McCullough DESIGNERS SELECT THE BEST OF 2020
City of San Diego | Mission City, Kilroy East Village
David McCullough, ASLA, PLA
Principal Landscape Architect
In this industry, there are many projects that spark passion and exhilaration for a number of different reasons. This year, we worked on a paid competition for a project planned close to where we work and live. Kilroy, a prominent local commercial real estate developer released an invitation-only request for proposal regarding a two-block portion of the East Village — the site of the current Salvation Army downtown facility located south of San Diego City College and east of San Diego’s financial district. Our team was shortlisted and asked to prepare conceptual design ideas as well as a presentation to become part of this paid competition.
As 2020 continued to reveal itself as a very transformative year, it was an easy decision to place Kilroy as one of the top projects for 2020.
For me, to play a small part in such an evolutionary process is a source of pride.
The pursuit of this project was chosen as my favorite for 2020 due to a couple of important reasons...
For starters, we were able to hone our skills on a much larger scale and were required to think beyond the developer’s property, which shapes an important part of the East Village. Secondly, it sits across the street from another full-block development that we have been engaged in by a notable residential housing developer, Liberty National, called Park and Broadway. (This project is under construction and upon completion will be one of the community’s largest residential housing developments!)
Kilroy’s East Village development is unique not only in scale, but also considering the economic catalyst it represents for our downtown region. For many years, as the downtown population has shifted from almost entirely workforce (up until the late ’90s) to a residential population, the diversity of downtown use has stagnated.
Jane Jacobs, author of The Death and Life of Great American Cities (1961), proclaimed that one of the most important factors in a vibrant city was diversity of use. Jane wrote that for cities to function well, they needed to be filled with people around the clock. By this, cities (through diversity of use) needed a working population to activate the streets and spaces during the day, and a residential population to activate the streets and spaces at night. Without this, the efficiencies of a city were broken down, safety was sacrificed, and 12 hours of concentrated use made circulation (traffic) intolerable.
In San Diego, we have seen our population shift from a concentrated workforce to residential use over the past thirty years. I have seen this personally when we first moved to San Diego in 1994 — the freeways were congested in the mornings going into downtown as people went to work, and out of downtown in the evenings as people went home after work to surrounding communities. Since then, the flow of traffic has shifted. The traffic into downtown in the evenings has become problematic as now more people are living downtown but working in surrounding communities like UTC, Sorrento Valley, and Mission Valley.
In the past 25 years, residential housing developments downtown have far outpaced office and commercial developments. This is changing today with many commercial office developments underway — the Kilroy East Village development being one of the first. This is a sign that San Diego is maturing from a 15-hour city into a 24-hour city — and therein lies my sense of pride from this project.
OUR INVOLVEMENT
McCullough was brought onto the team as a key participant in the urban planning process. We looked well beyond the boundaries of this property and helped ask questions such as, “How will this large development influence and impact the neighborhood and the region? What are the contextual cues we should be aware of to help make this development feel uniquely catered to the San Diego experience? What would be the correct mix of uses on this site to ensure long-term viability and vibrancy?”
These are the types of questions we like to ask on every project we work on. Since this project is in the neighborhood we work and reside in, we felt we were the best suited to ask these questions. The process was fun and invigorating for the office, we worked with an incredible team of collaborators and visionaries (notably Howard Blackson, Frank Wolden, and Doug Austin — to name a few), and we developed innovative ideas through a process we called “Imagine.”
This is why Kilroy East Village is at the top of my list for 2020 — it offers hope for progression — for change, which I know we have all grown to appreciate the idea of more than ever before after this year.
Mission Hills Residence | Presidio
Johanna Mall, ASLA
Junior Associate
Ultimate creative freedom is every designer’s dream which is why I chose this beautiful residential home in the historic neighborhood of Mission Hills as my featured project for Best of 2020.
Originally designed by Safdie Rabines Architects in 2004, the contemporary hillside house was in need of some fresh lighting, irrigation, and landscape renovation since the existing planting was not quite doing the architecture justice.
The client’s primary desire was to have a simplified modern planting design. Keeping all the existing trees in place, I experimented with textures of plant foliage in different shades of green and blue hues, creating a monochromatic scheme for a relaxed, simplified feel.
Combining the boldness of Australian shrubs, such as Leucospermums with soft, lush grasses like Lomandra not only provided a modern aesthetic but also functioned well with the steep slopes and California low-water requirements.
Just how 2020 displayed itself, this project also did not come without its challenges.
The property is located on the edge of a mesa, which resulted in working on steep hillsides of 2:1 and sometimes 1:1 slopes. Placing plants ahead of time for the landscape contractor was not an option since the pots would slide right down the hill as soon as you placed them.
A quick turnaround deadline resulted in an informal landscape contractor who wasted no time reading plans. Tiff, tiff.
With the plans out the window, I was on-site several days directing where each plant had to go — which, sometimes led to a better plant placement than I had originally envisioned in the plan view of AutoCAD. My favorite part of the installation process was directing everything in Spanish, which was challenging at times, but it led to a camaraderie that created a positive working relationship between the designer and the landscape contractor.
For all the fellow plant design enthusiasts out there, we love clients like this owner who put all their faith and trust in us to bring their vision and ideas to fruition, which is why this project was such a pleasure to work on in 2020.
10th and Island | San Diego
Armando Silva, ASLA
Associate
While I was stuck in my condo having only my balcony space to use as my “personal getaway” this year, I unintentionally grew a fond appreciation for small rooftop gardens.
Landscape podium design continues on an audacious path as the pandemic seems to halt our way of life. This brought me to my project selection for Best of 2020 — the K-Elevate hotel project with DeBartolo + Rimanic Design Studio.
San Diego’s East Village is becoming a melting pot with the confluence of the surrounding vibrant cultures. Located in the heart of East Village with close proximity to the cultural and artistic community of Barrio Logan, the new K-Elevate hotel is a bohemian rooftop terrace getaway that is mixed with cultural identity.
We designed a rooftop terrace perched on the eighth floor on the corner of 10th and Island. Primitive in nature, but warm and cozy through unconventional design — this garden respite offers a lush environment in an urban setting, full of eclectic details and amenities such as fire pits, snug furniture, BBQ, games, projection screens, a lifestyle deck, and most importantly — plenty of plants.
Currently in the documentation phase, the K-Elevate hotel is scheduled to start construction in Summer of 2021 with a completion date of late 2022. I look forward to seeing this rooftop come to life and breathe life in the people who experience it.
Palm Avenue MTS | San Diego
Benjamin Arcia, MUD, ASLA
Senior Associate + Business Development
Palm Avenue MTS is my favorite project for 2020. The project will consist of mixed-use transit-oriented development (TOD) along the trolley line in South Bay.
There are two reasons which primarily make this project so engaging. For one, there is a rare and deep alignment of shared values among the client and design team members. Between Malick Infill Development, Studio E Architects, and McCullough we shared the vision of building a community in the spirit of author Jane Jacobs’ studies of vibrant, happy, urban life. Together, we’ve been taking advantage of our 3D modeling abilities to understand the site’s potential for community in an immersive way.
It’s a real pleasure to work with team members that feel the same way about what kind of future we want to build - one that is smarter, greener, and more socially equitable.
Secondly, what also stood out for me about this project was its scale. The site is smaller than the urban master planning projects we typically design, but also quite larger than our usual urban infill projects. This in-between scale is particularly exciting because it challenges us to wear the hats of urban designers and landscape architects simultaneously.
Each decision we make at the master planning scale impacts design decisions that we will have to later reconcile as we move into more detailed phases of the design process. We are providing both site planning and landscape architecture, as well as being a voice in the architectural discussion, thanks to Studio E’s openness to interdisciplinary collaboration.
Despite the inherent complexities of this project, this opportunity to holistically design both the big picture and to also arrange individual pixels is the kind of deep, multi-layered project I have been dreaming of for a long time. These are just a few reasons why Palm Avenue MTS gets my pick for Best of 2020.
The Plaza at Rancho Bernardo | San Diego
Maha Balachandran, International ASLA
Associate + Business Development, Northern CA Office
McCullough was hired to holistically rehabilitate the landscape of The Plaza at Rancho Bernardo while maintaining the character of the buildings. The Architect, Jorge Engel and the owner looked for a sustainable approach to landscape renovation, from demolition to materials.
The exciting and challenging question that made me choose this project as Best of 2020 was, “How to impact the eyes while simply grabbing a morning coffee?”
After a year of many twists and turns, I’ve grown to appreciate challenges. After all, they only make you stronger.
Another major challenge of this project was the site runoff issue. New planting islands and raised lounge areas evolved through the effort to resolve the same. The grit of the design was portrayed through grade changes and planting islands, providing a visual encounter thereby encouraging pedestrian movement throughout the site. The driveway is accentuated with a perimeter of relocated existing Queen Palms along with evergreen, bold planting vignettes.
Planting is curated to highlight key areas such as walkways, storefronts, and the outdoor dining lounge. The walkways with a grove of Palo Verdes, along with lush grasses, unify and create a seamless link throughout the site. The green walls on existing structures are also strategically integrated into the design to soften the visual impact.
Once completed, this project is envisioned to be a destination for people to experience a respite while shopping within a garden.
Secoya on Fifth | San Diego
Zeek Magallanes, MLA, ASLA
Associate
Secoya on Fifth is my choice for the Best of 2020 because it exemplified effective, open communication and commitment to excellence on the part of all disciplines involved. This led to the implementation of creative solutions in a dynamic and flexible environment.
Secoya on Fifth is a 62,529 square foot, eight-story, mixed-use residential project led by the experienced and passionate development team at the Murfey Company.
Working in conjunction with Steven Dalton Architects and Pasco Lauret Suiter & Associates engineers, the Secoya on Fifth project is an incredible example of developer-led collaborative design.
The Murfey Company’s desire to engage multiple disciplines in the process from start to finish showcased the advantages of team-driven decision making. As challenges arose, local and state-wide regulations and requirements were quickly addressed as design iterations were explored graphically and verbally by the design team. This supportive and empowering momentum has ultimately resulted in a design that is sure to impress both the development’s tenants and the community’s neighbors.
McCullough provided excellence in the areas of site analysis and assessment, schematic design, design development, and construction documentation. Creative solutions for the Secoya on Fifth project included custom outdoor kitchen and shade structure features, ADA-compliant furniture, and designated spaces which allowed the project to meet city and state requirements while, at the same time, enhancing the perception and experience of inclusiveness and equitability.
Features that help this project stand out include the deck on Level 8 which overlooks the historic Uptown community and downtown San Diego. The design of raised planters along the periphery of the deck and the building overhang elicits a sense of immersion in the landscape, as if one were sitting on a Californian bluff.
The design speaks to the naturally mountainous geology of San Diego and its breathtakingly beautiful vistas. Finally, LEED and Low Impact Development inspired the use of flow-through stormwater planters and their integration into the design of the ground floor courtyard to cleanse and slow the distribution of run-off to the city’s sewer system.
The Secoya on Fifth project received its building permit in late 2020 and will move forward with construction in 2021. With its emphasis on expressing the natural beauty afforded by the Southern California lifestyle and its exploration of collaborative team development, the Secoya on Fifth project is my top choice for Best of 2020.
Healthcare Initiative | San Diego
Naby Miller, ASLA
Studio Design Leader
In a recent collaboration with HOK and Webcor, McCullough had the opportunity to study a new model for the revitalization and evolution of a healthcare campus environment for Kilroy East Village.
The more holistic approach aims to move toward Kilroy East Village’s design which is deeply rooted in the healthcare institutions’ core value of serving. It revolves around wellness and health-driven solutions that contribute to creating a healthier environment that fosters healthier individuals.
This value is embodied in the exterior built environment where implementation of various elements draw in a mix of programmatic uses to promote and facilitate such strides for wellness.
Here are just a few ways we are developing a healthier tomorrow:
Greater access to fresh air: Comfortable exterior environments and generally calming spaces that open to the blue, sun-filled sky.
Use of water: Meant to not only add ambiance to the campus green, but more importantly meant to serve as a restorative component to support the overarching narrative of wellness. The design is led by the senses and aims to tap into the psychological benefits of water which ultimately promotes calmness, focus, and creativity.
In addition to human health and wellness, this initiative is committed to transforming current campuses into sustainable sites: Energy and water efficiency, waste reduction, durability, and lowest possible maintenance requirements were all considered and primary to the overall goals of the project.
Selection of softscape materials: to maximize site sustainability and effectively demonstrate purposeful planting design that users can enjoy but also learn from.
Regionally appropriate planting: Low-water use plants and medicinal plantings were introduced as an educational resource. Native plant species were selected to attract native pollinators and other local fauna. While understanding the site context, these plants would be arranged in ways to replicate the surrounding natural habitats. The intent was to provide plantings that will also reduce and perhaps even eliminate the need for supplemental water-use once established.
Sun analysis diagrams informed space planning: Deciduous trees were selected to provide shade in the summer months but allow the warmth of the sun as they lose their leaves in the winter months. The location of these trees was carefully considered to provide shade for passing vehicles and pedestrians, but to also assist with natural air conditioning adjacent to buildings.
Collaborating with HOK and Webcor in finding new ways of creating a healthier environment is the reason why I have selected this Healthcare Initiative as my featured project for Best of 2020.
MCCULLOUGH PROUDLY SPONSORS Northern California Student Housing Digital Summit
GET THE INSIDE SCOOP ON HOW TO MOVE THE SAN FRANCISCO STUDENT HOUSING MARKET FORWARD, POST-PANDEMIC
Here at McCullough, we live, breathe, and build curiosity. Influencing space requires context, commitment, and creativity. The student housing market is being reimagined due to the pandemic and it’s our responsibility to educate and innovate a better, safer tomorrow.
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