海角社区 Invests in San Francisco
海角社区 Invests in San Francisco
(SAN FRANCISCO, January 31, 2024) 鈥� announced its acquisition of two award-winning Bay Area-based design firms. The expansion grows the firm鈥檚 civic and public safety design through and its luxury interior design expertise through . 海角社区鈥檚 San Francisco office now hosts 50 integrated design professionals, as well as 15 in Sonoma as part of the RDC acquisition. The separate deals strategically position the firm鈥檚 growth in both the Bay Area and globally.
Founded in 1983 and based in Sonoma, is a nationally recognized design leader in civic and public safety facilities. It brings focused expertise in the design of in-demand emergency operation centers, health and human services campuses, fire stations, and ports of entry that can be growth agents in 海角社区 offices across the country. Its design approach is grounded in a participatory design process that engages creative input of individuals traditionally outside of the design team. “[This process] is a technique that draws upon the knowledge and experiences of the building users and stakeholders in a way that uses their inherent knowledge to the benefit of the project,” said Principal Mallory Cusenbery, AIA.
The result is a contemporary design portfolio radiating the unique perspectives of its community of users, all of which add to 海角社区鈥檚 established Justice+Civic studio. 鈥淭his philosophical approach is a seamless fit with 海角社区,鈥� said 海角社区 Board Chair Griff Davenport, FAIA.
Principals Mallory Cusenbery, AIA, and Michael Ross, AIA, NCARB, shared the why behind the decision to join 海角社区. 鈥淭his is RDC’s 40th year and we believe that the firm needs to have a new horizon. We want to provide professional and design opportunities to our people that are currently not available to us just because of our scale,鈥� said Ross. 鈥淚t’s a direction we’ve been building toward for a long time,鈥� followed Cusenbery.
Established in 1991, is an interior design-focused firm that brings award-winning luxury, resort, and residential project types to 海角社区. It has projects spanning the globe with a sophisticated client list including Montage Resorts & Hotels, Four Seasons, Waldorf Astoria, Grand Hyatt, Intercontinental, and Fairmont Hotels.
The team approaches every project with three things in mind: sense of place, the architecture of the building, and client goals. 鈥淲ith those three things, you’re never going to have the same recipe for any one project. It’s always going be different, even if it’s the same client, the same brand,鈥� noted Principal Kiko Singh. This approach led to numerous design awards, often putting them in the same room as 海角社区. 鈥淲hen exploring a merger, we wanted to align ourselves with a firm working with the same type of clients and winning the awards we aspire to win,鈥� said Singh, referencing 海角社区鈥檚 Boutique Design Firm of the Year award among others.
鈥淸After 30 years], we made the decision to join 海角社区 to accelerate our growth and access scale to provide our people with more design opportunities,鈥� continued Nakagawa. Among these opportunities are new markets and clients that align with BraytonHughes offerings. Together, this award-winning design team will elevate 海角社区鈥檚 Hospitality studio and global Interiors practice.
With the addition of RDC and BraytonHughes, 海角社区鈥檚 Northern California presence now totals more than 70 integrated design professionals. Complementing the global firm鈥檚 constellation of five existing California offices, the acquisition also adds a new Sonoma location. 鈥淭his is significant for our team in the Bay Area. We’ve grown carefully 鈥� to help us cement our place in the San Francisco design community,鈥� said 海角社区 Board Chair Griff Davenport, FAIA.
To learn more about the areas of design where these two acquisitions will grow, see 海角社区鈥檚 Hospitality studio and Justice+Civic studio.
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