Di SONG AIA, LEED AP BD+C
Project Manager I / Project Architect
Di SONG is a licensed professional architect and project manager with 10 years of project management experience. She has provided design management services for small to medium sized projects in both the private and public industry. Di has managed diverse projects including civic, multi-use as part of large scale master planning project, school TIs, offices, commercials and R1,R2 ADU projects locally and internationally. She has experience delivering projects using traditional waterfall Design-Bid-Build and Agile methods as a response to tight deadlines and complex project dynamics.
Di is a positive, adaptive, energetic, target oriented problem solver who always seeks for solutions for challenges. When she works with a team, she ensures that her assigned tasks deliver efficiently on time, on target, and aligns her value to the visions of the project. She’s assisted on many medium to large sized projects: managed design, budget schedule as well as construction administration phases. She worked on projects for Shanghai, Shenzhen, Xiong’an, the City of Los Angeles, City of Santa Monica, and LA County.
University of Melbourne 2010-2013
Education
Licenses
Experiences
(10 years full time)
Professional Skills
UC Berkeley 2012. Jan- Jun
UCLA 2013-2016
Architect, New York State
LEED AP, BD+C
PMP Certificate
Pica + Sullivan Architects (6 years)
Shanghai Landscape
Architecture Design and Research Institute
Bachelor of Environment, Major in Architecture
Undergraduate Funded Exchange, Architecture
Master of Architecture
Current No: 046995
Current No:11655405-AP-BD+C
n.a.
E, A, B, TI, CUP
Mixed Use, C, City Planning, Civic
n.a.
School, Church, Office, Library, Lounge, Classrooms, School Yard, Gym,Multi purpose Hall, Maker Space, STEAM
Master Plan, Competition, Schematic Design, DD,CD, Park, City Block, Commercial
Royal Construction Office Construction Experience, PM HD Home Materials Company R1 R2 ADU, interior, warehouse family business
Software: CAD, Revit, SU, Rhino, Grasshopper, Vray, Rendering Machine, Microsoft Offices, Adobe PS, AI, ID, PR, Primavera, Bluebeam
Soft: Code Research, familiarity with CBC, ADA, County and City Requirements (green building, landscape ordinance, protection zone, parking, health/kitchen. LID, fire) E-Plan Check System (project dox, citizen platform), adaptive and responsive coordination
Certificate UHI, UCLA City Lab 2014-2015 https://www.citylab.ucla.edu/people-uhi Business English Certificate Current
Publications Urban China bilingual publication on urban issue (issue 72), 2015, Oct Volunteer Project Management Institute (PMI) – Marketing team: targeted campaigned, annual event
-Conduct individual code research ( test fit ) feasibility study
-Participate in needs assessment , Charette, Programming with clients / stakeholders
-Mater plan project, develop phasing options
-Schematic Design sign off with cost estimate review ( design base on client requests, site contexts, and aesthetic), involves early coordination with civil and landscape
-DD with building system concepts, building material research, coordinating with MEP, material vendors
Key Skills
Duties
Internship
-CD, Plan Check submission, coordination with plan checkers
-bid/ budget review with GC/clients, negotiate scope/ phasing when needed
-CA, submittal reviews, construction meetings, punch walk
-BD, client relationship, generate materials requested by clients in assisting the success of the project
-All above jobs require active coordination with consultant teams ( Structural, Landscape, Soils, Civil, Shoring, Lighting, MEP, Hardware consultant, Furniture), internal team, client and local authorities (fire, county, city)
-Knowledge about who to dispatch the work to, and next step in order to push project -resilient work ethic
Di worked as Usher at UCLA Royce Hall 2013-2014, Teacher at New Oriental School 2013 Nanjing, Architectural Intern at DC alliance 2012 Shanghai, Gruen Associates 2016 Los Angeles, when she was at school prior to 2016.
Pica + Sullivan Architects, current 2019. Jan-2020. April , Visa Break, 2021.Nov-2025 Current Finished Project List- TI -Classrooms, Library, Reception, Gym, Chemistry, STEAM, Robotics, Ceramics, ADA upgrade Pica+Sullivan Architects is a family owned boutique firm with a team of (7) home team players including the two (2) founding principals. Everyone wears different hats at the same time, managing their own projects with various tasks, and becoming a supporting specialist when forming a bigger project team. During Di’s six years of duty here, she grew to an architect that frontendsmultiple stakeholders, assisting the success of a project with streamlined coordination from feasibility/phasing through SD to CA.
Santa Monica Preparatory Basement TI and exterior grading shoring and retaining wall - E GC: Heydorff Construction Service 2 mil 9000sf interior+1200sf exterior 2024 May – 2025 Aug
Scope of work includes repairing the entire water damaged basement, bringing existing non code conformance space up to code with an emphasis on providing ADA accessibility and path of travel, ie: ADA lift, appropriate grading, ADA bathrooms. The unique challenge of this project is to define owner scope of work from insurance scope of work.
Di worked closely with teams of clients, engineers, GCs, local authorities to develop plans, specifications, images, ensuring that project meets client needs and local regulations.
Key responsibilities is not limited to create/develop designs, coordinate between design teams, (ie: MEP structural , civil, shoring, soils, lighting, hardware engineers), collaborate with clients, (ie: principals, head of schools, teachers, school hired PM), making sure design requests are plugged into design, review with local authority, (ie: city plan checkers), review bid, answer RFI, but also conduct submittal/ change order reviews during construction administration to deliver controlled quality product within pre-planned budget .
Reference:
Tom Zanic St. Monica Parish Consultant St. Monica Church tomzanic@outlook.com
Rudolf Melikoff Senior Plan Check Engineer City of Santa Monica Rudolf.Melikoff@santamonica.gov
Devlin Thomas SE, Project Manager (S) kpff Devlin.Thomas@kpff.com
Penn Chan PE, Senior PM (MEP) Lam+Tee Engineering pchan@lamteaeng.com
St. Paul’s Apostle School - Science Classroom/ Church/ Yard Remodel – Education - Private
GC: Vancrest Construction Corp
Scope: Remodel of science classrooms out of an existing 2 story reinforced concrete building to cope with modern teaching style, lighting upgrades at courtyard space, remodel of church space
Reference:
Alex Villeda Project Manager Vancrest Construction Corp alex@vancrestconstruction
Mayora Hiney Business Manager St. Paul the Apostle Catholic School mhiney@sp-apostle.org
Margaret Pett Principal (Furniture) Info-Com Business Products margaret@infocombp.com
Buddha’s Light Hsi Lai School, Convert from Grocery to After school –
St. Mary’s Academy - Lunch Area/Library/Reception/Maker Space – Education- Private GC: Vancrest Construction Corp 20000sf interior and exterior
June – 2020 June
St. Monica Church Capital Campaign – Duval Bathroom Remodel – Commercial - Private GC: Heydorff Construction Service 800sf interior 2024 Jan – 2024 June
St. Monica High School East First Floor Remodel – Education- Entire First Floor TI – E - Private GC: Heydorff Construction Service 9000sf interior 2024 May – 2024 Sep
Scope: Bring existing classrooms, corridors, teacher’s lounge, bathroom up to code
Reference:
Felipe Sanchez PM, Director of Administration St. Monica Catholic Community felipe@stmonica.net
Kris Sandheinrich Principal KGM Architectural Lighting ksand@kgmlighting.com
Wassana Srisarint Principal Finish Hardware Technology wassana.s@finishhardwaretech.com
Pica + Sullivan Architects, current 2019. Jan-2020. April , Visa Break, 2021.Nov-2025 Current (Buildings) Project List
Master Planning, Phasing, Business Development Projects, SD,DD,CD,CA
For low risk/ small scale ( 1 million dollar TI) projects, Di works under direct supervision of founding principal Maureen Sullivan, working on all phases of services from defining project scope, conducting needs assessment with teachers, proposing schematic design options, developing DD,CD drawings, reviewing bids, getting plan check approval, assisting GC/client on obtaining RTI, to reviewing submittals, RFIs during constructions. She works closely with clients, client hired consultants( soils engineer, surveyor, PM), engineer teams( MEP, structural, civil, shoring, lighting, landscape, furniture) to make sure design intent is well coordinated and align final product to clients’ need. She works with city officials and departmental reviewers to streamline permit applications, and brings design up to codes. During construction, she ensures the project adheres to budgets, schedule and quality of pre-planned design.
For larger scale new build projects( X million dollar new buildings), under supervision of Joe Pica, Di specializes in feasibility study, schematic design, master planning, pushing SD approval, setting project tone collaborating with client, planning attorney, surveyors, landscape and civil engineers. During DD CD back check phase, she works with job captains/PM, coordinating with lighting, furniture, hardware, MEP consultants, making sure that interior/landscape portion of the project aligns with the rest of the project objectives. Down to paper, this involves housekeeping door/window/finish schedules, RCP, power plan, interior elevations, relevant details, lighting schedules and related specs
Clairbourn School Middel School Building – Education - Private
Lead Designer Entitlement SD DD 9 mil 9000sf building+2400sf grading 2023 Oct – 2025 Aug
Clairbourn school project is a traditional waterfall design-bid-build project It is a new 9000sf single slab on grade building that has six classrooms served by a double loaded corridor, each accessible by outdoor teaching space, replacing an existing classroom building and a single family residence on street dedications The entire campus sits on a R-1 land with an existing 1977 CUP and variance with specific parking, setbacks, building height requirements. The proposed new design is approved under an entitlement respecting this CUP
As the lead designer of this project, Di closely works with client, land use attorney, surveyor, consultants and cost estimator, pushing this project from initial feasibility study to DD approval with clear targets in mind. Her major milestones/achievements include:
-test fit design -provide schematic design options (client requested colonial style architecture) -review cost estimate -sign off schematic design -coordinate with land use attorney for county entitlement approval -conduct building material research – include MEP system selection in DD phase -DD sign off
She makes sure that client requirements are reflected in design deliverables and makes sure that the product is up to local code, and within client’s budget with consideration of current escalation rate in today’s construction industry climate. While the project was affected by the potential of losing donors due to the Eaton fire, she participated in the negotiations on revisiting the scope and phasing of the project. This project went through CD, and is seeing construction fall 2025.
Reference:
Edward
Rojas, AICP Assistant Deputy Director LA County erojas@planning.lacounty.gov
Amy Patzlaff Head of School Clairbourn School apatzlaff@clairbourn.org
Ofer Shapira Principal Ofer Surveying & Drafting Services, Inc. ofer@surveyinganddrafting.com
Incarnation
Lead
St. Matthew’s Parish Hall Building – Assembly/business/Mix
Lead Designer through SD - mil Non build,
The John Thomas Dye School – Master Planning – New Building - Education - Private Support team member
18200sf building+2400sf
–
Di worked on Incarnation Church project during early stage when clients and project teams are still testing feasibility of the project with city authorities, trying various mastering planning strategies, phasing projects carefully with narratives. Di assists on the success of formation of this project by generating eye catching master plans and schematic renderings that excites the parish and helps the team to brand/story telling the project successfully during campaign. Now this project went through entitlement and is in CD phase.
Reference:
Scot Oehlbert Principal Pica +Sullivan Architects scot@picasullivan.com
Michael Morgan Parish Manager Incarnation Catholic Church mmorgan@incaglendale.org
Curtis School New STEAM Building – Education - Private Support team member
Reference: Social media Curtis website
12 mil Three story steel frame building 2022 May – 2025 Apr
https://curtisthinkforward.org/stories/first-blog-post-2/
Shanghai Landscape-Architecture Design and Research Institute Co. Ltd. (SLAD)
Civic / Multi Use /Commercial/ Office / Recreational /Hospitality 2020 August-2021 October (Buildings) Project List Master Planning, Schematic Design, Competition, Bidding, Construction Manager
SLAD is a state owned design institute in China specializing in master planning and landscape architecture. Di worked as associate architect leading the architectural design aspects of several buildings from the master plan of Xiong’an project, each single building at about 4000sqft. These single buildings serve as accent or place of interest blending into the landscape, hence each has its unique challenges and site constrains.
Multiple Accent Buildings as part of the City Developments of Xiong’an New District,China
Lead Designer 30 mil 4000sf building x 5 =20,000sf 2020 Aug – 2021 Oct
Reference:
Chen Fan Studio Director SLAD
Wei Shi Studio Director SLAD
15000774250
13916387996
City Developments of Xinhai District, Taizhou, China, Multi Use/Civic/ Commercial Lead Designer Bid/competition City block development 2020 Aug – 2021 Oct
Straumann’s China office and factory, China, Office/ Commercial - Fast track Design Manager -CA phase built 9000sf office TI 2020 Aug – 2021 Oct
2021, Straumann launched their China factory project and was building offices in Shanghai. Di worked as design manager in a construction management company oversees the construction of Straumann’s shanghai office. Due to China speed, the entire 9000sqft office was built in 2 months from scratch. GC team lived on site on a different floor. Di participated the construction daily by reviewing issues, coordinating between clients, GC and LDI, solving problems on site24/7 in a timely manner. During which time, Di also managed the factory plan check by coordinating with client from Germany , local design institute who prepared the drawings and specs, and interviewing local vendors, making sure that China provided the proper equipment, building systems, securities, and space per Straumann’s requirements and standards.
Reference:
Manuel Scherfer PM Company Representative Royal Construction Manuel.scherfer@royal-construction.cn
HD Home Materials Company
Residential
HD delivers quality service for high end custom home: home decor& design solutions. Di oversees this dba. by managing business and employees/ BD/ marketings/ customer service/ warehouses/ managing billing/ invoices/ PO/ SO/ will calls.
Di has years of experiences working with some renowned residential architects and interior designers in Southern California. Project location varies from Brentwood, Bradburry, to Bridgehampton, NY. Di also worked on single family home ADU projects ( garage convert to ADU) in 2017, and had got planning approval
Reference:
Maged Soliman Department Reviewer, PE