St. Matthew’s Parish Church

The Parish of St. Matthew took the destruction by fire of its small modernist church as an opportunity to bring the community together in the act of building anew and giving us our first chance to involve a large client community in a collaborative design effort for a single building. Through a series of four workshops, more than 200 parishioners collaborated on decisions from siting the building to determining its size, facilities, layout and budget. The resulting building marries a traditionally configured nave and transept plan with a spreading hipped roof—a form reminiscent of more rustic California architecture. The hipped roof is carved away in deference to favorite trees on the site, creating courtyards and a cloister for informal gatherings and quiet meditation.

Inside the lofty formal nave, liturgical processions are framed by arches of ornamented steel. The arc of seating cuts through the orthogonal roof geometry and allows more than 350 congregants to be within seven rows of the altar. Ventilated skylights and generous building volume eliminate the need for air conditioning, while the climate allows for minimal heating. The exterior of the building is finished with cement plaster with expansion joints composed to recall, but not mimic, the 1920s half-timbered stucco of the nearby Founder’s Hall.

American Institute Taiwan

While not officially designated as an embassy, the American Institute in Taiwan fulfills many key functions typically associated with U.S. embassies. The design of the main Chancery building uses a common format for embassies– two bars of office space with shared spaces and services in the center. In addition, it includes a regional foreign language school for the diplomatic corps and a major Consular/Visa section. Other buildings such as a formal Entry Pavilion, staff quarters, and service facilities add up to create a full campus development.

 Much like the intricate design of a traditional Chinese garden, the site’s dramatic topography is articulated into a collage of spaces with different scales and geometries. The Consulate is entered through a circular “Butterfly Court”, resembling a moon gate set into the ground plane. The courtyard’s monumental graphics depict the butterflies of Formosa, organized by the elevations they inhabit. To mediate the massive scale of the main office building, the exterior design adapts the Chinese garden’s abrupt changes in scale and form, with a layering of Lobby Pavilion, screened Consular Porch and shifting façade materials that address the surrounding landscape. Landscape design by Pamela Burton & Co. weaves a continuous narrative of paths and places that both enrich and unify the campus.

Santa Monica Civic Center Parking Structure

In order to establish a strong presence within the city’s cluster of civic buildings, this parking structure was conceived as much more than a traditional garage. Instead, it was envisioned as a functionally dynamic celebration of civic life.

The resulting 300,000 square foot parking structure, with four levels above grade and two levels below, provides 882 parking spaces alongside a variety of amenities for the Stan Monica community. Serving as an easily identifiable marker for the entire civic center, the building offers spectacular views of the Pacific Ocean and the city from the upper levels, while a café on the main plaza terrace activates the pedestrian traffic experience.

Many factors contribute to the building’s status as one of the first LEED™ certified parking structures in the United States. Photovoltaic panels on the roof provide shade and a significant portion of total energy needs. Materials with a high recycled content were used as well.

Ribbed concrete panels are set in a shifting, rhythmic pattern on the building’s façade, capturing a rich play of shadows while screening the presence of parked cars. A series of bays made of colored channel glass bring a lively, ever-changing quality both day and night.

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