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Girard + Kvasnicka Residence

This original 3,639 sq/ft home was tired/neglected and was built at a time where the home was turned inward and broken up into smaller separate rooms. The home has panoramic views of the north slope of Mt. Soledad all the way west to the Pacific Ocean.

The family wanted a more open home, filled with light and a open floor plan suitable for family living that captures the available views from all the rooms. The south and west walls of the new design expands the view from almost every room in the house. A new facade of the home was accomplished by building in front of the existing walls with three CMU block and wood sided cubes.

One cube is the new Master Bathroom, another is a single car garage and the final is the new clear entry into the home – accessed via a bridge over the lower level landscaping. Connecting the entry and the Master Bathroom is a new 1.5 story central core which was pulled away from the existing exterior wall allowing for a new stairway connecting both levels, creating a transparent home and introducing daylight to both levels – replacing what was the darkest part of the existing home. A open concept plan was created on the main level which builds living spaces around a contemporary kitchen and an adjacent Play Room. A new ipe wood deck expands and connects all of the living areas on the canyon side, but pulls away from the house to allow daylight to the lower levels along with a skylight “coffee table”. A smaller more intimate patio off of the Kitchen/Family and Play Rooms includes a fireplace, grill and family dining table.

The owners have a taste for Modern furniture and this contemporary updated home has captured some of the Modern architecture feelings in a very unique, architecturally blended, family friendly home.

The new 5,506 sq/ft home maximizes natural daylight and utilizes LED can lighting which was used throughout the home to minimize electrical usage. The front sloping driveway uses pavers which allow water to infiltrate the site over a large area rather than drain and cause runoff of the canyon behind the house.

November 19, 2014

Solana Beach Presbyterian Church

This existing church faced many issues common to churches that have been around for an extended time and have gone through decades of growth, changes, and expansion. Some of the buildings were old and obsolete, were crowded on the site, faced inward away from the streets, and circulation had become difficult and confusing (and inaccessible) as newer buildings and multiple small remodels had taken place. Parking was separated into four different and unconnected lots.

This project created an updated Master Plan for the full 7 acre campus. Discretionary entitlements including a Conditional Use Permit and Coastal Development Permits were secured through the city of Solana Beach. In phase one, the forty year old Pre-school was relocated and expanded from the back of the campus to a new location located in the public view on a prominent corner below the church offices. The lowest and most remote parking lot became the new playground and drop-off and front arrival point for the Preschool.

Phase two entailed a complete makeover for the upper campus, working around the two major existing buildings.
Vehicular and pedestrian circulation were redesigned for the site. A single connected parking lot surrounded the campus, with a majority of the cars now on the same level as the Sanctuary. A new 15,000 s. f. two story classroom and youth facility building was constructed and a new chapel was designed as the jewel of the campus, with a large stained glass window facing outward to the community towards the main intersection. All of the buildings now face and enter from the central gathering terrace and fountain. The central plaza is now surrounded by the all new landscape concept incorporating the existing specimen trees and vegetation, while now adding new drought tolerant, native vegetation.

November 19, 2014

La Canada Presbyterian Church

Sometimes things gradually change over time so slowly that we don’t even realize that it has occurred. This fifty year old complex of buildings contained many of the traditional and often now dated forms of the fifties and sixties. Set well back from the street, behind an overgrown landscape screen, the existing “A” frame Sanctuary had a center aisle with pews and an extremely small and obsolete narthex at the entry. An extensive and beautiful organ, with exposed copper pipes at the back of the chancel was well loved. Other one story buildings crowded the site, and all of them were accessed via a three foot wide sidewalk between two buildings. Only a seventy foot tall tower identified the church from the street. The church had become choked off from the street and from its own buildings in the rear of the site.

Phase One (of a three phased master plan) of this major addition and renovation added a new gallery Narthex to the traditional worship space that in turn connected to an all new contemporary Worship Arts Space, suitable for media, theater, and the arts. The new spaces are all near the main street frontage. The all glass gallery spatially connects the two worship venues, and also connects the church to the community with its adjacency and transparency to the street. The curved copper, shingled roof also dynamically attracts the community into the complex.

The second building is the new Family Life Center. Built on three levels, it contains a new Fellowship Hall seating 300 with an accompanying Kitchen on the main level, a Youth Center on the lower level, and large Meeting Rooms on the top floor. Building forms relate both to the existing traditional steep pitched roof buildings, and the new addition to the Sanctuary. A large outdoor light well and patio facing East allows light and air to permeate the lower level and removes any sense of “basement” to the youth facilities. Sound is well contained in this lower level and the youth can be very loud and active without disrupting others on the site.

A third/fourth building includes a new preschool and Christian Education classrooms, along with new administrative offices.

November 13, 2014

Fitzsimons Residence

Fitzsimons + Roman Residence

Situated in a long established neighborhood, this all new home on a very small lot faced the challenge of “fitting in” and still providing the owners with the contemporary home on a budget that they desired. Height and story limits, and bad soil dictated excavation and removal of the top layers of soil. These factors led to the solution for an underground garage and shop for the builder/craftsman. The client wanted natural light to flood the house with brightness. They also wanted multiple and alternate places to sit and work and contemplate, while still maintaining privacy.

To fit into the scale of the neighborhood, the forms were broken into pieces and separated visually to minimize the apparent size of and mass of the home. Forms were kept simple with most of the openings either South or North to maintain privacy and let in light. Materials were chosen to minimize maintenance, and wood was used on floors and ceilings and eaves. Clean, simple forms maintain the budget, and address the goal for a design that will endure.

November 12, 2014

Canyon House

Scripps Canyon Residence

Sited between two huge Torrey Pine trees on a very narrow lot, transparency and privacy are juxtaposed for the design of this private single family residence. It is axially east-west transparent glass, and north-south private concrete. It is carefully articulated to meld with neighboring homes one third its size.

Our goal was to maximize the ocean and whitewater canyon view, give privacy from the close neighbors, and create indoor/outdoor flowing spaces protected from the wind. The major axis of the home points directly to the only white water view far below in the canyon. This axis is the circulation spine and organizing design element for the house. The spine is articulated with exposed concrete panels and it forms the backbone of the house. Surprises occur in both directions as one circulates from the spine.

The prevailing wind up the canyon directed the use of the home itself as a wind shield for the pool and yard placed eastward of the wind. The home sits appropriately in a neighborhood of 1,600 square foot one story homes, even though it has three times as many square feet. Preservation of the two magnificent Torrey Pines was paramount, and a strong determinant in the design, literally framing the house, connecting it to nature and providing a foreground frame to the scenic canyon vista. This is a home for San Diego living.

November 12, 2014

The Village Presbyterian Church

The Village of Rancho Santa Fe is governed by an Association which enforces a “covenant”, almost 100 years old, that provides strict guidelines for ALL development within its boundaries. The project began with a Master Plan of the entire campus which includes future structures. Entitlements were secured with San Diego County and the Rancho Santa Fe Association.

Given the rigid constraints of the Rancho Santa Fe Art Jury mandating a Spanish Colonial style, the architects created a very quiet and residentially scaled exterior in that style, and carved a new entry axis, courtyard and drop-off between a grove of large, mature trees. The design team then focused on the interior to create some of the most surprising, dramatic and unexpected spaces inside.

A new column and niche filled Narthex/ Lobby links the old Sanctuary (now a Chapel), a reception/ parlor area, and the new Worship space. The scale of the main space is a unexpected and awe inspiring. Four intersecting steel and wood arches span the main assembly space which seats over 600 people.

Office spaces are above the choir rehearsal area and restrooms, and this new wing of the building links to the existing social hall.

The project was awarded “The Lily” by the Rancho Santa Fe Association for its design, and the Congregation experienced a 25% growth in the year after its completion.

November 12, 2014

Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Catholic Church

Nestled on a hillside in Rancho Peñasquitos and rendered in natural earth tones and materials, the traditional Catholic forms blend with more of the contemporary Southern California vernacular creating a unique architecture, symbolizing both the church’s heritage and location in the coastal foothills of San Diego. An elevated roof element highlights the crossing of the gabled roofs and is accented by a 55’ tall copper clad dome.

The 22,163 square foot Worship Center seats 1,070 parishioners in pews. The building is the first phase of a Master Plan that ultimately includes new meeting rooms, new offices and remodeling the existing worship space into a Parish Hall (as it was originally envisioned). The majority of the site improvements, utilities, infrastructure and parking have already been completed.

The highlight of the interior of the Worship Center are the four 35’ tall steel trusses spanning 96’. These frame a wide open Nave to accommodate 13 rows of pews wrapping around an elevated Perdilla area. This allows the congregation to gather around the Table and see each other, as part of the greater Parish community. On axis with the main aisle and the Altar is a custom fabricated Reredos that is a combination of structural steel, hand carved stone and wood elements as well as stained glass. The focal point of the Reredos is the 13’ tall carved wood Corpus and sculpted Tabernacle. Behind the Reredos is the Adoration Chapel.

There are 8’ wide and 13’ tall embossed copper clad main doors. These open the worship space to the community breaking down the threshold. Upon entering, the worshiper continues to process on axis with the Baptismal Font. The Baptismal font is designed to symbolize the Living Water of Christ and the power of his Resurrection. This manifests itself in a zero edge flowing font that appears as a cube of flowing water. The inside of the font is clad with a custom glass mosaic tiles symbolizing the power and energy of Heaven. At that point, the worshiper has a grand view of the Nave and finds themselves on axis with the Altar and the Reredos beyond.

November 12, 2014

First Presbyterian Church of Burbank

First Presbyterian Church

Anyone familiar with church design can relate to the issues this church faced when they contacted us. An urban church built in the 1950’s, had been untouched for over 60 years. The remodeled Sanctuary space was penetrated with new windows and skylights, introduced to allow natural light to enter the space without seeing the source, ethereally, bouncing off walls and ceilings. The white palette allows the stained glass color to reflect onto the surfaces – ever changing with the sun.

The traditional center aisle was eliminated and a diagonal aisle from the new entry door to the Chancel was added. The off-side placement of the Chancel allowed the traditional choir and contemporary praise team to share equally the “front” of the performance area. The thrust Chancel with wrap around seating creates a strong sense of community.

An exterior glass wall reveals a small Prayer Chapel open to the community. The basement under the Sanctuary has been re-organized to create a large youth space. The new courtyard was pulled back from the building, creating light wells and a lower level youth patio, connecting the youth to natural light and with the rest of the campus. A new elevator tower was added to provide clear and disabled access to all the floor levels of the entire campus. What was created is a ministry tool to more easily reach the un-churched and de-churched. A church that had inadvertently turned inward over the years is now open and inviting, barrier free, welcoming all to worship.

November 12, 2014

St. Rose of Lima

St. Rose of Lima K-8

This 23,474 square foot K-8, two story parochial School represents the first of a three phased Master Planned redevelopment of this established Catholic Church community. The Parish is located in downtown Chula Vista which is undergoing public redevelopment and a revitalization campaign. This phase began with the construction of a new rectory on the immediately adjacent site. This freed up ‘swing space’ on the property to temporarily accommodate some displaced school functions during the construction of the new school building.

The new school building is sited to the property boundaries on the northern and western edges of the property, maximizing the usable, protected open space housed within the interior of the campus. The project also reconfigured parking to create a large multi-use courtyard and sports field. The goal was to consolidate the parking to create usable pedestrian oriented spaces. These will connect with other open space, circulation and courtyard improvements in later phases of the Master Plan implementation. The later phases of the project will include a new 2-story Parish Hall and 1,500 seat Worship Center.

November 11, 2014

St. Augustine High School

Unitas, Vertias, Caritas; Unity, Truth and Love. These are the calls to action of the Mission Statement of St. Augustine High School, a 700 student all boy’s Catholic institution woven into the fabric of San Diego’s North Park neighborhood since 1923. The school utilizes established athletic and arts programs to connect with boys and turn them into men. These programs formed the architectural challenge of adding a 52,000 square foot, 1,500 seat sports facility to a tight site while maintaining the scale of North Park. The design pushes the majority of the bulk below grade, terraces back from the property boundary, reducing the scale, and creating a compatible neighborhood edge.

Outdoor practice areas borrow from Le Corbusier 5 points of a New Architecture that says a building should give back the space it takes up on the ground. As such, the rooftop has practice courts and multi-purpose areas. The edges are populated with “walk-off” programs that tie into the different grade levels. Unitas; the project unifies the campus by ‘stitching’ together the various levels with stairways and ramps, as well as creating courtyards and gathering spaces. Veritas; the project is honest in its construction, revealing its materials, structure and systems as expressive design elements. Caritas; the project creates a large gathering space, combining the Commons (lobby) with a connected courtyard, making the heart of the campus, a center of worship, community and brotherhood fulfilling their missions. #thebrotherhood

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Girard + Kvasnicka Residence

Girard + Kvasnicka Residence

Solana Beach Presbyterian Church

Solana Beach Presbyterian Church

La Canada Presbyterian Church

La Canada Presbyterian Church

Fitzsimons Residence

Fitzsimons + Roman Residence

Canyon House

Scripps Canyon Residence

The Village Presbyterian Church

The Village Presbyterian Church

Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Catholic Church

Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Catholic Church

First Presbyterian Church of Burbank

First Presbyterian Church

St. Rose of Lima

St. Rose of Lima K-8

St. Augustine High School

St. Augustine High School

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