New Construction Starts On Kuni Chevrolet Cadillac

Construction on a new free standing Chevrolet and Cadillac dealership by Kuni Automotive Group has started.

 

The Fifty Three Thousand Seven Hundred and Thirty (53,730) square foot facility will be located on the corner of Fulton Ave. and El Camino Ave. in Sacramento, California, which will be another giant step forward in the redevelopment of the Fulton Avenue redevelopment program. The new dealership will be comprised of a combined Chevrolet/Cadillac showroom of approximately 20,810 square feet, a three-lane drive-through service drop-off area of approximately 5,750 square feet, and an automated car wash, parts and service department area containing approximately 24,270 square feet. It will house Twenty Seven (27) service bays and two “express service” lanes with underground pits that will service up to four vehicles at one time. The dealership’s development of the approximately 5.04 acre site includes all new utility services, paved parking areas, automotive display areas, fully landscaped grounds, and both Brand and Historic Clock Tower signage.

The facility is being designed and developed by Michael Graves of Autotainment Ventures LLC, who retained Williams + Paddon as lead architect and project designers overseeing a consultant team of KPFF (structural engineers), LP Consulting  Engineers (mechanical, plumbing & electrical engineers), Warren Consulting Engineers (civil engineers), and Yamasaki Landscape Architecture. Wells Construction has been selected as the general contractor, and the project’s groundbreaking was on September 23, 2013.  The County of Sacramento has also been an integral part of development throughout the entire process, without whose assistance this project could not have happened.

Read More

Hidden Valley Lake Golf & Country Club : Off to a Great Start!

There's nothing more satisfying than knowing we've done right by our client and, more importantly, they get real value in working with us. Our ongoing involvement with the Hidden Valley Lake Golf & Country Club is an excellent example of this fulfilling experience.
 
W+P was privileged to be mentioned in the Hidden Valley Lake Association's October 2013 Special Report. Here's an excerpt from the newsletter:

"Late last year, the Board realized that we could go no further with facilities planning and design without the assistance of professionals. Thus, we developed a Request for Qualifications and distributed it to six architectural firms with relevant experience. Five firms submitted proposals after visiting Hidden Valley Lake and viewing our facilities. After reviewing all the proposals in detail, the Board chose Williams + Paddon. [Williams + Paddon] has designed golf clubhouses all over the west, including many projects for Trilogy. Some of their work includes [Yocha Dehe Golf Club at] Cache Creek Casino, Whitney Oaks in Rocklin, Catta Verdera in Lincoln, and Trilogy projects in La Quinta, Nipomo, and Brentwood.
 
Another strength of this company is its extensive work on community centers and public facilities. A sampling of this work includes Lincoln Crossing Aquatic Center, Fairway Canyons in Beaumont, Avalon in Palm Springs Village, a community center in Citrus Heights, and Trilogy projects in Brentwood, Corona, La Quinta and Rio Vista.
 
Two talented and experienced architects, both graduates of Cal Poly, are leading the work on this project. Terry Green is a principal of the firm and serves as lead designer. He has been with Williams + Paddon for [29] years. Greg Tonello has been with the firm for [29] years. He is a principal of the firm and serves as its project manager.
 
One of the tasks the Association asked of Williams + Paddon was to verify the 2007 Gentry Engineering reports dealing with code-required building upgrades. Terry and Greg assembled an experienced team to complete this work and to advise them on technical issues as their design work evolves.
 
This team includes Bill Rader of Buehler & Buehler, Structural Engineers. Josh Pirkl, Mechanical Engineer, and Ryan Cartwright, Electrical Engineer, both with Glumac. Lastly, Robert Boucher of Ascent Builders is providing construction expertise."

Read More

Dan Penick : The Latest Recruit of Team W+P

We didn’t forget about welcoming Dan…

...even if it’s taken three months since he joined our firm for this post to come out!

Dan Penick was added to W+P’s roster in September and thrown into the fire early, as we immediately inserted him into a few key projects with tight deadlines. He has not disappointed… this design savvy Autodesk Revit® Certified Professional has helped boost both our deliverables and office dynamic. Dan isn’t fazed by tight deadlines or challenging design ideas. A real trooper, he even put up with getting a can of Spam for his first ever W+P Holiday white elephant gift exchange!

 

 

Dan infuses his work with an interesting sense of style—sort of a mashup of the Bay Area and SoCal vibe. The former is where he grew up, and the latter is where he went to architecture school and worked prior to W+P. His creativity isn’t limited to his design and 3D modeling capabilities, either... W+P awarded him “Most Likely to Scare the Dog” for his Halloween costume—a full-on Frankenstein, complete with face paint, creepy stare and shuffling walk. We’ve also been hearing about some wondrous delights coming out of his kitchen… as you can imagine, we can’t wait till our next office potluck!

Dan spent some of his high school life in Sacramento, his fiancé was living in Midtown while he was working in Los Angeles, and both of their families are in the area… so in many ways, coming to W+P is like coming home. We’re glad to have helped make that happen for Dan!

Read More

Performance Chevrolet's New Look

Williams + Paddon led the recent efforts to upgrade the Performance Chevrolet car dealership in Sacramento, CA. 

The improvements were focused in the primary exterior façade facing Madison Avenue and Wall Street, areas surrounding the main showroom, the interior of the main showroom, reception, hallways, and Service Department customer lounge area. Accessibility upgrades for both site and interior were also included in this project.

Our team led coordination efforts with Gensler's Chicago office to ensure all upgrades were in line with corporate standards and national branding. The project's success was hinged on our flexibility and responsiveness in incorporating changes requested by the owner after construction had begun.



Photos are courtesy of Wells Construction.

 

Read More

DIY Diva : Building a Designer Style Headboard in No Time!

There's no better use of spare time than a good DIY project, in my book!

So when we moved into our new home in early Spring, the first thing I wanted to do was make our very own headboard. I looked online for inspiration, as well as instructions. The one that caught my eye was not a traditional upholstered headboard--its nail head design added a little bit of character. This particular designer headboard retails for $1250... I was up for quite a challenge!

Step 1: Buy materials--plywood cut to size, quilt backing, nail head trim, picture hooks, fabric of choice, staple gun.

Step 2: Wrap the quilt bating and fabric over the front and staple them both to the back of the plywood. Trim the excess.

Step 3: Replicate the nail head pattern. I used a nail head trim in place of individual nail heads, so instead of hammering each nail head in individually, I only had to nail every fifth one. This nail head trim was also great because it was easier to keep a straight line.


Step 4: Attach picture hooks to the back of the headboard, about six inches from either side, and hang on the wall behind the bed. 

Despite the fact that it’s a fairly large piece, it was surprisingly easy to put together and only took about an hour. I am thrilled with the results and it only cost me $90... saving over a thousand dollars! Not only am I happy about the savings, but I’m also proud to know I was able to create something beautiful and customized to my taste!

Read More

AIA Central Valley Appoints Brian Whitmore as Treasurer

On November 13, Brian Whitmore, AIA, LEED® AP, was elected to the position of Treasurer for the AIA Central Valley Chapter.

The AIA Central Valley is the local chapter of the American Institute of Architects that serves 17 Northern California counties, including Alpine, Amador, Butte, Colusa, El Dorado, Glenn, Lassen, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Sacramento, Shasta, Sierra, Sutter, Tehama, Yolo and Yuba. The Chapter has been in existence since 1942 and has grown from a group of 5 charter members to a current membership of 850, serving architects, associates working towards licensure, students and allied professionals.

Brian has already served as Director for the Chapter since 2011. As Treasurer, he now serves on the Executive Committee, with the opportunity to culminate as President of the Chapter in 2017.

Read More

PCOE : A Study in 21st Century Educational Environments

The recently completed I-Learn and I-Care Charter School and Professional Development Facility for Placer County Office of Education is an excellent example of Williams + Paddon’s commitment to 21st Century Learning.

This adaptive re-use of an existing commercial office building for educational use houses two County dependent Charters and a professional development center: 

• The I-Care Program - a school for “at-risk” middle and high school age students who are struggling in the public school environment
• The I-Learn Program - focused on “home-school” program resources and learning
• A 160-seat professional development and staff resource room, administrative office space and “itinerate” docking area for PCOE staff and administration.

The facility, a 22,000 sf existing building, was designed to allow for maximum use of the space, accommodation of natural daylight and the concept of a shared “hub” space that could be used for student interaction and break out. This tenant improvement demonstrates how commercial office space can be transformed into a 21st Century Learning facility through proper programming, infrastructure and safety/ security measures. The classrooms utilize SMART technology, tablet based audio-visual systems and lighting control, and are arranged around a shared “hub” area for social interaction and student presentation. The furniture is mobile and offers both lecture and soft seating options.
The need to specify “indestructible” materials was pronounced from the beginning of design development due to security/safety and vandalism concerns. This appeared to discourage investments in 21st Century Learning; however, by working closely with PCOE’s administration and staff, Williams + Paddon developed creative design solutions that addressed these needs while still promoting the principles of 21st Century Learning.

The design incorporated a combination of heightened visibility, durability of materials, ergonomic furniture, and warmth of color, resulting in spaces that students consciously value and choose not to vandalize. This strategic investment to develop spaces students would consider “their own” and take pride in reduces any inclination towards vandalism and increases the students’ involvement and desire to care for the environment. Above all else, Williams + Paddon believes a pleasing, comfortable, clean and well-maintained educational facility brings about more positive perspectives and is particularly conducive to learning.

This design direction led the District to commit both complex technology and high quality furniture for a richer interior environment. The investment has proven to be especially rewarding: the reaction of the students was one of amazement. It is evident that they appreciate the high level of care demonstrated by their new surroundings, and the sense that the community has truly invested in them encourages them to better value this opportunity to learn.

Read More

Williams + Paddon’s Commitment to 21st Century Learning

In today’s world, it’s become more evident that true learning happens everywhere—inside, outside, and in all the nooks and crannies in between.

Williams + Paddon supports this by developing 21st Century Learning Environments that are extremely adaptive—where a hallway may serve as a gallery or stage, and an outdoor plaza can be as a classroom.

These environments are collaborative—information is not just obtained and mastered, but also shared, reflected upon and added on to—utilizing the careful integration of technology, equipment and mobile furnishings that allow spaces to be both comfortable and flexible. We design a multitude of spaces for the various ways in which people learn—balancing traditional lecture halls with more private environments as well as a more spontaneous, collaborative environments.

In addition, we understand that educational facilities that closely mimic the real world (such as career technical education space) can be more compelling and relevant than static or standard spaces. We work hard to weave our knowledge of commercial, civic and hospitality design into the educational environment; thus creating real workplaces and dynamic environments that people seek out to be educated within.

In creating 21st Century Learning Environments, our incorporation of sustainable practices is vital. In addition to directly translating into cost savings for long-term facilities maintenance, sustainable design improves occupant comfort, indoor air quality, access to daylight and views, and the overall relationship between indoor and outdoor space. These elements have been shown to impact the long-term operational budget through the improvement of the health and well-being of employees, reductions in absenteeism and improvements in productivity. And just as this premise is logical when it comes to working adults, all the more it makes sense when it comes to children and young adults who need to be able to focus in order to learn—they can apply themselves most effectively to learning if their environment is appropriate, comfortable and not distracting.

Read More