The Walker Hall project involved transforming a "vacant, seismically unsafe building" on the University of California, Davis (UC Davis) campus in northern California, just west of Sacramento.
Rion Willard interviews Bill Leddy for the Business of Architecture Podcast, available on YouTube. Rion and Bill discuss the role of business in architecture, relevance and resilience, and how to prepare for an uncertain future.
The University of California, Davis, transformed a vacant 1920s-era agricultural engineering building in need of seismic repair into a much-needed hub for graduate and post-graduate students—reinforced to be resilient and sustainable enough to be awarded LEED Platinum.
Recognized by the jury for design that excelled specifically in one of the ten principles as outlined in the AIA Framework for Design Excellence: "This an affordable housing project that feels elegant. | A great program mix and very high performance."
Berkeley Way received the Honor Award for Large Scale Projects, over 25,000 SF.
Berkeley Way is represented as a case study, as part of the Terwilliger center’s “Homeless to Housed” report: “This report explores the role the real estate community can play in addressing the issue of homelessness. It includes a summary of lessons learned, a blueprint for how to replicate best practices in U.S. communities, and a series of case studies that demonstrate how the development community can be an active partner in addressing the critical shortage of housing in the United States.”
The Terwilliger Center Award for Innovation in Attainable Housing was created in 2022 so the ULI Terwilliger Center for Housing could recognize innovative yet replicable mixed-income and affordable developments that are expanding housing opportunities in their communities. Berkeley Way represents the single largest infusion of affordable and supportive housing in Berkeley’s history and is already serving as a replicable model in the region.
The Dwinelle Annex will undergo interior and exterior architectural updates to make it accessible for DSP’s diverse community of students. The project will rehabilitate the two-story structure within the existing building footprint and address seismic, safety and accessibility issues. The renovated building will provide new spaces for the DSP community that include a spacious, low-sensory computer lab for students on the autism spectrum. Rooms will also be soundproofed, and adaptable thermostat controls will be installed throughout the building for students sensitive to noise or certain room temperatures.
Leddy Maytum Stacy Architects (LMSA) and David Baker Architects (DBA), two practices that have largely eschewed work for the rich and advocated building projects that directly benefit the marginalized, have both recently released monographs... The two firms have similar visions, but what’s interesting is how the two firms approach their respective narratives, and their new books remind us that there is no single way to build the ideal—or to share it.
The design team worked carefully to retain as much of the existing concrete walls and columns, steel trusses, and wood roof structure as possible, celebrating the agricultural engineering legacy of the building and the university. High-performance modern facades were inserted within the original shells of the shop wings, expressing new academic uses to a revitalized campus promenade. Interior learning spaces open to the promenade through shaded windows that display academic life within. New exterior details - steel sunshades, cylindrical daylight collectors, a sculptural steel stair, and geometrically folding shade canopies - speak to the industrial past of the building.
Deploying economical, sustainable strategies, the project delivers high-performance within a limited budget. Managing both cost and embodied carbon, the existing south wings were reduced by 6,000 SF to create a new campus promenade. The original building envelope and systems were upgraded to drive down operational carbon emissions. While the university's project goal was LEED Gold certification and 20% better than California's Title 24 Building Energy Efficiency Standards, the project achieved LEED platinum and exceeds Title 24 by 50% at no additional cost. Using dedicated renewable energy from a campus solar farm, actual energy use is 67% below baseline.
This design harvests the embodied carbon and culture of Walker Hall, an agricultural engineering building constructed in 1927 at the core of the University of California Davis campus.
By 2034, older adults will outnumber children. Improving the ‘visitability’ of new homes will benefit all.
Walker Hall is an adaptive reuse of a 1927 building at the core of the University of California, Davis campus. The project, designed by Leddy Maytum Stacy Architects, transformed a vacant, seismically unsafe building into a graduate and professional student center with meeting rooms, a lecture hall and sophisticated active-learning classrooms that serve the entire campus. It coalesces history, community and advanced educational environments at a hub of university life.
An adapted excerpt from Practice with Purpose: A Guide to Mission Driven Design
Leddy Maytum Stacy Architects has designed a school building that prioritizes low-carbon solutions and water retention on restored woodlands outside of San Francisco.
We are pleased to share that the Walker Hall Graduate Student Center received an AIA CA Design Award in the Category of Design for Resources! From the jury: “The strategy for the adaptive reuse of the existing structure transforms the project into a multifaceted hub that revitalizes the fabric of the campus. The historic spirit of the building has been fully respected while making it work for current and future needs. A complex program, beautifully handled.”
We are pleased to share that the Walker Hall Graduate Student Center received an AIA CA Design Award in the Category of Design for Resources! From the jury: “The strategy for the adaptive reuse of the existing structure transforms the project into a multifaceted hub that revitalizes the fabric of the campus. The historic spirit of the building has been fully respected while making it work for current and future needs. A complex program, beautifully handled.”
“We were trying to bring together three groups – veterans, families and the Mission Bay community as a whole,” says Gregg Novicoff, a principal in the firm. “We wanted to create a landscaped sanctuary at the heart of the building and a community room at the heart of the building.” The result is a courtyard and community center that’s shared by – and serves – the residents and the community. “It’s a garden and a refuge for the whole area,” he says.
Ryan Jang, Principal at LMSA, discusses displacement, cultural resilience and preservation, and affordable housing in context of the recently completed Casa Adelante at 2828 16th Street.
Bill Leddy, vice president of Climate Action for AIA California, discusses the CALGreen updates. “The plan is to move from 100,000 square feet down to 50,000 square feet by 2026, and to continue reducing so that, as we approach 2030, buildings at multiple scales will be required to account for their embodied carbon emissions... we are hoping that this will help stimulate other code changes around the country.”
We are pleased to announce that HomeRise at Mission Bay has been named a winner of the ULI Americas Awards for Excellence! The ULI Americas Awards for Excellence program evaluates projects across a number of factors, including achievements in marketplace acceptance, design, planning, technology, amenities, economic impact, management, community engagement, innovation, and sustainability. Established in 1979, the program is the centerpiece of ULI’s efforts to identify and promote best practices in all types of development.
Nueva School Science and Environmental Center receives AIA Committee on the Environment Top Ten Projects Award
Walker Hall is the adaptive reuse of a nearly century-old building on the campus of the University of California, Davis, transforming it from a home for agricultural engineering to a student center, “a hub of university life.”
PR Newswire Press Release: Leddy Maytum Stacy Architects (LMSA), a nationally acclaimed architecture firm that works only with nonprofit organizations, today announced its book, Practice with Purpose: A Guide to Mission-Driven Design. The how-to guide inspires architects and young designers to envision spaces that address some of the greatest challenges of our time: the climate emergency, racial and ethnic injustice, chronic homelessness, educational crises, and the preservation of the embodied carbon and culture of existing buildings.
As the new year begins, I will begin a new role as Principal Emeritus at Leddy Maytum Stacy Architects. I will continue to serve as an advisor and mentor to the firm and continue advocacy efforts for the environment and social justice. I am transitioning to this new role due to my ALS diagnosis and progression in the last year. As I close this chapter of my career, I would like to express my deep gratitude to the many colleagues, clients, consultants and contractors I have had the privilege of collaborating with over these many years. I am especially grateful to and inspired by Bill Leddy, Richard Stacy, and everyone in our firm (present and past) for their commitment to the power of design to make the world a better place. I am confident that they will continue to practice with purpose and lead the way to an equitable, sustainable, and carbon positive future.
Wishing you the very best in the new year.
Edwin M. Lee Apartments receives AIA Committee on the Environment Top Ten Projects Award
Mosswood Community Center & Park Master Plan received an AIA East Bay Conceptual/Unbuilt award. The AIA East Bay Design Awards is a unique design awards program established to recognize exceptional architecture in the Bay Area. Criteria to be used by the jury include quality of aesthetic design, sustainable responsibility, innovation in materials and technology, contribution to public appreciation of architecture, and facilitation of solutions to community challenges.
Mayor London N. Breed along with other San Francisco leaders celebrated the grand opening of our recently completed affordable housing project Broadway Cove and 735 Davis in Embarcadero, San Francisco. “To address our city’s housing crisis, we need to be willing to take on projects like the ones we are celebrating today,” Mayor Breed said in a statement.
LMSA has joined leaders from the world’s largest and most influential architectural, engineering, and construction firms and professional organizations issued the 1.5°C COP26 Communiqué – a challenge to sovereign world governments to step up their commitments to reduce carbon emissions from the built environment to meet the Paris Agreement’s 1.5°C carbon budget.
During the crucial period of the next decade, architects and designers have a pivotal role in addressing the climate emergency and its associated societal impacts. It is well documented that the worst impacts of climate change - extreme weather events, draught, wildfire, flooding, economic destabilization – are and will continue to be experienced disproportionately by disadvantaged communities, people with disabilities, children, and the elderly. Providing safe, dignified and zero carbon places to live and thrive for all global citizens is crucial to the health, well-being, and future of our civil society. Architects and designers must offer far more than inventive forms and the latest fashions. We must become innovative agents of change, providing the vision and skill to lead our communities toward a just, climate-positive future for all. The design values and practice of architecture must be transformed NOW to successfully meet the challenges of the climate emergency and achieve the 1.5oC carbon budget. There is no time waste.
- Bill Leddy, FAIA and Marsha Maytum, FAIA
Founding Principals, Leddy Maytum Stacy Architects
Mosswood Park (in collaboration with Einwiller Kuehl) received an ASLA Professional Honor Award in the Analysis and Planning Category.
Bill Leddy gave the opening keynote presentation at the 2021 Universal Design Summit, presented by the Starkloff Disability Institute.
In a major success for Bill Leddy in his capacity as VP of Climate Action for AIA California, Governor Newsom signed AB 1010, a major milestone in preparing California’s architects to design a resilient, carbon neutral future for communities across our state. Following closely behind AIA California’s Declaration of Climate Emergency in August, this new law is another example of the bold actions AIA California is taking to rapidly reduce greenhouse gas emissions from buildings, helping to meet the advancing challenges of climate change for all Californians.
The Edwin M. Lee Apartments received an AIA Housing Award in the multifamily category.
We are pleased to announce the promotions of our four Associate Principals - Ryan Jang, Gregg Novicoff, Aaron Thornton, and Vanna Whitney - to Principal. With the addition of these principals, joining founding principals Marsha Maytum, Richard Stacy, and Bill Leddy, LMSA is welcoming a new generation of leaders to build on the firm’s mission-driven values and reputation for design excellence.
Take a first look at the Nueva School's newly completed Science and Environmental Center, and hear from the inspiring students and teachers who will bring this space to life.
While we're still working remotely, we're proud to announce that our home base at 1940 Bryant has been certified LEED Platinum! To reduce our carbon footprint, our office, which we moved into in December 2018, was designed to meet the AIA 2030 Commitment with 70% reduction in energy use. Actual energy use after the first year of occupancy shows our energy reduction at 75%, exceeding our AIA 2030 Commitment goal. One of our most effective strategies for reducing embodied carbon was one of the simplest - reusing furniture and adapting building materials from our old office.
Marsha Maytum discusses transforming education to mainstream zero carbon.
An opening celebration on Veterans Day for Montara, which will provide 68 affordable apartments, 12 of which are set aside for formerly homeless veterans.
410 China Basin (Mission Bay Block 9) breaks ground.
John King takes a look at the Edwin M. Lee Apartments in the larger housing context of today's San Francisco.
30 years after its passing, Michael Kimmelman reflects on the legacy of the ADA and how it has reshaped the way architects and designers think about accessibility.
AIA Committee on the Environment's Nov / Dec newsletter, featuring Marsha Maytum's update on the AIA Climate Action Plan.
Interested in zero-carbon design but don't know where to start? Trying to persuade leadership or clients? Our team shared our suggestions for tackling the difficult questions in this FAQ.
AIA Committee on the Environment's Nov / Dec newsletter, featuring Marsha Maytum's final letter as the 2019 COTE Advisory Group.
Gregg Novicoff has been elected to the AIA SF Board of Directors for 2020. Congratulations, Gregg!
Wiliam Leddy discusses navigating California's political landscape in the push for the Zero Code.
LMSA is joining the call to urge Governor Newsom to adopt the Zero Code and leverage California's power and influence to enact profound change. William Leddy weighs in on the current efforts of AIA California, and how our state can help lead the way.
For the ninth year in a row, LMSA has ranked in Architect 50's top firms in the nation! This year, we ranked #20 overall and for sustainability, as well as #15 for business.
Architects and educators have an historic opportunity to be leaders in these uncertain times – to employ the transformative power of design education to address some of society’s greatest challenges: rapidly advancing climate change, homelessness, disability rights, aging with dignity, and innovative education. William Leddy, FAIA, and Marsha Maytum, FAIA, will discuss how both architectural practice and education must work together to redefine design excellence for a climate positive world, helping to lead our communities toward a just, resilient and hopeful future for all. Providing context and examples from their firm’s practice, they will describe approaches to creating a “teaching practice” at two scales. Within the work: how can simple tools and educational strategies help to integrate ecological design thinking and social relevance within every project? Beyond the work: how can citizen-architects and educators advocate for rapid changes in our design culture and in public policy to accelerate the arrival of a low-carbon future?
We are seeking a highly motivated and creative Marketing Manager to join our firm to oversee and manage all project pursuits, awards, external and internal communications, marketing activities, market research and business development.
The San Francisco Art Institute at Fort Mason Center for Arts & Culture is the winner of a 2019 Preservation Design Award for Rehabilitation. In making their decision the jury noted the exemplary design and energy savings of the project stating, “this is the best rehab project we’ve seen. Incredibly consistent and compatible with the historic structure. This is everything you would look for in the rehabilitation of a shed building in this era, and it uses significantly less energy than other similar projects.”
Ed Roberts Campus is a case study project in the new Microsoft Accessible Workplace Handbook
Register today to hear Marsha Maytum, Ryan Jang and Gwen Fuertes present at the Getting to Zero Forum in Oakland, California on October 11, 2019. Marsha and Ryan will be speaking about "Embodied Carbon & High Performance in Landmark Structures: The Transformation of Fort Mason Pier 2", while Gwen will be speaking during "Data Driven: How the 2030 Commitment Propels High Performance Design".
Read the latest updates from the AIA Committee on the Environment
Mayor London Breed and District 3 Supervisor Aaron Peskin joined LMSA,, BRIDGE Housing, The John Stewart Company, and members from the San Francisco Mayor's Office of Housing and Community Development, the Port of San Francisco, the North Beach Neighbors and NE Waterfront Advisory Group, Barbary Coast Neighborhood Association, Bank of America, and guests on July 9, 2019 for the groundbreaking of 178 new permanent affordable homes at 88 Broadway and 735 Davis.
Did you know greenhouse gas emissions from San Francisco buildings have been cut by more than half since 1990? Nonetheless, there’s a long road to travel to deliver on our commitment to a zero-emissions building stock by 2050. Join Leddy Maytum Stacy Architects and AIA San Francisco Committee on the Environment for a presentation with Staff from San Francisco Department of the Environment to discuss actions the city is taking to update the city's Climate Action Strategy.
Members of Leddy Maytum Stacy Architects helped to advance the Resolution for Urgent and Sustained Climate Action during the 2019 AIA Annual Business Meeting
Marsha Maytum recently spoke at the ENR 2019 Groundbreaking Women in Construction (GWIC) conference in San Francisco on May 24th.
William Leddy outlines the business case for designing zero net carbon architecture in the latest issue of arcCA, the journal of AIA California.
San Francisco Mayor London Breed and community leaders joined together on Friday, May 10th, for the groundbreaking of Casa Adelante, located at 1990 Folsom. The project brings 143 new, permanently affordable apartments for low-income households to the Mission, while also providing support spaces for Galería de la Raza - an arts organization, HOMEY - a non-profit, and Felton Institute - early care and education services.
East Bay Housing Organization's Affordable Housing Week is May 9-18, 2019
Celebrate with us at the following events:
Celebrating Culture and Community on the Corridor, Saturday, May 11th, 2:00pm-3:30pm
Sneak Preview and Hard Hat Tour of Casa Arabella, hosted by The Unity Council, Monday, May 13th, 3:00pm-5:00pm
How Local Government and the Private Sector are Tackling the Displacement of Low Income Residents, hosted by the City of Oakland, Thursday, May 16th, 10:00am-12:00pm
In response to the critical unmet need for affordable student housing for the California College of the Arts (CCA) San Francisco campus, a trustee developed new mixed- use student apartments that simultaneously fosters student and neighborhood community, are affordable to students and the College, and reflects CCA’s commitment to environmental stewardship.
AIA Announces Recipients of 2019 Education Facility Design Awards
Broadening the base of support for environmental priorities by linking them to health is also an AIA strategy, says Marsha Maytum, chair of the AIA Committee on the Environment and principal at the San Francisco–based Leddy Maytum Stacy Architects. “Health is not controversial or partisan. It’s for the benefit of everyone,” she tells record, “so it’s a good way to put the environmental message forward without overwhelming people with the entire topic of climate change.”
The American Institute of Architects’ (AIA) Committee on Architecture for Education (CAE) is recognizing nine projects for state-of-the-art designs of schools and learning centers.
The American Institute of Architects (AIA) announced San Francisco Art Institute (SFAI) at Fort Mason Center for the Arts as a winner of the 2019 Education Facility Design Awards.
BRIDGE Housing celebrates the groundbreaking of Bay Meadows, a new 68 unit affordable housing development.
The Casa Adelante, also known as 1990 Folsom, has closed escrow and started construction. This new affordable apartment building will add 143 units to the Mission District of San Francisco.
The City of San Mateo and BRIDGE Housing bring new affordable housing to San Mateo
William Leddy and Marsha Maytum will illustrate how architecture can help lead the way toward a just, healthy and regenerative future as part of the spring architecture lecture series at the University of California, Berkeley College of Environmental Design. They are currently teaching a spring architecture studio as Howard A. Friedman Visiting Professors.
The COTE® Top Ten Awards is the industry’s best-known award program for sustainable design excellence. The COTE® Top Ten Measures and this Toolkit are a framework for incorporating deep green principles from the beginning of every project.
Marsha Maytum, FAIA, LEED AP becomes the 26th Chair of the AIA Committee on the Environment
San Francisco Art Institute receives Architect's Newspaper 2018 Best of Design Award for Adaptive Reuse
California College of the Arts (CCA) celebrates the ribbon cutting of Blattner Hall
The Commonwealth Club of California is the nation's oldest and largest public affairs forum. Each year, we bring nearly 500 events on topics ranging across politics, culture, society and the economy to more than 25,000 members and the public.
San Francisco Art Institute at Fort Mason Center for the Arts receives AIA Committee on the Environment Top Ten Projects Award
Family House receives AIA Committee on the Environment Top Ten Projects Award
We are excited to share that Ryan Jang, AIA, LEED AP has been promoted to Associate Principal and Idit Harlev has been promoted to Associate, Director of Finance and Operations. Ryan and Idit both play a key role in the ongoing success of LMSA and we are excited to see them continue to grow. Congratulations!
For the seventh year in a row, LMSA has ranked in Architect 50's top firms in the nation! This year, we ranked #7 for sustainable design and #26 overall.
The Jacobs Institute for Design Innovation at UC Berkeley received a 2017 AIA Committee on Architecture for Education Award of Merit- we are continually pleased to see this great project recognized at a national level.
On Friday, September 29, LMSA and the San Francisco Art Institute will be conducting a tour of the new SFAI Fort Mason Center campus as part of AIA San Francisco's Architecture + the City Tour. This will be a unique opportunity to learn more about both the renovation and seismic strengthening of the Pier 2 shed as well as the conversion of the pier into the new SFAI campus. Tickets are $15 for AIA SF members and $25 for non-members.
We are pleased to share that Jasen Bohlander, AIA, LEED AP and Aaron Thornton, AIA have been promoted to the position of Senior Associate. Jasen and Aaron both have extensive experience designing for public, private, and nonprofit clients in the Bay Area, and they share a powerful commitment to socially conscious and environmentally responsible architecture- we're excited to have them take on greater leadership roles in the firm.
Bill Leddy recently sat down with Tom Dioro at KZSU 90.1FM, Stanford University's radio station, for their Modern Architect program. He discusses his inspiration for choosing to become an architect, what has made LMSA so successful, and more. Check it out!
The University of Oregon, School of Architecture and Allied Arts presented the Ellis F. Lawrence Medal—the school’s highest honor—to William Leddy and Marsha Maytum during commencement ceremonies on June 19, 2017.
California College of the Arts started construction on its next student housing project in April. The 228-bed four-story building at 75 Arkansas St. will take about 16 months to build and is expected to be ready for students by fall 2018.
LMSA participated in a study recently published by the AIA Committee on the Environment that investigated ten firms who have received at least three AIA COTE Top Ten Green Project awards and their secrets to sustainable design excellence. We loved being a part of it and sharing our experiences with the architecture community; be sure to check out Lance Hosey's summary of the report in Architect Magazine.
We are excited to share that Vanna Whitney has been promoted to Senior Associate!
Vanna has focused her more than 20-year career on underserved communities and environmental and social sustainability. As a valued leader at LMSA, she has made key contributions to the firm and the community. She has deep experience with multifamily housing and has led the firm's mentorship program and spoken on supportive housing at local and national events.
LMSA is thrilled to have been selected by the American Institute of Architects Board of Directors for the 2017 Architecture Firm Award, the highest honor the Institute bestows on an architecture firm.
The Jacobs Institute for Design Innovation at UC Berkeley, an exemplary model of sustainable design since it opened in the fall of 2015, has officially been certified LEED Platinum.