Project Spotlight: Topaz – A New Chapter in Sustainable Student Housing at SDSU

We’re excited to highlight a recent project, Topaz, a brand-new 53-unit, 169-bed student housing development by Pierce Education Properties for San Diego State University (SDSU). This thoughtfully designed space is more than just a place for students to live—it’s a vibrant community hub. Located just two blocks from an underground trolley station, Topaz is part of a transit-priority area that encourages sustainable, car-free living for students.

McCullough collaborated closely with the project team, including designer Frank Wolden and architecture firm KTGY, to create a dynamic landscape and streetscape that reflects the natural beauty of San Diego’s coastal and canyon landscapes. The ground floor offers a lively mix of restaurants and retail spaces, while the second and third floors are dedicated to student amenities, creating a seamless indoor-outdoor experience that’s perfect for San Diego’s year-round mild climate.

Residents entering Topaz are welcomed by a striking entry stair that leads to a series of custom raised planters filled with low water-use shrubs and ornamental grasses. These drought-tolerant plants not only enhance the building’s sustainability efforts but also mirror the look and feel of San Diego’s diverse ecosystem. On the third floor, common spaces are designed to evoke the calm and cool of the region’s shady canyons, offering areas for students to gather, relax in the spa, or simply enjoy the view of the street below.

“The Topaz Mixed Use project was an exciting collaborative exercise that allowed multiple stakeholders to voice their desires, concerns, and opinions, helping to guide the design process in a fruitful direction.  In the end, I believe the project achieved its highest goal; that of providing a living, thriving, and ever evolving green space for residents to enjoy rest, relaxation, and camaraderie with their neighbors.”

-Zeek Magallanes, MLA, ASLA, Studio Team Leader and Project Manager, McCullough

Beyond its visual appeal, Topaz incorporates advanced stormwater management features. The on-site raised planter system captures runoff from the roof, which is then directed to a modular wetland system located underground. This system stores and slowly releases the water into the city’s storm system, minimizing impact on local infrastructure.

With its focus on sustainability, connection to the outdoors, and thoughtful integration into the surrounding community, Topaz sets a new standard for student living at SDSU. We’re proud to share this project with you.

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Studio Chats: How Life, Collaboration & Design Shape Architecture

Join us for Studio Chats, where Benjamin Arcia, MUD, Senior Associate at McCullough and Brandon Blakeman, Founding Principal at Workshop B Architects and a valued McCullough client, have a candid conversation about design, collaboration, and how life experiences—like working in a meat department—can shape a career in architecture.

In these clips from their chat, they dive into their shared projects, including the award-winning La Semilla, and talk about how teamwork and fresh perspectives lead to incredible design. They emphasize the importance of looking to history to guide us forward, incorporating the ideas of fine-grain, diversity of expression, and intimacy of the streets to create meaningful, human-centered spaces.

Tune in for some great stories, inspiring insights, and a behind-the-scenes peek at McCullough!

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Transforming Urban Spaces: Highlights from Park(ing) Day 2024

We want to extend our heartfelt thanks to everyone who joined us for this year’s Park(ing) Day event, hosted at Futuro Space. Along with RDC, ULI San Diego/Tijuana, ASLA San Diego, and San Diego Housing Federation (SDHF), we transformed urban parking spaces into vibrant, functional "micro-units," sparking meaningful conversations about the future of housing and public spaces.

Thank you to Stephen Russell, President/CEO of SDHF, for coming out and sharing about the need for conscientious design and policy to allow for more sustainable and quality affordable housing for all San Diegans.

This year’s theme, “Parking Reform Activism,” highlighted the pressing need to rethink how we use space in our cities. We challenged the status quo by prioritizing living spaces over parking spaces, showcasing how these underutilized areas could be transformed into much-needed housing and community spaces.

During the Park(ing) Day event, David McCullough, PLA, ASLA addressed the pressing national housing shortage and the need for thoughtful, long-term solutions. The focus was on moving beyond quick-fix housing and emphasizing the creation of spaces that enhance quality of life. By prioritizing investments in public spaces and encouraging public-private partnerships, we can avoid past mistakes of building temporary, uninspired housing that lacks community character and long-term sustainability.

The discussion highlighted the dangers of prioritizing parking spaces and sprawling developments over creating livable, vibrant neighborhoods. The emphasis was placed on addressing the “missing middle” in affordable housing and overcoming the bureaucratic challenges that often impede progress.

In David’s view, the solutions lie in a collective responsibility—involving developers, cities, and the community—to work together toward creating housing that is not only affordable but also supports health, wellness, and a sense of belonging. It was a call to ensure future developments avoid the pitfalls of the past and focus on holistic, sustainable urban planning that truly benefits the community.

Thank you again for making this Park(ing) Day a success, and we look forward to continuing this important conversation about housing and the future of our urban spaces!

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The Art and Impact of Adaptive Reuse in Landscape Architecture

The way we approach reuse of materials is paving the way for the future in landscape architecture and construction.

Written By

Kira Becker, ASLA, Associate Landscape Designer | Los Angeles

Adaptive reuse is a concept that’s been generating a lot of buzz in the field of architecture. At its core, it involves repurposing an existing building for a new use different from its original design. This is by no means a new concept, but it has become a hot topic in recent years as office-to-residential conversions are on the rise. The concept is a natural part of a building’s lifecycle. As the world evolves, our buildings must evolve with it.

As someone who works in the realm of landscape architecture, I hear my fellow architects and developers having conversations about adaptive reuse and I can’t help but put my own frame around it. I often wonder how we can apply this concept more broadly to landscape design. It is rare, and maybe even nonexistent, that we work on a project with a clean slate. There is always a pre-existing site with a history and a plethora of materials that were previously installed. Demolishing these materials without considering their potential for reuse is not only wasteful but also overlooks their inherent value.

Repurposing materials is crucial for several reasons. At the forefront is the devastating volume of waste generated by construction and demolition, known as C&D waste. In 2018, the EPA estimated that the US alone produced 600 million tons of C&D waste*. Rather than sending demolished concrete, brick, furniture, and trees straight to landfill, we as designers and builders should explore ways to give these materials a new life.

These materials come from the earth’s natural resources. The construction industry alone uses approximately a third of the world’s extracted natural resources**. It seems counterproductive to discard old materials only to extract new ones from the earth to replace them. Instead of adhering to a linear “take, make, waste” model, we should adopt a circular economy approach, which emphasizes keeping things in use as long as possible and maximizing their value.

Adopting adaptive reuse in the landscape not only supports sustainability but also fosters the creation of contextually rich and dynamic spaces. Incorporating historical and pre-existing elements into the design of new projects can add significant meaning and depth, unlike starting from scratch, which often results in context-less and superficial spaces.

Original monument signage and large panels of corrugated metal from pre-existing mechanic shop to be used in McCullough’s Hawley Lofts project.

Existing large compressor tanks repurposed as benches and planters at Hawley Lofts.

To determine which materials to retain, it is crucial to spend time on-site, gathering insights from existing conditions. Prior to making any decisions, designers should evaluate all the existing materials and their potential for reuse. This process of observation can spark creativity and reveal the value of existing materials. For example, concrete paving could be repurposed into a bench, a fallen tree could become a dining table, a brick wall might be transformed into a series of steppers in the landscape.

Railroad ties repurposed as steppers and a planter make it feel like these materials have always been here on McCullough’s Oberlin project.

A pre-existing wall has been repurposed to be a bench by the simple yet elegant addition of a wood topper. (Oberlin project) 

Despite the benefits, many stakeholders are hesitant to adopt this approach due to perceived complexities, costs, and time requirements. Finding collaborators who share a commitment to sustainability and creativity is key to achieving success using a reuse approach on a project. At McCullough, we’ve been fortunate to work with many clients who are open to innovative, sustainable solutions. We also draw inspiration from firms that inventively pursue circular construction.

A prime example is Angel City Lumber (ACL), a Los Angeles based company that salvages fallen trees and transforms them into furniture, art, or whatever your heart desires. Their concept of a “lifecycle project” - where trees removed on-site are repurposed for lumber requirements on the same site – is particularly compelling. I’ve had the pleasure of collaborating with ACL’s Brady Zaitoon, who has been with the company since its early days. I call Brady whenever trees need to be removed on a project to salvage the lumber and we brainstorm ways to give this wood a new life. We recently discussed the challenges and successes of incorporating reuse in landscapes. Brady emphasized that tight construction deadlines can sometimes sideline sustainable methods. However, he has found engaging in early discussions with forward-thinking collaborators can lead to great success.

Another notable collaboration is with developer Redcar, renowned for their innovative approach to adaptive reuse in architecture. Redcar’s work includes transforming old unused warehouses into vibrant commercial and office spaces. One of our joint projects reimagines an abandoned warehouse into an atrium featuring a specimen tree that grows towards existing skylights.

McCullough and Redcar collaborated with architect ERAS to dream up what a warehouse turned atrium could be in an upcoming project on Sunset Blvd.

Additionally, there are companies, like Re-Use Consulting, that focus on smart deconstruction to maximize material reuse and recycling. Re-Use offers deconstruction services and operates a warehouse where recycled materials, such as lumber and brick, are stored and sold. Their approach highlights how systematic efforts can make adaptive reuse more feasible.

While reuse and recycling of materials on projects can come with its challenges, there are ways to minimize complexity and achieve success. This involves early engagement and close collaboration with key stakeholders, adequate training and prototyping, and creating a shared vision that aligns with project goals. Developing detailed construction methodologies and prototypes is also a critical part of the process. However, designers must be prepared to adapt their initial visions to accommodate the unique characteristics of recycled materials.

By embracing adaptive reuse and circular economy principles, we can create more sustainable and meaningful spaces that enrich both our environment and our communities. I encourage my fellow landscape architects, designers, and contractors to question the status quo with each new project. Look at the pre-existing site as a resource full of potential and inherent value. Tapping into this resource can lead to truly rewarding results.

* https://www.epa.gov/facts-and-figures-about-materials-waste-and- recycling/construction-and-demolition-debris-material

** https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8745857/#B1-%20materials-15-00076

Join us for Park(ing) Day 2024! (Copy)

Park(ing) Day is an annual global event where ordinary parking spaces are turned into vibrant mini parks and spaces for art, play, and activism. Launched in 2005, Park(ing) Day has become a worldwide movement that encourages creativity, community engagement, and reimagining urban spaces. The Park(ing) Day project aspires to build momentum and advocate for sustainable, community-focused urban planning that prioritizes people over cars around the world.

This year, during San Diego Design Week, McCullough, RDC, ULI San Diego - Tijuana and ASLA San Diego are excited to invite the local community to join us at Futuro Space in celebration of Park(ing) Day. This year’s theme, “Parking Reform Activism,” aims to put an emphasis on the need for more affordable housing, bike lanes or transit improvements, and safer streets.

Join us to to see how we’re reimagining parking spaces and turning them into creative micro-units!

Event Details:

• Date: Friday, September 20, 2024

• Time: 11am-2:30pmPT, with discussion led by David McCullough and Sean Slater at 12:30pm

• Location: Futuro Space, 3605 Fifth Avenue, San Diego, CA 92103

Scenes from last year’s Park(ing) Day event

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