703 16th Street, Suite 100 San Diego, California 92101
P (619) 296-3150 F (619) 501-7725
Please join us on Friday, September 15th for our Park(ing) Day event, where we will transform parking spaces into places for opportunities to learn, take the Pollinator Pledge, and have some fun!
Follow us on LinkedIn for more details to follow.
We are so proud of Senior Associate, Benjamin Arcia, named to the San Diego Business Journal’s 2023 Leaders of Influence in Architecture & Design!
Each year, the San Diego Business Journal honors industry leaders for their achievements and participation in the local community. Benjamin joined McCullough in 2013 and has spent the past decade consulting on the planning, design, and construction of numerous mixed-use infill, affordable housing, commercial repositions, and transit-oriented development projects.
His work on La Semilla (‘The Seed’), a Climate Resiliency Park in San Ysidro, California, for Casa Familiar was highlighted among the firm’s top 2022 projects. The brainchild of community-based organization Casa Familiar, Benjamin led efforts to develop a launch site for a 7,000 SF neighborhood-scale environmental justice community connector that would address local pollution and improve air quality for residents suffering from high rates of asthma and other negative health outcomes proximal to the international border.
Benjamin also spearheaded high-level strategy of the renewal efforts behind International Friendship Park, a public space that straddles the US/Mexico border, and for years has allowed people to reconnect with loved ones.
He serves as leader of McCullough’s team for the Bay-to-Park Paseo initiative for the San Diego Architectural Foundation World Design Capital 2024. The Bay-to-Park Paseo is a volunteer project to design, build, and fund a 1.7-mile art installation series on Park Boulevard from the San Diego Bay to Balboa Park, connecting two premier spaces in San Diego. Benjamin also currently serves as planning co-chair for the Context 2024 event as part of the larger San Diego Architectural Foundation World Design Capital initiative. World Design Capital San Diego Tijuana 2024 is a year-long celebration of the innovative cross-border region coming together to design a better future.
Additionally, Benjamin is a current member of the Urban Land Institute Young Leaders Tijuana Group, and formerly served as Co-chair. As part of the ULI Young Leaders initiative, Benjamin engages with a mentorship and networking ecosystem meant to elevate young members of the real estate industry.
Congratulations to all nominees and thank you to the San Diego Business Journal for the recognition!
McCullough is delighted to congratulate Johanna Mall on completing the licensure process and becoming a licensed landscape architect in the State of California.
Johanna has been an invaluable addition to the McCullough team for the past four and a half years and has shown incredible growth in enhancing her skills and honing her creativity over the years. She brings fresh ideas and her passion for design stems from her principle belief to do what is right for the environment and for communities.
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.
Johanna is an expert in planting design, understanding of planting materials and has extensive knowledge of southwestern regional plant species. She is a professional in the field in every sense, and a go-to in the office for professional and impassioned advice on all matters landscape architecture.
“Johanna came to us as an eager young lady with a drive to learn and grow. I grow to appreciate her more every day and can proudly say that I often now go to her for guidance, inspiration, and advice. She is truly one of a kind and we are honored to have her in our presence!”
- David McCullough, Principal Landscape Architect
Here at McCullough, we are thrilled to announce the expansion of our services in the San Francisco Bay Area with the opening of our new office in Downtown Oakland. As an award-winning landscape and urban design firm, this expansion not only signifies our growth but also reinforces our commitment to Northern California.
We understand that outdoor spaces play a vital role in transforming urban environments into vibrant communities. Over the past few years, the significance of these spaces has become even more pronounced, with outdoor areas serving as the connective tissue that enhances the success of properties and their surrounding areas. With the establishment of our Oakland office and the expansion of our team, we are poised to collaborate more closely with owners, developers, architects, and other consultants. Our goal is to share our knowledge and expertise effectively, ensuring the creation of exceptional landscapes.
Leading our operations in Oakland is our Senior Associate designer, Mahalakshmi (Maha) Balachandran. Maha brings a wealth of experience to the table, having worked extensively on global projects from India to San Rafael and Sausalito, California. Her dedication and expertise make her the perfect fit for spearheading our endeavors in the Bay Area.
Akshay Badwe, ASLA, PLA, Associate Landscape Architect
Joining Maha is our newest team member, Akshay Badwe, ASLA, PLA, an award-winning CLARB Certified Landscape Architect. With over 15 years of experience, Akshay has contributed to projects worldwide and brings a fresh perspective to our expanding team. His expertise will further enrich our capabilities as we embark on new ventures in the Bay Area.
Our portfolio in the Bay Area and Northern California includes remarkable collaborations with partners such as HPI Architecture, Westfield, RDC, Texas Valley Holdings, The Michaels Organization, TCA Architects, and Herman Construction. Some notable projects we have undertaken include the Davis Lumber Yard, The Bridge District, and student housing developments at Las Positas College, Chabot College, Solano College, and Evergreen Valley College. These projects stand as testaments to our commitment to excellence and our ability to create transformative outdoor spaces that resonate with the community.
Akshay and Maha at our new Oakland office
Find us at 1111 Broadway in Oakland, CA!
At McCullough, we believe that our expansion into Oakland is a significant step toward fostering innovation and elevating the design landscape in Northern California. We are excited to collaborate with local visionaries. Stay tuned for updates on our latest projects and initiatives.
We are thrilled to announce that the La Semilla project team has received a Merit Award in the Unbuilt Category at the 2023 AIA San Diego Design Awards. This recognition is a testament to the vision, dedication, and ingenuity of the team behind this groundbreaking neighborhood park located in San Ysidro, California, near the US/Mexico border. With the client, Casa Familiar Inc., Architect, Workshop B Architects, Inc., and Benjamin Arcia, M.U.D., of McCullough as Landscape Architect, the La Semilla project has become a shining example of climate resiliency and environmental justice.
La Semilla, meaning "the seed" in Spanish, symbolizes the numerous efforts of the park. Just like a seed holds the potential to grow into a mighty tree, this project serves as a launchpad for a neighborhood-scale movement focused on environmental justice and climate resiliency. Spanning over a 7,000 square foot lot, La Semilla not only functions as a demonstration area but also as a community connector, seamlessly integrating with Casa's Community Land Trust (CLT) properties on the Cultural Corridor. This corridor serves as the vibrant heart of San Ysidro, bringing together art, community, and greening initiatives.
At its core, La Semilla incorporates a permaculture program that not only produces food but also shares ecologically sound gardening practices with local residents. By connecting people to the living world around them and inspiring healthier food choices, the park becomes a catalyst for redefining consumption patterns. Visitors to La Semilla experience the joy of sinking their teeth into an organic, home-grown tomato, which often sparks a newfound passion for gardening. Beyond food production, the park serves as a showcase for affordable resiliency strategies. Through architectural components, site features, and special programming, it demonstrates off-the-shelf products, home modifications, and backyard installations that save money, energy, water, and time for the community. By presenting these solutions at a domestic scale, La Semilla empowers neighbors to embrace sustainable practices and embark on their own sustainability journeys.
The project's goals encompass fighting climate change in a meaningful way, promoting affordable and low-maintenance gardening and construction practices, providing on-site photovoltaic panels for electric vehicle charging stations, and leveraging the proximity to a light-rail station to encourage active transportation as part of a multi-modal transportation strategy. La Semilla acknowledges the pressing need for safer food and cleaner air in the local community. While the park itself may not be able to feed everyone or single-handedly mitigate air pollution, it serves as a living laboratory for techniques and products that neighbors can affordably implement in their own homes. By disseminating knowledge and skills, the project enlists neighbors in a decentralized, egalitarian effort to transform consumption patterns and improve local air quality. The park's design also considers the abundance of off-street parking spaces in the neighborhood, envisioning their potential as areas for growing food or air-remediating plants. Moreover, La Semilla promotes alternative modes of transportation to reduce environmental impact, emphasizing the importance of walkability and accessibility.
In addition to its environmental and resiliency objectives, La Semilla aims to create a neighborhood park that caters to the daily rhythms, practical needs, and year-round celebrations of the community.
As part of the ongoing transformation of an alley into San Ysidro's pedestrian-oriented Cultural Corridor, the park acts as a catalyst for this process.
The surrounding neighborhood, although underserved in several aspects, benefits from a chain of existing parks that are highly utilized and cherished by residents. La Semilla builds upon this foundation, expanding the network of green spaces to further advance the pursuit of environmental justice.
The Merit Award for La Semilla recognizes the significant impact it will have on fostering environmental justice, promoting climate resiliency, and empowering the community. This accolade is a testament to the dedication and collaboration of the project team, whose innovative design and commitment to sustainability have set a new standard in urban park development. The La Semilla project serves as an inspiring example for communities worldwide, demonstrating the power of collective action and shared spaces in creating a more sustainable and equitable future.
