McCullough’s New Accountant Focuses on Project Tracking

These photos are from our project at SDSU East Campus Drive.

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As McCullough continues to grow, having an experienced accountant to manage project costs benefits our clients and our front office. It’s with great pleasure that we welcome Victoria “Vika” Gallich, our latest hire and Project Accountant.

MEET VIKA GALLICH

Vika will support project administration, accounts receivable and contract records management.

After earning her associate’s degree in accounting from a college in Bellingham, Washington, Vika went on to achieve her Bachelor of Integral Studies from California Institute for Human Science. She recently moved to San Diego from San Francisco where she worked at Source Planning Construction as a project accountant.

“As a nature lover, I am excited to join a team of visionaries who thoughtfully create beautiful green spaces all over the world. I look forward to bringing a mindful approach to accounting, and I am thankful for all of the clients that partner with us.”
—Vika Gallich

President and CEO Catherine McCullough commented, “Vika is specialized in accounting for the construction industry. She will help our firm analyze project-management procedures and maximize service efficiencies. This will be reflected in improved project delivery and strengthened client service.”

A fun fact about Vika is that she loves big adventures; she once owned four motorcycles and embarked on long-distance motorcycle trips throughout Canada and the United States.

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2019 SMPS BUILD BUSINESS LANDS IN OUR NATION’S CAPITAL

Our President/CEO/CMO Catherine McCullough is headed to Washington D.C. July 31st through August 2nd for the annual SMPS Build Business conference. Highlights this year include:

• Digital skills labs (customized technology-based learning);

• A symposium on building your firm’s seller-doer strategy;

• A swanky rooftop reception, where guests will enjoy stunning views of the Capitol at sunset.

A/E/C professionals from around the nation meet each year to learn innovative marketing and service practices, make valuable contacts to expand their network and learn the latest strategies in business development, marketing and leadership.

Are you attending the conference? Catherine would love to grab coffee or lunch and hear about your conference experience—click below to connect on LinkedIn and send her a message.

Connect with Catherine on LinkedIn →

View the program schedule →

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McCullough HAD A Swingin’ TIME at the SMPS Golf Tournament

SMPS San Diego went above and beyond to deliver another great golf tournament this year. Not only did we have a blast, the proceeds went to benefit Monarch School, which provides education, skills and experience to homeless youth in need.

Thank you clients, colleagues and friends for taking a break at Hole 10 for refreshments and to pick up a few of our awesome giveaways.
(Special note: People LOVED the safari hats)

Marty Glaske of Gafcon, won the $50 Nordstrom gift card. Congratulations! A not-so-secret-secret...the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale is currently going until August 4th!

It's a Town Center Revolution

As new residents move to San Diego every day, the region faces pressure to build neighborhoods and communities that support the rapidly-increasing density. Shapers of the built environment have the important task of redefining the suburban lifestyle—it’s clearly in our hands to find and build solutions.

The San Diego region is in transition, as are many other coastal cities. However, it is not that Amazon has boomed onto the world’s stage (Seattle), or that Google and Facebook are headquartered in our backyard (Bay Area). And we most certainly are not the nation’s second largest city (Los Angeles).

For San Diego, it’s just simple math that accounts for this transition:

• Add our annual in-migration of retirees, sunbirds, techies and hipster surfers;

• Multiply them with more local births adding to our population growth;

• These facts equate to the issue of the need to generate enough housing and infrastructure to support this growth—up to 10% every year.

This means we need about 12,000 new homes built every year, and the City of San Diego only builds approximately 7,500 annually. “When we were a smaller population we used to build 15,000 housing units for 31 years straight through the year 2011 and then fell back to about 7,500 units on average from 2011 forward. So, the upshot of that is, we are building one-half of the houses that we used to build while the population has certainly increased in the opposite direction,” stated Borre Winckel, President and CEO of BIA. We’re behind and getting further behind each year.

Therefore, there is pressure to change how we have been living for the past 60 years. This change, as we see it, is to transition to more infill housing in our existing towns and neighborhoods, accessible by shared vehicles and public transit. The single-family detached, bucolic, suburban lifestyle is about to become very expensive and rare in Southern California, as we cannot physically continue our sprawling patterns of development.

Single-occupancy homes, private cars and their storage take up too much space, expense and effort. Younger generations no longer attach ‘freedom’ and status to their cars. Instead, they use their smartphones to deliver goods, pick them up and drop them off. Shared mobility, transit, and getting from point-to-point is more important today than it has been for almost three generations.

The ways in which we build homes, shops, offices and entertainment is becoming more connected, urban and compact. We enjoy biking, walking and scootering around neighborhoods more than driving from parking lot to parking lot.

All of these facts lead us to this period of transition we are in today.

Modern Shifts in Suburban to Urban-Living Lifestyle
A recent project that AVRP Skyport Studio is working on in collaboration with McCullough, The Outpost, illustrates this shift from a suburban to a more urban lifestyle. The Outpost is a new vertical, mixed-use block in downtown Poway. Yes… that’s downtown Poway. In 2018, the City of Poway adopted a code to guide new development to build a town center on Poway Road. On a block between Poway’s new library, transit station, community park and at the Community Road intersection on Poway Road, The Outpost is designed as an attached building where people can live, work, play and exercise with access to underground parking.

All of this isn’t new to San Diego’s North County, where Poway is located. University Place in San Marcos, San Elijo Hills Town Center, Oceanside and Carlsbad downtowns have coffee shops, health and fitness clubs, restaurants, pubs, live-work units and a variety of home sizes. And none of these suburban developments have made space for vehicles to park underground. This style of development wastes energy and frustrates drivers as they continually look for places to park.

As the shift continues to move ahead, suburban cities will begin to decrease parking requirements, reducing home costs and adding more units for occupants to utilize public or shared transit. Our studio sees The Outpost as an ideal project reflecting this lifestyle shift. The project includes three mixed-use buildings of 53 residential units, a 3 Local Brother’s “urban food hall,” a Crunch fitness center, a coffee shop and four office units with two levels of underground parking.

Changes in Urban Development
More urban buildings and blocks with cars stored underground open up much of the surrounding landscape to design more spaces where residents can enjoy the outdoors and our beautiful weather.

We’re working with McCullough, and from their perspective this style opens up new opportunities to design great exterior spaces.

The trend today with urban infill and transit-oriented development is to provide several site amenities, beyond the typical to suburban living. We believe this is predicated by three primary components:

1. If people are to live in more confined quarters, there is an expectation for more social opportunities and other common amenity spaces, which produce a better quality of life. An example is people who want to have their pets when moving into a downtown area. In a suburban development, a backyard is enough open space for pets. In an urban environment, people need places to take their pets. We get requests to design special dog runs and other pet specific amenities. The urban environment offers an advantage over the suburban counterpart in innovating new ways to provide for these types of spaces we design.

2. Younger generations, as well as older individuals presently reaching retirement, expect and thrive on social interaction. Often, this may be a primary reason for moving into denser communities. The expectation is that there will be an environment with plenty of opportunities for people to connect. Amenity spaces are ideal and we can and should consider this on a deeper level when designing. The most important ingredients are authenticity and causality. If a space feels inauthentic or forced, it will be uncomfortable for social interaction, and this primary need or expectation will not be adequately met.

3. Additionally, we believe with density and urbanization, there is another primary human necessity that needs to be met, and that is a connection to nature. Often, urban exterior spaces can miss this connection if they are dealt with like their adjacent interiors. We believe there is an opportunity here. Nature and natural elements can co-exist with the unnatural. Sometimes the amenity itself can be an escape to a natural place, where fauna and flora variety are encouraged, which can provide healing and soothing to one’s psyche. The abrupt contrast to the surrounding environment is an important design tool for landscape architects to work with.

Ultimately, if people are moving at a greater pace to urban environments, the role of landscape architects becomes critical in the equation to ensure the quality of life meets or even exceeds the societal expectations. Nature is only one tool, but when natural elements are coupled together with the unnatural, a city has the success to be a flourishing community.

Thank you to Howard Blackson of AVRP Skyport Studio for his collaboration with David McCullough to co-author this piece.

David McCullough, PLA, ASLA
Principal Landscape Architect, McCullough Landscape Architecture

Howard Blackson
Director of Urban Design, AVRP Skyport Studio

View more projects like this →

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Get Wild With the SMPS Animals of San Diego

The 2019 SMPS Golf Tournament is this month. Will we see you at the Vineyard on June 28th? We’re sponsors! Make a stop at our hole and grab a drink on us! See you there.

Last day to register!

Register here →

Use These Plants in Your Pollinator-Friendly Garden

Allen Chickering (Salvia clevlandii)

It’s National Pollinator Week! The U.S. Senate established the third week of June as National Pollinator Week in 2006. It is a time to celebrate the critical role that pollinators play in the biodiversity of our ecosystem and spread awareness about how we can preserve and nurture pollinator-friendly landscapes.

Which critters are considered pollinators?
Birds, bats, bees, butterflies, beetles and other small mammals, all of which pollinate plants, are considered pollinators and are responsible for sustaining our ecosystems.

“Somewhere between 75% and 95% of all flowering plants on the earth need help with pollination – they need pollinators. Pollinators provide pollination services to over 180,000 different plant species and more than 1200 crops. That means that one out of every three bites of food you eat is there because of pollinators.”
—Pollinator.org

As stewards of the land, we promote pollinator habitats through landscape architecture, conservation and the diverse varieties of flowering and native plants that we use in our designs.

Bring pollinators to your yard by adding some of our favorite pollinator-friendly AND drought-resistant plants to your garden:

Otto Quast (Lavedula stoechas)

1. Salvia clevlandii ‘Allen Chickering‘
   A California native and variety of sage, this plant has aromatic grey-green leaves and brilliant blueish-purple flowers. Flowering occurs for several weeks during early spring, making these plants highly popular with local butterflies, bees and hummingbirds. It is also commonly referred to as Cleveland Sage.

2. Lavedula stoechas ‘Otto Quast‘
   Also known as Spanish lavender, the crowned, purple flowers that spring from this plant bloom year-round, making this a pleasantly colorful addition to any Southern California garden. It is low-maintenance and would do well in an area with full sun. The strongest flowering happens between April and August.

Looking for more ways you can contribute? Visit pollinator.org for resources and local events for National Pollinator Week.

Read our Governor’s proclamation →

Check out this Native Pollinator Garden in Chula Vista →

Find nearby National Pollinator Week events →

Soulful Designer Brings Valuable Experience to McCullough

These photos are from our project Plant Power at San Diego State University.

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Please join us in welcoming Johanna Mall, the latest addition to our growing team of talented designers. As a Junior Associate, her experience in civic development, education, sports and recreation and inventive approach to planting design brings clients more value to every McCullough project.

Meet Johanna Mall, ASLA

Johanna is an artsy, creative and bubbly designer, raised by immigrant parents and fluent in three languages. Her upbringing and travel adventures give her an acute awareness of the importance of culturally diverse experiences. Her passion for design stems from her fascination with how urban and folk traditions influence landscape design. The cultural integration between her Mexican, German and American roots, gives her a unique perspective to connect people and places with an element of empathy for the spaces she designs. She strives to apply “genius loci” to capture “the spirit of place” by designing places with a unique, vernacular cultural identity that people feel connected to.

Specialties that Johanna brings to McCullough’s projects:

• Civic development
• Creative approach to planting design
• Education / Sports & Recreation

Education: Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo
Certifications/Awards: Sigma Lambda Alpha – Landscape Architecture

Johanna is a consummate rock climber, both indoors and out nearly every day. When she’s not climbing, she’s playing guitar or tending to her abundant collection of houseplants. You can also find her casually head-banging in mosh pits at punk rock shows on Friday nights.

"I am thrilled to have the opportunity to grow professionally and creatively through their fearless approach to design and excited to add even more soul to the grit and style that is McCullough."
— Johanna Mall, ASLA

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empowering aec marketers through storytelling

Catherine McCullough is currently featured in SMPS Marketer Online, a nationally distributed publication. “Our job as marketers is to tell stories,” said Catherine. “That’s what SMPS leadership is all about…how we can help others learn from our experience.”

The article recounts her discussion with other leaders at the President’s Leadership Symposium, held in April Washington D.C., discussing how connecting through individual stories empowers marketers to “lead the charge” for their firms.

Read the article →

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GETTING WILD WITH SMPS SAN DIEGO

The time has come again for the annual SMPS San Diego Golf Tournament! Throw on your safari suit and join us Friday, June 28th for a day of golf at the Vineyard at Escondido Golf Club followed by a great banquet dinner. We hear there will also be appearances by some exotic, wild animals!

We’ll be golfing and serving refreshments at our beverage hole as Chui sponsors. Make sure you stop by to say hi!

Register here →

A Human-Inspired Landscape at Takeda Pharmaceuticals

Client: Alexandria Real Estate Equities
Architect: LPA
Tenant: Takeda Pharmaceutical Company
Sector: Biotech
Size: 339,960 s.f.
McCullough PM: Armando Silva, ASLA
Services: Landscape Design, Environmental Planning

Just before spring, a new project emerged in San Diego’s Sorrento Valley, ready to bloom into a beautiful working environment. In collaboration with LPA, the McCullough team recently completed this beautiful campus for the new tenants, Takeda Pharmaceutical Company.

The new office, located in the biotech cluster of UTC, was transformed from an old, tired office park into a fabulous environmental and architectural experience. Takeda wanted to have an environment that takes cues from the surrounding areas, maximizes the magnificent views and provides a lot of outdoor space for their employees to meet and be inspired.

Grit, Soul and Style

Working closely with the client, Alexandria Real Estate Equities and architecture firm LPA, McCullough developed a native-plant palette that will grow into a lush and vibrant landscape. We created many pockets that serve as gathering spaces or “outdoor conference rooms.” Positioned along a trail that winds around a lush planted basin, they offer incredible views of the area. A large field is situated along the main entry walkway for employees to play sports, exercise or hold outdoor events. This reflects the company’s value of providing facilities for employees’ physical health and well-being. Our environmental planning focused on the intelligent management of stormwater to increase sustainability throughout the property.

An explosion of chaos and color draws people through the landscape, inviting them to linger and coalesce with nature. The experience creates a sense of harmonious balance—a true example of grit, soul and style.

Armando Silva, ASLA
Associate Landscape Designer

View more projects like this →

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Celebrating Commercial Real Estate in San Diego

The San Diego Business Journal will be holding its 2019 Commercial Real Estate Awards ceremony the evening of April 18th at Bali Hai Restaurant in San Diego. Each year, this ceremony showcases the most notable commercial real estate projects and deals throughout the region. As sponsors, we look forward to commemorating all of the outstanding developers, architects, general contractors and brokers who have been nominated as we reflect on the past year of success!

Thursday, April 18th
4:00-7:00pm

Bali Hai Restaurant
2230 Shelter Island Drive
San Diego, CA 92106

Hope to see you there!

Register today →