Summer is in the air... Or is that construction I smell?

Summer School Construction:

I’m not so old that I don’t fondly remember my childhood summers–a relaxing time off from the hustle of school work and related responsibilities and an opportunity to partake in the beautiful outdoors, good friendly fun and family events… but those summers are now just a figment of my imagination. As an architect focused on educational environments, summer time is one of the busiest times of the year. Our education clients take full advantage of the 10 weeks or so when students aren’t in session, turning their campus into a moonscape of sorts, and transforming their facilities before the students return in mid-August.

 

This summer, Williams + Paddon had a number of learning environment projects in construction:

 

Bannon Creek Elementary School, Sacramento:

Began the first major phase of its conversion to a K-8 campus.
 

 

Parsons Middle School, Redding:

Began its first phase to completing a beautiful performing arts complex, plaza and sports courts.

  

California State University, Chico:

Completed its streetscape improvements along First Street and the University’s newest parking garage structure, along with a significant effort towards completing the new University Police and Information Facilities building.

  

San Juan High School, Citrus Heights:

Nearly complete with the last of seven transformative projects—the improvements to its performing arts center.

 

St. Clare, Roseville:

Began the construction of site improvements and a new classroom wing.

 

Marysville Unified School District, Marysville:  

Completed a number of small projects in campuses at the north end of the District.

 

It was also evident to me while traveling from our headquarters in Roseville to Chico, Redding, Fresno, Truckee, and across the Sacramento region this year, that education is alive and well in California. Despite economic issues and budget woes, School Districts and Universities are working hard to improve their amenities. Many of these projects are glorious examples of 21^st Century Learning and Career Technical Education—a paradigm shift in the way we deliver education. Because they are new concepts, they are often not easy to implement, given aging infrastructure and hazardous materials.
 

Certainly, this time of year means unforeseen conditions, hectic schedules and mountains of paperwork… but at the end of the summer, we can say we’ve contributed a tremendous amount of lasting, physical work that factors into the future success of our students. It was a pleasure to see the reaction of students, parents and teachers returning from their time off to a new campus or new facility—their own hard work is rewarded with architectural design that will positively transform their lives.
 

This is a time to reflect on the difference that state and local bond funding makes in our educational environments, and the vital role we, as tax payers, play in the success of these measures. Many public school entities will be seeking local bond measures this November. So get out, vote, and show your support for public school construction in California!
 

 

 

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UPDATE: New ADA Standards Taking Effect

Staying On Top of ADA & CBC

Accessibility related issues and items are a growing concern for property owners and tenants. Having a compliant facility and staying on top of both the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and California Building Code (CBC) requirements are critical to avoid increasing complaint letters and lawsuits. In March 2012, the 2010 ADA Standards took effect. These standards contain significant changes, some of which created conflicts with CBC requirements.  To resolve such conflicts, the State of California issued emergency measures, which have just taken effect this past month of August 2012.

Some of these recent changes include:

• Range of mounting heights of signs is now allowed; replaces previously identified exact heights, which are no longer compliant.
• Increase in required number of van accessible spaces.
• Allowance of a range for toilet centerline from the wall; no longer an exact dimension.
• Increase in duration required for the door closing speed/time.
• Change in location of toilet paper roll; previous location is no longer compliant.
• New requirements for previously exempt facilities, such as recreation facilities and golf courses.
• Change in requirements for detectable warning truncated domes spacing and location.

Accessibility is such a critical component of facility management, design and construction, that Williams + Paddon has a studio dedicated to it led by Mark Posnick, AIA, CASp. We stay up to date on changes to the requirements and provide that information to our clients and colleagues. If you are interested in learning more about recent changes to accessibility requirements, please contact Mark at 916.786.8178 or email posnick@williamspluspaddon.com.

 

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W+P Tech Guy Assignment No.1 – Baby Monitor

Preparing for my first born baby:
For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Jeff Navarro a.k.a. “office tech guy #2.” (tech guy #1 being our I.T. manager).  I keep CAD, Revit and the like running smoothly in our office as well as work on various project in the office.  With that, I’m also a technology junky; what’s new, what’s hot, megapixels, terabytes… speed, speed, speed!  Now, I rarely have the opportunity to put my addiction to good use; but when I’m given clearance to research or buy technology for home, watch out!  My wife and I are expecting our first born baby this December and preparing for her arrival has been relatively easy so far, at least from my perspective.  I’m asked to look at colors or patterns and go through baby stores looking for things we might need or want to register for.  No big deal.

During one of these trips we came across the baby monitor section.  I’m thinking its radios or walky-talky like devices, easy.  Oh no!  It’s full on color cameras with built in two-way radios, night vision, heat sensors, humidity sensors, color displays, and on and on…  I start salivating thinking of what I can do with this!  I turn to my wife calmly and say, “I’ll take care of baby monitors.”  She gives me a smile and we move on through the store. 

 

When we get home, it’s on!  I first start looking at surveillance systems.  Not baby monitor from the kids store, but full on security IP camera systems with surveillance servers.  Can I get a system where I can mount multiple cameras in the room?  How about the front door and dog yard?  Can I access it from my iPhone and iPad?  Do the camera mounts swivel?  What about zoom and night vision? Ooh, looks like I’ll need to upgrade our home server!  How much more hard drive space can I pack in a new server?  Personal cloud storage?  $$$$$!  My brain is jumping from one thing to the next and soon I’m not even looking at cameras anymore.  I’m wondering what other personal toys I can squeeze into this camera thing.  Jackpot!

An hour or so into my scheming, my wife walks in and asks, “how’s it going?  Find anything we can use?”  I reply, “yea, but it might cost more than we thought.  Might need to set aside some money next month for this one.”  She gives me a crooked smile and walks away saying, “keep looking.”  I continue upon my quest.  I will not fail! 

Not more than five minutes later my wife comes back.  My brain is on overload with the possibilities and my hands are on my forehead.  I look distressed so she says, “how about this one?  It has audio and night vision with a monitor so we don’t need to use our phones.  Just what we are looking for, got good reviews and it’s cheap.”  She then asks what I’ve been looking at and why it cost so much?  Busted!

Next month’s assignment:  Baby room designs and colors… with Revit daylight simulations and 3D Studio Max renderings!

 

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Newest Addition to the W+P Family

Because we love her so much:

We wanted to make sure everyone knows our new Business Development Manager - Tracy Librea-Asunto. Don't let her sweet temperament and perfect pearly white smile fool you... she's a lean-mean-marketing machine. When she's not whipping W+P into shape, you can find her rangeling the likes of her 3 boys... (husband included). Meanwhile back at the office, (as W+P's offical cat-herder), she's performing marketing miracles, pulling proposals from thin air on a daily basis.

If you haven't run into her out in the community yet, feel free to pop in @ W+P to introduce yourself! We promise, she doesn't bite! As long as you TRIPLE CHECK your spelling.

And now... a little something we like to call, The Many Faces of Tracy...    See why we love her!?!

Below, is pulled from the official press release...

Williams + Paddon Architects + Planners welcomes New Business Development Manager

Roseville, CA – Williams + Paddon Architects + Planners has brought Tracy Librea-Asunto aboard as business development manager. Her responsibilities include responding to RFQs/RFPs, coordinating the development of new business and client relations, and public relations. Tracy is also the current programs committee vice-chairperson of the SMPS (Society of Marketing Professionals) Sacramento Chapter. Tracy started her career in Southern California over ten years ago with Swinerton Builders. In Sacramento, she has worked with Rudolph and Sletten, and most recently, RMC Water and Environment.

Williams + Paddon Architects + Planners was established 31 years ago and provides creative planning and design services for Workplace Environments, Lifestyle Environments, Learning Environments, Interior Environments and Community Planning. The firm is headquartered in Roseville, California.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Tracy Librea-Asunto

Business Development Manager

Librea-Asunto@williamspluspaddon.com

Phone: 916.786.8178

Fax: 916.786.2175

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Trike Race Preview

A fun idea 5 years ago has become a very competitive annual tradition. For an hour each May we set aside the daily architectural worries of specs, drawings and contracts and revert back to being 5 years old racing the neighbor kids in our parent’s driveways.

Yes, we are all adults.
Yes, we “borrow” the trikes from our children.
And Yes, we have an absolute blast!

This year we decided to crank it up a notch or two. Gone are the trikes only a 3 foot nothin’ 4^th grader could ride. We are now playing in the big leagues with custom modified racing machines built to accommodate the longer limbs of adults. These rigs have been chopped, cut, welded and bolted back together for one purpose… speed! The racing is sure to be faster and more competitive than ever!

Want to join the fun? Lucky for you, you're invited...

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Don't "click" print...

If you have to ‘click’ print to consider your work complete,
I believe you are missing out.

This may sound strange considering clicking the print button is like getting another cup of coffee for most people, myself included. It wasn’t that long ago that if you wanted something printed it was hand set by a letterpress, or typed on a typewriter, or heaven forbid actually hand written. We type, draw, paint, design, render, color and build all within this screen I am currently staring at. Yet it has diminished quality, little sense of craft, and most importantly - lacking soul. I recently purchased an old Underwood typewriter, which sits on the desk next to my trusty laptop. Quite an interesting pair and if given a choice when writing I would prefer the typewriter. It has a history. I wonder how many love notes, thoughts, poems, and ideas it has written and how many more it will write one key stroke at a time. It will not go out of style, or need an upgrade, or faster memory. It is beautiful in design and its simplicity has stood the test of time.

If we as a society value things done with care and appreciate the craft in producing something by hand, then why are these methods in such rapid decline? Why aren’t cards made by hand, apple pies made from scratch, or letters handwritten? Well, at least we still make babies the old fashioned way, oh wait… that has changed too. Change is necessary, very few would argue against that. Some embrace it with both arms while others fight it tooth and nail. Given the ‘at your fingertips’ access to technology and a yearning for things of the past, I find myself oscillating back and forth somewhere in the middle ground. I enjoy things with a sense of history and craft. Be it a dovetail joint on an old wooden box, the well worn feel of an old leather bag, or the indentation of hundreds of individually set pieces of type on a letterpressed card. These items mean something. They are born from the minds and hands of craftsman who have worked for years, often decades, to develop an expertise and precision that only comes with a passion for their craft. They go well beyond merely dictating their thoughts in built forms but often reach the level of poetics. This idea of uniquely crafted items varies greatly from the mass produced fog we currently find ourselves. Perhaps most wouldn’t think twice about purchasing the same stylized photo of the Eiffel Tower that four thousand other people around the country also have. These folks probably don’t value the story, the craft and are simply attracted to the look. Now, before you get all huffy and start throwing stones remember that you are probably in the majority.

The search for craftsmanship brings me to my real question of my rambling - where have all the sketches gone? Hand sketches on real paper with real lead. Spontaneous thoughts jotted down in a sketchbook or on a napkin or calculated perspectives drawn to communicate the feel of a space. Why is this most basic architectural tool seem to be a thing of the past? We talk about ideas, concepts, and inspiration but how do these words get translated into space? It was Le Corbusier who once said “I prefer drawing to talking; it leaves less room for lies.” Drawing allows the hands a link to the imagination, giving it the ability to create something that a few seconds ago only existed in the mind. We live in a virtual world where fancy shmancy images are what sell. I would argue that it is not necessary to see exactly what a design will look like down to the gnats ass of detail in order to understand a space, yet that is what we must do. Pretty pictures win over studies, diagrams, and ideas. Famous for being famous celebrities win over artists and philosophers. The music we make hasn’t died thanks to a few artists who still create art. But someone needs to crank up the volume, kick the amp over and hit a chord Chuck Berry style! We are so standardized to want the pretty picture that we have lost the little moments that make creation great. The idea is what gives life to a design born from layer upon layer of trace paper. When the day is done the original sketch is blurred under countless new ideas and the outcome is something that is well traveled through the mind. Perhaps taking a few wrong turns, retracing steps, leaping forward all to reach feels like the right solution.

Everything comes from an idea.

Embrace this, and enjoy the journey.

Like the letterpress images above? Check out HAMMERPRESS @ http://hammerpress.net/
or take look at them on facebook @ https://www.facebook.com/hammerpress.

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Color of the Year

As any company with good brand management in mind,
we ask ourselves the following on a regular basis:
Is our brand effective?
Is it relevant?
Does it accurately represent us?

In the ever evolving world of Architecture and Design, we find ourselves continuously pulling from our surroundings, our experiences, and most importantly- the current trends, in order to answer these fundamental questions. Not only does our brand represent us as a business and the individuals within, but also as a knowlegable and fully integrated entity within the design community as a whole. That's why this year we were excited for Pantone's announcement of Color of the Year. It goes without saying, I personally view Pantone as a susbtaintial contributor, innovator and knowledge hub for design- not just graphics, but architecture, fashion, publishing, cinema, textiles, manufacturing... I could go on and on. They not only are the international authority for color systems, they basically paved the way for modern printing (and let’s face it, even in this age of online media, expression through printed media will forever live on). Their ahead-of-the-curve thinking from the 1950's has translated into contemporary day design communication. That's right- we communicate through color. We feel through color. We live through color.

And what is this year’s color?

Drum-roll, please!

.

..

...

....

.....

Introducing “Tangerine Tango”, better known as “17-1463”. An oh-so perfect blend of C, M, Y, and K- this beauty conjures up emotions of energy, spirit, moxie, and well… fun! Forgive me for my analogy, but Tangerine Tango is like what any woman would want from a GREAT man (like I said, I apologize). It gives off an innate aura of adventure, vigor, and electricity… drawing you in with the radiance of its spicy magnetic hue. On the flip, it provides a certain comfort, sophistication, and versatility of friendship, as it blankets you with its warmth. Best of both worlds ladies? --- I think so

In regards to W+P, there is an ever-present discussion surrounding the choice, and continued use of our signature company color. “Is it red? Is it orange? It’s rorange!” – as our mantra goes. Let this help settle the debate once and for all (well, maybe just for 2012).

YES- our color is relevant
YES- our color is up-to-date
YES- our color is “us”

So, the next time our color is called into question, or I’m asked “Why still the roange?” I’m going to default to….

Because Pantone said so.Happy Coloring~
 

Want to know more about Pantone and their colors? Check out thier official site @ http://www.pantone.com/pages/pantone/category.aspx?ca=88 AND PLEASE watch their quick video @ http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=217233624976553, and like them on Facebook while you're there!

Interested in the psychology of color?
Read Faber Birren’s book, Color Psychology and Color Therapy: A Factual Study of the Influence of Color on Human Life --- it’s a must read for you designers out there.

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Holiday Greetings

Once again, we have out-done ourselves!

Us W+P'ers take much pride in our annual holiday cards. Not only do we have WAY too much fun making them, but we are known throughout the area for supplying a little extra holiday cheer (and humor) in each envelope.

This year, our marketing committee combined the festivity of the season, with the spirit of our 30th anniversary. What better way to get some good shots than throwing a mock-cocktail party all week at the office? We sure clean up pretty nice, huh?

A special thanks to…

-Our Jill of all trades, Lauren: for shooting, editing, and composing the card (that's right, we do this all in house!)

-San Juan High School’s Advanced Shop students: for crafting the “30” cutouts!

See what these amazing kids are doing @ https://www.facebook.com/SanJuanUnified

-Tammy and Brian at Master Color Printing: for the high quality finishing! Check them out on @ https://www.facebook.com/mastercolorprinting or at their blog @ http://www.mastercolorprintingblog.com/

Now, for a closer look at all our beautiful peeps...

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