Archinect
Douglas Ponciano

Douglas Ponciano

San Jose, CA, US

 

About 

Douglas Ponciano is professional degree graduate in architecture from California College of the Arts (CCA) in San Francisco.   He has since studied and practiced architecture as a freelance design consultant working in the residential and light-commercial industry.  With a particular interest in finding practical solutions to ever encumbering issues that relate to sustainability, he seeks to leverage cutting edge construction, fabrication, and manufacturing methodologies to match complex problems with congruent solutions.

In addition to architectural practice, he co-founded a product design and consumer goods company that has been published in Forbes online magazine, Popular Science online, Mashable, and Make magazine.

Employment 

Camargo & Associates Architects, San Jose, CA, US, Architectural Design Consultant

Involvement with projects at all stages, from schematic design, to construction administration.
Coordination with principle architect in assembling, applying for, and responding to submittal packages.

Jan 2013 - current
 

Protos Eyewear, San Francisco, CA, US, CTO

Work directly with lead product designers, and product manufacturers by developing algorithmic design solutions.

Aug 2011 - current
 

Archdiocese of San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, US, Administrative Staff

Perform building inspections alongside project manager for construction and maintenance.
Develop building maintenance database, budgeting for ongoing maintenance of 100+ properties.

Jun 2012 - Jul 2014
 

California College of the Arts, San Francisco, CA, US, Solar Decathlon Intern

Coordinate with Department of Energy competition officials. Design development documentation, construction documentation. Coordination with Santa Clara University engineering team. Aid in project fabrication and construction. Aid in project fundraising and marketing.

Jun 2009 - Oct 2009
 

Camargo & Associates Architects, San Jose, CA, US, Architectural Design Consultant

Daily use of Archicad and Google Sketchup in schematic design and design development phases. Print, arrange, assemble, and deliver submittal packages.

Jul 2006 - Sep 2008
 

Education 

California College of the Arts, BArch, Architecture

Housing Studio
URBAN Studio
Site Studio
Google Meatspace Studio
Soft Systems Studio
Composite Bodies Studio
333 Summer Studio
Hydra Cities Studio (Greece study abroad)

Jan 2007 - May 2011
 

Awards 

Architecure Award, 1st Place

Teams were required to design and build attractive, high-performance houses that integrated solar and energy-efficiency technologies seamlessly. A jury of professional architects evaluated team construction documents and the final constructed houses. It evaluated three main factors: architectural elements, holistic design, and inspiration. These elements were defined as:

Architectural elements—The house's strength and suitability, the appropriateness of building materials, the scale and proportion of room and facade features, indoor/outdoor connections, composition, and connection of various home elements

Holistic design—Ease of entry into the house and circulation among the public and private zones; architectural strategy used to accommodate the technologies required to run the house; and generosity and sufficiency of space in the house

Inspiration—Design surprises, such as unusual use of ordinary materials or use of extraordinary materials, to delight Solar Decathlon visitors.

2009
 

Market Viability Award, 3rd Place

Teams built their houses for a target market of their choosing. They were then asked to demonstrate the potential of their houses to keep costs affordable within that market. A jury of professionals from the homebuilding industry evaluated how well suited the houses were for everyday living, determined whether the construction documents would enable a contractor to construct the houses as intended, and assessed whether the houses offered potential homebuyers within the target market a good value. The jury considered:

Livability—Whether the house is well suited for everyday living, could accommodate the specific needs of the targeted homeowners, and offers a safe, functional, convenient, comfortable, and enjoyable place to live

Buildability—Whether the construction documents would enable a contractor to generate an accurate construction cost estimate and then construct the building as the design team intended it to be built

Marketability—The house's curb appeal, interior appeal, and quality craftsmanship; how well its sustainability features and strategies contribute to its marketability; and whether the house offers potential homebuyers within the target market a good value.

2009
 

Engineering Award, 2nd Place

The houses are marvels of modern engineering, and this contest "checked under the hood." A jury of professional engineers evaluated each house for functionality, efficiency, innovation, and reliability. It considered:

Functionality—Will the home's energy systems function as intended?

Efficiency—Relative to conventional systems, how much energy will the house's systems save over the course of a year?

Innovation—Were any unique approaches used to solve design challenges? Do the proposed innovations have true market potential?

Reliability—How long are the systems expected to operate at a high level of performance? How much maintenance is required to keep them operating at a high level?

2009
 

Communications Award, 1st Place

The Solar Decathlon challenges teams to communicate the technical aspects of their houses, as well as their experiences, to a wide audience through Web sites and the public exhibit of their houses on the National Mall. The Communications contest awarded points based on their success in delivering clear and consistent messages and images that represent the vision, process, and results of their project. A jury of Web site development and public relations experts evaluated the team Web sites, communications plans, and National Mall exhibits for effectiveness.

In addition, the jurors assessed each team's:

Planning and audience analysis
Web content quality, appropriateness, and originality
Information presentation, including graphics, photos, Web site organization, and on-site displays
Branding to help make the project identifiable or memorable in some way
Delivery of team messages to target audiences and people of all abilities
Innovation of methods to engage audiences, including the Web site visitors and people waiting to tour the home.

2009
 

Areas of Specialization 

Skills