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Featured Projects

Page 11
Urban Design
Mixed Use
Residential
Commercial
Educational
Institutional
Medical
Hospitality
Entertainment

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Shamrock
Dos Lagos
Garden Grove
Cidal
Agora & Nardi
Atalaya
Sierra Madre
Shephard Cove
Heckmann
Myrtle
JCM
Rio
Lincoln Beach
Seasons
Candal
Bosanova
CTTI
Tian Fu - China
Weber
Temple
Lakeway
CTA
Ordos - China

Page 11 Nardi Associates LLPis an international architecture and urban design firm based in Monrovia, California with offices in Mexico and China.Our ideology is that good architecture enhances the quality of life while enduring commitment to sustainability.Norberto F Nardi, AIAis the Principal Partner of Nardi Associates LLP with over 40 years of independent and international design experience. Mr.Nardi is also involved in academic life as a Professor of Architecture and lecturer in universities around the world.

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Xiamen ConferenceNorberto F. Nardi, AIA spoke in September in the Xiamen International Forum for Mayors of Friendship Cities about where architecture stands in this sustainable movement.Read more...

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SEASONS Grand OpeningLINC Housing Corp hosted the SEASONS at Compton Grand Opening on October 24, 2011 with good good, lively music and emotional speakers. Read more...

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Sierra Madre Located in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains, this local medical office will begin construction of an 11,000 sf expansion near the beginning of 2012.Read more...

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CORONA: Upscale all-inclusive development finally sees homes. Read more...

Urban Design

Ordos International PlazaInner Mongolia, China Dos Lagos Mixed-Use DevelopmentMaster Planning Of West SideCorona, California2004Satellite CityMaster Plan For Mixed-Income Community of 15,000Cabo San Lucas, México2004Sanmenxia Urban Planning Needs AssessmentUnited Nations Development ProgramSanmenxia, Yellow River, China (PRC) 2002Urban Revitalization Needs Assessment & Community OutreachRiverside County Economic Development AgencyMecca, CaliforniaThe Village _ Indian HillUrban Design & VisioningPomona Unified School DistrictPomona, CaliforniaIn association with OCCUR1997La Habra CorridorUrban Design StudyLa Habra, CaliforniaIn association with OCCUR1996Wrightwood Village Extension PlanChamber Of CommerceWrightwood, CaliforniaIn association with OCCUR1995Master Planning, Community OutreachBaldwin Park, CaliforniaIn association with OCCUR1994Municipal Master PlanEsperanza, Argentina1971Municipal Master PlanSanta Fé, Argentina1970Master Plan For El Moro CastleSan Juan, Puerto Rico1969

Mixed Use

Lincoln Beach Mixed-Use DevelopmentNew Orleans, LouisianaDos Lagos Live / Work & Age-Restricted Housing171 UnitsCorona, California2006 AIA Design Excellence Award2007 APA Planning Project Award2008 Architectural Record2006Houston Mixed-Use DevelopmentHouston, Texas2006The Palomar Mixed-Use Development56 Town Homes, Live / Work, Lofts & RetailPomona, California2005Beijing City within a City Mixed-Use Development33,000 inhabitants, 110 acresBeijing, China (PRC)2002Atalaya Multi-Center15-story, 56 residential units, retail & day care center Santa Fé, Argentina1978

Residential

Seasons at ComptonAge Restricted DevelopmentCompton, California2011Agora by the Sun CondominiumsMazatlan, Sinaloa, México2008Park ResidenceLa Habra Heights, California2006Shepherd Cove5-Home Residential DevelopmentAIA Award WinnerClaremont, California 2005Laurel Street Housing, 22 condominiumsFontana, California2005Aponte Residence, AdditionRancho Cucamonga, California2003Merrill Housing, 22 condominiumsFontana, California2003Bloch Residence, additionPalm Desert, California2003El Morro Bay Luxury Condominiums, 36 unitsCabo San Lucas, México1997Seaside Condominiums, 113 unitsDalian, China (PRC)1996Correa Residence IINew Orleans, Louisiana1994Stewart ResidenceAlta Dena, California1993Candal Residence AdditionSlidell, Louisiana1993Arrow Highway Affordable Housing PrototypeUpland, California 1992Kinderkoffer Residence, AdditionRiverside, California1991Pepper Canyon Student Housing, 159 apartment unitsUniversity of California San DiegoLa Jolla, California1991Correa Residence INew Orleans, Louisiana1990Candal ResidenceNew Orleans, Louisiana1989Bouligny Housing, 24 condominiumsNew Orleans, Louisiana1987Culasso ResidenceSlidell, Louisiana1987Brungard ResidenceNew Orleans, Louisiana1987Beltran ResidenceNew Orleans, Louisiana1987The Woods Planned Community, 36 UnitsSlidell, Louisiana1987Condor High-Rise Apartment Complex Parana, Argentina1979El Prisma Housing, 16 semi-flatsSanta Fé, Argentina1977Communication Workers Union, Housing, 1432 unitsSanto Tome, Argentina1976Weber Residence IlSanta Fé, Argentina1976 or 1979?Choel Choel Tribe, Public Housing, 215 unitsNeuquen, Argentina1975Trama 1 Apartments, 16 unitsSanta Fé, Argentina1975Bloc Apartment Building IX, 36 unitsBuenos Aires, Argentina1975Bloc Apartment Building X, 26 flatsBuenos Aires, Argentina1975Bloc Apartment Building XI, 32 unitsBuenos Aires, Argentina1975Bloc Apartment Building XII, 14 flatsBuenos Aires, Argentina1975Bloc Apartment Building XIV, 62 unitsEsperanza, Argentina1975Provec ResidenceSanta Fé, Argentina1975Rio Apartments20-unit Mid-RiseParana, Argentina1974Dubner ResidenceSanta Fé, Argentina1973Weber ResidenceSanta Fé, Argentina1973Coveq ResidenceSanta Fé, Argentina1973St. Ignatius Loyola Affordable Housing, 385 unitsSchool & Recreational CenterSanta Fé, ArgentinaNardi ResidenceSanta Fé, Argentina1972Férradas ResidenceSanta Fé, Argentina1972Stamatti ResidenceSanta Fé, Argentina1971Dobokovic ResidenceSanta Fé, Argentina1971Cayey Public Housing, 275 unitsUshud National Award WinnerCayey, Puerto Rico1968Public Housing Complex, 360 unitsCayey, Puerto Rico1967Comrad Resort CondominiumsSt. Thomas, Virgin Islands1967Ruesch ResidenceCordova, Argentina1963

Commercial

JCM EngineeringOntario, CaliforniaNardi Associates Shamrock Office BuildingRestoration and Adaptive Reuse Monrovia, California2009Garden Grove Retail CenterGarden Grove, California2008Dos Lagos Corporate HeadquartersOffice BuildingCorona, California2008Import Glass Corporate HeadquartersCity of Industry, California2007The Country Estates Recreation CenterDiamond Bar, California1997Fallis Place Renovation (Circa 1892)City of Ontario, First Historic Landmark Ontario, California1993Chino Town CenterMaster Plan, Community Outreach, Design GuidelinesChino, CaliforniaIn association with OCCUR1993Inland Empire World Trade CenterCompetition FinalistOntario, California19921231 Saint Charles Ave.4-Story Office RenovationNew Orleans, Louisiana1987Back To the Garden RestaurantNew Orleans, LouisianaIlias RestaurantNew Orleans, Louisiana1987Watson Office BuildingCovington Shopping Center Covington, Louisiana1987Mc Mo Ran OfficesNew Orleans, Louisiana1987FNCB Computer Center RenovationNew Orleans, Louisiana1987Whitney National Bank RenovationNew Orleans, Louisiana1987Bergen Gallery Retail StoreNew Orleans, Louisiana1986Café DellArteNew Orleans, Louisiana1986Amoco-Oil HeadquartersNew Orleans, Louisiana1986Chalmette Building, 6-Story Office BuildingChalmette, Louisiana1985Santos Automotive Services CenterNew Orleans, Louisiana1985525 Tchoupitoulas StreetHistoric Warehouse RenovationNew Orleans, Louisiana1982755 Magazine StreetHistoric Warehouse RenovationNew Orleans, Louisiana1982Shell Oil Corporation HeadquartersBuenos Aires, Argentina1979Commercial Credit Bank, Main OfficeSanta Fé, Argentina1977Water & Power Company Regional HeadquartersSanta Fé, Argentina1977El Foro Commercial Office Building24 officesSanta Fé, Argentina1977Union Of Construction Workers, HeadquartersSanta Fé, Argentina1976Commercial Credit Bank, Branch OfficeCompetition WinnerNelson, Argentina1975

Educational

Educational Facility in Science ParkChengdu, China Richard J. Heckmann International Center for Entrepreneurial ManagementMaster Plan & Phase IUniversity Of California, Satellite CampusPalm Desert, California2005Center for Training, Technology and IncubationPomona, California,2002University Library & Chancellors OfficeLouisiana State UniversityShreveport, Louisiana1982

Institutional

Portuguese HallArtesia, California 2006Emporia Arts DistrictMaster Planning Ontario, California 2003Artcity Cultural ComplexMaster Plan & Conceptual Design Anaheim, California1996International Forum Historical Archives & Exhibition CenterXian, China (PRC)1994National Museum of Natural HistoryInternational Competition WinnerSan Jose, Costa Rica1991Saint John The Baptist Church RenovationSaint John Parish, Louisiana 1987International PavilionWorlds FairNew Orleans, Louisiana1983Chinese PavilionWorlds FairNew Orleans, Louisiana1983Saint John Community CenterSaint John Parish, Louisiana1982Pompeya Catholic ChurchSanta Fé, Argentina1978

Medical

Sierra Madre Medical CenterSierra Madre, CaliforniaHumanitas Hospital New Orleans, Louisiana1989Chalmette General HospitalPain & Rehabilitation CenterChalmette, Louisiana1987New Orleans General Hospital AdditionNew Orleans, Louisiana1982Mayo Hospital AdditionSanta Fé, Argentina1978

Hospitality

Chametla Mixed-Use Resort Chametla, Sinaloa, MéxicoMaravilla Marina Mixed-Use Resort Bahia Todos Los Santos, Baja California Sur, MéxicoBosanova Residential Resort Mazatlan, Sinaloa, MéxicoPalma NovaDominican RepublicGolden Pebble Beach Golf ResortConceptual DesignDalian, China (PRC)1996Sheraton Hotel, 44-story Skyscraper, 266 RoomsThree Lakeway CenterCommercial Office BuildingNew Orleans, Louisiana1985 Plaza Hotel Suites, 85 RoomsBuenos Aires, Argentina1980El Tigre Marina Resort Buenos Aires, Argentina1979Sheraton Iguazu Falls Resort, 180 roomsIguazu Falls National Park, Argentina1979

Entertainment

Dos Lagos Heart & Public AreasLakes, Amphitheater, ParkGarden Armature, Pedestrian PromenadeCorona, California2006Concours International Race TrackCarlsbad, California1995Cajunland Aquacenter & Theme Park Master Plan & Phase I Conceptual DesignKenner, Louisiana1992International Tourism FairArgentinian PavillionMadrid, Spain1979Rowing Club & StadiumSanta Fé, Argentina1975Ft. Brooks Cultural Complex1968

Industrial & Transportation

Regional Transit AuthorityHeadquarters & Maintenance Facility New Orleans, Louisiana1987Mauá Center Petrochemical Complex Sao Paulo, BrazilWorlds FairArgentinian PavillionBerlin, West Germany1980Calicol Factory, Alcohol Processing PlantSan Jose, Costa Rica1979Citrus Processing PlantHavana, Cuba1979Scania Metal CorporationShowroom & FactorySanta Fé, Argentina1977Cidal Latex Processing FactorySanta Fé, Argentina1974Union Carbide Petrochemical Processing ComplexGuaynabo, Puerto Rico1969Caguas Transportation CenterCaguas, Puerto Rico1968

Featured Projects

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Shamrock Office

Monrovia, CA 2009

Currently occupied by Nardi Associates LLP, the Shamrock Architecture Office is located on the corner of East Huntington Avenue and Shamrock Avenue, north of the Interstate 210 freeway, in the city of Monrovia. Long before its renovation, the original structure built in 1918 was used as a gas station and mechanic shop with garage openings along the east side of the building facing Shamrock Avenue and catering to the American car culture that sparked from the history of the nearby Route 66. The conversion of a historically valuable space designed for vehicle services and maintenance into an environment for creativity architectural design is based on emphasizing the treasured existing conditions and exploring adaptable solutions for a functioning space with a contemporary language. The brick shell and wood lamella roof created an opportunity for the architecture firm to bring a new chapter to a story that had already begun.

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Shamrock

Shamrock Office Today
Exploded Axon
Historic Mechanic Shop
Studio
Exposed Structure
Night time View
Front Desk

Shamrock Office

Monrovia, CA - 2009

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Dos Lagos

Plan
Aerial View
Nighttime View
Sketch
Bridge
Section
Bridge
Floor Plan
Front View
Building Facade

Dos Lagos The Heart and PA3

Corona, CA

2006 AIA Design Excellence Award Winner2007 APA Planning Project Award Winner2008 Feb; Featured in Architectural RecordThe concept of Dos Lagos is to design open space as a means to draw various functions of the community together such as retail, entertainment, commercial, and residential. The ability to creatively address the need for place-making has led the lakes and waterfall to become a destination for residents and visitors alike. Dos Lagos is the story of reformulating suburban life through the recovery of a blighted industrial mining area and its conversion into a dynamic, self-contained community, providing space for a variety of activities. The vision is to create a fully integrated mixed-use community with a strong sense of place and identity in stark contrast to the voracity of suburban development in the inland Southern California. As users approach the lakes, they are welcomed by a pedestrian promenade and embraced by an 18 wide and 760 long bamboo garden armature that undulates and creates light play throughout the day. Made of renewable bamboo, structural steel, textured and colored light-weight concrete, and covered with American roses, the bamboo garden armature builds an environment that transforms natural elements into a human-made shaded community experience.The fundamental design premises for the 93 live/work unit complex include:1. Two accesses and exits to the complex from adjacent streets in order to provide fluid circulation throughout; 2. The entry plaza created on the northeast corner of the site and along the main artery, visually and functionally connects the site with the Clepsydra (water clock) Plaza and cul-de-sac by the lakes. The building on this corner is four-stories high and celebrates the major diagonal axis of the site; 3. The horseshoe-shaped live/work building (consisting of 21, 3-level units) frames the recreational and community space creating a central town plaza and gathering place; 4. Vehicles and pedestrian paths connected to the fire lane loop are treated with pavers and landscaping reminiscent of a medieval village.

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Garden Grove

Garden Grove Retail Ctr

Garden Grove, CA - 2009

The Garden Grove Retail Center is a retail shopping center development consisting of two single-story buildings incorporating an orchestrated variation of front elevations that give each tenant space a sense of identity within the whole. The integration of open space and landscape throughout the project, and especially along the Garden Grove Boulevard frontage, provides a continuous pedestrian experience designed to encourage shoppers to interact with the site.A unique gateway structure articulates a unified identity in contrast with the more traditional commercial corridor of Garden Grove Boulevard. The gateway structure is an urban gesture exploring a simple relationship of structure and skin while defining a permeable street edge.

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Cidal

Cidal Apartments

Santa Fe, Argentina - 1978

This 32 apartment unit project is located in the middle of a residential neighborhood where buildings are allowed to have a maximum of three stories. The fundamental design strategy for this deep zero lot (boundary wall to boundary wall) has been created along a grid of residential units and courtyards that brings light and cross ventilation to all dwellings.The architecture has a strong street facade presence by creating a sort of articulated gateway framing the wide corridor towards the end courtyard. Mechanical equipment has been masked with large metal trapezoidal boxes connecting openings with the mechanical louvers.

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Agora & Nardi

Agora by the Sun / Casa Nardi

Mazatlán, Sinaloa, Mexico - 2008

In an oceanfront double lot located on a cliff above the Pacific Ocean and in the historic district of the City of Mazatlan, Nardi Associates designed two adjacent projects establishing a cohesive urban statement by unifying the street front with an entry gateway and security wall.The first project is a minimalist 6-story high condominium complex housing three residential units, each with a two level configuration wrapped around a covered atrium. The common area has an infinity-edge pool and an ocean view balcony from which to celebrate the famous Mazatlan Carnival Parade on the street below.The second project is the designers vacation home organized around an existing pit structure converted into a swimming pool.

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Atalaya

Santa Fe, Argentina - 1978

Recognized as a Historic Landmark 2003The Atalaya Multi-Use Apartment complex was recently recognized by the Argentinean Ministry of Culture as a Historic Landmark for its enduring innovative design. Twenty-five years after completion, the Atalaya continues to define modernity for the City of Santa Fe, Argentina's second largest port. The Atalaya Multi-Center is located in downtown Santa Fe and is one of the largest mixed-use developments in this city of approximately a million inhabitants. This 15-story apartment complex houses a total of 72 units in a variety of floor plans and sizes (1, 2, 3, and 4 bedroom duplex apartments). The majority of building components were prefabricated and then assembled on site, supported by a reinforced concrete modular structure.

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Sierra Madre

Sierra Madre Medical Office

Sierra Madre, CA - Under Construction

In order to better serve the people of Sierra Madre, client Dr. Hani Sami commissioned Nardi Associates to design the expansion of his current medical practice. Dr. Sami charged NA with the challenge of attention and sensitivity to the current quality of his scenic foothill town and respect of the existing old structure located on the street front.The new three-story high 11,000 sq ft building houses exam rooms, minor procedure rooms, offices, conference rooms, and waiting areas organized in such a way as to allow doctors to work together with seamless interaction with their patients. The ground floor of the new building is visually associated with the existing medical office at its front. A stone veneer was proposed to give a sense of a grounded and solid base. The upper level is placed behind an architectural screen which serves to shade the southern exposed windows, block less attractive views of the rooftop in front of the new structure, and also blend the upper floors into the surrounding hillside landscape.

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Shephard Cove

Shepherd Cove

Claremont, CA - 2005

2005 AIA Design WinnerNardi returned to his developer roots to be able to fully control the design of this enclave of five homes in a secluded yet coveted neighborhood. The developments provocative design ideology broke a 40-year drought in modern design in the traditional and suburban college town of Claremont. This 5-lot single-family detached housing development is environmentally sensitive in its re-creation of urban scale, protection of existing vegetation, maximization of valley and mountain views, and mitigation of the impact of a new freeway. Residents of the five homes enjoy one of the few places in the city with views of the valley. Great care has been taken to preserve and incorporate the existing mature oak and eucalyptus trees in to the site and home design. The overall concept for this development is to allow nature to have a greater importance than the architecture. The plans respect the presence of nature by incorporating the available views, preserving 80% of the existing significant trees, planting drought resistant vegetation, and creating a very light architectural presence. The 3500 sq ft two-story houses have a contemporary design, incorporating a strong connection between indoor and outdoor spaces through the use of light and transparent construction. Houses are oriented on the lots to ensure views from nearly every room. The use of trellises, walls and roofline respects the views while shielding the house from the summer sun.

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Heckmann

Heckmann International Center

Palm Desert, CA - 2005

University of California, RiversideIn association with LHA ArchitectsThe design of The Richard J. Heckmann International Center for Entrepreneurial Management celebrates the concept of entrepreneurship as opportunity recognition and thereby transforming the environmental context by creatively utilizing internal and external forces. The Coachella Valleys desert environment provides that opportunity in the harsh presence of its natural elements: the textured surface of the earth, the poignant impact of the sun, the precious value of the water, and the demanding movement of the wind.The circular forms of the building represent universality and community, stability and continuity, as well as dynamism and change. These spaces embody and actively facilitate the kinds of dynamic interactions and innovation needed to thrive in todays business world.An earthen roof system, planted with native vegetation, provides insulation and allows the building to appear to emerge from the natural terrain. Natural building materials such as stone, wood and metals are used to harmonize with the environment.The buildings orientation, fenestration and insulation deal with the suns presence creating energy efficient spaces and celebrating the pristine natural light of the desert. The conservation and recycling of water, organized in a continuous cycle of aqueducts, ponds and canals, will assure the efficient cooling and comfortable environmental humidity.

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Myrtle

Myrtle Underpass

Monrovia, CA

The City of Monrovia commissioned Nardi-Associates to establish a city landmark which would function as an entryway and a connection between the new rapid transit station and the Monrovia Historic District. The Myrtle Ave. -- 210 Freeway underpass is a natural gateway to downtown Monrovia. Its significance benefits from the unique opportunity of having pedestrian and vehicular traffic traveling along a direct axis from the Metro Station to downtown. The primary design premises were to engage vehicular as well as pedestrian traffic with visual references to historic Monrovia displayed along the underpass walls and to celebrate Myrtle Ave. as the citys urban spine. Also the gateway tower design and selection of materials were meant to address contextual issues and require minimum maintenance. Furthermore, due to the proximity to transportation authority right of way, the design needed to be a free standing and independent structure.The overall design of the project is intended to be a light statement, using durable, pre-oxidized, perforated metal. The use of this material, in addition to being low maintenance, allows us to create the illusion of an oversized Japanese lantern which can be lit from within at night and create a reference point for motorists and pedestrians, all the while increasing security of the intersection. The Towers will celebrate the city, provide way-finding signage, and invite pedestrians to connect with their city.

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JCM

JCM Engineering

Ontario, CA

JCM Engineering Corporation is dedicated to the manufacture of precision components for the aerospace industry. Its new 145,000 sq. ft. facility includes 120,000 sq. ft. of automated state-of-the-art machining and production technology and an exhibition lobby and reception area, conference room, administration and computer technology control area, indoor racquetball court, and staff support areas (lounge, dressing rooms, etc.). This industrial building is part of a commercial complex in the distribution nucleus that is south Ontario, CA. The celebration of aerospace technology is expressed thorough the imposing presence of a suspended aluminum wing acting as an entry canopy. The wing penetrates the building, protruding into the exhibition lobby hovering between exterior and interior spaces. Inside, a transparent wall envelops a conference space, and large openings in the lobby's interior wall, articulate a strong connection between the visitor/administration area and the voluminous manufacturing spaces. This project exemplifies a vision and commitment to integrate public art into architecture, even unexpectedly in industrial settings.

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Rio

Rio Apartment Building

Paraná, Argentina

The Rio Apartment Building is located on a narrow urban lot with zero set-back zoning, facing the Paraná River on the cliffs of the City of Paraná. The site constraints and the need to accommodate 20 two-bedroom units defined the organization of inward spaces and the articulation of the building masses to increase the views and exposure to natural light. All the apartments share a forward-looking view of the river and locate the bedrooms and support spaces around a private courtyard.The tectonics of the structure reflect the use of plain materials such as poured in place and precast reinforced concrete (façade panels) as well as galvanized metal louvers, railings and balcony frames. The main entrance celebrates, with its double height, the expression of vertical circulation with the dual function of pedestrian and vehicular entrance to the subterranean garage.

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Lincoln Beach

New Orleans, Louisiana

The Lincoln Beach Development was designed as a celebration of its location and the history of Lincoln Beach and the surrounding neighborhood in the area of New Orleans hardest hit by Hurricane Katrina. The proposed development encompasses 25 acres of land bisected by Hayne Boulevard. To the northeast of Hayne, bordering Lake Pontchartrain, is a 15-acre parcel of land that had once been the home of Lincoln Beach. Southwest of Hayne is a 10-acre parcel bordered by other properties on three sides and Hayne Boulevard to the fourth side. Various housing types have been developed for a more village-like feel. The housing will be integrated with retail on two levels. Each unit will have its independent outdoor balcony overlooking a courtyard below and above. The centerpiece of the development celebrates the history of Lincoln Beach anchoring trends and todays living with cultural experience. When the sun faces toward Lake Ponchartrain, the music starts on an outdoor amphitheater, couples and families start gathering around the cultural plaza and dance under the stars, others take strolls down the moonlit beach, in the background the sound of soft music. Floating on the shores of the lake, the Boat-el provides a temporary space for visitors arriving by boat, a 300-suite hotel has been designed for those who are searching for authenticity, sophistication and community connection in a cultural location as a pied-a-terre for weekend getaways or as a primary residence. The experience continues throughout as guests are engaged with dining, retail and extensive public areas.

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Seasons

SEASONS at Compton

Compton, CA - 2011

Housing for Seniors and the Developmentally DisabledLINC Housing CorporationTargeting LEED for Homes Platinum2009 Gold Award by National Association of Home Builders2011 Project of the Year Award by the California Building Industry AssociationThis affordable housing community consists of 84 units providing homes for senior citizens. Thirty two percent of which are set aside for seniors with a developmental disability or for those who live with a child or grandchild with a developmental disability. The design team worked with specialized consultants, service providers and the vast experience of LINC Housing to formulate a design that meets the needs of the occupants, incorporating many principles of Universal Design. The need to respect privacy while creating community was the driving force to organize the project into neighborhoods. This projects architecture and urban design realizes the opportunity of combining the factors of affordability, sustainability, revitalization and design through low-cost construction, environmentally respectful materials, aesthetic design, and collaborative planning. SEASONS at Compton is a 100% affordable housing community, providing homes for senior citizens at or below 50% of area median income. SEASONS at Compton is designed to be as energy efficient as possible including photo-voltaic generating cells included as an integral part of the architectural aesthetic. A screened membrane protects the building facades along major transportation corridors consisting of alternating horizontal bands of photovoltaic panels (6 6 high) and vine-covered metal screen louvers. This feature provides effective sound protection for the entire housing complex as well as creating a friendly and vibrant façade toward exposure to the freeway and Alondra Blvd. and generates electricity, thus reducing operating and maintenance costs.

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Candal

Candal House

Slidell, Louisiana - 1992

This large house of over 8,800 sq ft is located on a heavily wooded, five-acre lot. Because the project is located within a historic plantation area, the precedent of the Palladian Villa is recognized in the houses setting as an object in the landscape. A strong central axis is used to connect the pond, porte cochere, living space, porch and pool. The plan diagram reinforces the axis using front and rear walls filled with natural light. The private and service spaces wrap the house on the sides, again reinforcing the axis. An umbrella shaped roof is held up by tree-like columns which represent the verticality of the nearby pine forest.

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Bosanova

Mazatlan, Sinaloa, Mexico

Rising 21 stories above the beach front Avenida del Mar, this 82-suite/unit condo-hotel is a prominent addition to Mazatlans skyline. It sits perfectly between the historic town center, and the booming Golden Zone, both just minutes away via open-air cab. The buildings appearance is pure structure. The architecture and structure create a synergistic phenomenon, with no clear distinction made between the two. The intricate structural elements mutually support each other and converge into an interconnected system much like the Mangrove trees laced trunk made up of multiple fingers digging into the swamp; each root interwoven with the next. This organically inspired and rigid structure serves two purposes: it provides an overall skeleton that accommodates the wind loads coming off the adjacent ocean and possible seismic conditions; and it represents a metaphor of the local Mangrove trees that gently shelter the natural inhabitants of the nearby wetlands.

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CTTI

Pomona, CA - 2002

Center for Technology, Trainging and Incubation (CTTI)California State Polytechnic University PomonaOutstanding Building Post-Secondary Schools byAmerican School & University MagazineThis 48,000 sq ft complex houses multiple programs of the College -- professional development courses and certificates, NASA / Jet Propulsion Laboratory technology conversion and innovation center, and a business incubator for the development of entrepreneurial endeavors in the region. Located on the southern edge of the Cal Poly Pomona Campus, the buildings create a new entry to the University and are a focal point for community engagement. The buildings are organized around a quadrangle with views to the mountains. The outdoor spaces, planned recital hall, and bookstore / cafe create a rich environment for life-long learning, innovation, and collaboration. Indoor incubator and technology spaces are designed to be open, flexible, and easily adapted to their occupants needs. With social interaction at the center of the complex, the nature of open spaces takes on greater importance. An urban plaza, extending along the length of the site is defined by pulling back the front façade at a slight angle to the street. The internal garden courtyard is intended as an intimate, interactive space where people can gather or eat lunch under the shade of a planted grove of ornamental trees which hark back to the parcels and universitys agricultural history.

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Tian Fu - China

Tian Fu College

Chengdu, China

Southwest UniversityThis Educational Facility is part of the Science Industrial Park on the outskirts of Chengdu, China. The project consists of two innovative buildings: a 20-story skewed tower with an oval theatre on the ground level and a 10-story stepping building with a veil rising from the street and dropping down to the other side. The buildings are connected by a bridge that consists of classrooms, offices, and lounges. It acts as a gate for the public entering from the street, promoting interaction among inhabitants and newcomers. To make the most of a corner lot, the buildings are shifted away from the lots boundaries to provide a landscaping buffer along the pedestrian sidewalk and a heightened aesthetic, in turn, the buildings surround a large richly landscaped courtyard with an amphitheater for casual social interaction. The project incorporated recyclable materials and its design creates a continuous flow of air to address Chengdu environmental conditions.

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Weber

Weber House I & II

Santa Fe, Argentina - 1974 & 1979

The first of two houses commission by the same client, occupies a very shallow rectangular lot with long street frontage. The design challenge was to effectively address the site limitations, required setbacks, and the client's demands to establish a fluent relationship between outdoors-indoors. This was creatively achieved by creating a number of independent and interconnected built spaces within a contained garden.The exploration of the creative of use of affordable materials (in both structure and finishes) became a constant throughout the project. The bridge, over the pool, connects the carport with the upper floor living room and is shaped by a structural skin made of recycled steel electrical conduits, veneered with translucent, colored acrylic panels. Fences and semi-covered balconies are built with pre-cast light concrete supported by a combined structural system of metal shapes and poured-in-place concrete pilasters.The challenge of addressing a narrow and elongated zero-setback urban lot was the demand on designing the House Weber 2 and it was resolved by establishing a series of articulated transitional open spaces in the front garden, intermediate courtyard, and back patio. The axial organization of the house is carried through the entire site, celebrated at the end by a spiral slide descending from the second floor bridge to the swimming pool. The two Weber houses share a common architectural language and owner needs, yet respond creatively and uniquely to radically different site constraints.

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Temple

Temple Restaurant

Beverly Hills, CA - 2001

2001 Outstanding Low-Rise RenovationLos Angeles Business Council Award2001 Featured on the Cover of Interior DesignThe original building was designed in 1956 for the Tiny Naylors coffee shop chain by architects Armet and Davis, who made a name for themselves in the late 1940s, 50s and 60s with their exuberant versions of roadside commercial pop modernism, referred to as Googie style, after a restaurant by the same name.The design of Temple Restaurant transforms the eye-catching kitsch modernism of a 24-hour roadside greasy spoon into a refined, ethereal setting for euro-Korean cuisine. Opposition is established between light and dark by anchoring a dynamic, black walnut-stained wood form on the central axis of the building and using white, translucent, and light-reflective materials elsewhere. A floor to ceiling layer of clear glass allows the visual continuity of interior and exterior space to be complete, while a row of white block walls, six feet square, defines the perimeter of the outdoor dining terrace. These elements engage the wood form at the center and the zigzag roof volume in a rhythmically complex relationship.

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Lakeway

Three Lakeway Center

Metairie, Louisiana - 1988

Sheraton at the Lake Suites In association with NY AssociatesThis multi-use, 37-story building contains 1,350,000 sq ft and includes an enclosed parking garage accommodating 1,650 vehicles. Clad in an aluminum and glass curtain wall, the structure houses a 120-room hotel with a formal restaurant at the ground level, an office tower with 700,000 sq ft of leasable area, a health club offering both indoor and outdoor facilities which include a cafeteria located on the 6th floor roof terrace above the parking garage. Located on the waterfront of Pontchatrain Lake, the complex is the gateway to the City of New Orleans for motorist arriving over the 35-mile long Causeway Bridge. The semi-transparent skin of the building shimmers with the reflection of the water producing continuous change in color and texture.

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CTA

California Teachers Association

Norco, CA - 2001

Regional Headquarters and Local AffiliationThe design challenge was to build two buildings with widely varying budgets and distinct lines of ownership to read as a cohesive complex. These buildings house the regional headquarters for the California Teachers Association and its local affiliate representing teachers in the fast growing Corona Norco Unified School District. As a design-build operation, Nardi Associates and Diffenbaugh worked hand-in-hand to deliver this project in just 13 months from programming and space planning to design and construction. Clean lines and simple materials used in a striking way, make these buildings represent a forward-looking attitude in this fast-growing suburban community. The 23,000 sq. ft. complex boasts conference and training facilities for professional development and CTA-sponsored events as well as administrative offices and workspaces. The two-story buildings are organized around a courtyard, which creates a space for social interaction, large special events, and a refuge from the intense summer sun.

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Ordos - China

Ordos International Plaza

Inner Mongolia, China

350,000m2 3,500,000ft2This 300-acre mixed-use development is located at the heart of the city of Ordos urban structure in between a transit center and man-made lake. It will provide a true urban landmark with a resonance not only to the city but to the province of Inner Mongolia as well. Its prominent location adjacent to the new transportation hub ensures a synergy of activities and a flow of human movement that will make the Ordos International Plaza a focal point for the entire region. The project development has five use zones: a six-star hotel and conference center with a recreational lake and wedding chapel, brand name shopping center, a condominium-hotel with small-scale commercial spaces, an office building adjacent to large-scale commercial areas, and the main pedestrian axis connecting the whole.The main axis of the entire project is an elevated commercial bridge housing a number of appealing store fronts while connecting the mixed-use development with the transit center, currently under construction. The mixed-use project has been designed to address the environmental conditions of Inner Mongolia, which vacillate between extreme highs and lows of temperature, and are always accompanied by fierce winds, with a sustainable dialogue between open spaces and the different uses housed in the various buildings.

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Novato

Senior Housing Competiton

Novato, CA

2009 Novato Senior Housing Competition2010 Selected ProjectOur design for the project has been elaborated to provide a three-dimensional, real-life example of a functional cutting-edge senior housing that uses as little energy as possible, conserves water and minimizes any negative effects on existing ecosystems all without sacrificing the design aesthetic. Our proposal is proof that a home, its inhabitants and its relationship to the ground on which it sits are all interrelated. The design outcome provides a complex with semi-public and semi-private spaces, which enhances the human scale, maximizes a connection with the best views and further promotes social interaction of shared and defensibe spaces. Following all Green initiatives, the site has been designed to minimize building footprints by grouping dwelling units and common areas. The whole complex is inner-connected through circulation elements that are not merely monotonous linkages, but have independent spatial characteristics in dialogue with nature to promote human activities. It is these interstitial zones that encourage people to be participants rather than just being occupants of functionally prescribed spaces. These transitional spaces are intended as places of encounter between residents and as a means of providing calm, secure spaces but also introducing natural light and cross ventilation to all units. These open-minded places give the residents something in common: they bring a diverse society together and breed a sense of tolerance, awareness, identity, and mutual respect.

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