Tag: San Francisco

To Hire or Not To Hire?

By Lynda

As the American economy recovers, all eyes are on the construction design industry, a key indicator of the economic climate. Design professionals are preparing for the next phase of recovery in a variety of ways. Not only is there the hope that new projects will begin to come in soon, but there is a backlog of projects which began two or three years ago, but stalled. These projects have been pending in different stages, some abandoned completely, many without funding to continue. Unfreezing from that limbo would mean the potential for immediate work in many design firms, and that work could require additional hands.

In the April issue of CSPE Online, The Official Newsletter of the California Society of Professional Engineers, a/e ProNet Member Reno Caldwell published a column which addresses this exact scenario. For architects, engineers, consultants, and other construction industry professionals, this will bring up one very important question:

To Hire or Not to Hire?

Excerpt:

“Raise your hand if you were thinking of hiring someone this time last year.  Had I posed this question to a group of business owners in April 2011, I am confident not too many hands would have gone up.  The following two questions may still be far fetched, but if the tide begins turn and the project light-switch flicks up it’s worth asking both:

  1. When will your firm begin hiring?
  2. Will errors and omissions liability affect your hiring decision?

“You may be thinking that errors and omissions liability has nothing to do with a hiring decision.  Are you sure?  Most business owners understand the importance of balancing risk for the potential reward.   The term ‘reward’ probably seems distant, but many design and engineering firms have multiple projects that have long been in a perpetual ‘waiting’ mode.  Your office could get busy very quickly should these projects become active within a few months of each other, and as new projects come in the door.   Yes, this will be a happy day!

“However, many business owners have depleted their retirement savings in order to keep the lights on and doors open over the past three years.  It will be very tempting to replenish the bank account when the economy improves.   The risk management pendulum could swing quickly from ‘low risk / low reward’ to ‘high reward without considering risk.’  This move would be understandably tempting, but I urge you to take a closer look beforehand.”

To continue reading (and to get some valuable advice) visit IOA Insurance Services’ website for the full text of this article, as well as a downloadable PDF.

About the Author: Reno Caldwell is Vice President of IOA Insurance Services. He operates from the San Francisco Bay Area office in Pleasanton, CA, which he joined in 2007. He has specialized in providing professional liability insurance for design professionals, construction managers, law offices and other professional consultants since 1996. Reno is an affiliate member of the California Society of Professional Engineers; IOA is the exclusive broker of CSPE’s endorsed professional liability insurance program. reno.caldwell@ioausa.com

ProNet Client Project Profile: Mark Cavagnero, FAIA

By Lynda

The AIA recently published a profile of a/e ProNet client Mark Cavagnero Associates of San Francisco, CA. This year alone, this highly acclaimed firm has received the AIA California Council Firm Award, the Contract Interiors Award for Historic Restoration (UC Berkeley Durant Hall), and the IIDA Northern California Chapter Merit Award (East Bay Center for the Performing Arts). A full list of Cavagneros projects, clients, and awards can be found here.

The following is an excerpt of the AIA article entitled Mark Cavagnero, FAIA: Growing Big Ideas:

In 28 years of architectural practice, Mark Cavagnero, FAIA, has come to realize that his job is to give words and meaning to this voice that communicate ideas about clients, organizations, and communities… Cavagnero works mainly with public nonprofits and what he refers to as other “nonprofit-like” institutions. In addition to government clients at the city, state, and federal level, his firm works with cultural and educational institutions such as the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, the Oakland Museum of California, and the California Film Institute. Not surprisingly, when asked to distill key lessons from his years of practice, his thoughts immediately drift to concept and vision. Cavagnero has learned that it takes patience, active involvement, leadership, and a broad, generous understanding of function to execute a big idea, whether for a nationally recognized museum or a small community pool.

According to the company bio, “Mark Cavagnero Associates’ design process begins with a careful investigation of the client’s goals and the project site… The firm welcomes the constraints of program, site, and budget as frameworks within which to create engaging architectural spaces. It is in the focused response to these project elements that the essential character of each project finds its voice. The purity of response—in form, material, and relationship to light and context—is always the firm’s goal.” To read more about Mark Cavagnero Associates, visit the firm’s website.

We applaud this recognition of Cavagnero as an architect who champions the broader ideals of his field, and we urge everyone to read the full profile here. 

ProNet Client Project Profile: Parish of St. Sophia – Valley Forge, PA

By Lynda

In honor of Easter Monday, we’d like to give a shoutout to a/e ProNet client CJK Design Group of San Francisco, California.

For CJK’s Founder and Principal, Christ J. Kamages, Architecture is spiritual work. The deep Christian Orthodox traditions of the Kamages family led Christ to consider a career in the priesthood. But an apprenticeship with Christopher Kantianis, AIA in Boston in the 1960s exposed him to architecture, design, and Byzantine theories and styles. An MIT science fair award for Byzantine Architecture, where he elegantly demonstrated how to place a round dome on a square base, permanently sealed his career and life mission. (Full Bio for Christ Kamages)

Kamages and his Design Team have a proven record of over two-hundred successfully completed projects. They stand ready to provide premier services that are reflective of each client’s vision and aspirations. Their deep appreciation of the spiritual diversity of their clients, their traditions and aspirations, has a major impact on CJK’s design approach and sensibility. (Full Vision for CJK Design Group)

On March 10, the Dome & Drum, Pendentives and Apse of the new Parish of St. Sophia in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania were revealed to a crowd of spectators. The impressive Byzantine temple was designed by a/e ProNet client CJK Design Group of San Francisco, California. Dr. George Kordis, the internationally renowned Iconographer, was present to give a short talk on the theological significance of the iconography inside the dome. The next day, the Parish blessed the 6th Century Justinian-inspired Crosses, also designed by CJK Design Group, and raised them into position over the enormous copper domes.

More details about the project, including photos of the dazzling iconography, can be found at PROCESS, CJK’s blog.

Congratulations to the Parish of St. Sophia on a spectacular new facility, and congratulations to CJK Design Group on a design both functional and beautiful, which stands as a beacon of the Orthodox faith.

ProNet Client Project Profile: A Dramatic SF Luxury Apt. Redo

By Lynda

a/e ProNet client Andrew Skurman Architects recently handled the interior redesign of a five-bedroom apartment in one of San Francisco’s loveliest buildings. The following is an excerpt from the article in the February 2012 issue of Architectural Digest:

“Skurman began by gutting the five-bedroom space, carving out a new master wing with his-and-her studies, dressing rooms, and baths, as well as a single sizable bedroom. He also softened the apartment’s straight lines by designing an oval entrance hall with a ceiling dome, adding another dome in the master bedroom, and constructing a graceful apse in the library. Like many classic Beaux Arts apartments, the Shansbys’ home now has gently curved crown moldings and elegant plasterwork, with fluted pilasters surrounding the doors and windows. (The dining room’s etched-mirror moldings, inlay, and door panels are the only details that survive from the preexisting interiors, which were designed by Valerian Rybar and Jean-François Daigre.)”

You can read the rest of the Architectural Digest article here.

Andrew Skurman Architects, an award-winning residential architectual design firm based in the San Francisco Bay Area, designs some of the most striking, sophisticated and architecturally appealing custom houses and interiors being built today.  The firm specializes in residences inspired by the classical architectural traditions of French châteaux, Mediterranean villas and Georgian country houses.  We draw from our extensive architectural library of European & American design and work closely with our clients to identify historical precedents that meet their needs, tastes and lifestyle. (Excerpted from the firm’s bio on the Andrew Skurman Architects website.)

ProNet Client Project Profile: 8 Washington (San Francisco, CA)

By Lynda

San Francisco’s waterfront is ready for a new kind of upgrade. The proposed 8 Washington development was the combined vision of Landscape Architect Peter Walker of Berkeley-based PWP Landscape Architecture (a/e ProNet client) and Architect Craig W. Hartman of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill. More details about the project can be found at 8washington.com.

The following is an excerpt of an article published in December by the World Interior Design Network (WIDN).

“[The 8 Washington Development] will lead to creation of pedestrian corridors which will connect Pacific Avenue and Jackson Street with The Embarcadero, a play space for children with interactive sculptural gardens, as well as an expanded health and aquatics centre. There will also be creation of cafés, restaurants and retail units, and centralized underground public parking lot for the Ferry Building Waterfront Area. The overall public open area and parks constructed as part of the project will extend over 30,000 square feet while an extra 40,000 square feet private recreation zone will be built inside a new fitness and outdoor aquatic centre.

The existing surface parking space will be transformed into a public park spanning 16,740 square feet as part of the project. Pacific Park will comprise a play garden spanning 4500 square feet. The garden will sport climbable art sculptures and interactive water features. There will be three separate zones consisting of play areas for different age groups. The look of the Park will be complemented through installation of various public artwork.

The Park will further feature rolling lawns which can be used as a play area for kids and a lounge area for adults. A cafe comprising outdoor seating will be located adjacent to the Park. There will also be additional rooftop café seating.

The park will encompass the fitness and aquatic centre through an expanded and upgraded Drumm Street Garden Walk and links south to the proposed Jackson Commons pedestrian corridor. The corridor will connect Jackson Street with The Embarcadero. The project will widen Jackson Commons. There will be creation of 6650 square feet of landscaped area which will feature cafes, restaurants, and retail units in its northern and southern portions.”

To read the full-text article please visit the WIDN website.

WIDN is a new information resource focused on the global interior design community. Its aim is to provide a free source of intelligence and inspiration to the industry, as well as to act as a hub for World Market Intelligence’s premium databases, software tools, consulting and research services which are aimed at industry professionals. Free-to-access services available at WIDN.com include daily news, newsletters, comment, opinion and project studies as well as an extensive database of products and suppliers.