As another successful year comes to a close, I’d like to take a moment to look back at some important instances in 2016 that reflect the remarkable clients and work that the talented people at LPA create. From project openings and awards to company growth and expansion, our firm continues to bring innovation to design with our integrated sustainable design practice.
1. Jon Mills Promoted to Chief Operate Officer
After more than 28 years as a leader at LPA, Principal Jon Mills was named Chief Operating Officer. “It is a privilege to be given this opportunity to continue collaborating with our exceptional business leaders at LPA,” stated Mills. “Coordination of our efforts as we innovate and focus on providing exemplary service to our clients is the foundation of our sustainable business practice.” In this role, Mills will be responsible for coordinating the work of the various studio directors and the firm’s overall business group.
2. West Hollywood Automated Parking Garage Grand Opening
In May, we celebrated the grand opening of the first municipal automated parking garage on the West Coast in West Hollywood, California. The new state-of-the-art West Hollywood Automated Parking Garage provides a clean, environmentally-friendly alternative to conventional parking systems highlighted by roof mounted photovoltaic solar panels which provide all the energy required to operate the facility. The net-zero structure contains four bays for entry and exit as well as an outdoor community plaza area for community events. Since the automobiles are non-operational during the parking and retrieval process, the reduction in carbon dioxide emissions equates to removing 92 cars from the road each year or the planting of 67,000 trees.
Additionally, the shell surrounding the warehouse is designed with environmentally-friendly materials such as composite wood panels made primarily from recycled plastic grocery bags and use drought-tolerant landscape.
3. LPA San Diego Moves to New Downtown Office Space
Just four years after moving into the historic Wonder Bread factory in East Village, the LPA San Diego office outgrew its location. In February, the team moved into a new building that was constructed in 1935 as a shoe factory. The new space includes 50 workstations, four hoteling stations, two 12-person conference rooms and a large collaborative room that can be used for project work space and team meetings.
The new office also received a COTE Award from the American Institute of Architects (AIA) San Diego chapter as recognition to its sustainable design elements. LPA has developed LEED spaces in San Jose, Sacramento, San Antonio and with the opening of our new San Diego office—all five offices are currently operating in LEED spaces.
4. Number 17 on Top Architecture Firm’s List
A recognition of our growth and testament to our integrated design practice, LPA was ranked number 17 on Architect Magazine’s annual Top Architecture Firms list—up from number 39 in 2015. Firm’s were ranked by business, sustainability and design.
5. Local, State and National Awards for Tower of Hope
The structural engineering team was honored this year with three awards on a National, State and local level from the Structural Engineering Associations for Excellence in Structural Engineering for the Tower of Hope in Garden Grove, California. The 28,000-square-foot, 14-story Tower of Hope renovation and seismic retrofit project is a great example of what can be accomplished when a team of owners, architects and engineers are aligned toward a common goal. In this case, that goal was to preserve an important and celebrated work of Richard Neutra as well as a culturally significant piece of Southern California history. These awards are a testament to our integrated design practice—proving that a collaborative process focused on sustainability creates measurably better results.
Dan Heinfeld, FAIA, LEED AP BD+C and President of LPA Inc., leads the design direction of the firm and has done so for more than 30 years. As a pioneer in the sustainable building movement, Heinfeld is passionate about sustainability and its importance in the process of informed design.
