Asquared Studios is Honored by ASU

Asquared Studios Partners Receive Sun Devil 100 award : Celebrating Entrepreneurial Spirit

Asquared Studios Partners Tony Garcia and Jessie Whitesides are headed back to their alma-matter this week to revive the honor of being named two of the ASU 100 class of 2018.  This distinction is awarded to 100 significant ASU alumni each year for their achievements and innovations as entrepreneurs.  Over the last 18 years Asquared Studios has grown to have  significant presence in the Architectural Profession in California.  With studios in both Northern and Southern California, Asquared Studios is able to understand the design demands and trends across the entire state.  Seeking to raise the level of professional service standard in the Architectural world, Tony and Jessie spend a great deal of time educating their clients on the value of Architecture and Design, stressing the importance of meaningful and transparent communication.  Their love for what they do comes naturally as a reflection of their passion for the built environment and its influence on our society.  They recognize the Architecture has a profound impact on the human condition, and they are committed helping aspiring young design minds find their voice in The future of the profession. 

Tony and Jessie are honored to be recognized by those who gave their careers life.  Thank you ASU! 

Below is a link to the complete list of honorees for the Sun Devil 100 Class of 2018

Sun Devil 100 Class of 2018

Asquared Studios Partner Wins National AIA Award

Tony Garcia, Co-Founder of Asquared Studios wins 2018 Young Architect of the Year Award

San Diego, California

We are proud to announce that Asquared Studios Partner, Tony Garcia, has been honored with the Young Architect of the Year Award (or the YAYA) by the national AIA. He will be honored at the 2018 AIA convention in New York City in June.

Already in his young career, Garcia has left an imprint on the profession. His talent and commitment to building a practice based on mutual respect and collaboration benefits his colleagues, clients, and the communities he serves.

Friends and Co-Founders, Tony Garcia, AIA and Jessie Whitesides, NCARB, formed Asquared Studios inc 2004. Within the construct of the current global professional economy, they have mastered the technologies that allow them to operate as one unified design studio with locations in both San Diego and Santa Rosa, California. Asquared Studios has built an award-winning portfolio of work that features projects of all scales and diverse forms of context both regionally and nationally.

The American Institute of Architects (AIA) has selected 18 recipients for the 2018 AIA Young Architects Award.  This award, now in its 25th year, honors individuals who have shown exceptional leadership and made significant contributions to the profession early in their careers.  As a recipient of The Young Architects Award, Tony will be honored at the AIA Conference on Architecture 2018 in New York City.

About the AIA:

Founded in 1857, The American Institute of Architects consistently works to create more valuable, healthy, secure, and sustainable buildings, neighborhoods, and communities. Through more than 200 international, state and local chapters, AIA advocates for public policies that promote economic vitality and public wellbeing. Members adhere to a code of ethics and conduct to ensure the highest professional standards. AIA provides members with tools and resources to assist them in their careers and business as well as engaging civic and government leaders and the public to find solutions to pressing issues facing our communities, institutions, nation and world.

To read more of Tony’s accomplishments and for a list of all honorees for the 2018 program follow the link:

AIA Press Release Link

Click Link Below to Download Press Ready PDF

YAYA Award Press Release

Sonoma County Announces the Opening of the Resiliency Permit Center

Asquared Studios Attends the First Resiliency Center Informational Seminar

The Sonoma County Permit and Resource Management Department (PRMD) has opened the Resiliency Permit Center, or RPC, which is a unique permitting facility dedicated to specifically serving the victims of the 2017 wildfires.  The primary purpose for the RPC is to expedite and streamline the permitting needs for building (or re-building) in the burn zone.  The RPC has been contracted to Sonoma County for 3 years.

The RPC is run by West Coast Code Consultants, a company that specializes in plan review and inspection services.  Mike Renner will be heading up the RPC and he was on hand at the seminar to explain the process for submittals and approvals for projects located in the burn zone.  It is clear that they are dedicated to making this process as pain free as possible.  Some of the highlights on how they intend to do this is by creating a user friendly web portal in which submittals can be made and comments returned.  Their intended review process is 5 days to comments, or what they call “Greenlines”, which is a system of notating submittal drawings and returning them to the applicant in lieu of creating plan review letters.  If corrections are required, the RPC will review the revised submittal package within 3 days.  If anyone has been through the standard building permit review process, an 8 day total review period is remarkable, and we commend the establishment of this system.

To achieve an maintain the efficiency of this process, Mike has asked that everyone schedule a “Pre-Application Screening” or PAS.  He encourages project teams to bring as many team members as might be necessary to ensure this screening is effective.  The purpose of this meeting is to review the intended project for planning, septic, and building issues and determine if there is any project component that will create a red-flag for the RPC review process.  It is our belief that the pre-application screening is something that should be done in the case of any standard permit submittal.

In addition to the expedited process, projects submitted through the RPC will enjoy a discounted permit fee.  The noted discount is approximately 35% less than the standard fees.

Of course each and every project will have a unique set of requirements and questions to be answered, but overall the RPC is offering a remarkable opportunity for fire victims to achieve their re-building goals.  We encourage everyone to visit their web portal and review what they are offering.  From this location you will be able to access information regarding services for projects that fall within the jurisdiction of both Sonoma County and the City of Santa Rosa.

Asquared Studios is happy to answer any additional questions you may have and help you navigate the re-building process.

Click the link below for more information:

Resiliency Permit Center Portal

The Fire Devastation Continues

Our Hearts go out to those in Southern California

It is Friday Morning December the 8th, 2017.  The fires in Northern California are now 2 months old.  Our community has been recovering strong with an amazing amount of volunteers, new organizations, many fundraising benefits, and an impressive amount of clean up completed.  As Architects, we have essentially had our boots on the ground advising those who have suffered loss, exploring individual moments of devastation, and coming to terms with the ways in which we can offer our expertise in a capacity that is effective and affordable.

With the burst of fires in Southern California, the on-going disasters are now moving toward our Southern California studio in San Diego.  Our hearts go out to those that now face the fight that we are just now coming to terms within Northern California.  Asquared Studios would like to let everyone know that we encourage you to use as a resource as much as possible in navigating the difficult process that comes next.

Please look back through our journal posts over the last two months to find the information that we offered with regards to fire recovery.  Also feel free to reach out to us to simply ask questions.  We are here FOR YOU!

With Love – Tony, Jessie, Capri, and Kola.

Rammed Earth Construction Begins

The First Rammed Earth Wall Gets Rammed!

Thursday marked a big moment for us at Asquared Studios.  Our Partner Jessie Whitesides, first read “The Rammed Earth House”, by David Easton, in 1997.  Now, 20 years later she has seen her admiration of his expertise in earth building come to life as a significant part of one of our current projects.  This single family home in the hills of Sonoma is now well under construction.  In our previous post related to this project we explained the complexity of the “simple box” plan for this single family residence.  Now, a significant amount of the structural steel has been installed and the largest rammed earth wall has been rammed.  As with most minimalist design elements, the simplicity of the finished rammed earth product requires a great deal of complex coordination and preparation to come to life.  To give you an idea of the complexity of what we have created here, we finalized our construction drawings about 1 year ago this month, and since then we have been coordinating the intricacies of connecting the rammed earth walls to perpendicular concrete walls, burying steel columns in the wall to support a floating roof, and installing plate steel door and window surrounds into the rammed earth formwork.  So, when Rammed Earth Works (David Easton’s Construciton team) began filling the walls with our custom mix design on Thursday morning we reveled in the excitement.  Rammed Earthworks has developed an efficient method for filling the walls with stabilized earth materials and ramming the material to a specified compaction.  We are impressed by the dedication of his team, and we anxiously await the removal of the formwork in the coming week.  For now we are excited to share a few process photos and videos with you through the links provided below.

      

 

Click links below to see more

Rammed Earth Delivery System

The Ramming Process Inside the Wall

DEBRIS REMOVAL DEADLINE IS TODAY

Today is the deadline to OPT-IN to have the Government clean up your property

We are 5 weeks from the start of the devastating Northbay wildfire and the deadline for opting in to have the Army Corps of Engineers conduct lean up services on private properties is here.  In most cases we have recommended to the people who have contacted us for help to OPT-IN for this service.  The reason for this is that the Architectural Design process will take longer than the clean up process.  It is our understanding that the clean up process is due to be complete by February 2018.

We have spent much of the last 5 weeks educating those who have lost their homes about the Architectural Design Process.  Complete Architectural Professional Services includes several design and documentation phases of work prior to the time that a permit submittal can be made.  Depending on the size of the residence or structure defined in the scope of work for any given project, the design process can very anywhere from 6 to 12 months.  With February just 3 short months away, we believe that allowing the Army Corps of Engineers to clean up your site as part of their established process will not affect the design and permitting schedule for a new residence, and will allow for the most efficient and effective process for having your site cleared of debris.

In contrast, people who choose the OPT-OUT option will have a good deal of additional coordination to manage to complete the process.  The first order of business will be to hire a General Contractor who can coordinate site analysis, inspections, demolition and clean-up, and final testing.  The first order of business is to get the initial site analysis scheduled and completed.  Next, a private inspection company must be hired to perform initial site testing.  The initial testing has been noted to range between $500 to $1,000.  Basically the inspector will remove 3 to five sample bags of soil and send them out for testing.  Once the initial testing is complete a demolition company can remove the debris from your site. The results of the initial testing will then be attached to the demolition debris so that the landfill knows what is coming into their facility.  The closest landfill will be in Vacaville, which will have significant transportation costs.  Finally, following the completion of the demolition, the original testing company must come back and test the soils again.  Of course the cost of the private clean up process will vary depending on each individual site, we understand the range of costs will start at $25,000.00.

The consideration of choosing to OPT-IN may depend on several items: 1. Individual insurance policy limits for demolition,  2. Whether your site is isolated or within a large area of impacted homes  3. The intent to leave or remove the foundation (see MKM ZFA document attached) 4. Timeliness of Army Corps demolition  5. Your trust in private verse public services.  We have also attached a 3 page PDF from Sonoma County describing wildfire debris management.

With the rains upon us this morning, we would also like to extend a warning to be careful if you and your property are on a hillside or in a sloping area.  The rains are going to create dangerous conditions as most of the vegetation, trees, and underground infrastructure that help to hold soils in place have been annihilated and/or damaged to point at which they will not stabilize the soils.  We understand the large sinkholes have already developed in areas of Fountain Grove.  We urge you to act wisely and stay safe!

Click links below to learn more:

Sonoma County Wildfire Debris Management

Structural Foundation Recommendations

DISASTER RELIEF : WHAT ARE THE STEPS TO TAKE?

Asquared Studios provides information for working through your recovery after a disaster

We are now half way through day 14 of the wildfires that have ravaged the Northbay.  In the last 14 days Tony and I have been discussing my volunteer experiences at the Local Assistance Center to determine if there is a way for us to be of more help to those in need.  We recognize that there is simply A LOT of information to digest for those who are suffering total loss and for those who are faced with the monumental task of assessing damage to structures that survived the fires.  This damage will likely stretch far beyond the visible aspects of flame and heat damage, most notably extending into architectural finishes, wall cavities, and ceiling cavities that are filled with all forms of insulation. As a result of our conversations we have assembled a simple outline or guideline that you may find useful in determining a process for recovery after a disaster.  The link provided below will take you to the PDF of this outline.

We urge you to be cautious when returning home!

Click link below to learn more:

Disaster Relief : Insurance Recovery

 

Northbay Fires Day 11

Asquared survives the fires and volunteers to aid in relief

We are now on day 11 of the largest wildfire in California history.  As of today, many of the fires are contained to a high percentage allowing many to return to their evacuated neighborhoods.  Over the last 11 days many of the residents of the Northbay have had no choice but to operate their lives simply one hour at a time.  The same has held true for Asquared Studios Santa Rosa. Jessie has been spending her days volunteering at designated relief centers, checking on safety, and caring for and hosting displaced families.

In addition, Jessie has been volunteering at the LAC (Local Assistance Center) in Santa Rosa, which is a remarkable assembly of community services brought together in one common location so that the victims of the fire have a “one stop shopping” center to re-build their lives.  There people are able to replace birth certificates, drivers licenses, marriage licenses, tax paperwork, and talk to professionals from city and county services and utilities.  Trader Joe’s has donated shopping bags to help people keep track of all of the documents they will now carry around with them until they can restore some normalcy to their lives. Sitting in as a Santa Rosa Architect offering advice to those who have lost their homes, Jessie has answered questions about the cost of re-building, the process of working with an architect, how to interact with the city and county agencies, and has generally provided a shoulder to lean on for those who have never been through the building process before. As Architects the education we provide to the general public and our own clients alike is one off the greatest contributions that we can make to our community. Please, if you know someone who is in need of re-assembling their life and home, send them to the LAC, located at the Press Democrat Building on Mendocino Avenue.

We have also been involved in discussions with our local chapter of the AIA known as the AIARE. Please know that our professional organization is working diligently to be a strong advocate for our communities to guide the re-building process and offer professional advice to those in need.  Several members have been involved in fire destruction recovery in the recent past, so we are able to learn from those experiences and provide better and more accurate information relative to the current needs.  All of us will be working with both the city of Santa Rosa Economic Development Department, the Sonoma County Permit and Resource Management Department, and the Napa County Building Division to understand what expedited services they will be providing for all of our planning and building permitting needs.

A new map describing the devastation to structures themselves has been released.  To grasp the magnitude of destruction that we will be dealing with please feel free to click the link provided below.

Click link below to learn more:

Map of Destroyed and Damaged Structures

WEBUILDWINECOUNTRY

Asquared is spreading the word: #webuildwinecountry

As most of the world now knows, we are on day 8 of the most devastating fire event in California history.  The past week has been filled with housing refugees, sorting out volunteer efforts, trying to stay happy and healthy, and mobilizing professionals whose expertise is going to be needed in our communities now more than ever.  We have even been in contact with some fire fighters to know that they are working their asses off, suffering outrageous cases of poison oak and 14 hours days, then returning to the fairgrounds for a warm meal and to sleep in tents on the ground before heading out again in the morning.  Our hearts and hugs go out to all +/- 11,000 of them.

We feel fortunate to know that we have lost only one of the buildings we have completed over the last 20 years.  Unfortunately that building was an historic renovation and was full of museum memorabilia that can not be replaced.  Our loss and the loss of so many others is going to take years to re-build.

Asquared Studios is working hard to bring together a collaborative of professionals who area abel to offer relief to the victims of the devastating fires that still rage through Sonoma and Napa Counties. We have a lot of ideas floating around and we are working on outreach to bring the ideas and people together. If you are interested in staying in touch as to what can be done to help be sure to check back with our journal. I will try to keep my activities posted here. We are building a web site for “webuildwinecountry” so that we can distribute information efficiently and effectively. #webuildwinecountry was established to identify with the greater sense of community in our area. we don’t just want to “re-build” we want the community to come together so that “we-build” our community effectively.

We recognize that the devastation has reached way past the wine industry and that our area has much more to identify with than “Wine Country”, so our commitment will not stop there, but will encompass all in the Northbay. The Northbay is a melting pot of Artists, Professionals, Cyclists, Farmers, Artisans, Foodies, Philosophers, and much much more. Please join us in our efforts – we welcome your expertise and knowledge.

We share just a few images that express the amazing community effort that is building to care for…..well….everyone!

Cheers – Asquared Studios

Jessie Whitesides + Tony Garcia

   

 

Asquared Studios Builds with Rammed Earth

Asquared is excited to be building a new residence using Rammed Earth

Asquared Studios has an exciting new project under construction on a uniques site with a unique mix of materials.  When we began work on this residence we described the design to the owner as “a simple box”.  As anyone in the profession of Architecture knows, using the term “simple” is a dangerous proposition, as the creation of a “simple box” requires the coordination of a complex set of details to remain true to the architectural intent.  The term “simple box” has now become a running joke between us and the owner of this unique new residence, as the material selections of Rammed Earth, Corten, and large expanses of glass have come together to create one of the most complex set of drawings and details that we have ever developed.  The challenge has been inspiring, and now, as construction is underway and the foundation expresses the true form of the “simple box”, and we are beginning to witness the form of our efforts.

We selected Annadel Builders as the general contractor for this project.  Their team has proven to be professional and extremely detail oriented.  The foundation was painstakingly formed with 2×6 board form foundation walls and literally hundreds of anchor bolts that will tie the foundation to the floor, the rammed earth walls, and the steel structure that allows for the large expanses of glass and and floating roof lines.

The rammed earth walls will be the first to be erected, and we are looking forward to working with David Easton and his incredible team at Rammed Earthworks.

We will be following this project through construction in our Journal, so please come check it out again!

Cheers – Jessie Whitesides