Archinect
Sara MacDonald

Sara MacDonald

Summit, NJ, US

 

About 

I am a project architect/project manager at The Musial Group in Mountainside, NJ.  Current projects include a  Lobby and One-Stop Registration renovation for Union County College in Elizabeth, NJ which started construction in August 2016. It has a completion date of August 2017. I led the team to produce construction and bid documents and the contract set.  I am responsible for daily project management with bi-weekly site meetings, shop submittal and RFI review. I also develop proposals, designs and budget projections for other projects and I have two projects in development.

Last year I completed two projects for Union County College:  a laboratory renovation at the same building in Elizabeth and EMT and nursing training rooms inserted into an industrial building in Plainfield, NJ. Both budgets were  about two million dollars. I was project designer, client liaison, project architect and construction manager on both projects. I reviewed change order requests and payment applications in addition to construction administration. For both projects, I worked closely with the administration, faculty and facility staff. The college has given the firm tremendous positive response on these completed projects. 

At DMR Architects in Hasbrouck Heights, New Jersey, my projects included a magnet high school cafeteria addition in Bergen County, a head start facility change of use at a warehouse building and a riverside park on the Passaic River.  I prepared design and construction documents working with the Design Director. While at DMR, I completed two LEED K-12 school certifications with one Gold. I recently filed a LEED application for the Hudson County Emergency Management Offices located in a brownfield ship-building facility built in 1917. I expect Gold certification.

After completing architecture school at SCI-Arc in Los Angeles, I spent three years at  Frank Gehry’s office primarily working on the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain. It was the inaugural CAD project in the office. We started with schematic drawings on paper and by Construction Documents I was working in Catia, a 3-D modeling program developed for the aerospace industry.  One of my responsibilities was modeling the atrium interior.

In my own investigations and study, I have pursued architectural design as a confluence of building and the natural world. My interest is to include nature in the daily life of building occupants and to create the most sustainable project possible. Public institutions with limited budgets are very receptive to energy savings and discover they appreciate the end design result as well.  At both DMR and The Musial Group, I have built collaborative relationships with civil, mechanical and electrical engineers to reach sustainable goals.

I am an excellent manager with a passion for each project phase and the collaborative work leading to a successful result.  

Employment 

The Musial Group Architects, Mountainside, NJ, US, Project Architect/Project Manager

I am a project architect/project manager at The Musial Group in Mountainside, NJ. Current projects include a Lobby and One-Stop Registration renovation for Union County College in Elizabeth, NJ which started construction in August 2016. It has a completion date of August 2017. I led the team to produce construction and bid documents and the contract set. I am responsible for daily project management with bi-weekly site meetings, shop submittal and RFI review. I also develop proposals, designs and budget projections for other projects and I have two projects in development.

Last year I completed two projects for Union County College: a laboratory renovation at the same building in Elizabeth and EMT and nursing training rooms inserted into an industrial building in Plainfield, NJ. Both budgets were about two million dollars. I was project designer, client liaison, project architect and construction manager on both projects. I reviewed change order requests and payment applications in addition to construction administration. For both projects, I worked closely with the administration, faculty and facility staff. The college has given the firm tremendous positive response on these completed projects.

Nov 2013 - current
 

DMR Architects, Hasbrouck Heights, NJ, US, Job Captain

Prepared design and construction documents on varied projects in New Jersey including: Cafeteria addition and renovation for Charter High School; Head Start Day Care Center, Multi-family apartment building, County Park including boat houses and waterfront riparian repair with boat docks. Prepared LEED submisssions for successful Silver and Certified status for two schools, including the first public school in New Jersey to receive certification.

Mar 2006 - Dec 2007
 

Edelman Sultan Knox Wood / Architects LLP, New York, NY, US, Job Captain/ Construction Administrator

Job Captain & Construction Administrator: Multi-family affordable housing renovation, The Emerson, NY NY. and new construction market rate apartment building, Stir;ling Place, Brooklyn, NY.

Mar 2004 - Jan 2005
 

Los Angeles Community Design Center, Los Angeles, CA, US, Project Lead/Designer

Project Lead/Designer: Washington Boulevard Commercial Facade and Signage Program. Storefront renovation.
Construction Administrator: Heritage Court Senior Housing; 31 units new construction affordable housing for seniors.

Sep 1999 - Mar 2001
 

Gehry Partners, LLP, Santa Monica, CA, US, Construction Documents/Model Builder

Construction Documents/Model Builder
Museo Guggenheim, Bilbao, Spain. I was part of the design team from schematic design to construction documents.
Rasin Prague, Prague, Czechoslovakia. Model building and drawing for office building.
American Center, Paris, France. Restaurant Planning for cultural building.
Boston Children's Museum, Boston, MA. Model building.
Exhibit Design: Disney Concert Hall Exhibition at Venice Biennale 1991

Jun 1991 - Jan 1995
 

Education 

Southern California Institute of Architecture (SCI-Arc), Santa Monica, CA, US, MArch, Architecture

Sep 1988 - Jan 1992
 

New York University (NYU), New York, New York, Bachelors, Urban Design Studies

Sep 1980 - Jun 1983
 

Awards 

Excellence in Historic Preservation-Preservation League of New York State, Award

2009 Excellence in Historic Preservation-Preservation League of New York State for The Emerson Apartment Building, NY, NY awarded to Edelman, Sultan, Knox, Wood.

2009
 

Award for Excellence in Design & Construction from the Queens and Bronx Building Asociation, Award

Award for Excellence in Design & Construction from the Queens and Bronx Building Asociation to 475 Stirling Place, Brooklyn, NY awarded to Edelman, Sultan, Knox, Wood.

2008
 

Award for Excellence in Design & Construction from the Queens and Bronx Building Asociation, Award

Award for Excellence in Design & Construction from the Queens and Bronx Building Asociation to the Emerson Apartments, NY NY awarded to Edelman, Sultan, Knox, Wood.

2006
 

Best Non-Profit Project 2001 Southern California Association of Non-Profit Housing (SCANPH), Award

Best Non-Profit Project 2001 Southern California Association of Non-Profit Housing (SCANPH) Heritage Court Apartments, Downey California awarded to LA Community Design Center.

2001
 

Lily Award for Architectural Merit Rancho Santa Fe Association, Award

Lily Award for Architectural Merit by Rancho Santa Fe Association for Rowland/Morgan Residence in Rancho Santa Fe, California. Awarded to Kajer Architects.

2001
 

SAGE Award of Merit - Senior Housing Council of the Building Industry Council of Southern California, Award

SAGE Award of Merit - Senior Housing Council of the Building Industry Council of Southern California
for Heritage Court Apartments, Downey California awarded to LA Community Design Center.

2001
 

Architectura Viva, Julio-Agosto 1997, Other

1997
 

Book Frank O. Gehry Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, Other

Book: Frank O. Gehry Guggenheim Museum Bilbao by Coosje Van Bruggen
Published by Guggenheim Museum Publications

1997
 

El Croquis 74/75, Frank Gehry 1991-1995, Other

1995
 

Progressive Architecture, November 1992, Other

My Master thesis covered in Progressive Architecture.

1992
 

Areas of Specialization 

Skills