Berliner Architects is proud to celebrate 20 years! Last night, we hosted an open house at our office, inviting colleagues, friends, and family to join us in commemorating this incredible milestone for our firm. We sincerely thank everyone who has made the past twenty years possible—and we hope to continue making Every Space Count for at least twenty more!
Ribbon Cut at Magnolia Santa Ana!
Our team was delighted to join faculty, parents, students, and more at the official ribbon cutting ceremony of Magnolia Public Schools' Santa Ana campus last Friday! Designed to cultivate learning in a safe, community-oriented space, this school is expected to serve up to 750 K-12 students at a time. We thank Magnolia Public Schools for this opportunity to help create an innovative learning environment, and we wish students and faculty the best of luck in their new campus!
Berliner at the 2016 Culver City Art Walk
Berliner Architects was proud to be a part of this year's Culver City Art Walk! Intended to introduce the public to Culver City's growing art scene, Art Walk is an annual event where visitors can take a free self-guided tour of the many design firms and art galleries located in the Arts District. Aside from perusing these galleries, visitors can also view a number of musical and dance performances, engage in interactive experiences, and enjoy special offerings at several local restaurants.
As one of the many creative offices in the Arts District, we were opened to the public as part of the Art Walk to exhibit works by local artists Juhn Kwon, Stanley Felderman, and Emma Berliner. Models of our past projects, including academic centers like Pierce College and institutional buildings like the Temple Beth Sholom, were also put on display for our guests. Meanwhile, our parking lot was briefly transformed into a concert venue!
Heart of Los Angeles is an organization dedicated to providing academic, arts, and athletics programs to the under-served children of our city. The rock group First Aid, supported by HOLA's music program, played a concert in front of our office as part of the Art Walk. We were delighted to host HOLA's musicians, as we are currently designing their Lafayette Park Facility, which will include ensemble rooms to house HOLA's Youth Orchestra of Los Angeles.
We were thrilled to see everyone who came out for the day's events, and look forward to next year's Art Walk!
Temple Beth Sholom wins 2016 AIA|OC Award!
We are super excited to announce that our recently completed project Temple Beth Sholom won an AIA|OC Merit Award. Richard Berliner, Minah Yeo and Kai Telless accepted the award for the team last week at the Marine Institute in Dana Point. It was a wonderful event and we'd like to thank our clients at Temple Beth Sholom and the entire team who helped us create an award winning space!
Photos by Benny Chan
XQ Super School Winners Announced!
Berliner Architects is part of a Core Planning Team of educators and consultants whose proposal to create a provocative learning environment was awarded a $10-million challenge grant from XQ: The Super School Project.
The grant award recognizes a developing, collaborative vision to redefine the curriculum, technology, and space of Southern California’s Vista High School to create a new center of rigorous student learning and empowerment, to be called Vista Challenge High School (VCHS).
The proposal, which builds upon innovative changes already underway at the North San Diego-area public high school, is one of 10 chosen throughout the United States by XQ: The Super School Project jury. More than 1,000 applicants vied for XQ’s inaugural prize, which was announced this week in Washington, DC. “You are showing the country what a 21st-century school looks like,” said President Barack Obama, as he congratulated the winning teams.
Quarterly Newsletter
Last week we sent out the Berliner Quarterly Newsletter! Follow the link below to see the full thing! and if you didn't receive the email in your inbox sign up below!
Alliance East Los Angeles's MPR Room Construction!
The multi purpose room at Alliance for College Ready School's new East Los Angeles Campus will accommodate both the DSA approved High School as well as the Middle School that share a space on this tight urban lot. The MPR room becomes a focus of the campus with its large over hanging roof and floor to ceiling glass windows, watching the construction on this has been so much fun, check out these progress photos we've taken along the way!
New Renderings Developed for NOVA Santa Ana
New renderings have been developed for our work at NOVA Academy Santa Ana, due to open this Fall. Located in a prominent location across from Santa Ana City Hall, the future home of NOVA Academy is a 4 story office building that Berliner has been charged with converting to a hi-tech charter school serving students from surrounding low-income neighborhoods.
Berliner completed a through code analysis process, determining the extent of the upgrades required to convert the occupancy classification from B (offices) to E (Educational). This work includes additional means of egress, fire-rating of corridors, and structural upgrades.
Originally built in 1981 with a "pre-Northridge" steel moment frame system, the building requires an extensive seimic strengthening as a result of the change of occupancy. To this end, Berliner and our team of consultants evaluated a diverse range of strategies, ultimately landing on an innovative fluid damper retrofit system. This approach will alleviate the need to enlarge the foundations, saving valuable time and resources.
Additionally, the renovation will fully update and modernize the facilities - including a fitness center and student resources hub. Brand new IT and A/V infrastructure, combined with a vibrant and exciting environment that Berliner can provide, will ensure that NOVA Academy's mission to prepare students for the rigors and challenges of college will be fulfilled.
Magnolia Santa Ana Facade!
The facade at Magnolia Santa Ana has been evolving over the last few weeks and is really taking shape!! check out the progress photos to see a peak into the construction!
Happy National Teachers Day!!
Berliner at the 2016 Early Childhood Education Design Conference
Today we're at the Early Childhood Education Design Conference in Denver learning all about innovative spaces in Early Childhood Learning Environments. What a great conference where ideas are shared on how to create the best learning environments!
XQ Super School - Semi Finalists!!
Berliner Architects working with the Challenge High School Team have been selected as a Semi-Finalist in the XQ Schools Competition!!!
Stratford Melrose - Ground Breaking!
Congratulations Stratford Schools on the ground breaking of their very first LA school!! Below you can see Richard with some of the most influential people at Stratford Schools. We're so excited to start construction and are event more excited for all their new students in the fall!
What's Inside Your Dream Classroom?
Berliner Architects will be presenting and exhibiting at the 2016 California Charter School Conference. At our Booth #1625 we will be asking
"What's Inside Your Dream Classroom?"
Please Comment Below with your thoughts!
LACAN Ground Breaking Ceremony!
We've recently been working with LA Community Action Network on a new headquarters in Skid Row where they can do the most help! Today was the groundbreaking ceremony in their new headquarters and the ceremony was as touching as the organization itself!
cangress.org/ - Check out this organization and all that they do to help the homeless in Los Angeles.
Office Site Visit - Alliance East Los Angeles High School
This week for our monthly office meeting we went on a site visit to check out the construction going on at Alliance For College-Ready Public Schools - East Los Angeles High School. Lautaro who has been leading as Project Manager for the Construction Administration for this job gave us a tour of this soon to be finished school!
Berliner Architects Holiday Card How to
This year's Berliner Architects Holiday Card is an origami card! (don't worry if you didn't get one you can still make this with any 5x7 paper, but please email us so you're on next years list! KaiT@berliner-architects.com )
Below is the instructional video to help you if you got a little stuck in folding!
Please leave comments with your success, we want to see everyones origami!
Fenton STEM Academy & Fenton Leadership Academy Post Occupancy and Photographs
One of the most exciting parts of any project is the day the team gets to go back, once every little detail is finished and take photographs of all their hard work. Along with this we often tie in what we call Post Occupancy Reviews. In these we speak to a wide variety of now users of the project and ask them a series of questions about the space we created.
With school now in session at Fenton STEM Academy & Fenton Leadership Academy we could not wait to head back and ask the teachers and students what they thought, along with talk to Principals Jennifer and Lee that we had been working so closely with all along. We learned a lot during these Post Occupancy reviews, but most importantly we learned that they loved their new school and that when parents saw the fun, modern, bright design that they couldn't wait to sign their students up! Check out the photos Tom Bonner of Tom Bonner Photography helped us get of our design!
Temple Beth Sholom - Channel Glass Installation
Last week the Channel Glass was put in place at the chapel at Temple Beth Sholom. Each plank is 10" wide and 20' tall. There are 144 planks that encompass a complete 360 degrees. It was so exciting seeing these put into place!
Temple Beth Sholom Return and Renewal
We were so excited last night to join Temple Beth Sholom for their Return and Renewal! It's been so great working with such a great congregation to help them return home.
Below is an article published in the OC Register on their return.
Temple Beth Sholom Congregation to return to Santa Ana home 18 months after fire.