We recently announced three promotions to our leadership group. Landscape architect Kari Kikuta and interior designers Kim Izadi and Terri Lee have been promoted to Associate.
The new promotions occur as our firm continues to see steady growth in 2016. We have hired nearly 30 employees since the beginning of the year, amounting to more than 330 current employees.
Kari, Kim and Terri share design tips from some of their current projects and what they love most about their profession:
Kari Kikuta, RLA
Associate / Design Director of Landscape Architecture
Q: How long have you worked at LPA?
A: This will be my eighth year with LPA in our education studio.
Q: What do you love most about your job?
A: I love the ability to shape the environments that people live in and designing these spaces with people I truly enjoy working with. It's amazing to think that we are building learning and work spaces for people to experience and enjoy—maybe even in an improved way than it was originally envisioned.
Q: What project are you working on this minute? What is the biggest lesson you’ve learned from this project?
A: I’m currently working on Eastvale STEM Academy. I love understanding the user and how they are going to function in the space, then using that knowledge to come up with creative solutions with our design team. I’m looking at it from the user’s perspective—not just the landscape architect—and thinking not just outside of the box, but inside, too. Two important questions I’ve asked myself in the process are, “How does the program extend from the inside out and from the outside in?” and “How as designers are we influencing each other to come up with the best solutions?” Collaborating with an integrated design and client team is my favorite part.
Kim Izadi, CID / LEED AP ID+C
Associate / Managing Director of Interior Design
Q: How long have you worked at LPA?
A: I started at LPA in ’97 and had the opportunity to work on many types of projects, including higher education facilities, K-12 schools, civic—public libraries, community centers, police and fire stations/headquarters, etc.—and corporate projects.
Q: What do you love most about your job?
A: There isn’t a single thing I like most. Working with so many talented and inspiring individuals. The opportunity to "refresh" a space that is tired or forgotten into something renewed and wanted again. Seeing the user’s excitement about their new space.
Q: What project are you working on this minute? What is the biggest lesson you’ve learned from this project?
A: I’m working on the three-story 3250 Olcott building and site reimaging, located in the heart of Santa Clara. This building has maintained the same ownership for a number of years, and with a few strategic moves this little gem has the potential to be a great workplace. By adding a billboard to the main sides of the building exterior, creating an enlarged, pass-through lobby and removing the interior ceilings, this building will be an exciting, amenity-rich place where people will want to work. Reimaging work requires a discipline where costs and design ideas run hand-in-hand from the very beginning, allowing our client to see that our proposed design ideas are on-budget at every phase of the project.
Terri Lee, CID / LEED AP BD+C
Associate / Senior Project Manager of Interior Design
Q: How long have you worked at LPA?
A: I’ll be celebrating five years with LPA in April 2016. I have more than 20 years experience in corporate interior design.
Q: What do you love most about your job?
A: One of my favorite aspects of my job is meeting new people and building relationships. We have so many creative, talented people in the industry, and I love meeting people, learning what they’re working on, and how we can join forces and support one another.
Q: What project are you working on this minute? What is the biggest lesson you’ve learned from this project?
A: Two projects I’m currently working on are DPR Construction’s Pasadena office and Mazda’s North American headquarters. The two projects are very different—DPR is an 8,000-square-foot facility, while Mazda is more than 100,000 square feet of branding and design—the two share some similar design elements. Today’s professionals are requesting height-adjustable work surfaces, mobility and work-from-wherever technologies. Plus, no matter how large or small the space, storage is always key to user satisfaction, so we’re looking at creative storage solutions for our clients.