PBWS Architects

PBWS Architects and the Los Angeles Unified School District were honored at the Los Angeles Business Council’s (LABC) 54th Annual Architectural Awards, winning the Award of Excellence in recognition of Grover Cleveland High School Comprehensive Modernization in Reseda, California. The award ceremony recognized more than four dozen leading architectural and design projects that advance Los Angeles as a global creative hub while promoting dynamic, inclusive communities. Krisztina Tokes, Chief Facilities Executive, and Alix Walsh O'Brien, FAIA, Deputy Chief Facilities Executive, from the Los Angeles Unified School District accepted the award on behalf of the project team before an audience of architects, designers, business leaders, city and state officials at the ceremony at the Beverly Hilton. They were joined by Barton Anderson, NCARB, LEED AP, Wade Frazier, and Kirstyn Bonneau, AIA, the partners of PBWS Architects. Visit the Architectural Awards Website to see the full list of awardees and sponsors: https://lnkd.in/gXeHYK4y

PBWS is excited to be a part of the USC School of Architecture Guild Mentorship Program. Programs like these ensure the next generation of professionals are getting a great head-start in their future careers. See if you can spot Kirstyn Bonneau, AIA in the third photo, attending the kickoff event last week!

Happy Birthday to Pasadena City College! This year marks 100 years since the founding of Pasadena City College. To celebrate, they are holding a free community birthday party on campus this Saturday! (details here: https://lnkd.in/gN8jUcAs ) As our local Community College, PBWS has worked alongside PCC for decades on a wide range of projects from ADA upgrades to new construction. Click through the photos below to see some of our projects through the years.  Our partnership extended in 2018 to include the Harlan Pedersen Scholarship for Architectural Education, , which recognizes and rewards student success in the study of architecture as a stepping-stone to a professional career. It also encourages cultural awareness of architecture among all students of the College, requiring enrollment in at least one Architecture class. We’d like to congratulate the college, its staff, students, and supporters on a century of quality education and community in Pasadena.

Rob Takei, Matthew Milton, and Wade Frazier attended a Backyard BBQ Fundraiser for Holos Communities. The event celebrated recent achievements from the holistic, nonprofit organization that tackles complex issues like homelessness, climate change, and racial inequality. PBWS is working with Holos on Laurel Grove, a 97-unit hotel conversion in Whittier. The project includes a small grove of fruit trees and gardens irrigated with recycled wastewater from the building’s laundry rooms, potentially redirecting over half a million gallons of water a year. The site also features pocket parks for tenants and community members, encouraging residents to spend time in shared spaces. At PBWS, we design so that the impact our projects leave on communities is positive, inclusive, and sustainable. We are pleased to support Holos on this important project.

Back to School season is here! Many children are heading back to school this week, and PBWS would like to wish all parents, students, and teachers alike the best of luck in this transition! As our children return to school, we are taking a moment to reflect on how we can enrich the experience of education through our work. At the heart of every school is the relationship between the teachers and the students. As architects, we at PBWS have a unique opportunity to make impactful choices that shape the student experience and facilitate that relationship. We want the design of our facilities to work with teachers. Some examples of these choices include providing teachers with a flexible, neutral backdrop which they can adapt for their curriculum. It means arranging the plan in a way that makes it easy for students to transition between activities. We also consider the relationship between exterior play areas and the classroom, allowing children to flow between activities. Adjusting to a new schedule can be hard work, especially for our teachers, children, and parents. At PBWS, we believe that good design can help ease some of that pressure. We know that children learn best when they feel safe, secure, and valued. From the moment they enter a classroom, we want every child to feel welcome, excited, and ready to learn. #BackToSchool

Today we wished our summer intern, Clarisse, the best of luck in her final year of college. She has been a delightful addition to our team for the last few months. Since joining us at the beginning of June, Clarisse has supported our staff on many projects; she has assisted with drawings and models for both Higher Education and K-12 projects, revised a master plan presentation, and worked on drainage plans. She has been a dedicated and thoughtful presence in the office, and we hope that she enjoys the year to come! Good luck Clarisse! You are always welcome at PBWS! Clarisse Cao

We are delighted to announce that we recently prequalified to work with the San Bernardino City Unified School District! At PBWS, we believe in collaboration and are excited to begin this partnership with another school district. Stay tuned for updates! #SanBernardinoCity

This month at the PBWS office, our staff have had multiple encounters with the local flora and fauna. Our Red Orchid Cactus has bloomed revealing a stunning magenta flower and signaling the start of a hot California summer. We also spotted a coyote on our patio, far from its regular stomping grounds. And parrots settled in our nearby trees, nibbling away at berries. These joyful encounters remind us of how important it is to our mental well-being to have access to nature. Being witness to the ebbs and flows of a healthy ecosystem helps ground our own awareness in relation to that ecosystem. Just as the cherry blossoms in Japan signal the start of spring, they also represent a kind of ephemerality that only nature can teach us. Our blooms, coyotes, and parrots offered our PBWS staff a moment to reflect on beauty, balance, and discovery.    Biophilia is a key consideration in our designs. It seeks to improve the health and wellbeing of building occupants by strengthening the innate relationship between natural and built environments. Natural daylight, biomorphic forms, and material connections with nature all help to remind us that despite the walls that separate us, outside is all there is. This week, we challenge you to stop and smell the flowers! #biophilia #nature #thoughtfuldesign

One of the best parts of architectural practice is working with such creative and talented team members. Thanks, EPTDESIGN, for featuring our work together in this article.

We’re #hiring a new Project Architect in Pasadena, California. This is an exciting opportunity to manage projects and lead project teams with the potential for long-term growth and leadership. Apply today or share this post with your network.