On Thursday, April 7th, Michael W. Folonis shared his research, work, and philosophy in collaboration with the Cal Poly LA Metro Program in Architecture and Urban Design. His lecture was held at Helms Bakery District. The Los Angeles Metro Program in Architecture and Urban Design immerses aspiring architects in a multicultural urban setting--rich with amazing learning, practicing, and networking opportunities. The program is designed to engage local architects, alumni, and the many institutions in Los Angeles to support student education and future career goals. The curriculum focuses on Los Angeles -- its architecture, history, urbanity, and culture -- reaches out to the local community to enhance the learning structure through visiting lecturers, digital design workshops, internships, and public events.
Michael W. Folonis, Architects wins 2015 Westside Urban Forum Merit Award
The 2015 Westside Urban Forum has awarded Michael W. Folonis, Architects a design award in the un-built category for mixed-use projects for the Millennium East Village, located at 2930 Colorado Avenue, Santa Monica. The Forum is a forum that focuses on sensible urban planning, rational investment in infrastructure, a clean environment, sustainable ecological practices, improved parks and open space, and affordable housing. It is a forum for those who want to meet, listen and exchange ideas together, and work to develop and improve our urban environment.
The project is a five-story mixed-use 362-unit apartment complex, conceptualized with an emphasis on community-oriented design with ground floor neighborhood-serving commercial. The architect’s conceptual intent was to design a building that was open, accessible, and welcoming to the neighborhood. The design transformed the mobile home park into a vibrant, dynamic pedestrian catalyst and a building that is inclusive, focusing on the social interaction of its tenants, neighbors, and guests. It incorporated solar design principles and sustainable strategies. The design converted the modulation of the trailer park by breaking the massing into well-proportioned components, creating outdoor passive recreational opportunities and encouraging pedestrian interaction with the outside community. Bike parking is available for every unit and alternative transportation is easily accessible with several bus lines and the Metro Light Rail Station nearby. Subterranean parking also include electric car recharging stations.
Michael W. Folonis, FAIA was a Seminar Speaker at 2015 National AIA Conference in Atlanta, Georgia
The AIA recently invited Michael W. Folonis, FAIA to be one of the seminar speakers for the AIA Convention 2015 held in Atlanta, Georgia. Michael shared the stage with Mark Worthge and Paul Weinberg, attorneys and colleagues, presented the workshop titled “Writing Contracts for Architects: Small Firm Workshop” held during the convention. Folonis, FAIA, and his colleagues, understand how uncertain our economy is currently and how damaging the pressure of taking unconventional risks can be for an architectural firm. Their seminar encouraged small firm practitioners to become more informed and aware of language in contracts that could shift liability. The attendees learned how to recognize various clauses in architectural service agreements that could affect their small firms, and the “hot button” issues that developers, owners, and contractors often try to place in contracts to shift liability to architects. In addition, Folonis spoke about limiting liability, the language and importance of defining the scope of architectural services.
Michael W. Folonis, FAIA Served on 2015 National AIA Academy of Health Healthcare Design Awards Jury
The American Institute of Architects, Academy of Health, National Healthcare Design awards showcases the best projects built and un-built healthcare building design, healthcare planning and healthcare design-oriented research nationally and internationally. The AIA/AAH recognize firms for their contribution to the healthcare environment through the AIA/AAH Healthcare Design Awards. The awards showcase the best of healthcare building design, healthcare planning and healthcare design-oriented research. These awards highlight the trends of healthcare facilities and the future direction of these facilities. The projects should exhibit conceptual strength that solves aesthetic, civic, urban, and social concerns as well as the requisite functional and sustainability concerns of a hospital. The AIA/AAH recognize the firms for their contribution to the healthcare environment. Michael W. Folonis, FAIA was invited to be one of the jurors to decide the winning projects in the area of healthcare designs. He served with six other architects from across the country and was the only juror from California. The deliberation went on for a couple hours as there was no shortage of participants and many incredible designs.
235 Ocean Park Blvd Sells
One of Michael Folonis, FAIA’s projects sold in April 2014 for about $1.7 M. The Ocean Park Housing project, located at 235 Ocean Park Boulevard, is designed to take full advantage of the site, climate and solar conditions while providing a culturally relevant housing project among older traditional single and multifamily buildings. The challenge with the project was to bridge the gap between City Codes and Contemporary Design by designing a unique roof system in a city that requires roofs over 23 feet to be pitched. The design also responds to context, climate and solar conditions as a transparent volume to take full advantage of solar conditions and natural light throughout the year.