Orchids & Onions

The San Diego-based law firm Procopio, Cory, Hargreaves & Savitch is committed to reducing its carbon footprint and operating in a sustainable way. When it started planning to move into new office space at 525 B Street downtown, the firm incorporated sustainable building principles with original design and technology features into its new offices, including a first of its kind "living wall" as part of its two-story open air meditation garden complete with a water feature at the top of the 22 story building. Businesses such as restaurants across the nation are embracing edible living walls, but it is still rare for occupants of traditional business space to incorporate these sustainable elements into their buildings. That's why we were proud to install this living wall for Procopio, and take part in their sustainability efforts, not to mention, a beautiful space. The wall was constructed and planted over the course of two weeks onsite. It is composed of two 64 square foot sections on a north facing wall. Each is made up of 73 individual plants, all commonly known houseplants including Imperial red philodendrons, variegated spider plant, golden pothos, mother and bird's nest ferns, arrowhead plants, and various colorful bromeliads. The new building is one of the first in San Diego to obtain LEED® Certification for Existing Buildings, while Procopio is pursuing its own LEED® Certification for Commercial Interiors.

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San Marcos is going urban after 12 years as the fastest growing north county suburban city. San Marcos approved not just a couple of blocks, but 200 acres to become the largest mixed use urban development north of the Gaslamp District. University District (UD) fully integrates residential, retail and office uses in a dense, transit oriented and walkable community. UD is located adjacent to CSUSM and a Sprinter station and south of SR 78. A free shuttle will connect all areas with three Sprinter stations, employment centers, shopping and Palomar College. A main street Lifestyle center of 500,000 sf will feature residential and office uses above retail, dining, and entertainment, and a major freeway visible corporate office area will be fully integrated into the adjacent residential/retail mixed use area. UD incorporates a future 800 student elementary school site easily walkable from most of the 2,600 multifamily homes, 4 parks interspersed throughout the residential development, paths connecting the parks to the San Marcos Creek trail system, and pedestrian bridges linking UD with surrounding neighborhoods and CSUSM. Additionally, there will be up to 800 student housing units adjacent to the campus with parking on campus only. The project exceeds the proposed LEED ND standards and individual buildings will meet or exceed LEED Silver standards. The entire community of UD is designed around a Form Based Code (FBC) standard that will allow uses to change with the market over time. The FBC designates greatly reduced parking standards and encourages cross usage of those parking spaces by different building types. Other State of the Art Transportation Demand Management (TDM) features include “Park Once” Strategies, unbundled parking costs from leases, car sharing and parking benefit districts. University District evolved from an 18 month long process involving a publicly appointed Task Force and the San Marcos Planning Department that held over a dozen public meetings and workshops. The project received strong public support and was approved unanimously by both the Planning Commission and City Council with not one citizen voice in opposition. The City of San Marcos approved not only a state of the art Smart Growth project but did so by building broad public support in the process. The City of the future in North County!

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The new Vista Civic Center is located at 600 Eucalyptus Avenue. Constructed by Highland Partnership, Inc. this beautiful curvilinear building is 3 story, 103,000 s.f., with space for City Council Chambers and offices, together with public spaces and offices supporting City services and Community Development. A community center with an alternate use as an emergency operations center is available for use by the public with 500 Parking spaces available.

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San Marcos is going urban after 12 years as the fastest growing north county suburban city. San Marcos approved not just a couple of blocks, but 200 acres to become the largest mixed use urban development north of the Gaslamp District. University District (UD) fully integrates residential, retail and office uses in a dense, transit oriented and walkable community. UD is located adjacent to CSUSM and a Sprinter station and south of SR 78. A free shuttle will connect all areas with three Sprinter stations, employment centers, shopping and Palomar College. A main street Lifestyle center of 500,000 sf will feature residential and office uses above retail, dining, and entertainment, and a major freeway visible corporate office area will be fully integrated into the adjacent residential/retail mixed use area. UD incorporates a future 800 student elementary school site easily walkable from most of the 2,600 multifamily homes, 4 parks interspersed throughout the residential development, paths connecting the parks to the San Marcos Creek trail system, and pedestrian bridges linking UD with surrounding neighborhoods and CSUSM. Additionally, there will be up to 800 student housing units adjacent to the campus with parking on campus only. The project exceeds the proposed LEED ND standards and individual buildings will meet or exceed LEED Silver standards. The entire community of UD is designed around a Form Based Code (FBC) standard that will allow uses to change with the market over time. The FBC designates greatly reduced parking standards and encourages cross usage of those parking spaces by different building types. Other State of the Art Transportation Demand Management (TDM) features include “Park Once” Strategies, unbundled parking costs from leases, car sharing and parking benefit districts. University District evolved from an 18 month long process involving a publicly appointed Task Force and the San Marcos Planning Department that held over a dozen public meetings and workshops. The project received strong public support and was approved unanimously by both the Planning Commission and City Council with not one citizen voice in opposition. The City of San Marcos approved not only a state of the art Smart Growth project but did so by building broad public support in the process. The City of the future in North County!

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Webcor and Valerio Dewalt Train Associates were selected to design and construct this project through an invited design competition to deliver a 226 unit housing development on the University of California San Diego’s medical campus. The $59 million development is a nine floor structure comprised of two bedroom units and amenity spaces. Through rigorous coordination and teamwork, the project will be completed, on budget, in September of 2010, a full year ahead of the original schedule. At the termination of a the future academic mall on the medical campus, the Rita Atkinson Residences act as the focal point with an implied symmetry about the mall axis. Upon arrival, this symmetry is deconstructed and forms the basis for the two “L” shaped residential wings. A green roof, designed to act as a gathering space, aligns with the mall elevation, further reinforcing the connection. A large central courtyard provides recreation area for gathering and study. Both unit types are designed to emphasize views and connection to the exterior, and utilize natural ventilation for temperature mitigation. On target to achieve a LEED Silver rating, recycled materials were used throughout the job, and kiosks have been integrated into each floor highlighting the sustainable initiatives of the project and the university at large. TEAM MEMBERS o Joe Valerio, VDTA Project Design Principal o Tom Daly, VDTA Project Architect Manager o Andy Shreck, Webcor Project Executive o John Beccaria, Webcor Project Director CLIENT REFERENCE o Mark Cunningham, Executive Director of Housing - UCSD T: 858.534.4015

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