FPBA celebrates groundbreaking of The Boardwalk with virtual reality, shiny shovels and lab-themed cuisine
Can you spot the differences in our holiday card?
Warning: Spoilers below! Stop here if you aren’t ready to see the solutions.
Thousands flock to check out new Mission Hills-Hillcrest/Knox Library
Community members of all generations swarmed Washington Street on Jan. 26, 2019, to celebrate the grand opening of the new Mission Hills-Hillcrest/Harley & Bessie Knox Branch Library. With a symbolic book pass, speeches from elected officials and live music, the event reflected the San Diego community’s excitement for this highly anticipated learning hub. “This is a catalyst for community engagement,” San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer said, highlighting the importance of gathering spaces for people to come together. Following Faulconer’s speech were remarks from U.S. Rep Susan Davis, Assemblymember Todd Gloria, City Councilmember Chris Ward, San Diego Public Library Foundation CEO Jay Hill, and The San Diego Foundation President & CEO Connie Matsui. Many emphasized the importance of libraries beyond the books. After a ceremonial ribbon cutting, crowds flooded into the library to explore the space for the first time. At the entrance, visitors are presented with popular books and movies on special display. To the left, a colorful teen area provides a nook for young adult books and magazines. Straight ahead, an outdoor patio adorned with succulents offers a relaxing reading space with fresh air. To the right, a children’s area is filled with lively opportunities to play and learn, including a children’s tower and hobbit house. Live music, arts and crafts, and a meet and greet with illustrator Robin Preiss Glasser further enriched the grand opening. A strong union and sense of collaboration among city officials, the design-build team, and the community made this project possible. The new Mission Hills-Hillcrest/Knox library will be a community hub for generations to come. Read more on the new library here. CBS News 8 – San Diego, CA News Station – KFMB Channel 8
FPBA celebrates topping out of NuVasive Lusk Campus Amenities Building
On December 19, 2018, FPBA celebrated the topping out of the NuVasive Lusk Campus Amenities Building. FPBA team members Phil Pape, Carlos Ortuño, Derek McFarland, Stefanie Deal and Iisha Sethi left their mark on the building’s final beam, which was painted a symbolic NuVasive purple. The beam was also adorned with a paw print from Cheetah—the NuVasive mascot—along with signatures from PMA, Pacific Building Group, KPFF, ELEN and more. Following tradition, an American flag and in-season Christmas tree put the finishing touches on the beam. The team enjoyed panoramic views and munched on Hodad’s burgers while watching the raising of the beam from the top of the adjacent parking structure. The three-story, 28,000-square-foot amenities building will house a surgical suite, fitness center, conference center, full-service cafeteria, product discovery center, and campus reception, supporting the medical device company’s mission of transforming spine surgery. FPBA is proud to partner with HCP and NuVasive. In addition to the amenities building, FPBA is providing site improvements to the 15-acre campus, which will create a new entry promenade, outdoor cafeteria space/overflow seating, entertainment zone and outdoor collaboration space. The three existing building exteriors will be upgraded to complete the improved campus experience.
FPBA Habitat for Humanity Build
Nothing says team building like actual building! With toolboxes and hardhats, FPBA spent Saturday, November 17, 2018, volunteering with San Diego Habitat for Humanity at a new construction site in El Cajon, CA. Led by expert staff and seasoned volunteers, the team tackled projects from roof blocking to siding installation, learning new skills along the way. Habitat for Humanity is one of the few affordable home ownership programs that serves families and individuals earning 30-80 percent of the median area income, tackling this important housing issue throughout San Diego County. FPBA’s passion for and involvement in the building industry dovetails well with the mission of Habitat, making it an easy choice for partnership. Through this volunteer day, FPBA-ers got a first-hand look at the need for affordable housing and were able to contribute to the cause while soaking up the sun, developing skills and spending quality time together. It was a fun and fulfilling day for all, and we wish Habitat the best of luck in completing the build in El Cajon!
Unplug with FPBA
American composer Roy Ayers once said that the true beauty of music is that it connects people. FPBA embraces this idea once every season by hosting Unplug with FPBA. With an abundance of talented team members, clients and consultants, we gather together to jam out in a relaxed setting and enjoy food and drinks with good company. October 2018 On Oct. 11, FPBA jammed out with an Oktoberfest-themed Unplug event! With pretzels and bratwursts from Biersal Food Truck, Oktoberfest beer, and enthusiasts sporting lederhosen and dirndls, we kicked off the autumn season in style. See below for a few snippets of our musical performances of the night! June 2018 On June 7, FPBA escaped the heat (70 degrees is hot, right?) with Unplug Endless Summer. With a vintage ice cream motorcycle truck from Sweet Treats and Not Your Father’s Root Beer Floats, FPBA and friends reveled in summertime nostalgia. Discover a few breakout stars and get the play-by-play below! February 2018 On Feb. 1, FPBA beat the winter blues with its latest Unplug event. With tantalizing trays catered by Vennissimo Cheese and copious amounts of wine and beer, FPBA and friends kicked back, strummed guitars and celebrated until the sun went down. Watch our recap video for a taste of the night’s talent! Keep an eye out for your invitation to our next Unplug event!
Grand opening at El Cajon Animal Shelter fetches large crowd
Herds of animal lovers came out for the grand opening of the El Cajon Animal Shelter on June 2, 2018. Beginning with speeches and a ribbon cutting ceremony, the event celebrated the completion of a project more than 10 years in the making. “We’ve had a team of 20 architects, designers, artisans, engineers, and over 600 construction managers and builders, but it is a fraction of the effort compared to that of the larger community standing in front of me who believed that this building matters, and that the lives of these animals matter,” said Amanda Schultz, FPBA’s Principal Architect on the project. After the ribbon cutting, the crowd formed a line to take a look inside and meet the pets-to-be. The City of El Cajon offered a special $5 adoption rate in honor of the original price charged by the former facility in the 1950s. Outside, visitors enjoyed hot dogs, shaved ice, face painting and a photo booth. The new 14,000-square-foot shelter is more than double the size of its predecessor and features new amenities such as a medical center and grooming area. FPBA has been involved in the project for seven years, assisting the City of El Cajon with a space needs assessment prior to designing the facility at the final selected site. It was a pleasure to see the animal shelter open its doors to the public and begin serving East County residents, whether they be human, canine, feline, reptilian, etc.
FPBA brings vision to NuVasive groundbreaking ceremony with virtual reality
FPBA brought a virtual reality experience of the NuVasive Amenities Building and Campus Upgrades to the project groundbreaking ceremony on May 14, 2018, captivating the company’s shareowners and special guests, including Mayor Kevin Faulconer and Congressman Scott Peters, California 52nd Congressional District. “What you’re seeing here is we’re expanding this campus from about 145,000 square feet today to over 250,000 square feet,” said Greg Lucier, NuVasive Chairman and CEO. “Right here where we are sitting and standing is going to be that new surgeon education, surgeon experience center.” The 360-degree renderings and a standalone VR headset engaged ceremony attendees with the new campus design and brought excitement to the construction commencement. Beyond VR, FPBA also played a campus animation video with a large LED display to further visualize the project for NuVasive’s shareowners. FPBA’s involvement on the project included designing a new three-story, 28,000-square-foot amenities building that will house a surgical suite, fitness center, conference center, full-service cafeteria, product discovery center and campus reception. Additionally, site improvements will create a new entry promenade, outdoor cafeteria space/overflow seating, entertainment zone and outdoor collaboration space. The three existing building exteriors will be upgraded to complete the improved campus experience. The project team ended out the ceremony by grabbing shovels and grinning for the cameras! FPBA is eager to continue working with NuVasive and carry out the project with construction administration through closeout. NuVasive Design Team Members: Philip Pape Stefanie Deal Derek McFarland Carlos Ortuño Iisha Sethi
FPBA teams with Allegiance Wellness Center to design marijuana production facility
FPBA recently partnered with Allegiance Wellness Center Inc. to design a laboratory for the manufacturing of cannabis products. The proposed location is in San Diego’s Sorrento Mesa area. In early November, Allegiance Wellness Center selected FPBA to prepare a Conditional Use Permit application package for its Marijuana Production Facility (MPF). The team successfully completed the City of San Diego’s Step One Initial Screening on Nov. 16. This was the first day that MPF applications could be submitted, and the city scheduled 79 appointments for the same day via a computerized lottery system. Based on the first day’s activity, there is an outburst of interest in obtaining the permits. As reported by the San Diego Union Tribune, the sites cluster in certain areas, including Mira Mesa, Kearny Mesa and near the Mexican border. The below map displays the addresses of all sites submitted to the city. Allegiance Wellness Center’s site selection took into account location regulations for MPFs. Restrictions include staying 1,000 feet away from parks, libraries, schools and other minor-oriented facilities, as well as staying 100 feet away from residential zones. Restrictions also currently prohibit sites within the Coastal Overlay Zone. The city passed an ordinance in October 2017 to allow these permits to be issued for the production of medical and recreational marijuana. The ordinance coincides with the California’s Proposition 64, which legalized retail sale and taxation of recreational marijuana and will go into effect Jan. 1, 2018. FPBA and Allegiance Wellness Center are now proceeding with the design for the facility while the project goes through the discretionary review process.
FPBA plunders booty as winner of Best Haute Couture at the IIDA Haute Couture Fashion Show
Yo Ho Ho! With a nautical design inspired by The Pirates of Penzance, FPBA along with PACIFIC 33 Architects, Inc. and sponsor Arcadia took home Best Haute Couture at the IIDA San Diego Haute Couture Fashion Show on Nov. 2, 2017. The fashion show engaged interior designers throughout San Diego, challenging teams to bring to life Broadway musicals by designing costumes out of interior design materials and ultimately perform in them. FPBA’s team developed a pirate-themed look using materials from Arcadia’s furniture collection such as seating foam, strapping material and upholstery fabric. “Our goal was to develop a design that would transform the traditional pirate ensemble into a modern language. Typical fashion elements such as a dramatic head piece, a multi-layered skirt made with dual fabric, as well as an embellished top and powerful arm sleeve have been converted into a new vision of a pirate. With the help of Arcadia, we were inspired by a wide range of different materials. The outfit is defined by the contrast of the voluminous fabric skirt, inspired by the rolling seas, and the sophisticated strapping structure of the arm sleeve. The head piece alludes to the silhouette of a pirate ship and utilizes different veneer, wire and cording.” Three of FPBA’s interior designers, Sarah Brooks, Lisa Kowalsky and Haitham Dabbour, as well as Claudia Belzer of PACIFIC 33, invested hours of work into the project, meeting on weekends for daylong sessions to complete the costume and prepare for the show. It all paid off in the end when hundreds of supporters cheered on the designers at the House of Blues in downtown San Diego. Best Haute Couture was the biggest award of the night and factored in not only the costume quality but also the design’s connection to the theme, the performance on the catwalk, and audience votes collected on the night of the fashion show. As made clear by the success of the show, FPBA’s interior designers are incredibly talented, creative, passionate and hard working, always inspired by challenges. Congratulations to Sarah, Lisa, Haitham and Claudia! Materials Used: • High density seating foam • Upholstery under layment finishing fabric • Assorted attachment items (e.g., washers, bolts, zippers, Velcro, upholstery thread) • Tb133 fire barrier • Veneer • Upholstery fabric • Welding wire • Cording • Furniture packing materials (foam sheeting, bubble wrap, strapping)