

Rooted in Nature: Biophilic Design Advances Health, Wellbeing

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By Sandra Gramley, principal at Platt/Whitelaw Architects, Inc. 

The built environment plays a critical role in people’s health and wellbeing.

We are just beginning to find that when lacking natural elements, the spaces in which we live, work and play can foster fatigue, impair performance and spark symptoms of disease. However, by simply introducing natural lighting, outdoor views and natural greenery, we can enhance health and productivity.

Discovering ways to incorporate nature into our spaces may now be more important than ever.

People are spending an increased amount of time indoors and tethered to our electronic devices. In fact, according to the National Human Activity Pattern Survey, since 2001 the human race has spent some 90% of our time inside — be it at home, the office, school or while out in our communities.

Yet, during the pandemic many of us have found solace in nature, both by choice and necessity.

Why are we so connected to the natural world? No one knows for sure, but there is one theory that suggests there are innate, evolutionary reasons people seek out experiences in nature. The “biophilia” hypothesis was popularized by evolutionary biologist Edward O. Wilson in the 1980s after he observed how increasing rates of urbanization had led to a human disconnection with our natural environment.

Today, some 54% of the world’s population lives in urban environments separated from the natural world. This figure is expected to grow over the next two decades to about 70% or some two-thirds of the Earth’s population by 2050 — creating an even greater divide between humans and our natural habitats.

With increased urbanization an inevitable outcome, how can the design of our built environment ensure we recuperate our mental and physical wellbeing? Biophilic design may be the answer.

The fundamental connection humans have to nature has inspired designers to explore ways to reintroduce nature into our lives. With biophilic design, the natural world is playing a crucial role in the environments, and the architecture and interiors, in which we spend most of our time.

WHAT IS BIOPHILIC DESIGN?

Biophilic design emphasizes the human connection to nature and applies it to the built environment.

For more than 99% of our history, the human species has evolved and adapted to the natural world. As biophilia is fundamentally about these evolutionary tendencies, biophilic design focuses on the parts of nature that, over time, have contributed to the health and wellbeing of humans.

With all the world’s organisms being bound together as unified wholes or ecosystems, biophilic design emphasizes an environment’s overall setting and/or habitat rather than an isolated aspect of nature. This translates into the repeated occurrence of, and contact with, nature throughout design.

It’s a continual blurring together of the inside and outside worlds.

The concept of biophilia has even led to numerous sustainable design practices and initiatives in architecture and construction as well as paved the way for criteria such as the LEED, Fitwel and WELL standards that continue to take hold and remain of key importance within the built environment.

WHAT ARE THE ASPECTS OF BIOPHILIC DESIGN?

Greenery is one aspect of biophilic design but it’s just the beginning. Biophilic design incorporates direct and indirect experiences with nature. Direct experiences include light, air, plants and water, as well as natural landscapes and ecosystems. Incorporating the patterns and arrangements present in nature is a form of indirect biophilia that evokes similar responses in humans as a direct contact with nature does.

Design elements directly connecting people to nature include indoor gardens and vertical garden walls, aromatherapy and soundscapes, natural lighting, views of nature and access to open space, among others.

In biophilic design, indirect experiences with nature can come in the form of images of nature, natural materials, colors, shapes and forms, the simulation of natural light and air, mobility and wayfinding and the cultural and ecological attachment to a place or setting, as well as the integration of biomimicry or the materials, structures and systems modeled after nature-inspired solutions.

PUBLIC BUILDINGS

Much of our work at Platt/Whitelaw involves architectural design for public buildings. Many of these projects provide the opportunity to integrate public art. In collaboration with these artists, we’ve been able to provide biophilic design details in fire stations, libraries and even water treatment plants.

OUR PROJECT: OCEANSIDE CRISIS STABILIZATION UNIT

We are completing a Crisis Stabilization Unit (CSU) in Oceanside for the County of San Diego. This project took a ground floor parking area and turned it into a healthful facility for adults experiencing a mental health crisis, such as suicidal depression or psychotic behavior. The CSU assesses each individual’s needs and provides referrals or treatment, and length of stay is less than 24 hours.  PWA introduced outdoor and enclosed garden spaces, and a “living wall” with plants. The introduction of these elements of nature are expected to calm and evoke a positive response from the users of the facility.