Project Manager
Portfolio
Occidental
Occidental College Weingart Video Production Classroom
Occidental College Fowler Lecture Hall
Diamond Bar High School Band Building
UFCW Union Office
Kailua Residence
Playa del Rey Residence
Hermosa Beach Residence
RNLA Affordable Housing
The Center for Student Success & Excellence is a peer-to-peer learning environment that provides welcoming, adaptive study spaces to accommodate all learners and educators. Occidental approached us about adding additional classrooms that can support multiple functions for three separate departments. We identified the ground floor of Clapp Library as underutilized. It was not seen as a desirable space for students or educators to use for their studies. Two classrooms, support spaces, and restrooms were completed in 2022, supporting multiple organizational configurations through strategically positioned audiovisual components and electrical power, movable furniture, and zone lighting.
We were soon tasked to renovate the entire ground floor of Clapp Library. With separate departments already collaborating on the same floor, we wanted to establish a communal hub in this central and historic building on campus. The spaces are organized like a village, with “streets” that provide direct and clear access to each part of the Center. These streets are designed to lead users into gathering spaces with views to the outdoors. The Center includes multi-purpose spaces, up-to-date classrooms, offices, testing rooms, and creative writing areas. With future flexibility in mind, the HVAC system was completely updated with the new classrooms, with ducting crossing through the classrooms, to condition Occidental’s new communal hub.
Los Angeles, CA / Higher Education / Completed / West Edge Architects
The Media Arts & Culture department needed a new video production classroom equipped with state-of-the-art professional video production equipment seamlessly integrated. Collaborating with Occidental’s Associate Director of Facilities and Construction, West Edge Architects identified two classrooms with the potential to merge into one larger, multifunctional space. We reinforced the existing ridge beam and demolished the dividing wall below. The new space was designed to function both as a traditional classroom and as a credible film production studio. Working closely with faculty members and the Information Technology department, we developed a comprehensive list of studio requirements.
The faculty requested black-out and perforated shades, a custom blackout curtain track shelf to minimize light leakage, a green screen wall and cove, adaptable room lighting, specialized studio lighting, room-scale VR, flexible power outlet locations, and rollable, stackable furniture for efficient storage. This was in addition to mechanical and electrical coordination and delivery. The result was a stark, utilitarian, hyper-customized ceiling grid that expressed the pitch of the roof and housed many of the required components, allowing flexibility in their location within the grid.
Los Angeles, CA / Higher Education / Completed / West Edge Architects
West Edge Architects’ relationship with Occidental College began when they expressed their need to renovate their outdated lecture hall. The existing lecture hall featured ample natural lighting and beautiful stepped, wooden floors. But a large soffit on the corridor side provided a challenge. Instead of trying to hide this feature, we dressed the face of the soffit with our most elaborate acoustic panel design, letting the face be a platform to highlight our acoustical treatment.
The warmth of the refinished wooden floors is accentuated by the warm textiles for seating and fabric for acoustic panels. We developed the blue color palette primarily to accentuate the natural lighting. It also complements the warm colors and helps isolate and minimize the mass of the existing soffit. Motorized sunscreens and black out shades can be used to cover the windows as needed. Combined with updated audiovisual equipment and lighting, the new lecture hall can support multiple presentation protocols, plus recording, broadcasting, and participation from remote locations in classroom discussions.
KEYNOTES
KEYNOTES
7.01ACOUSTICAL PANEL JOINT
7.01ACOUSTICAL PANEL JOINT
7.02MOTORIZED PERFORATED AND BLACKOUT SHADES ON A TWO ROLLER SYSTEM. (TYP FOR FOUR WINDOWS).
7.02MOTORIZED PERFORATED AND BLACKOUT ON A TWO ROLLER SYSTEM. (TYP FOR FOUR WINDOWS).
7.03FABRIC WRAPPED ACOUSTICAL PANEL MOUNTED TO FINISH DRYWALL (FWAP).
7.03FABRIC WRAPPED ACOUSTICAL PANEL MOUNTED TO FINISH DRYWALL (FWAP).
7.04HANDRAIL.
7.04HANDRAIL.
7.061.5" X 3" FINSIHED WOOD TRIM. FWT
7.061.5" X 3" FINSIHED WOOD TRIM. FWT
7.07NOT USED
7.07NOT USED
7.08(N) PROJECTOR ON (N) MOUNT.
7.08(N) PROJECTOR ON (N) MOUNT.
7.09INVISIBLE JOINT AT NEW DRYWALL FURRING.
7.09INVISIBLE JOINT AT NEW DRYWALL FURRING.
7.10WALL MOUNTED SPEAKER.
7.10WALL MOUNTED SPEAKER.
7.11FINSIHED PANEL FP-1 OR FP-2.
7.11FINSIHED PANEL FP-1 OR FP-2.
7.12DRYWALL AND METAL STUD "EYEBROW" WITH RECESSED PROJECTION SCREEN.
7.12DRYWALL AND METAL STUD "EYEBROW" WITH RECESSED PROJECTION SCREEN.
7.13VERTICAL SLIDING MARKER BOARD (TWO SLIDING PANELS OVER FIXED BACKGROUND).
7.13VERTICAL SLIDING MARKER BOARD (TWO SLIDING PANELS OVER FIXED BACKGROUND).
7.15(E) WALL PLANE.
7.15(E) WALL PLANE.
7.16(E) DRYWALL SOFFIT.
7.16(E) DRYWALL SOFFIT.
7.17(E) DOOR WITH PANIC BAR EXIT DEVICE.
7.17(E) DOOR WITH PANIC BAR EXIT DEVICE.
7.20WALL MOUNTED SERVER CABINET.
7.20WALL MOUNTED SERVER CABINET.
7.21WINDOW EXTENDS ABOVE LEVEL OF FINISHED CEILING (TYP.FOR 4)
7.22WALL MOUNTED, MOTORIZED SHADE ASSEMBLY.
Diamond Bar, CA / K-12 Education / Completed / HMC Architects
The Band Building is a $9 million, 3-story, 15,000 square foot steel structure designed for Diamond Bar High School’s Grammy award-winning music program. Positioned strategically at the front of the school and nestled along a steep slope, its architectural presence is defined by a masonry veneered plinth that emerges from the surrounding blacktop basketball courts. A continuous ribbon window accentuates the transition between the plinth and the main structure, supporting a substantial corrugated metal volume above. This design element serves to alleviate the visual weight of the building, harmonizing its scale with the surrounding environment.
The primary building is a large, metal volume that houses the band and orchestra rooms. The band room accommodates 125 musicians and anchors the orchestra room above. Adjacent practice rooms and storage facilities are complemented by a small lobby entry, a dedicated piano and harp practice room, restrooms, and additional storage on the upper level. A smaller cluster of volumes housing essential support spaces is connected to the primary building. This arrangement optimizes space utilization while providing convenient access to both public and private areas.
Los Angeles, CA / Higher Education / Completed / West Edge Architects
West Edge Architects led a unified effort for a Needs Assessment study for West Los Angeles College. The task was to evaluate several factors influencing the growth potential of the campus, which included population growth of the college, changes in technology, and the economic cycle of community college enrollment. Next was to determine what each college department was offering and assess their capacity compared to the growth potential.
Departments that demonstrated above average growth rate were the focus of a programming effort. This effort to assess current conditions of the spaces available included reallocating resources, determining spaces that needed renovation, or calculating the amount of new spaces that were needed. These needs were addressed in a master planning effort that organized existing, renovated, and potential new buildings in a logical way that considered student intensive spaces and student traffic. We developed preliminary designs for new construction serving high growth rate departments, taking into account the needs of the user groups within those departments.
VEHICULAR
VEHICULAR
Los Angeles, CA / Higher Education / Completed / West Edge Architects
West Edge Architects was tasked to update Master Plans for the three Los Angeles Community College District (LACCD) campuses. Mission, Pierce, and Valley Colleges vary in size and character; all were required to integrate a number of District-wide initiatives currently underway. Most importantly, LACCD initiated a concerted effort to reduce excess space and improve utilization rates for instructional, administrative and student services spaces, to be more in-line with the California Community College Board of Governors standards. This has required an overall reduction of building areas and a reprioritization of planned projects, with an emphasis on the replacement of those in need of significant maintenance and modernization. As a consequence, buildings are now planned for shared use by multiple departments, a departure from long established practices across all campuses and a significant cultural shift. District-wide initiatives included storm water management, accessibility, signage and wayfinding, and security/safety.
The Vision Plan for LAVC has 25 sections that included existing space analysis, existing site infrastructure analysis, security and safety assessment, facilities master plan, circulation pattern analysis, landscape master plan, project/plan cost estimates, and design guidelines. We worked with all campus stakeholders to evaluate how successful prior Master Plans had been, and identify opportunities to extend, modify or adjust those plans to accommodate current conditions without undermining any of the principles previously established.
Los Angeles, CA / Workspace / Completed / West Edge Architects
The UFCW Union Office presented a unique design problem. The union needed this space for two distinct purposes: first as an everyday office space to be used by employees of the union and second as a congregation space for its members and city officials to facilitate public events with the community. The design solution was to develop a hierarchy of spaces in terms of size and flexibility. The private offices are smaller and static. The open office allows for employee meetings and conferences. The multipurpose space is large and dynamic, accommodating parties for dozens of city officials as well as large meetings with constituents by rearranging movable furniture.
The existing building had previously been used as a hardware store. It is constructed of brick masonry walls, steel sash windows, and a wooded bow-truss roof. We sandblasted the walls to strip off the paint to reveal the beautiful texture of the exposed brick. We chose the colors specifically to bounce off the warm brick. Its heating system comprised of two inefficient gas heaters suspended from the roof and there was no air conditioning system. These issues were solved by providing a mechanical tower that housed new heating and cooling units. The exposed mechanical elements outside the tower reinforce the spatial organization, with ducts that meander through the trusses as zones are separated by interior partitions which extend to the underside of the bottom chord.
Kailua, HI / High End Residential / In Progress / West Edge Architects
Our client approached West Edge Architects about a beachside residence in Hawaii after a spiritual awakening. He identified and purchased a 15,000 square foot, 475 foot long rectangular site where he could house his family, friends, and clients for extended periods of time for spiritual retreats. The program demanded 9 bedrooms, the maximum number allowed, as well as a variety of living spaces, all within Hawaii’s stringent building code restrictions.
The residence is organized around the garden that serves as the central element of the design to break up the impact of massing. The garden stretches from the street to the sand dunes marking the start of the beach. With material consistency from outdoor to indoor spaces, the garden integrates itself on the ground floor experience. Paving stones from outdoor walkways extend into parts of the pavilion floors, while greenery seamlessly transitions into the interior. The interior spaces are organized as a series of four pavilions on two stories spaced apart by the garden. The pavilions are linked by a gallery breezeway. Structurally, pavilions are supported only at their center, allowing for fully open corners and supporting the series of lanais that blend harmoniously with the garden.
Playa del Rey, CA / High End Residential / Completed / West Edge Architects
The Playa del Rey Residence re-imagines the possibilities of vertical space within a dwelling to suit the needs of the client, who stands at 6’-6”, and his son, who is 6’-8” tall. The existing first floor is built on top of stepped retaining walls. We removed the top retaining wall, allowing us to lower the front living area while maintaining the height of the private bedrooms to the back, resulting in a taller first-floor living space without modifying the height of the second floor.
On the second floor, the existing roof is replaced with a curved roof that draws the eyes up and introduces clerestory windows. These windows visually extend the vertical space upwards. The new roof also offers unobstructed views of the shore from the master bedroom. The curved motif is echoed in the southern curved wall, which serves as a guiding element leading visitors toward the entrance door. The height of the curved wall, accentuated by the textured imprint of its boardform concrete, serves as a visual reminder of the various vertical dimensions of the house.
Hermosa Beach, CA / Residential / Completed / West Edge Architects
The Hermosa Beach Residence is a stylish, yet understated renovation project tailored for a young couple. This Hermosa Beach row house boasts a charming, vaulted ceiling that spans the length of the second floor that captured the clients’ admiration. To highlight this feature, we chose to expose the wood trusses by opening up the second floor ceiling and rerouting the ducting above the first floor ceiling.
Given the linear layout of the house, our goal was to maintain a simple and straight circulation flow. Achieving this required repositioning a wall beneath an existing skylight. Rather than eliminating the skylight entirely, we opted for folded glass transom windows. This innovative solution allows natural light from the skylights to permeate both sides of the new wall while preserving acoustic privacy between spaces.
Los Angeles, CA / Affordable Housing / Completed / Lehrer Architects
RNLA is a nonprofit affordable housing developer that creates new affordable homeownership opportunities for formerly unhoused individuals. The prototypes are urban infill projects that are designed to be relatively low-cost while providing the amenities and spatial qualities that meet the needs of all individuals. There are three prototypes in total, each manipulating light and shadow, scale and proportion, and dramatic viewpoints to offer generously day-lit spaces, seamless indoor-outdoor living, high ceilings, and openness that evoke a sense of comfort.
Located in South Los Angeles, it was important for the team to preserve the openness and the strong connection to the existing neighborhood. Street-oriented open spaces, inviting pathways, vibrant colors, and abundant street-facing openings reflect an optimistic approach to each house’s surroundings.
San Francisco, CA / Cultural / Academic / California College of the Arts
The Invisible Fields Research Center examines the phenomena of electromagnetic waves, focusing on radio waves in particular, as they are transmitted through our built and natural landscapes. Over-theair transmission is an invisible but embedded phenomenon in our cultural fabric. The research center’s objective is for the residents of the city to understand how radio waves function within the context of their everyday lives.
Spaces are organized into Exhibition, Research, and Interference categories. Exhibition takes the form of a large, open space for museum exhibitions explaining the phenomena, the infrastructure, and the technology of radio waves. Research is focused on field experts examining radio wave data with visitors using hands-on activities and experiments. Interference is a mixing space between active research and public exhibition allowing for casual exchange between expert researchers and curious visitors.
Owens Valley, CA / Community / Academic / California College of the Arts
The toxic dust storms of Owens Lake, the direct byproduct of its rapid desiccation by the Los Angeles Aqueduct, have created an opportunity for the development of a testbed for dystopian living. DustLab Cooperative, taking a critical stance against engineering heavy-handed interventions to reverse what is now the natural condition of the site, finds opportunities in this new environment.
My intervention seeks to amplify and concentrate the dust storms and celebrate its inherent dystopia by creating dust-conditioned spaces that are shaped by the wind. The use of inflatables as an architectural tool creates the perfect canvas for the dust to condition the space inside. These spaces become independent variables in this experiment where inhabitants must confront the fears and risks of the site, but also its haunting beauty.
