Sitting on a bluff top over looking the ocean, this former 1940s Army barracks, is an absolute gem of a project that the community of Solana Beach worked hard to make happen. As a collaborative effort of community fund raising, contributions from the City of Solana Beach, the Americans with Disabilities Act funds, and pro bono design services by local architect, Stephen Dalton, the Fletcher Cove Community Center project came to exemplify civic participation at its grassroots best. Keeping the same small foot print as the original building (rather than following suite with the surrounding McMansions), the Fletcher Cove Community Center retains a certain modesty that lends itself to respect for the ocean, and the surrounding topography that make this site unique. As well, it creates space–something those of us once knew before the advent of zero-lot-line development practices in recent decades. With ADA compliance, and environmental stewardship as programatic directives paramount to this project (LEED silver was the target rating applied for with the USGBC), the Fletcher Cove Community Center is a poetic lesson in vernacular and literal interpretations of its context–in addition to its cultures past and present. This is reflected in details as subtle as its azure blue hue, and as emphatic as its wave action roof line. Additionally, by exposing the structure, the community center becomes an educational tool, in that it simplifies the understanding of the space and how it works; while formal simplicity is maintained by its shotgun-shack-aspect-ratio, and the porosity of window and door apertures that blur the boundary between indoors and out. http://www.ci.solana-beach.ca.us/csite/cms/369.htm  http://www.solanabeachcommunityfoundation.org/Home/fccc-remodel

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This school building earns at A+ for mediocrity! The recently completed addition to the iconic Point Loma High School is a major disappointment to the community. The prominent location along a busy Point Loma street calls for a more friendly gesture to the neighborhood than this boring box of a building. How can the students who learn within the walls of these classrooms be inspired to greater things when their learning environment is so mundane? The School District's admittedly restricted building budget and time constraints are no excuse for dull design. Our children deserve better. This architect failed this assignment.

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Located on San Diego Bay at the mouth of the Sweetwater Channel in National City, Pier 32 Marina is located six miles south of downtown San Diego. This project has become an informal community center for National City, and is adjacent to a park. National City was once a working wharf in the 1800's where ships would off load lumber, grain, honey, salt and many other items. The project scope included the design of two main buildings linked with pedestrian bridges and a stair tower. These two buildings house marina support spaces including locker rooms and showers, an exercise room, dry/heated storage, laundry facility, boater's lounge, community conference room, large outdoor terrace, a pool, grocery/deli tenant space, and open office spaces for the marina management and other tenants. Also included is a residential unit for rental, or to be used by the marina management. Lastly, there is even a putting green, and a large multi-use outdoor viewing platform. The design incorporates an authentic post-and-beam structural system with exposed columns and beams, wood decking at ceilings, and bolted plate connections. The building's linear form is an extrusion of shed roofs with a raised clerestory roof monitor running through. Exterior materials include durable cement-board siding at the lower story base and ship-lap cedar siding at the upper story. Sloped roofs utilize standing-seam metal roofing panels. Interior spaces open up to the promenade and upper terrace with expansive operable overhead doors.

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The Village Community Presbyterian Church in Rancho Santa Fe, designed by church architecture specialists Domusstudio Architecture of San Diego, has been honored with a 2011 Lily Award from the Rancho Santa Fe Association. The award is named after Rancho Santa Fe’s first architect and Building Commissioner Lilian Rice. The church’s design represents an architectural anchor in the community, positioned at the opposite end of the Village from the beloved Inn at Rancho Santa Fe. “The building’s Lilian Rice design blends nicely with the character of Rancho Santa Fe”, said Sr Associate David Keitel. The structural complexity and creativity of exposed steel trusses crisscrossing the dramatic sanctuary also earned a People’s Choice award at the 2011 Excellence in Structural Engineering ceremony for Josephson Werdowatz & Associates, Inc. Dedicated in May 2010, after nearly two years of construction and remodeling, the Village Church today is distinguished by hand-made Spanish tile roofing on a 42-foot dome and adjacent tower. A new courtyard setting is at the heart of the church campus, and the new sanctuary offers seating for nearly 600, with improved visibility and audibility from all areas. In addition to its new sanctuary, Village Church construction also included offices, classrooms and a children’s playground. The project was constructed by ROEL Construction Company, and Landscape Design was provided by Deneen Powell Atelier, Inc. Founded in 1956, the Village Community Presbyterian Church is a longtime pillar in the Rancho Santa Fe area. With more than 1,200 members in its congregation

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The Charles David Keeling Apartments are located on the southwestern edge of the University of California, San Diego, campus overlooking the coastal cliffs of La Jolla. Named for the American scientist whose research first alerted the world to the possibility of the human impact on global warming, the Apartments are themed around the concept of global warming and the urgency of conservation of natural resources. They are part of Revelle College, the founding college at UC San Diego named for Roger Revelle, one of the first scientists to study global warming, and are developed to enhance Revelle's place at the historic campus core. Three cast-in-place concrete structures—one 10-story, one 8-story, and one 5-story—are oriented for optimal environmental performance in San Diego’s ideal climate. They provide housing for 516 students and 2 deans in 85 six-person apartments. The complex also includes lounges and meeting rooms, a landscaped courtyard, green roof terrace, and extensive outdoor walkways to promote social interaction and outdoor living. The apartments are arranged along a single-loaded exterior corridor so that each space within the unit receives abundant daylight, natural ventilation, and views. The design bears familial relationships with the buildings of Revelle, which consist of 1950s cast-in-place concrete structures that often have a sense of transparency at the base and exterior elevated walkways that allow for free flow of pedestrian traffic, sun and breezes. Many of the buildings share a lace-like quality from the use of repetitive elements, with a color palette tied to San Diego’s warm and dry coastal climate. Together with the recent renovation of the adjacent Fleet residence halls, Revelle college is now more unified with old and new structures that create shared spaces and define the west edge of the campus. The exterior is clad with precast concrete panels, hung in front of the structure as rain screens. The layering of the structure, window and rain screen systems creates visual depth in the facade that varies throughout the day as lighting conditions change. Solar heat gain is controlled with deep overhangs shading the southern facades and vertical shading devices on the west, oriented at different angles, blocking strong afternoon sun. Storm water is managed with a green roof, biofiltration swale and landscaping and water is conserved through the collection and treatment of gray water for irrigation, efficient plumbing fixtures, and water efficient planting. A photovoltaic array provides solar energy in the building, and energy is conserved by using a high performance exterior envelope and optimizing day lighting and ventilation. The project seeks to outperform Title 24 (California Energy Code) by at least 35%, and is expected to minimally earn LEED Gold, and potentially a Platinum rating for environmentally conscious design and sustainability.Construction will be complete in Fall 2011 with full occupancy in September.

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Bringing more color to a neighborhood, great! Making this part of Point Loma more lively, awesome! But on 5055 N. Harbor Drive something has gone horribly wrong. At this address you will find a building that is a hodgepodge of shapes, crazy material combinations, weird blend of colors, funny little corners and numerous awkward setbacks and overhangs. The design of this 2 level office/retail building goes against all basic rules of composition and perception in architecture. Take for example the corner of Scott Street and N. Harbor Drive. At this end of the building a cube shaped volume is surrounded by strangely molded columns that are placed in a circle and are making an arched colonnade. And on top of this all there is a dodecagon shaped roof. Another dreadful eyesore is the elevator tower with it’s monstrous stone elements. And I almost forgot to mention the unpleasant mirror film on the windows and the strangely shaped balconies. This onion is a perfect example of how NOT to build and design a building, anytime, anywhere!

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Built by Douglas E. Barnhart's J. Reese Construction, Inc., the J. P. Witherow Roofing Company was a thorough collaboration between builder, Architect Peter Noll, and Interior Designer Cathy Gill. Moving from a facility they occupied from 1965 to 2010, the owner of the J. P. Witherow Roofing Company needed a new, economical, flexible, sustainable, yet aesthetic facility to house their family owned business which was founded in 1935. The challenge was to design a 20,000 square-foot facility on a two-acre site on a busy street corner to meet their needs, requirements of the Lakeside Community Group, San Diego County Department of Public Works, San Diego County Department of Planning and Land Use, Lakeside Fire Department and the California Department of Transportation. Space on site was required for storage of all their equipment, warehousing for all roofing materials, a truck repair area, and storage for 76 years of client files, and office space for administrative services. Circulation was key, as the roofing trucks and equipment needed to move efficiently through the site. All storm water was required to be retained on the site creating a delicate balance between maximizing the size of the building envelope, providing the required parking, landscaping, and maximizing the size of the storm water retention basins. Concrete masonry, glass, stucco, stone and metal panels were selected for the building. A mixture of split face, scored and precision block was specified. The concrete masonry warehouse created a beautiful contrast to the symmetrical juxtaposition of the administrative portion of the structure. A concrete masonry wall was provided along two property lines to secure the owner's trucks and roofing equipment. Initially concrete masonry was selected for its appearance. The selection of concrete masonry textures and colors is varied and allowed for unlimited design possibilities. Other considerations were the fire resistive qualities, durability, low maintenance and cost effectiveness. The fact that it's locally produced and has recycled content was a plus as well.

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Out of a thoughtfully designed and executed master plan has emerged a place of pride in the El Cajon community. Cajon Valley Middle School is a successful campus-wide redevelopment that has had a profound impact on the surrounding neighborhood. This extensive project began in 2003, transforming an over-crowded campus in a densely populated neighborhood into a brand new school completed in September 2011. The entire campus was reconstructed in four phases which kept the existing school fully operational for the duration of the project. The rows of 30+ relocatable buildings and decrepit permanent structures were replaced with an array of buildings to meet the needs of 21st century students and educators. The metamorphosis began with the new Gym & Multipurpose Building designed for joint use with the City of El Cajon Parks and Recreation Department. This has created strong ties to the community in an area brimming with apartment blocks void of lawns and open spaces. Phase II delivered the flagship 20-Classroom Building, the 1st Collaborative for High Performance Schools (CHPS) certified building in San Diego County. This certification recognizes the sustainable aspects of the school that improve the learning environment for staff and students alike. Fundamental sustainable design techniques such as daylighting and light-shelves, as well as efficient MEP systems, make this a truly high performance environment. After this positive start a new Administration Building was added, reorienting the campus to face Park Street which is quieter and safer for pedestrians and vehicular school traffic. Prior to reconstruction the old campus was often a target for graffiti and illicit activities after dark, necessitating the school administrators to “sweep” the campus each morning to remove drug paraphernalia and other undesirable items. As a result of the school’s renovation illegal activities are almost non-existent and enrollment has increased since the project began. Phase IV’s Multi-Function Building houses the Library, Kitchen & Food Service Facility, Lunch Court and additional Classrooms needed for the growing campus. The bright two story atrium provides a central circulation and gathering space before branching off to its interior functions. The large building is brought to a human scale through its segmented façade and interior details such as alcoves and light wells. The four new buildings of the completed campus encircle a collegiate-style commons, made possible by the high capacity of the two-story buildings which reduce the footprint of the school. This left a significant portion of the campus for outdoor use with increased landscaping. It is used frequently for graduation ceremonies and other less formal gatherings. The trees and water-smart plantings are a much needed relief in the heat of East County. The circular quad surrounded by these modern school buildings is now the trademark of the campus and the wider community as a whole.

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After years of searching for a viable site for their new home, Harvest/Evangelical Formosan Church found this narrow sliver of property on the edge of the San Dieguito River Park. Church representatives and the design team entered into extensive interaction with the Carmel Valley Planning Group, the San Dieguito River Park representatives as well as the Coastal Commission. Design, colors, materials and landscaping were thoroughly reviewed and vetted in numerous meetings by these agencies and the interested public. The recently completed first phase includes the social hall, classrooms, children’s play area and administrative offices. The second phase Sanctuary, complete with a tower and cross, will provide the southern border to the outdoor social space. This outdoor plaza offers views to the west across the river park and out to the ocean. The low profile buildings, pitched roofs and muted colors respond to the guidelines developed for the area. Operable windows throughout the facility capture the breezes mitigating the need for air conditioning. A large bay window oriented to the northwest and exterior balcony in the Social Hall offers beautiful views and natural light while multiple doors open onto the widely used plaza. Sunday school classrooms are protected by broad overhangs and offer the congregants Bible classes in rooms that have distant views and natural light and air. The facility also provides multiple uses for the congregants including a serving kitchen that provides treats after the worship services, a library, and an administrative complex. The landscape palette and locations were designed in collaboration with community representatives and include Torrey Pines, California Sycamores, Cottonwoods and other native plantings which are part of the design team’s approach to a regionally appropriate landscape solution.

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