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)

FPBA and the Mayor and City Councilmembers of the City of El Cajon will attend the El Cajon Animal Shelter groundbreaking ceremony on Wednesday, May 24, 2017. Building on our extensive experience with the design of animal care facilities, FPBA was selected by the City of El Cajon to provide design services for a new single-story, 15,000 SF animal care facility, supporting the needs of El Cajon and La Mesa animal care program with future expansion to accommodate needs of surrounding communities. The facility consists of housing for animals, veterinary services for sick and injured animals, grooming areas, indoor and outdoor play/interaction areas, pet adoption and admission services, a multi-purpose room, administrative offices, miscellaneous storage and a small retail area for the sale of pet supplies. The project is designed to maximize operations efficiency and flexibility to accommodate spikes in animal needs while promoting health and wellness of its animals. Anticipated to begin construction at the end of the month, the new facility will be open to the public in 2018.    

Ferguson Pape Baldwin Architects (FPBA) celebrated Ted Breunich’s retirement. Ted has proudly served as Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of FPBA for the last 22 years. He was instrumental in strengthening the firm through strategic initiatives and diligent financial management. We are grateful for his hard work and dedication to FPBA!