Always Innovating

Can you believe that we are already halfway through 2010? We are facing a very interesting and historical time and as designers, creators and eternal optimists, we are trained to be problem solvers. During this past year, we have taken the opportunity to become involved in a number of new and exciting projects and provide new services.

We are thrilled about the new International frontier, and the opportunities and challenges that it faces. We are currently working on projects in Russia, Central and South America, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Egypt, Algeria, India, Syria, China, Vietnam and Cambodia. These stimulating projects have allowed us to travel around the world and expand our capabilities of large-scale master planning and architectural design.

Here at home, we have diversified our skills in the Senior Housing field with much success. We currently have numerous product types such as Continuing Care Retirement Communities (CCRC’s), Memory Care facilities, Skilled Nursing Facilities, and Active Adult Residential Communities.

Our Commercial/Retail department has continued to grow and compliment our Mixed-Use and Residential projects. Our Urban Design Portfolio has expanded to include many transit-oriented designs, as well as our firm’s first proposed mid-rise and high-rise, which will be located in Northern California.

Another growth area for our firm has been in Institutional and Church Master Planning and Design. With two churches built and well received, we are currently undertaking a unique Mixed-Use Shared Community/Church Design with a Retail/Commercial component. We are also involved in projects in the design stages of master plans, new architectural design, and space planning and design for existing buildings.

Our Master Planning and Residential Design studios continue to be our foundation, with a much greater emphasis on density and diversity. Each Master Planning opportunity integrates Planning, Architecture, and Market Dynamics to create neighborhoods and communities in a site specific and appropriate solution. Additionally, many of our clients have engaged our firm in the developing of new prototypes and library series plans in an effort to help control costs and ensure management control. This creates projects that are more efficient and timely for the new market. Our expertise in residential architecture has opened the door for Campus Housing design. Two noteworthy projects we are currently involved with include campus housing for Stanford University and The University of California Santa Barbara.

Internally, WHA is continuing to refine our specialized studios. Our Green/Sustainable Studio has developed an educational seminar series called Green S.P.A.C.E., which we are using to train our entire staff on the ins and outs of Sustainable Design. Our Green S.P.A.C.E. series is also available to our clients. Our Rendering and 3D Graphic Studio continues to enhance our presentations and provide and effective and visual tool during the design process.

Placewright Design at WHA provides complete branding, logo design, sales collateral and materials, web design, and a host of other creative medians to present and sell a company, project or community. We are proud to announce that Placewright has received three Communicator’s Awards for Logo Design, and has been selected as a “Winner’s Choice” by Step Magazine.

Further testimonial to the diversification and quality of design for WHA is the wide array of awards our firm has received this year including awards for Single-Family Design, Mixed-Use, Multi-Family Design, Recreational Facilities, and Sustainable Project of the Year.

We are continuing to explore new concepts and designs that will meet the needs of emerging markets and economic challenges. Our concept design studio welcomes any thoughts and ideas that we may explore for you. We look forward to working with you as opportunities present themselves. With our design and creative staff still intact, we will continue on our mission to focus on our client’s needs and success to bring innovation, quality, and service to each project.

I look forward to sharing many new innovations and ideas with you, and invite you to keep up to date with our blog, and share it with your friends.

Bill