Archinect - News

Cosmic set to produce prefabricated ADUs in California with water recycling and solar energy

2024-04-23T13:58:00-04:00

San Francisco-based Cosmic has raised $1.5 million in funding for their micro-home product designs aimed at bringing “self-sustainable homes in California and beyond.” The company’s leading product, Cosmic ONE, is described as a “limited-edition high-quality micro-home” that can serve as an ADU, a primary single-family home, or a component in a wider residential community.

Showroom model. Image courtesy: Cosmic

Cosmic ONE has been designed as an all-electric, prefabricated unit that can use recycled water for non-potable needs, as well as being equipped with a solar and battery system. The first 100 CosmicOne units will be available for sale in California.

Showroom model. Image courtesy: Cosmic

“Building a new home and expanding an existing one today can be very challenging due to the intricate permitting process, labor scarcity, and complexities of site infrastructure works,” the company says about their prop...

A rustic ‘entertainment barn’ in California’s wine country is completed by Malcolm Davis Architecture

2024-04-19T11:31:00-04:00

San Francisco-based Malcolm Davis Architecture (MDa) has completed a rural timber home addition in Northern California Wine Country. Titled Wine Country Barn, the scheme is described by its designers as “a testament to modern architecture’s ability to blend harmoniously with nature.”

Image credit: Joe Fletcher

The project client sought a communal living space for weekends with family and friends. Originally imagined as a large addition to the original house, the projects evolved into an “entertainment barn and guest house addition.” For the scheme’s design, MDa drew inspiration from the region’s rustic barns, while incorporating modern detailing, including locally harvested redwood siding to reflect the area’s history as a mill town.

Image credit: Joe Fletcher

The resulting building features a guest suite, covered parking, and an outdoor kitchen and living space, with interiors by Grant Gibson Interior Design. The design unites the e...

Coachella debuts 2024 art installations, its ‘largest immersive and architectural works yet’

2024-04-16T11:43:00-04:00

The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival has completed work on the 2024 edition of its on-site art program. The acclaimed event is taking place across two weekends: April 12–14 and 19–21.

The three artistic works are described by the festival as "redefining the boundaries of large-scale art, inviting festival-goers to engage with visionary works that ask viewers to question their definition of self, explore the boundaries between reality and imagination & take part in creating a new future together."

"Monarchs: A House in Six Parts" by HANNAH. Image credit: Lance Gerber

"Monarchs: A House in Six Parts" by HANNAH explores the fusion of 3D printing with traditional craftsmanship, comprising a series of pavilions that “invite interaction and contemplation.” A collaboration between Cornell University professors Leslie Lok and Sasa Zivkovic, the piece reimagines architectural design through the lens of digital fabri...

Three tech giant headquarters by WRNS Studio: Your Next Employer?

2024-04-08T11:23:00-04:00

Following our previous visit to San Francisco-based Richard Beard Architects, we are keeping our Meet Your Next Employer series in the city this week to explore the work of WRNS Studio.

Founded in San Francisco in 2005, the firm operates across three principles: beauty, sustainability, and a positive contribution to the public realm. “We established our studio to provide a platform upon which we could freely explore our ideas and craft,” co-founder Sam Nunes told our Studio Snapshot series back in 2020. “We wanted to be a part of the community of architects seeking to redefine the relationship between the built and the natural environments and between the private and public realms.”

Over on Archinect Jobs, the firm is currently hiring for several positions to join their San Francisco office. For candidates interested in applying for a position, or anybody interested in learning about the firm’s output, we have rounded up three headquarters for well-known tech companies by WRNS Studi...

Kim Kardashian sued by Donald Judd Foundation over false ownership claims

2024-03-28T12:28:00-04:00

Kim Kardashian's name is in the design news cycle once again after the Donald Judd Foundation filed suit recently against her company SKKN BY KIM in which it claims she falsely stated furnishings made by a company called Clements Design were the original works of the artist, who died in 1994.

The New York Times and TMZ are reporting on the lawsuit this week, which stems from a YouTube video tour of the makeup company's California offices that was uploaded in 2022.

The suit claims Kardashian unwittingly made damaging comments that could mislead consumers into believing the celebrity skincare mogul was endorsing the Judd Foundation (she and her ex-husband are, after all, both outspoken proponents of Judd and other minimalist icons like James Turrell).

The Foundation said they expressly forbid the use of their designs for marketing purposes. Kim’s team took down the two-year-old video and claims they contacted them contritely before negotiations broke down and the suit was filed. Cleme...

Four rural California residences by Richard Beard Architects: Your Next Employer?

2024-03-25T15:02:00-04:00

Following our previous visit to Philadelphia-based KieranTimberlake, we are moving our Meet Your Next Employer series to California this week to explore the work of Richard Beard Architects.

Led by Richard Beard, and based in San Francisco, Richard Beard Architects focuses on the design of private residences and special commissions, specializing in distinctive custom homes, luxury multi-family communities, and specialty commercial and hospitality environments. The studio describes its work as “significantly informed by how architecture can integrate with interior and landscape design to achieve a unified design that is more than the sum of its constituent parts.”

Over on Archinect Jobs, the firm is currently hiring for several positions to join their San Francisco office. For candidates interested in applying for a position, or anybody interested in learning about the firm’s output, we have rounded up four rural California residences by Richard Beard Architects that exemplify the st...

Airbnb co-founder's ADU company Samara begins production in Mexico factory

2024-03-07T12:35:00-05:00

California-based Samara has opened a factory in Mexicali, Mexico, to scale up manufacturing of their backyard ADU units. As we reported in late 2022, the startup is led by Airbnb co-founder Joe Gebbia alongside former Flex chief executive Mike McNamara.

Image credit: Samara

The 150,000-square-foot factory will host the construction of Samara’s modular units, including interior and exterior finishes. Following production in the factory, each unit will be loaded onto a truck for delivery to the customer’s property.

Image credit: Samara

The company’s first unit, Backyard, is being manufactured in studio, one-bedroom, and two-bedroom layouts, with a larger two-bedroom expected to launch soon. Samara notes that the unit can be installed in “as few as seven months,” including permitting, with 30 days of on-site labor. The unit is currently available for purchase in California.

Image credit: Samara

“Our homes are central to our lives,” said McNamara in a statement. “On average, most people in...

Olson Kundig completes West Hollywood homes designed for ‘craft and material expression’

2024-03-05T11:09:00-05:00

Olson Kundig has completed a series of custom single-family homes in West Hollywood. Collectively named ‘The Houses at 8899 Beverly’ the eight homes seek to be “harmoniously linked yet individual” with architectural forms “combining natural materials such as wood, steel, glass, concrete, and stone.”

Concrete House. Image credit: Nils Timm

“These eight distinct contemporary homes are woven into the fabric of their vibrant West Hollywood neighborhood at the base of the Hollywood Hills,” said Kevin M. Kudo-King, co-Design Principal at Olson Kundig. “While each one has its own identity – just as the eclectic neighboring houses do – collectively, they are about craft and material expression.”

Bronze House. Image credit: Nils Timm

The homes form the final part of the wider 8899 Beverly developement which opened in 2022. The project centers on the Los Angeles International Design Center, a mid-century modernist build...

LA’s Wilmington Waterfront Promenade opens after Sasaki landscape overhaul

2024-02-29T12:24:00-05:00

The Wilmington Waterfront Promenade in Los Angeles has opened to the public following an extensive public landscape project by Sasaki Associates. The park seeks to improve public waterfront access near the Port of Los Angeles and expands on the 30-acre Wilmington Waterfront Park that Sasaki completed in 2011.

Image credit: Barrett Doherty

The new promenade, designed by Sasaki and Studio-MLA, is described by the team as “the first opportunity for the community to reconnect with the waterfront.” Among the spaces designed as part of the promenade is ‘The Landing,’ which sits at the highest point of the park, doubling as a spot for a future bridge. Meanwhile, the ‘Upland Walkways’ consists of a series of meandering paths landscaped with coastal planting.

Image credit: Barrett Doherty

‘The Bluff’ consists of a large, flexible open lawn intended to host community events, while the ‘Tidal Steps’ is described as a “dynamic water's ...

America's first 3D printed fire-resistant ADU concept is under construction in Southern California

2024-02-29T11:57:00-05:00

A new 3D printed ADU prototype made of concrete and other fire-resistant materials is under construction as part of a demonstration taking place this month in Walnut, California.

The first-of-its-kind project was born of a collaboration between the fire departments of both Walnut and Los Angeles. A local couple volunteered to give the host the design for general contractor Builtech Construction Group in the interests of applying lessons valuable for disaster prevention at a time when an influx of peri-urbanization has left the state more susceptible to fire-damaged structures than ever before.

Image courtesy RIC Technology

The unit is both non-combustible and fire-resistant and is being constructed using contractor RIC Technology’s robotic 3D printer.

Construction takes only 20 days from the start of the printing process to finish after the foundation has been laid. It yields a total of 1,200 square feet of space with 2 bedrooms and 2.5 bathrooms. The design works by eliminating any...

Five modern Santa Monica projects by KoningEizenberg: Your Next Employer?

2024-02-20T11:17:00-05:00

Following last week’s visit to New York City-based Murdock Solon Architects, we are moving our Meet Your Next Employer series to Santa Monica this week to explore the work of KoningEizenberg.

The firm describes its design process as “collaborative and structured to help individuals, organizations, and cities realize their goals,” with an underlying interest in “inclusive and sustainable neighborhoods and rethinking housing, community, and educational settings.” The firm’s resulting portfolio, which spans residential, educational, cultural, and commercial schemes, has received over 200 awards for design, sustainability, and historic preservation.

Over on Archinect Jobs, the firm is currently hiring for a Communications Coordinator to join their Santa Monica studio. For candidates interested in applying for a position, or anybody interested in learning about the firm’s output, we have rounded up five contemporary projects in Santa Monica by KoningEizenberg that exemplify the studio’s ...

CAW Architects completes Oakland urban farm project to deliver 30,000 school meals

2024-02-16T12:05:00-05:00

Palo Alto-based CAW Architects has completed a food-orientated educational project in Oakland, California. Named 'The Center,' the scheme comprises a central kitchen, culinary arts education center, and an urban farm, all designed to provide 30,000 fresh-cooked meals each day to 77 schools across Oakland.

Image credit: Bruce Damonte Photography

The project is anchored by a large outdoor court, shaded under an expansive wood trellis. Designed as a central hub to connect the kitchen, classrooms, and instructional garden, the courtyard is accessed from the classrooms by large glass roll-up doors, creating a natural circulation flow from the classrooms to the courtyard to the gardens and greenhouse.

Image credit: Bruce Damonte Photography

The classrooms include a full-service demonstration and teaching kitchen, in addition to a student education space, with intended users spanning early childhood to young adults...

ShubinDonaldson rebrands as Donaldson + Partners following Russell Shubin departure

2024-02-01T15:31:00-05:00

Southern California architecture studio ShubinDonaldson has been renamed Donaldson + Partners following the departure of Founding Partner Russell Shubin. The firm, based in Los Angeles and Santa Barbara, was founded in 1991 by Shubin alongside Robin Donaldson, who remains as a Founding Partner, Design Director, and Head of Studio, alongside Partner and Managing Director Mark Hershman.

“As Donaldson + Partners, we remain committed to delivering the same extraordinary architecture we have been privileged to create as ShubinDonaldson,” the firm said in an update on its website. “We wish Russell Shubin all the best as he departs for new endeavors and thank him for his contribution to the success of ShubinDonaldson.”

Related on Archinect: Explore Shubin Donaldson’s completed restoration of Richard Neutra’s Mariners Medical Arts building in Orange County. Image © Benny Chan Fotoworks

“It’s relatively easy to start a partnership, but it’s a lot harder to end or alter a partnership many yea...

Lana Del Rey is right: There is a tunnel under Ocean Boulevard

2024-02-01T13:10:00-05:00

With days to go until the 2024 Grammy Awards, one nominee in the running for Album of the Year contains an unexpected architectural overture.

Lana Del Rey’s Did You Know That There’s A Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd, nominated in three categories, contains a song of the same name that dwells on an abandoned piece of infrastructure in Long Beach, California.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by lanadelreyInfo (@lanadelreylnfo)

In the song “Did You Know There's a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd,” Del Rey draws on themes of being forgotten and underappreciated in the future despite current fame. The lyrics draw a parallel between Long Beach's Jergins Tunnel under Ocean Boulevard which was closed to the public in 1967 and has since been largely forgotten, a historical fact Del Rey entwines with her own foreboding of one day being unappreciated and overlooked.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Emily B (@chimesatmidnight)

Constructed in 1927, the su...

It's a 'Go' for ZGF's Space Shuttle Endeavour installation at the California Science Center

2024-01-31T12:12:00-05:00

ZGF Architects has completed the installation of the decommissioned Space Shuttle Endeavour and orbiter system as a part of their Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center expansion at the California Science Center museum in Los Angeles.

The unique project will culminate in a three-level level scheme that includes 150 different exhibitions, the largest of which, a 200-foot-tall central gallery space, is set to be used as a new permanent display for the 122-foot-long retired NASA orbiter.

Video courtesy California Science Center

Since July, the construction team at Exposition Park has been busy at work on the “Soft mate” phase of the “Go for Stack” installation process for the space shuttle apparatus. The same painstaking process that decades ago prepared the shuttle for its 25 launches into outer space was once again enacted at the site for the record first time in civilian history. Work to install the solid rocket boosters and external tank preceded the shuttle’s move into place before ...

Four edgy California remodelling projects by JENSEN Architects: Your Next Employer?

2024-01-29T12:08:00-05:00

Following last week's visit to San Francisco-based Edmonds + Lee Architects, we are keeping our Meet Your Next Employer series in the Bay Area this week to explore the work of JENSEN Architects.

From their studio in downtown San Francisco, the firm has built a portfolio specializing in cultural, educational, residential, and workplace projects. The studio describes its ethos as “valuing a critical design approach, contemporary culture engagement, and innovative construction techniques for elegant, effective, and environmentally sensitive solutions.”

Over on Archinect Jobs, the firm is currently hiring for several positions to join their San Francisco office. For candidates interested in applying for a position, or anybody interested in learning about the firm’s output, we have rounded up four intriguing California-based remodel and renovation projects by JENSEN Architects that exemplify the studio’s ethos.

Stanford Residence. Image credit: JENSEN Architects

Stanford Residence, Stanfo...

Details emerge for billionaire-backed startup community plan northeast of San Francisco

2024-01-24T19:14:00-05:00

The once-secretive plan for a startup new community in Solano County, Northern California, is beginning to materialize as the company known as California Forever has begun publicizing details for their proposed development ahead of a potential November vote to determine its future.

Details made public with the start of a requisite petition drive showed a preliminary map, renderings, and area plan for the project, which would notably be the first large-scale demonstration of the "walkable city" concept designed entirely from scratch in North America.

Image courtesy California Forever

Billed as a future "amazing success story" by the company’s founder Jan Sramek, the development intends to construct some 20,000 new affordable residences plus a solar farm and network of public parks before 2040. The plan reportedly allows for further growth to support a population of up to 400,000. As the announcement post notes, much of the preliminary proposal is focused on creating missing middle ho...

Water landscape design experts Fluidity are hiring in Los Angeles

2024-01-24T13:28:00-05:00

Following last week’s look at an opening for a Studio Director at Doug Aitken Workshop, we are using this week’s edition of our Job Highlights series to explore an open role on Archinect Jobs for a Project Manager at Fluidity Design Consultants.

The role, based in Los Angeles, calls for an individual to “coordinate and manage the firm’s relationship as the sub-consultant to the prime design lead on projects.” Among the requirements for the role are a professional degree in architecture, landscape architecture, or design management, 3-7 years of professional experience, and a history of writing and reviewing design contracts.

Grand Park, Los Angeles, CA by Fluidity Design Consultants. Photo: Jim Simmons.

Why the role interests us

The open role at Fluidity offers us the opportunity to highlight a firm specializing in water feature design and engineering that has previously been featured in our editorial. In August of last year, for instance, we reported on the firm’s collaboration with...

Five modern San Francisco residences by Edmonds + Lee Architects: Your Next Employer?

2024-01-22T12:12:00-05:00

Following our previous visit to New York City-based JG Neukomm Architecture, we are moving our Meet Your Next Employer series to San Francisco this week to explore the work of Edmonds + Lee Architects.

Founded by Robert Edmonds and Vivan Lee, the architecture and interior design firm has built an acclaimed portfolio across private, commercial, and institutional sectors. From their studio in the city’s Mission District, the studio operates along “a profoundly philosophical approach with a deep well of on-the-ground building experience to produce work that both sensitively integrates itself into the existing context, and that offers new opportunities for reflection, work, pause, restoration, and play.”

Over on Archinect Jobs, the firm is currently hiring for a Project Architect/Designer to join their San Francisco office. For candidates interested in applying for the position, or anybody interested in learning about the firm’s output, we have rounded up five residential projects by Ed...

Coachella announces lineup for 2024 installation designers

2024-01-17T11:44:00-05:00

The art and design lineup has been announced for the 2024 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. The acclaimed event is set to take place across two weekends: April 12–14 and 19–21.

Besides major musical acts, this year’s festival will include installations by HANNAH, Morag Myerscough, Nebbia, Do LaB, NEWSUBSTANCE, Robert Bose, and Raices Cultura.

While HANNAH describes its work as “inherently derived from materiality, digital construction protocols, robotic routines, new technologies, odd construction techniques, and bottom-up design logics,” Morag Myerscough summarizes her mantra as “make happy those who are near and those who are far will come.” Nebbia Works is “fundamentally driven by a curiosity of all the idiosyncrasies, contradictions and undefined boundaries of our world,” while NEWSUBSTANCE, Do LaB, Robert Bose, and Raices Cultura are returning to the festival where they constructed installations in 2023.

Previously featured Coachella installations

Photo by Lance Gerber,...

Acclaimed artist Doug Aitken is hiring a Studio Director in California

2024-01-03T15:35:00-05:00

Following last week’s look at an opening for a Project Manager at Food Architects DPC, we are using this week’s edition of our Job Highlights series to explore an open role on Archinect Jobs for a Studio Director at Doug Aitken Workshop.

The role, based in Venice, CA, calls for an individual to “take on the day-to-day running” of Aitken’s dynamic and tight-knit studio. The ideal candidate will have experience in the art world and knowledge of contemporary art, as well as being a “responsible, intelligent, creative problem solver who is excited to grow with the studio.”

Related on Archinect: Saint Laurent taps Doug Aitken to help present its SS22 line in Venice. Image courtesy Saint Laurent.

Why the role interests us

The open role at Doug Aitken Workshop allows us to profile the work of one of the most prominent multidisciplinary artists in the United States. Born in California in 1968, Aitken has established a reputation for immersive, experiential works of art that explore themes of...

Over $1 billion allocated to California’s transportation infrastructure

2023-12-19T12:11:00-05:00

The California Transportation Commission has announced the allocation of $1.1 billion for projects aimed at repairing and improving the state’s transportation infrastructure. The funding will be deployed to projects in areas including Los Angeles, the Bay Area, and San Diego.

In Los Angeles, $12 million will be used to upgrade bicyclist and pedestrian infrastructure on an 18-mile stretch of the Pacific Coast Highway between Redondo Beach and the Orange County line. Upgrades include Class II bike lanes, bus pads, crosswalk visibility enhancements, a rectangular rapid flashing beacon, and pedestrian push buttons, among others. Meanwhile, $6 million will be allocated to San Francisco BART expansion.

The single largest project to receive funding will be a $108 million development along Interstate 80 near the State Route 20 connector that will replace an...

Your next job could help transform residential design and production with Zuru Tech

2023-12-13T12:38:00-05:00

Following last week’s look at an opening for a Landscape Designer at the Better Block Foundation, we are using this week’s edition of our Job Highlights series to explore an open role on Archinect Jobs for a Senior Architect at Zuru Group.

The role, based in El Segundo, CA, calls for an individual to sit at the forefront of Zuru Tech’s “ambitious project to craft 20-30 exceptional homes within the next 18-24 months.” Among the responsibilities will be leading residential design concepts, collaborating with a wider design team, and mentoring junior architects. Among the skills and qualifications desired for the role are a Bachelor’s Degree in Architecture alongside 8-10 years of residential design experience.

Zuru Tech's workspace. Image credit: Zuru Tech

Why the role interests us

The open role at Zuru Tech offers us the opportunity to explore a company seeking to disrupt the traditional process of residential design and construction. The company’s approach centers on a client-facing...

IOAN’s Joshua Tree residence sets natural materials against a desert backdrop

2023-12-12T18:42:00-05:00

Los Angeles-based Industry of All Nations (IOAN) has completed a timber residence set against the backdrop of California’s Joshua Tree National Park. According to the team, the building named The Landing House “masterfully blends into the layout, textures, and color palette of its desert canvas.”

Photo credit: Ye Rin Mok

“The landscape is harsh, and it can take decades for a plant or tree to recover if displaced from its delicate ecosystem,” says Fernando Gerscovich of IAON about the project. “We were determined to minimize disruptions of the natural landscape, so our design focused on integration that wouldn’t disturb the surrounding plants and natural geography of the land.”

Photo credit: Ye Rin Mok

Responding to the many natural features across the five-acre site, which includes Joshua trees and natural boulder formations, the team adopted an approach grounded in “eco-humility,” resulting in a nine-foot-tall structure whose low profil...

NASA’s $2 billion Berkeley Space Center proposal unveiled

2023-10-17T11:48:00-04:00

Details have been revealed on the design of the $2 billion Berkeley Space Center at the NASA Research Park in the Bay Area of California. A joint venture between SKS Partners and UC Berkeley, in collaboration with HOK and Field Operations, the 36-acre hub will be dedicated to “identifying, incubating, and launching technological breakthroughs across a diverse set of fields including astronautics, quantum computing, climate studies, and the social sciences.”

Image courtesy: SKS Partners / UC Berkeley / HOK / Field Operations

Located within NASA’s Ames Research Center, the development will include 1.4 million square feet of office and R&D space, including wet and dry labs, as well as conference space, academic facilities, and retail amenities. 18 acres of open space are planned, including outdoor working spaces and a central green area.

Image courtesy: SKS Partners / UC Berkeley / HOK / Field Operations

Among the environmental features to be incorporated in the scheme are low-carbon ene...

Five rural California retreats by ANACAPA: Your Next Employer?

2023-10-16T13:10:00-04:00

Following last week’s visit to Portland, MA-based Woodhull, we are moving our Meet Your Next Employer series to Santa Barbara this week to explore the work of ANACAPA.

From their studios across Santa Barbara, CA and Portland, OR, the firm has built a portfolio spanning hospitality, custom residential, creative offices, and urban infill mixed-use projects. The studio operates along three core values, namely ‘community’ (including improving the quality of life for current and future citizens), ‘innovation’ (including an open exchange of ideas, insights, and expertise), and ‘sustainability’ (including optimizing the social, cultural, and environmental impacts of space).

Over on Archinect Jobs, the firm is currently hiring for an architectural designer. For candidates interested in applying for the position, or anybody interested in learning about the firm’s output, we have rounded up five rural retreats by ANACAPA that exemplify the studio’s ethos.

Off-Grid Guesthouse. Image credit: Er...

Atelier Bow-Wow’s first U.S. home features a large ‘umbrella’ roof in the Sierra Nevadas

2023-10-05T16:40:00-04:00

The acclaimed Japanese firm Atelier Bow-Wow has completed its first and only home built in the United States. Located at the foothills of the Sierra Nevadas in California, the Mountain House sits as a “meticulously designed and thoughtfully crafted residential structure” in sixty acres of forest, according to the property’s realtors, Sotheby's.

Image credit: Nick Swartzendruber for Sotheby’s International Realty

The home sits on the site of a 19th-century gold mine which features wagon roads, trails, and seasonal streams. For the building’s design, Atelier Bow-Wow pursued a philosophy that “honors the environment, manifesting in a structure that treads lightly on the land and resources while maximizing its connection to a breathtaking landscape.”

Image credit: Kat Alves for Sotheby's International Realty

The entrance-facing facade is designed to be unassuming a...

California's high-speed rail project receives $202 million in federal funding for critical juncture

2023-09-26T13:28:00-04:00

The California High-Speed Rail Authority has been awarded more than $200 million from the Biden Administration in what is one of the largest pieces of federal funding awarded to the project in its history. The $202 million grant was made by the U.S. Department of Transportation through the 2022 Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) program — part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law passed in 2021.

The latest funding reduces some of the $128 billion burden incurred by the project, which had been teetering on the edge before the state allocated enough funding to complete a critical 171-mile stretch in California’s Central Valley. The federal money will be put specifically towards six grade separations needed to create a clear path for motor vehicles in Kern County.

The High-Speed Rail Authority’s Northern California Director Boris Lipkin said recently that the project can only be completed faster than is currently projected with the help of increased federal support given its engineering complexities.

The state, which finally began the two-step procurement process for the “first-in-the-nation” 220 mph electrified high-speed trainsets last month, said its full realization is on track for 2033 in their latest Project Update Report from March of this year.

New Terner Center study assesses the impact of SB 4's implementation in California

2023-09-16T10:37:00-04:00

A new study from the University of California, Berkeley’s Terner Center for Housing Innovation has uncovered over 171,749 acres of developable land owned by nonprofit colleges or faith-based organizations in the state, bolstering the aims of the “Yes in God’s Backyard” movement as it pushes Governor Gavin Newsom to sign SB 4 by the end of next month.

The bill passed the state senate along with the related SB 423 on Monday. If signed into law, it would streamline the process by which churches and other nonprofit organizations can enact housing at sites that previously had been limited by local land use restrictions and the California Environmental Quality Act (or CEQA).

Supporters of the measure have said it will help increase housing in much-needed communities where displacement and homelessness have become the norm as rising expenses and pushback on the part of local municipalities in the wake of SB 9 threaten to derail efforts statewide.

Previously on Archinect: Plan to let churc...

Mork-Ulnes Architects and Alison Damonte reimagine San Francisco home destroyed by fire

2023-09-13T11:58:00-04:00

Mork-Ulnes Architects has unveiled their completed residential project in Bernal Heights, San Francisco. Named ‘The Silver Lining House,’ the home was commissioned by architectural photographer Bruce Damonte and interior designer Alison Damonte, who sought a “container for the couple’s art and furniture collection, and a laboratory for their work.”

Image credit: Bruce Damonte

The new scheme replaces an original 1908 wood house, which was damaged by a fire on Christmas Eve, 2017, when the project had already commenced. While the fire caused a reevaluation of the scope and scale of the redesign, the brief remained to “create a home that acted as a capsule for art and inspiration.” A new structure was proposed whose proportions, scale, and exterior massing took cues from the site’s gabled Edwardian neighbors, with an exterior black cedar cladding echoing the local vernacular and subtly referencing the fire that spurred the home’s regeneration.

Image credit: Br...