Millennium East Village Publicized Twice on Urbanize.LA

Urbanize.LA has emerged as Los Angeles' go-to source for the latest in commercial real estate, urban planning and architecture news.  It has published two articles on Millennium East Village on their website.  One article was published on January 30, 2018 titled "356-Unit Development Sprouts in Santa Monica" and the other was published on April 17, 2018 called "Fresh Renderings for Millennium Santa Monica."  Millennium East Village is a 356-unit development at 2930 Colorado Avenue, Santa Monica, California.

The project, which comes from Houston-based developer Dinerstein Cos., will consist of multiple five-story buildings on a rectangular 3.5-acre property.  A full buildout of the development will feature 356 studio, one-, two-, and three-bedroom apartments - 38 of which would be set aside as affordable housing - and 25,000 square feet of street-level commercial space.  Completion of Millennium Santa Monica is anticipated in 2019.

The Deli-Loop Receives Featured Article on Metal Architecture

The Deli Loop project was featured on the Metal Architecture website.  The article is titled "Cohesive Separation" and authored by Editor Marcy Marro.  It was published on the website on April 02, 2018.  The published article is on how the Deli-Loop is a bifurcated building that blends café, gourmet deli and food prep together.  The Deli-Loop is an 8,575-square-foot building conceived as three separate programmatic elements—café, gourmet delicatessen and food preparation area—all under one roof.

The article focuses on the programmatic separation, site context, design strategies, and platinum goals of the Deli-Loop.  Michael W. Folonis, FAIA explains that during the review of the program, the café and delicatessen evolved into separate programmatic components so that the café could function effortlessly without being disturbed by the deli patrons. “Although the activities of the two are similar in some ways, they differ in others,” he explains. “A deli usually has a rapid turnaround rate where customers come in to shop for their desserts or baked goods, then leave; while at the café, most customers will purchase the items and sit for a while, enjoying the space.”

The Deli-Loop Receives 2017 Chairman's Awards by the Metal Construction Association

The Deli Loop project won the 2017 Chairman's Award by the Metal Construction Association (MCA) in the category of Commercial/Industrial.  The project was featured in the February 2018 copy of the Metal Architecture magazine as a bonus feature.  The Chairman's Awards are given to the year's most exceptional building projects.  Awards are based on overall appearance, significance of metal in the project, innovative use of metal, and the role of metal in achieving project objectives.

The winners were chosen by a panel of professional architects, which included: Mark Dealt, AIA, principal, Valerio Dewalt Train Associates, Chicago; Mark Horton, FAIA, principal, Mark Horton/Architecture, San Francisco; and Brent Schipper, AIA, LED AP, principal, ASK Studio, Des Moines, Iowa.

MCA Judge Mark Dewalt commented that one aspect he liked about the Deli-Loop was that it was a small restaurant and not part of a national chain.  He said, "It's a on-off probably or a mom and pop.  And these kinds of projects are always financially strapped and so they tend to fall below the level of good design.  And yet here with maybe a fairly restrive budget and the use of metal, this thing has got some pop and sizzle to it.  I thought that that was an interesting achievement."

Michael W. Folonis Architects Receives Three AIA Design Awards

Michael W. Folonis Architects is pleased to announce the firm was awarded three AIA Design Awards from the San Fernando Valley Chapter of the American Institute of Architecture.

The projects include the Deli-Loop, a delicatessen and cafe in Ensenada, Mexico, the West Hills Medical Office Building renovation, and a Mixed-Use apartment building located at 1415 5th Street in Santa Monica.

The Deli-Loop is located in the resort town of Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico. The Deli-Loop was conceived as three separate programmatic elements, all under one roof: Café, a Gourmet Delicatessen and Food Preparation. The delicatessen houses a wine bar, bakery, deli service and a coffee bar. The food preparation area is composed of a bakery, kitchen, back of house and storage. 

The client's program called for the complete exterior facade renovation of a five-story 60-era's medical office building. The modest budget required an innovative and creative design solution that exceeded the client's expectations. A large portion of the construction budget was dedicated to removal of the existing horizontal plaster awnings that were structurally compromised due to water infiltration. Working with Structurflex, the architects devised a lightweight aluminum structure covered with a textile composite mesh. The resulting design is a dramatic floating skin, which serves as a privacy and sun screen for the building's existing windows. Bold strokes of paint reinforce and enhance the design concept, completing the dynamic transformation of the facade while maintaining the construction budget.

The 64 unit mixed-use apartment is located in downtown Santa Monica. The design takes a unique approach to the city’s planning and zoning code. The city calls for a set back above the third floor. In calculating the required step back, the team determined it to be an amount of 212,000 cubic feet. The design redistributes the 212,000 cubic feet by pushing back the entrance at the ground floor and punching a large hole in the building façade.  The design incorporates a movable panel system, allowing tenants to regulate the amount of light filtering into their space. The permeable facade provides natural light and ventilation to the residential core. The building establishes an eloquent and dynamic pedestrian interaction
that further activates the urban life of the area.

Folonis Architects wins Best Metro Tijuana Award in 2017 AIA San Diego Design Awards

This year, the AIA San Diego Design Awards program continues to promote design excellence, sustainability and social responsibility by recognizing projects that strengthen the overall power and scope of architecture, shape the built environment and enrich the human spirit.

Michael W. Folonis Architects submitted the Deli-Loop project, a cafe and delicatessen located in Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico and the project was awarded with the Best Metro Tijuana Award.

The AIA San Diego Design Awards Program is excited to promote good design in San Diego County and across the border with our colleagues in Metro Tijuana.  For the Deli Loop, the jury appreciated the indigenous materials; passive and active solar strategies; use of reclaimed water; simple and exposed materials; and clarity of design.  The three distinct building elements relate to program requirements and symbolically represent the Mexico coat of arms.  The jury stated it was also exciting to see a strong sustainable project blending solar orientation and natural ventilation to help achieve energy neutrality.