This year, LPA chose to participate in Project Playhouse –an annual fundraiser for HomeAid Orange County in which teams design and build decadent playhouses that are auctioned off with the proceeds benefitting the homeless in Southern California.
A panel of jurors examined the playhouses, there are seven total, and designated awards accordingly. What awards did our Ocean Adventure Lab take home? Plenty.
- Best Modern Design
- Best Team Spirit & Community Outreach
And drum roll please, the People’s Choice Award –the only award selected outside of the jury panel, determined by votes.
“The people chose green. How cool is that?” asks Keith Hempel, an LPA architect who was part of the team that designed the Ocean Adventure Lab. “Each of the entries are put together with a lot of thought, care and detail, and the community made it a point to highlight a playhouse with a message and an educational purpose.”
The Ocean Adventure Lab is 100 percent about learning and having fun. Children are active participants in getting to know more about the ocean and clean water, sustainable building strategies and materials, and even, contemporary architectural design.
The lab stands out amongst the other six entries. Sustainably designed facilities tend to do that. Letting nature guide the organic design process produces fresh and timeless architecture –or what we like to call, true regionalism.
The Ocean Adventure Lab was created in partnership with Turner Construction, ProRepro and Tangram Interiors. LPA performed the architectural design, engineering, interior design, and landscape design for the net zero playhouse.
A huge thank you is expressed to the additional contributors, who generously donated everything from the landscape to the photovoltaic panels to the playhouses’ website:
Acro Energy, AZ Metal Manufacturing, Bravo Sign and Design, California New Craft Products, Inc., California Sheet Metal Works, Darco Engineering, DMA Greencare Contracting, Inc., EJ Growers, Eppink Of California, Inc., Frankly Made, Inc., Fuscoe Engineering, Inc., Giroux Glass, Inc., Golden State Framers, Green Metal USA, llc., John Jory Corporation, Laird Plastics, Laminate Creations by Hand, Lawrence B. Bonas Co., Morrow-Meadows Corporation, Murray Company Mechanical Contractors, Ocean Institute, Ortco, Inc., Performance Lighting Systems / Bruck Lighting, Plant's Choice Inc., Preferred And Associates, Prudential Lighting Products / MP Lighting, Rountree Glass, S & R Metals Inc., Saddleback Waterproofing, Southwest Boulder & Stone, Tangram Studio, Trex Company, Type Studios, USGBC Orange County, Villa Root Barrier, Walter Pouchot, and W.H. Steele Co., Inc.
For a complete list of sustainable features or to learn more about Project Playhouse, please visit the Ocean Adventure Lab’s own personal site at OurProjectPlayhouse.com.
Having grown up my entire life in Southern California, I find it refreshing whenever I visit a city that makes it easy to get around without the use of an automobile. Among the list of such major U.S. cities, Chicago definitely ranks at the top. With a dense network of light rail and bus routes, the Chicago Transit Authority operates one of the largest, most popular, and most efficient public transportation systems in the country. And after spending 10 days in the city, I would also definitely rank it among the best in the world.
While buses make up a sizeable majority of the CTA system, connecting users across a wider area of neighborhoods, it was the light rail service, or The 'L' that impressed me the most during my stay. With more than 100 miles of track through eight lines radiating from the dense city core to numerous outlying suburbs, The 'L' has clearly been a driving force that's helped shape Chicago's densely built-up urban center and yield an urban density and vitality that is among the best in the world. It is a fantastic city amenity that provides a solid, reliable alternative to driving, serving many top destinations and sites. I discovered this immediately upon arrival when I took the Blue Line from O'Hare International Airport to a stop less than a mile away from my friend's apartment. Had I flown into Chicago's other airport, Midway, I would have found the Orange line at my disposal. In addition, throughout my time in the city, I made frequent use of The 'L' to visit a variety of places of interest, as far west as Frank Lloyd Wright-made-famous Oak Park to Wrigleyville to the north and the University of Chicago and Museum of Science and Industry to the south. The 'L's convergence at The Loop--essentially Chicago's downtown core--also enabled me to quickly and conveniently reach many destinations within and around the city core and enjoy a unique, elevated view of the urban fabric, above the streets but between the canyons of towering skyscrapers on either side.
While all of this is definitely convenient for a tourist, statistics on light rail use also show that The 'L' is indeed a true, often-used amenity for Chicago residents. Over 1.5 million riders take the rails every week, a figure that has steadily increased over recent years, undoubtedly spurred by increased attention toward the practical and green urban benefits of light rail. The 'L' is one of the few U.S. systems that offers 24hr service on at least some of its lines (in this case, the Red and Blue lines), and the use and extent of the system rank second in the country only behind New York City. In 2005, local residents even voted it one of the Seven Wonders of Chicago. Clearly, Chicagoans consider it an indispensable part of their daily lives.
Furthermore, its spoke-hub distribution layout inherently promotes the urban density that leads to a more efficient and sustainable community. There's a very clear correlation between the density of 'L lines and the density of city development. The recent trends of increasing ridership also relate to recent trends of urban neighborhood revitalization: the North Side, which saw a prominent building boom before the downturn in the economy, also saw an increase in riders during the same time. 
Shifts in ridership increases toward lines to the south parallel growing construction activity in the same area. And it's pretty obvious why this occurs: offering public transportation within quick access of where people live and work is a priceless commodity of exceeding convenience. And The 'L' does exactly that.
Of course, it took time to get here. The first 'L' train began operation well over 100 years ago, way back in 1892. Like other great, international cities that offer such amenities, it has taken Chicago's light rail system decades of planning and expansion to form such a useful and catalyzing network of public transportation. But the results speak clearly: compared to other cities that lacked such foresight and still struggle to revitalize their city cores, Chicago has a bustling downtown, an invigorating urban density, and a certain energy about it that speaks of its centralized development over the years. And the Chicago Transit Authority continues explore new routes and extensions in order to keep up with the demands of the future.
I firmly believe Chicago's growth has been tied to the proliferation of its public transportation system. Its yielded rewards today are the result of years of investment. Hopefully, in today's increasingly sustainability-minded society, other cities will adopt this same type of thinking to attain the same type of result.
Albert Lam is a Technical Designer at California-based LPA Inc. He is a LEED accredited professional who specializes in the design and implementation of K-12 schools.
Note from Editor-in-Chief, Dan Heinfeld: Recently, this article was printed as a “Trends in Green” column for College Planning and Management magazine. It’s simply too good not to repost for you, our loyal supports. May you enjoy.
Trends in Green: Green Designed Environments Work Harder and Smarter
By Glenn Carels, AIA, LEED AP
As humans, our love affair with nature is centuries old. People are attracted to places they have a connection. Sustainable design or ‘good design’ as we call it, teaches a very essential thing –spaces are better when they are in balance with nature. The truth is this organic kind of design approach surpasses higher test scores, and healthy indoor environments. Architecture that stimulates senses invites all visitors to stay. Really good design –or green design—is a strategy for growth.
DESIGN MATTERS
Green designed facilities can and should create measurable value for your campus. Increased enrollment, easier recruitment –where the finest instructors now come to you, and higher rates of retention –students stay on campus longer which keeps revenue onsite as well. We have a client in Ontario, Calif. that experienced all of the above, within one year. It’s simple economics and it’s beyond creating a wonderful built environment. If your facility doesn’t produce a financial advantage, then the mark has been missed.
The general public still looks at sustainable design as list of bullet points, a scorecard per say. And what’s at the top of the list? PV panels (also referred to as photovoltaic panels). And those cost money because in essence, you’re purchasing decades of power upfront. So, to the public, green design means PV on your roof, which costs more. The important thing to understand about this misconception is that it’s really not about the PV; it’s about what’s holding up the PV and that’s your building. How has your building been orientated? How have your site’s natural gifts been incorporated, from sun, wind, and water? How efficient are your systems and fixtures when it comes to energy and water efficiency? A lot of this is just good design and none of it should cost more.
“Study nature, love nature, stay close to nature. It will never fail you,” said Frank Lloyd Wright. What he describes in a nut shell, is an organic-based design process. Not that all surfaces have to be made of natural materials or that every wall needs to be curved or mushroom-shaped, or things like that. But it’s about the senses and architecture that stimulates these senses. Decades ago, we started sealing up our buildings, putting reflective glass on them and pumping conditioned air in. This started to dull our senses and indoors and outdoors became vastly different. There is something wonderful and empowering about being in nature. You feel alive when all of your senses are stimulated.
UNCOMMON SENSE
Want to know how to get students to invest their time and money in your campus over the next several years? Provide more than great programs and resources. Provide an environment that connects with them on an emotional and sensory level.
Architecture should never require a special understanding to “get it,” because it deals with reactions we experience as a result of our humanness. When we meet with students that have occupied our spaces the thing that is very surprising is that they appreciate the “feeling” of the space over individual design elements. They often have difficulty articulating what it is that evokes that feeling, but for us, that’s the greatest compliment. It’s a similar response to what is evoked from nature. When one walks up to the Grand Canyon, yes, it’s naturally beautiful but if I asked you to tell me why it’s beautiful, it may be difficult to communicate with one word –and that’s the essence of great design.
REAL SIMPLE RESULTS
The higher education experience has always been characterized by openness and opportunity; it represents a gateway to a better life and the physical environment of a campus should reflect that. In a time where institutions are shutting down or reducing the amount of hours facilities are available to students –thereby decreasing availability and openness—we look to good design for fresh and creative ideas.
A practical solution, is the merging of indoor and outdoor spaces. From a planning perspective, we get flexibility. From a maintenance perspective, it means less interior space that needs conditioned air. And from a financial perspective, less conditioned air means energy savings for budgets that are already stretched thin. Sustainable design is more than that score card addressed earlier; it finds ways to do the simple things better while again, yielding measurable very tangible results.
When students use words like “inspiring” and “intriguing,” to describe their sensory experiences to our built environments, then we know we’ve done a good job. For them to feel welcome, at home, and inspired as a learner is the ultimate success for a higher education architect, engineer, interior designer or landscape architect.
Glenn Carels is a Design Principal at California-based LPA Inc. As the California State University system moves toward greener campuses, Carels has played a critical role in the implementation of their sustainability guidelines and initiatives. During his 25-year career, he’s garnered 37 AIA awards for his sustainable design work.
By Guest Blogger Jim Wirick, AIA, LEED AP
In 1961, Santa Fe Springs was on the rural outskirts of Los Angeles. It was a land of oil wells, citrus groves, and dreams. In a stroke of wonder, the City was able to attract a Los Angeles architect to the town to design a civic center that would stand the test of time.
William Pereira did so as he would do for so many upstart and young cities in Southern California. The center would pay homage to Wright’s textile block and Hollyhock House, with a neo-Aztec frieze wrapping around the fascia. Pereira would become better known for his master plan of UC Irvine and the Transamerica Tower in San Francisco. Both his civic center and the City of Santa Fe Springs would age well but age nonetheless.
In 2007, the City of Santa Fe Springs hired LPA to renovate the library. Everything had changed from 1961: technology, energy efficiency, demographics. While the City was unsuccessful in obtaining Library Grant Funds from the state in 2004, they were determined to give their citizens a better tool for learning. There were, however, a few constraints.
We could not add square footage.
We could not change the exterior.
We could not go over the budget.
And since the majority of the City Council had gone to the library as children and teens, we needed to ‘weave the new with the familiar’ in order to have their blessing, and their votes.
Not a problem. LPA’s expert library design team of Rick D’Amato and Chris Lentz had done this before.
While Chris addressed the functional needs in a beautiful way, Rick brought visual excitement to the space using contrasting colored free form elements that announce the library’s functions inside with similar forms at the outside reading gardens. The exterior gardens expand the programmable space for reading programs, poetry sessions, gatherings, and receptions.
Wendy Crenshaw, with Mario Hernandez, Rene’ Cruz, and Angela Chiang corralled all the information into the documents and, with an assist from Craig Shulman, was able to deliver the project on time and on budget. The contractor was Erickson Hall. Jill Kramer oversaw the furniture implementation, adding the final LPA touch.
Meanwhile, Gus Puertas and Jessie Craven were able to work with D’Amato’s vision to refocus the entry and renew the gardens.
A large central skylight was maintained but was re-glazed with “sky-blue” panels to control the heat gain and light within the library. New ceiling and energy efficient lighting coupled with natural lighting controls create an energy efficient solution for the entire library space. Sustainable and durable materials are used throughout the library with terrazzo and carpet for floors and rapidly-renewable bamboo casework as accents. Crenshaw incorporated a very fine series of ever-changing, illuminated ‘light blocks’ in the periodical reading area. New computers and library stacks recalibrate the provision of tools for seeking information in today’s learning environment. A new literacy lab will help people of all ages in their reading and speaking skills.
One of the curved walls changes from high to low as it wraps around the Children’s Reading area that is illuminated with soft, natural light from above and from the new dual glazing from the side.
The Library joined a program with Los Angeles County Museum of Art (L.A.C.M.A.) to employ a revolving art program that brings in beautiful, original works of art into the facility. Wonderful, abstract paintings are placed on the original earth-toned block walls that really work well aesthetically as well as teaching the patrons about the world of art. The result is invigorating to the soul.
On the practical side, the office area was completely renewed allowing the staff to work more efficiently and to increase the standard of service the citizens deserve.
The result was the Re-dedication Ceremony on Saturday, July 31, 2010. A few hundred people gathered to celebrate the re-birth. Speeches were made and food was consumed. Kids lined up for library cards and adults lined up for blended ice-coffees. The citizens were invited to read more deeply, to learn more passionately, and to dream of things never thought possible before.
As for the LPA team, it was a day that reminded us why we do what we do.
We get to create sustainable spaces and places that enrich lives, and this brings us joy.
Jim Wirick is a Principal at California-based LPA Inc. with more than 25 years of experience in Civic Architecture (i.e. city halls, libraries, police and fire stations, and recreation facilities). He is a LEED accredited professional, and active member of the American Institute of Architects (AIA). His enjoyment of architecture is contagious and he lectures often for various schools and civic groups in California.
As part of a continuing feature on this blog, we’ll meet each of the firm’s associates and get their take on LPA, architecture, and of course, sustainable design.
CARRICK BOSHART, AIA, LEED AP
Q. How long have you worked at LPA?
A. 15 years.
Q. What do you love most about your job?
A. I actually have two things I love best. Working with our clients and technical detailing. For our clients, I enjoy providing them with solutions to their problems, giving them expert advice, and always being their advocate throughout the entire process of delivering a building or related project. Many times our civic clients are a local government staff person who has never worked with an architect or has never been involved with delivering a new facility, and then suddenly one day they are the point person for a $20 million project. But it’s part of LPA’s DNA to address that by providing excellent professional service at all levels, and I am proud to be part of a firm that still believes in client service first. It is so rewarding when the client sends you an email thanking you for always making their job easier, giving them options, or just plain “watching their back.” The other thing I love about my job is doing technical detailing. It’s the one area of an architect’s job where you take all the various pieces of building materials and put them together to not only perform to industry standards, but also do it in a way that considers the best in service life, maintenance, constructability/compatibility, and aesthetics of the components. When you do it well, you solve a very complex problem with a simple, elegant solution.
Q. What does a day in the life of Carrick Boshart look like?
A. Juggling multiple deadlines, preparing for meetings, answering client/CM or Contractor questions, coordinating consultants and LPA team members, QC reviews of drawings and specs, detailing components, LEED coordination and doing code research. On the marketing side, I attend various city/civic-related client functions, charity events and local A/E industry type mixer events where I can meet existing and new clients and share the LPA story with them. Sprinkled into all of that I help find leads, assist in producing qualification packages related to RFP’s, and attend the client interviews related to the RFP’s we have been short-listed on. But starting next week, I am branching out into architecturally themed stand-up comedy at local night clubs- have you heard the one about the three nuns and a truss…?
Q. What project are you working on this minute? What does it entail?
A. The Brentwood Civic Center, which includes a 65,000-square-foot city hall, a 32,000-square-foot community center, a three-story parking structure, a history walk and fountain plaza, and a city park with an interactive water play feature. After 18 months in design and documentation, the project just went to bid last fall and is in early construction. The LPA team is busy with RFI and Submittals right now, and we are excited that the project is on track for a Gold rating with USGBC. This project will usher in a new chapter for the Roseville office in many ways; in northern California it will be our first midrise city hall, our first parking structure, our first community center, and our first LEED Gold rated civic project.
The City has brought in a local artist and our team is working on incorporating his custom wall mural, fountain mosaic, and children’s play-area fence, seamlessly into the project. On a more local arena, I am about to see a three-year marketing effort on a large 75-acre sports park in the Placer County area come to fruition with a contract for early concept and feasibility services. LPA Inc. will be teaming with Ripken Design (Cal Ripken Jr. of Major League Baseball Hall of Fame), a specialist firm that has provided the master planning/pro forma services for several large baseball, lacrosse, soccer, and basketball facilities throughout the eastern United States.
Q. What do you love most about sustainable design?
A. Sustainable design represents the “promise” that innovation has always delivered; we can make our resources go much further with technology in lieu of solely rationing. Personally, I think LEED and the sustainable movement is at its best when the design professionals are allowed to bring “NASA” technology to the building/construction industry in conjunction with the passive design aspects such as north facing site orientation or shading elements.
Case in point, I recently produced a PowerPoint presentation that highlighted several of the energy saving design elements in the Swiss Re Building in London (a 40-story conical shaped high rise that opened in 2005), in which the architect (Foster + Partners) “invented” several new energy saving architectural features unique to this building that combined with the more mainstream elements of high efficiency lighting and HVAC/plumbing equipment, has delivered a building that will use 50 percent less energy than a typical rectilinear high rise of the same volume. To state this in a different way, the mechanical and lighting strategies as well as the shape and envelope design (elements the architect invented) of this one building, if applied to all of England’s new construction, could double the country’s entire energy supply without increasing any of their supply sources. Now that’s a tipping point worthy of national policy!
Invent something that instantly increases your resources rather than limit you with social-engineered rationing. But as you may not know, LPA not only brings NASA technology to LEED, sometimes we bring LEED to NASA. Seen the JPL project? Let’s just put it this way, JPL loved their new Platinum rated building so much that right now, somewhere in deep space, there is a probe with an I-Heart-LPA bumper sticker, strategically slapped on the rear bumper… er solar panel.
Welcome to Part 2 of our multi-part series about modern library design. Senior Design Principal Rick D’Amato is back to share more helpful ideas and insights about the library design process, and the components involved with making it a successful community space. With more than 15 libraries under his belt, D’Amato is a wealth of information and we’re grateful to feature his expertise.
SECURE AND VISUALLY ACCESSIBLE
Visibility is the key to successful security systems and strategies within today’s libraries. The more contiguous the space and the more direct visibility from staff areas, the better the opportunity to monitor and discourage inappropriate activity. While traditional library security systems concentrate on controlling theft through the use of electronic gates, the concern for today’s libraries seems to focus more on the protection of children and the dissuasion and deterrence of anything or anyone that will harm them.
Security can also be handled through high technology systems such as cameras and video systems, and simple low technology systems such as well positioned mirrors and staff work areas. Creating a more open and visually accessible space also has the potential to reduce staffing needs within a library through consolidation.
A BREATH OF FRESH AIR
Libraries today seem to be incorporating more sustainable design features than ever before. This naturally leads to improved indoor air quality. Specific strategies such as displaced air systems which release conditioned air from down low rather than high in the space tend to improve the quality of the air as well as control energy use and cost. Also, more organic and sustainable building materials and adhesives and sealers lead to less harmful off gassing.
Today’s libraries seem to have a better connection with the external environment in the form of outdoor gardens and large expanses of well protected glass. This all tends to result in a healthier environment. Today’s mechanical systems can also adapt to the needs of the more specialized spaces within a library such as archival storage, technology rooms and large community gathering areas. These areas are typically more efficient if placed on a separate system which can be controlled independently of the rest of the library spaces. The result is each space within a library performing optimally instead of all of the spaces performing the same.
SUSTAINABLY DESIGNED AND RESPONSIVE
The advent of sustainable design has led to a much more efficient, open and pleasant library interior. The control and use of natural daylight is probably one of the most important aspects of smart sustainable design strategies. The important thing to remember is that smart daylight control begins outside the building and should not rely on window coverings or tinting alone. Proper orientation is the key to a successful design. This combined with solar shades and awnings, and high performance glass leads to a pleasant daylit internal environment. Acoustics and the specialized nature of some of the more specific library spaces is best handled through proper material selections and efficient mechanical systems which respond well to the local climate as well the demands of the library.
For more library design secrets, be sure to subscribe. In our next post, we’ll ask Rick about media center, library planning for changing technologies, trends in library storage, shelving, fixtures, and more.
As I quickly realized during my time in the Windy City, one of Chicago's greatest urban amenities is its waterfront parkland, open to the public to use and enjoy. Stretching miles along the shoreline and culminating in magnificent Grant Park, this land, deemed "public ground forever to remain vacant of buildings" well over 150 years ago, serves as a verdant front lawn for the city to Lake Michigan, providing a beautiful connection to nature right in the heart of the city, as well as popular congregation space for public events and large scale exhibitions.
Unlike most major metropolitan cities, Chicago can boast that its waterfront was never tainted by the harsh hand of industrial development. The area along Lakeshore Drive never had to be salvaged from smoky factories or dusty shipyards and redeveloped into fresh, inviting public space; it was always open to the residents of the city. In the mid-1800s, foresighted citizens and planners successfully lobbied to protect the area east of Michigan Avenue free of development. Over the decades, city magnates like Aaron Montgomery Ward successfully sued to maintain that condition and preserve green space for the city. Today, the area around Grant Park remains relatively untouched by developers--the only exceptions being facilities devoted to public use, such as the Art Institute of Chicago, the Field Museum, Schedd Aquarium, and Adler Planetarium.
In my opinion, the rewards have been well worth whatever economic benefits that might have been lost from undevelopment. Today, Grant Park and its relatively new park-within-a-park neighbor, Millennium Park, function as the city's central gathering spot. These grounds provide a welcome respite from the urban jungle of downtown and successfully act as a vitalizing hub of public congregation. "Cloud Gate," Anish Kapoor's famous reflective bean-like sculpture, is a magnet for citizens and tourists alike, a place for strangers to revel in the appeal of something so novel and yet universally attractive. Nearby, off Michigan Avenue, the Boeing Gallery serves as an outdoor art exhibition space. Crown Fountain provides a popular splash down for families on warm, summer days, while Frank Gehry's Jay Pritzer Pavilion and Great Lawn functions as a fantastic outdoor concert and public event venue. Those seeking more tranquil reserves will find it to the south, at the Lurie Garden, where overgrown wildflowers and stepped streams impart the feel of a wooded meadow amidst the forest of skyscrapers that is the Chicago skyline. And that doesn't even include the acres of more traditional park space in the area and the waterfront biking and running trails--all of which is open to anyone who wishes to use it.
In a sustainability-conscious age where public urban green space of any sort is a valuable commodity, Chicago's "front lawn" serves as a pristine example of what can happen when urban planning gets it right. This marriage of landscape, architecture, and urban design is an obvious hit with denizens and visitors alike, and it demonstrates how the integration of a variety of programs devoted to public philanthropy can generate an energetic, self-sustaining property that enhances the value of a city. It is the right combination of location and design, and it teaches a valuable lesson on how positively designers can affect the built (and unbuilt) environment, as well as the numerous people who use it.
Albert Lam is a Technical Designer at California-based LPA Inc. He is a LEED accredited professional who specializes in the design and implementation of K-12 schools.
By Guest Blogger Matt Kingdon
It was the best of times … it was the worst of times. It was about a year ago that I faced the exciting idea of graduating from an esteemed university. It was about a year ago that I faced the daunting idea of entering that thing they call “the real world.” Talking with friends facing graduation made me realize the job search is something similar to Pan’s Labyrinth -- an infinite amount of paths, all hopeful, but rarely leading to anything more than a dead end. Coming out of school, I felt the same bewildered feeling, but my path led me to a wonderful opportunity at LPA, an outstanding architecture firm.
While you may think the experience section of your resume doesn’t catch any eyes compared to other job seekers, I would say your lack of experience is your greatest advantage. See, the energy and creativity of a student is infectious to a firm and people in general, which is why firms participate in internships, and other student programs including design competitions and charrettes. Maybe it brings people back to the glory days of college, or maybe it is the naivety and innocence of a student that people are attracted to. Either way, the fact that you are a student is what sets you apart from every other aspiring employee.
Think about this … you just spent a year or more developing a thesis on say, conventional design versus sustainable design. You find a firm that you are interested in, and you give them a call or send them an email. “As a student at ‘esteemed university of wherever,’ I am researching this ‘interesting topic here’ for a thesis project. I would love the opportunity to talk with your firm about your work in ‘said expertise’ and get your feedback and insight on my research.” Now doesn’t that sound more enticing than, “I was wondering if you had any positions open?”
Spending the time to talk about one of your student projects is more valuable than handing over a resume. We all talk about making an impression, and there is no greater first impression than an in-depth conversation on a topic that both parties are interested in. 
Now you are not depending on the graphics on your resume as a lasting memory. Instead, a firm remembers you by the research and conversation you have developed as a student. And even if you don’t get a job offer out of it, you have now created a contact to add to your network, which saves me some material for my next post!
Is it a dirty trick? Or could it be inside information? No, but it worked for me, and as a job seeker, you have to sell your greatest assets. As a student with little or no experience in the industry, carrying a portfolio of sleepless nights and tiresome exploration, it is simply that, the greatest asset you have. So this inspirational rant is not meant to try and paint a pretty picture over this disheartening task at hand for so many graduates, but rather, it is to try and share some knowledge a little earlier than most would have realized, hopefully soon enough to help find a job. And also, to remind the profession that the inexperience of a student can be a great asset to a firm.
Matt Kingdon is a Technical Designer who specializes in K-12 schools at California-based LPA Inc.
Recently, I spent ten days on vacation in Chicago, Illinois, and in my customary fashion of travel, I tried to soak in as much as possible of what the city had to offer. Through visits to the top sites and attractions in town, stops through many of Chicago's architectural icons, and immersive pedestrian exploration through the urban fabric of the city, I discovered a fantastic metropolis bustling with infrastructure and amenities that befit a modern, advanced city. I began to notice how many of these items, set in motion by urban planners decades ago, paralleled aspects that urban planners advocate today for sustainable cities of the future. Among them:
1. Public, Urban Green Space - freely accessible by anyone, providing a vibrant gathering area for major events and general park use.
2. Integrated Network of Public Transportation - efficiently serving the central core, but also radiating outward toward numerous major suburban areas.
3. Exceedingly Convenient Walkability - especially around the Downtown area, everything is relatively close together, allowing a full experience of the city by its users even without public transportation.
4. Programmatic Diversity Within Urban Density - zoning of every type is located close together, often integrally woven into the city fabric, providing a host of amenities such as commercial, residential, civic and cultural centers to promote continued use, residence, and growth.
Amazingly, these items weren't the result of the recent surge in awareness of sustainable issues, but rather the foresight of urban planners decades ago. As early as the late nineteenth century, after the Great Fire of 1870, city leaders laying out the new organization of Chicago were already trying to mold it into a forward-thinking city that would be prepared for the demands of tomorrow. Daniel Burnham's 1909 Plan of Chicago crystallized these plans into written and diagrammatic form. It called for the preservation of public green space along Lake Michigan, development of automobile and rail arteries to accommodate various travel demands of an expanding city, expanded streets that integrate the coming of new automobiles while still preserving the pedestrian intimacy of a busy city, purchased parkland around the city to buffer decreasing density, and a cultural district that could bring art, science, and history to the masses.
Today, Chicago is a truly international city that is managed with sustainable goals in mind. Grant Park, and Millennium Park, among others, provide a "front lawn for the city" that draws citizens together with vitalizing concerts and public venues as well as a verdant escape from the harshness of a concrete, glass, and steel built environment. The Chicago Transit Authority operates a highly effective system of subways and elevated rail lines that bring Chicagoans into and around the heart of the city. The density and programmatic diversity of the Downtown core and the Magnificent Mile invite businessmen to work there and residents to live there, propagating a sustainable cycle that drives itself forward. And there is always action toward active environmentally friendly policies, such as water management, energy reduction, urban heat island effect mitigation, and much more.
But none of this would exist to its contemporary degree of success without that foresight of city planners a century ago. It takes time to implement this sort of infrastructure, and even more to allow it to grow and perform its function. This suggests that we must always think ahead when planning our next projects. We cannot simply calculate for the present time; we must also calculate for the future. And we'll undoubtedly require inherently sustainable principles to reach that point. Otherwise, even the best-laid plans will be outdated before the first ground is dug, and that would defeat the entire purpose of architecture and urban design. It would be the opposite of progress.
Albert Lam is a Technical Designer at California-based LPA Inc. He is a LEED accredited professional who specializes in the design and implementation of K-12 schools.
As part of a continuing feature on this blog, we’ll meet each of the firm’s associates and get their take on LPA, architecture, and of course, sustainable design.
RICK MUSTO, LEED AP
Q. How long have you worked at LPA?
A. I can’t believe it has already been 8 years!
Q. What do you love most about your job?
A. All of it. There is simply no better place to practice architecture than LPA. I have worked for several design firms in my life, both large and small, but there is no comparison to the integrated firm we are building here at LPA. I am surrounded by so many talented professionals; it demands me to be the best I can at what I do.
Q. What does a day in the life of Rick Musto look like?
A. Do you really want to know? My day typically starts as my wife and 10-year-old figure skater are rushing out the door to the neighborhood ice rink. Once I satisfy my Starbucks habit, I am usually off to visit one of my K-12 school districts, either up north to Pasadena or Arcadia, or south to Chula Vista. After my meeting(s) I head back to the office to check in with some of my project teams and catch up on e-mail I was not able to get to from my iPhone. After my “day job” is over, I head home for dinner, kids’ homework, baths and usually a little late night e-mail.
Q. What project are you working on this minute? What does it entail?
A. There are so many great school projects I have the pleasure to direct. One in particular is the Montgomery Middle School classroom addition for the Sweetwater Union High School District. This project consists of a two-story, 16-classroom building with spaces for a library, counseling center, Associate Student Body (ASB) space, and cafeteria. The building will total 45,200 square feet (in space) and if constructed as planned, will be the first LEED platinum public school facility in California. We are currently completing the construction documents; construction is scheduled to begin in 2011.
Q. What do you love most about sustainable design?
A. I am fortunate to be focused on K-12 schools --I can’t think of a better place to practice sustainable design. Providing healthy green schools for our children isn’t a tag line, it’s our reality. My kids are both in elementary school and they’re already way ahead of where I was at that age as far as our environment is concerned. Green school facilities can enhance and reinforce the sustainable ideas our children are now learning and, if done right, can be integrated within their school curriculum.
Rick Musto is an Associate and Architect with California-based LPA Inc. He is a LEED Accredited Professional who has worked on more than 60 K-12 schools.