We are excited to share that Casa de la Misión is the winner in the Affordable Housing category of the 2022 Senior Housing News Architecture & Design Awards!
The five-story, 45-unit affordable housing community, located in the Calle 24 Latino Cultural District of San Francisco’s Mission neighborhood, was an amazing collaboration of designers incorporating several design elements evocative of the surrounding community. The laser cut awnings and sunshades resembling papel picado and vibrant mural continues the neighborhood’s storytelling tradition through art.
Congratulations to the entire project team: Mercy Housing, Y.A. studio, James E. Roberts-Obayashi Corp., KPFF Consulting Engineers, PGAdesign Landscape Architects, Frontier Energy, Inc., Stok, and BŌK MODERN.
Erika joins HKIT as a Designer with a passion for designing innovative design. She joins HKIT’s schools team and is currently working on the Student Services Building at Orinda Intermediate School. Erika earned her Bachelor of Architecture at California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo and is skilled in a variety of digital technology including Rhino 3D, Sketchup, Revit, and Grasshopper.
We’d like to introduce two new employees who joined our team in July. Welcome Danielle and Kenneth!
Danielle Deltorchio, Marketing Manager
Danielle is a welcome addition to HKIT’s marketing team, bringing more than five years of marketing and communications experience in the A/E/C industry. A Bay Area native, she is continually inspired and committed to effective storytelling of designing the built environment that positively impacts the place she’s called home. Danielle will help drive the firm’s overall messaging, particularly in pursuing new opportunities and social media. She is a graduate of the University of California, Santa Cruz with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics.
Kenneth Lin, Project Architect A licensed Architect in California and certified with Cal OES Safety Assessment Program, Kenneth joins HKIT with specialized skills in design technology including Revit, Rhino, Grasshopper, Lumion, E-on Vue, and VBScript. He is a member of the AIA East Bay Chapter’s Board of Directors and Design Tour committee and the AIA California Council’s Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI Steering Committee. Kenneth’s passion for housing equality and sustainable design is a welcome addition to the firm’s affordable housing and senior living project teams. He received a Master of Architecture from California College of the Arts and is a Design Fellow at Architecture for Humanity.
Join us in congratulating Associate and Interior Designer, Amanda G., who recently earned her National Council for Interior Design Qualification (NCIDQ) certification! The three-part NCIDQ exam is the premier interior design certification in North America and is proof of her skills across all design and technical aspects of the interior design profession. Amanda’s talent can be seen on both HKIT’s education and affordable housing projects, and we are lucky to have her on our team. Congratulations Amanda!
We are delighted to share that Viamonte at Walnut Creek is the winner of the 2022 USGBC LEED Homes Awards! This award recognizes LEED projects and design teams dedicated to building homes with sustainability top of mind. Award winners represent housing projects from all around the world.
Viamonte is a LEED Gold certified market-rate senior community that offers 191 independent apartments, assisted living units and memory care to Walnut Creek residents.
Being awarded the Grand Award for Best Affordable Senior Housing project from the Pacific Coast Builders Conference (PCBC) Gold Nugget Awards confirms that Casa de la Misión is a wonderful project completed by a true collaboration of forward-thinking partners. Much-deserved recognition and congratulations goes to Mercy Housing, Y.A. Studio, Roberts Obayshi, a team of subconsultants, and the Mission Neighborhood for designing, building, and supporting such a community jewel.
We are pleased to announce our newest promotions to our leadership team including Director of Interior Design, Dannielle Sergent and four Associates – Amanda Gusky, Ariella Granett, Gabriela Blackburn, and Joey Favoloro. “Each of these individuals has been actively involved in elevating HKIT’s practice – whether design or technical – and we applaud them for their leadership and contributions to the firm,” shares principal Paul McElwee.
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Director of Interior Design, Dannielle brings over 20 years of experience in architecture and interiors to the firm, with a particular focus on environmental branding and storytelling. Dannielle has a Master’s Degree in Architecture from the University of Texas at Austin and a Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Design from UC Berkeley with a Minor in Art.
Amanda is an interior designer with experience in a variety of sectors including affordable housing and educational projects. Amanda earned her Bachelor of Science in Architectural Studies from Florida A&M University, and her M.S. in Interior Design from Florida State University.
Ariella has worked on diverse range of projects from educational and interactive children’s museum exhibits to green-rated publicly funded multi-family housing projects. She received her B.A. in Architecture from U.C. Berkeley and is a licensed architect and LEED-Accredited Professional.
Gabi is a licensed architect with over ten years of varied experience with a recent focus on education projects. She earned her Bachelor of Architecture from University of Southern California, Los Angeles.
Joey has extensive experience in educational projects including facilities master planning, modernization, and new construction. Joey received her Bachelor of Architecture from Rice University and is a licensed architect.
Meet Cosette, a new addition to the HKIT school design team. Cozy brings a modern design aesthetic focused on creative programmatic intersections and finding elegant ways to meet practical challenges, with special expertise overseeing and coordinating large and complex educational projects. Cozy earned her Master of Architecture – MArch, Architecture from the University of Minnesota, and is a member of AIA. Welcome to the team, Cozy!
HKIT recently completed an extensive process with Livermore Valley Joint Unified School District (LVJUSD) beginning with thorough site analysis and district-wide programming, culminating in a vision for the future of the District and its 19 campuses. The vision sets a clear path to facility improvements with thoughtful and transformative design to be implemented over time. This comprehensive and collaborative process guided the design team to evaluate educational, social, and physical components that became integral components to each of the campus designs. Click on the link below for a White Paper with a more detailed summary of the Master Planning goals and process.
