San Diego Architectural Foundation

Our next featured guest for "Inside the Design Studio"was featured in the  Union-Tribune this morning. Roger Showley's piece, "Segal scores with big shift", provides a profile in adaptation and the serendipity of Jonathan Segal, FAIA and his latest completed project, "The Q".

It was a big weekend for celebration in San Diego - from NewSchool (see previous post) to the Neurosciences Institute for AIA San Diego's 2010 Design Awards Ceremony.

Hearty congratulations to SDAF member Mike Burnett for being named AIASD's Young Architect of the Year. In addition, FoundationForForm Architecture & Planning, Burnett's firm with partner Craig Abenilla, received one of the evening's three Divine Detail awards for MXD830, also a 2009 Orchid (for Architecture) and Community Vision Award winner.    
         
                      MXD830 by FoundationForForm Read more »

More than 100 students graduated from NewSchool of Architecture and Design (NSAD) today, the largest class in its 30-year history. Commencement exercises were held this morning at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in La Jolla.

Kicking the ceremony off was a Friday night open house at the school, showcasing the work of graduating seniors and master’s degree candidates. Read more »

The SDAF's very own Jerry Shonkwiler has a big dream for San Diego - a monument to rival the Statue of Liberty. Read more.

Jerry Shonkwiler shows on a map where he thinks a statue could go
(photo by John Lamb).

After months of design work, the proposals for the lighting of the San Diego-Coronado Bay Bridge from the three selected firms have been revealed and presented to the public on June 9th. If you missed it, you can view videos of the three proposals here.  Bridge Architect and our inaugural "Inside the Design Studio" luminary Robert Mosher attended the presentation. See San Diego Union-Tribune's account of what he had to say about the proposals here.  Which is your favorite? Let us know.

Cecil and Virginia Roper Residence by Loch Crane (ca. 1964), a.k.a. 'Cape May Modern'.

Two and a half years after submitting an application for historic designation, Greg Strangman’s home in Ocean Beach (above) was granted the rarified status. The two-year process is dramatically longer today than in years past. As the City of San Diego cuts resources, the citizenry must deal with such delays. The good news is, with Greg’s help, we are crafting an owner’s guide (through this series of posts) to designating a home. Read more »

The Chargers shared a vision for their future playing field - and our downtown on Wednesday, having released the first rendering of an “urban” stadium proposed for downtown San Diego.
  
Chargers special counsel Mark Fabiani called the proposed 10 acre site the team’s “last best option.” The 62,000-seat, $800 million venue would located near 17th Street and Imperial Avenue.

In a report filed yesterday, the San Diego Couty Grand Jury also had a few thoughts on the matter, including the following: Read more »

The Jacobs Center for Neighborhood Innovation was named the 2010 winner of the $25,000 Community Vision Award grant Wendesday night, based on the project Village at Market Creek.
  
The other finalists included Mission Hills Town Coucil, based on the project 1MIssion; and Little Italy Association, based on The Q. Clearly the decision was not an easy one, but ultimately the committee was thoroughly moved by the multicultural strength and outstanding collaborative efforts that have proved so effective in the transformation of this prominsing neighborhood.
 
Click 'read more' below for additional photos and the project description, and visit again soon for event photos and more details about the award and event!
  Read more »

A team of students from North Carolina has reimagined urban living in San Diego's East Village with their winning entry in the 2010 Urban Land Institute (ULI) Gerald D. Hines Student Urban Design Competition.
     
The winning proposal, called “Family Oriented Development/F.O.D.,” emphasizes neighborhood diversity, affordability to families of mixed incomes, and walkability. Recognizing the importance of providing housing for families within urban neighborhoods, their plan accommodates the diverse needs of families of all sizes, ages, and economic levels and incorporates many critical family-friendly elements, such as community space, connectivity, public arts, and job incubation.
   
“Cities all across the U.S. face the issue of accommodating families with children in denser neighborhoods and it’s one we need to address. This team took it on in a very brave solution,” said Jury Co-Chairman Bert Gregory, FAIA, LEED-AP, and president and chief executive officer of Mithun in Seattle.
   
The competition encouraged students to respond to the city’s goals of tripling the current downtown residential capacity to 90,000 and doubling the downtown workforce to 165,000.
     
Although there is no intention that the students' plans will be implemented as part of any development of the site, they may serve as some "out of the box" inspiration for local developers.
   
Check out the story in The San Diego Union-Tribune.
   
Check out more images of the winning proposal and the runners-up.