Reuse LA Part 2: Adapting Performance and New Identities to Existing Facades, Case Studies in Southern California Adaptive Reuse Projects with EYRC, Gensler, and Gruen Associates

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EVENT DETAILS

The AIA|LA Building Performance & Regulations Committee invites you to join our panel event highlighting case studies on three contemporary Southern California Adaptive Reuse Projects. Come hear directly from their authors; Devon Barnes (Gruen Associates), Patricia Rhee (EYRC), and Olivier Sommerhalder (Gensler) as they present the Apple Tower Theatre, The Press, and the Herald Examiner Building adaptive reuse projects along with their hard-earned lessons.

While the urgency and opportunities of adaptive reuse projects are well known, they come with significant architectural and technical challenges. High among them is the adaptation of existing building facades, as it requires design teams to take on forensic and archeological approaches to adapt existing building enclosures for new use and modern performance standards. To support these unique challenges in the growing advocacy for Adaptive Reuse projects, the AIA LA Building Performance and Regulations Committee invites you to participate in this knowledge sharing panel event.

MODERATOR

Alex Rosenthal, AIA – Senior Associate, Heintges

Alex Rosenthal is a Senior Associate at Heintges Consulting Architects and Engineers based in Southern California. As a licensed architect and having worked with Heintges since 2016, his career has been dedicated to the realization of complex facades brought on by an ardent passion for architecture, performance-based design, and sustainable building practices. Alex has collaborated internationally with some of the world’s leading architecture firms in the design and technical development of high-profile building envelopes on projects ranging from flagship retail to high-rise residential, commercial, office, laboratory, institutional and museum programs. Outside of his work at Heintges, Alex has been a guest lecturer and juror at multiple universities, a frequent public speaker at building enclosure industry events, and an active participate in professional organizations. With his involvement in AIA LA’s Building Performance and Regulations committee, Alex advocates for the dissemination of knowledge related to California sustainable building regulations, adaptive reuse, building performance, and facades. Alex holds degrees from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in Architecture and a Master of Architecture degree from Columbia University’s GSAPP where he received the Lucille Smysyer Lowenfish Memorial Prize.

PANELISTS

Devon Barnes, AIA – Principal Associate, Gruen Associates 

Devon began her career designing award-winning flagship stores for luxury brands before shifting her focus to adaptive reuse and historically sensitive projects. She enjoys weaving modern amenities into existing and historic contexts, with a portfolio that includes the restoration of the Tower Theater. As a member of the Los Angeles Conservancy and the Western Chapter of the Association for Preservation Technology, she is committed to uncovering hidden stories within buildings and shaping meaningful architectural adaptations.

Patricia Rhee, FAIA, DBIA – Partner, Ehrlich Yanai Rhee Chaney Architects 

Partner Patricia Rhee, FAIA, has been a member of EYRC Architects since 2000. She has served as Designer for some of the firm’s most notable and award-winning projects including The Press, The Culver Steps, Ivy Station Offices and Retail, and the John M. Roll U.S. Federal Courthouse. She has served on design juries for multiple AIA chapters, the Design-Build Institute of America and numerous architecture schools. She has lectured internationally and nationally, at the World Architecture Festival in Barcelona, the University of Melbourne, Clemson University, AIA National Women’s Leadership Summit, and the University of Maryland, where she was the Kea Distinguished Professor. Patricia has and continues to serve as a Peer Advisor to the Bureau of Overseas Business Operations and the General Services Administration. She was a founding Co-Chair of the AIA Los Angeles Women in Architecture committee and serves on the board of Heidi Duckler Dance.

Olivier Sommerhalder, AIA – Principal, Gensler

Olivier is a Design Principal and the Global Design Resilience Leader for Gensler based in the Los Angeles office. He brings design and technical expertise across a spectrum of public and private projects of all types and scales. Olivier approaches design by using research, building technology, and building science as means to drive progressive, contextually appropriate, holistic architecture.

He has taught at the University of Southern California and served as visiting critic and guest lecturer at the University of Southern California, Cal Poly Pomona, the University of California Los Angeles, the University of California Berkley and the ETH (Federal Polytechnic in Zurich, Switzerland). Olivier holds a Bachelor of Science in Architecture from the University of Applied Sciences in Brugg-Windisch, Switzerland; a Master of Architecture from the Southern California Institute or Architecture, Los Angeles and an Executive Master in Design Culture from the Zurich University of the Arts, Zurich, Switzerland.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

AIA CES: 1.5 LU|HSW Approved

1. Present a comprehensive summary of existing building code requirements and pathways to deliver compliant building enclosure for commercial Adaptive Reuse projects.
2. Present case studies on the design and technical adaptation of existing facades to new architectural identities and contemporary performance standards.
3. Understand different technical and forensic approaches to working with a building facade’s existing conditions.
4. Share hard-earned lessons from successfully completed adaptive reuse projects.

PARKING

Street parking is available.