Staff Spotlight | Don White, Architect and Senior Principal

Celebrating a Career of Achievements

After a rewarding career of over 44 years as a licensed architect, Don White will be retiring at the end of the year. He has been integral to the vision, community character, direction, and development of the firm’s projects. His diverse expertise includes an extensive range of detached and attached homes, and recreational building types. Don’s impressive portfolio is surpassed only by client satisfaction, project success, and award recognition. Come along as we reminisce on his career journey.

When did you realize that you wanted to be an architect?

Seventh grade woodshop. We all really wanted to build skateboards, but on the first day of school, the teacher explained that he was done with skateboards and instead the class would build balsa wood models of house framing. We were all deflated, but it turned out to be pretty impressive.

Growing up in Palos Verdes, there were many houses being built in the hills, so we would go up there and steal the scrap lumber to make huge skateboards of our own to skate down the big hills. I was able to see all the phases of construction of the hillside Spanish-style homes. So, when it came time to apply for college, my high-school counselor sat me down and helped me brainstorm career paths since I couldn’t pursue skateboarding or surfing, and we settled on engineering and architecture after determining what I’m good at in school.

From there, I went on to complete drafting classes in high school and graduated from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo with a degree in architecture. When you’re 18, do you really know what you’re gonna do? But I did have the inclination for this.

Can you tell us about your journey to WHA?

The first firm I worked for in 1979 was Jack Irvine Architecture. I was hired as a designer there and received a lot of hands-on experience in the field because they did custom homes and even served as a building contractor. From there, I went to a few different firms as a designer. I drafted for a small firm in San Luis Obispo that partnered with the college’s professors for solar single and multi-family homes, navigated the recession in the 1980s in Orange County, then moved to a few firms where I connected with some of my WHA coworkers Marshall Johnson, Bob Wilhelm, and Ron Kugler. I landed at WHA in 1991 after reconnecting with Ron, and the rest is history.

What breakout project defined your career?

There’s a few that come to mind. There was this project called The Ranch at Carlsbad for Centex Homes a little after I was hired at WHA and all the designers took on a house. That was a really fun project, and it did help put us on the map. Another was Traditions for Taylor Woodrow Homes at the Hamilton Airbase in Novato, CA. Ladera Ranch was also big for our company. It was not just designing homes, but it was crafting whole neighborhoods. I was able to work on many projects for that, and it’s really something to be proud of.

Going off that, do you have a favorite project or product type?

I’ve always liked single family products, whether it’s custom, tract, or small lot. I like any project that’s intellectually challenging. Every site has its own unique characteristics and opportunities. It was fun to work on products like 15 Deerwood Lane, Stargaze at Solstice, Luxe at the Canyons, and the recent out-of-state work with Shea Homes and Tri Pointe Homes.

What has been your favorite part about working at WHA?

A lot of it is we have really good clients and wonderful people on our staff. I think those two things are almost the whole deal, right? You do the best job you can for the client, and you build this relationship with them as they come back and work with your team. It’s also great when the client is on board to try some innovative ideas that are different than the current market and this challenges me design-wise.

What achievements are you proud of professionally?

I am proud to say that I do the best job I can with every client and project. I make the most of every situation and work to provide the best solution possible.

As you embark on this next chapter, do you have any advice for those interested in pursuing a career in architecture?

Go the extra mile. The projects we work on may be here beyond our lifetime, so push the boundaries in design, make those connections with your clients, and get as much hands-on experience on job sites to understand all phases of a project.