Thank you, Los Alamitos Unified School District, Members of the Board, Dr. Pulver, staff members and faculty for the opportunity to contribute to the successful completion of your new 86,000 square foot, 3-story STEM building that is designed to solve the educational challenges of today and tomorrow, and to meet the demands of the future generations of students as they build upon their skills and fluency in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math. As an architectural expression of this inspirational program, you see the large, framed Los Al Royal Blue “Window of Opportunity” above the main entry that represents a new public face to the community as it welcomes curious minds, with the collective goal of elevating the civic identity of the school to a post-secondary standard. Standing as a beacon of achievement in the community, this new facility with high-performing standards of Los Alamitos High School will prepare tomorrow’s leaders for great success beyond the classroom, wherever life takes them. We can’t wait to see what you accomplish!
Westgroup Designs pulled out a win for Most Spirited at the annual PeopleSpace 2022 Annual Bocce Ball Charity Tournament at Newport Dunes. With an Aloha theme for the event, our team channeled our 80s vibe to bring Magnum PI back to life! The real winners were all of the charities that benefited from thousands of dollars donated including Autism Speaks, the ASPCA and our charity, NEGU supporting those with childhood cancer and their families. Thanks to PeopleSpace - A Best In Class Haworth Partner for another successful event. Check out our recap video below:
Westgroup Designs showed up and showed out at the annual IIDA Southern California Chapter's Fashion Show to great acclaim! Our team’s selection was the adaptation of the musical Into The Woods (the dark version of Grimm's Fairy Tales), for this year’s theme, Broadway on the Beach. Teams had one hour to grab fabric remnants from the available pile and incorporate design material samples into costumes to illustrate the theme! Check out Red and her alter ego, the Wolf, in our entry below! All leftover fabric from the event is turned into tote bags by volunteers, for foster youth, and presented to several local organizations.
Placing in the top 3 on the list, Westgroup Designs was selected for its quality of Leadership and Organization, Company Culture and Overall employee Trust and Satisfaction. Westgroup Designs dedicates this award to each and every one of its resourceful, collaborative employees who provides the value offered to our clients and project partners every day, who embody the firm’s values with compassion and integrity, and who approach every day with a great attitude, team spirit, passion for design and enthusiasm for discovery.
This county-wide survey and awards program was designed to identify, recognize and honor the best places of employment in Orange County, California, benefiting the county's economy, its workforce and businesses. The ranking of the winning organizations was issued in a special section of the Orange County Business Journal’s October 26th issue.
About Westgroup Designs Westgroup Designs (WD) is a comprehensive Architecture, Planning, Interior Design and Branding firm headquartered in Irvine, California, with both National and International clients and projects. Founded in 1989, WD is a woman-owned business that values excellence; certain that the best results come from a strong partnership with clients, and high-quality work is a culmination of attitude & approach, enthusiasm for discovery and passion for design. WD leverages design as a tool to help clients achieve organizational goals and strengthen business outcomes. The firm’s expertise includes projects in Education, Commercial, Civic, Retail, Health & Wellness and Lifestyle sectors, from tenant improvement and renovation to new multi-story buildings and campuses.
The project is a 25,000 square foot, Pre-K to 6 educational facility for the Santa Ana Unified School District (SAUSD), focused on the goal of creating an inclusive 21st century neighborhood school with an innovative DREAMS curriculum (Design, Research, Engineering, Arts, Math and Science).
Citing the project’s sustainable concept for Adaptive Reuse and design quality, the AIA Jurors unanimously celebrated this project:
The design is well-considered, thoughtful, and nicely executed, including a playful slide that descends along the side of the building. Another great embodied carbon story that encourages the reuse of existing structures.”
The design team delivered a unique solution that would facilitate progressive hands-on learning for 225 students a year, and understand how this solution would enhance the community, leveraging the local climate to support indoor/outdoor educational activities with glazed retractable walls and highly flexible interior spaces. As part of the resilient design concept, WD focused on creating a healthier building, updating the design of the building skin, adding operable windows and a new ventilation system which exceeds energy requirements by 30% and provides 100% outside air for healthier indoor air quality.
Our responsibility as architects is to both dream and to build responsibly, Westgroup Designs Principal, Dr. Shazad Ghanbari said. “ This will be a transformational environment; an example for our next generation of emerging technology and learning experiences.”
Please join us in celebrating Sima and this achievement!
See original publication here.