Journal
10/27/2021
Jefferson Union HSD Office & Adult School in Architect Magazine
HKIT’s projects for Jefferson Union High School District have been featured in the October issue of Architect magazine! “HKIT Architects was charged with updating and adding a new district office and adult school to the Jefferson Union High School District in Daly City, Calif. However, the Oakland, Calif.–based firm is setting its sights higher. It plans to…
10/07/2021
Welcome to Our New Staff
HKIT continues to grow! We’d like to introduce four new employees who joined the HKIT team in August, and who bring a wide range of skills and talents to our practice. (left to right) Priscilla Chan, LEED AP BD+C, Architectural Designer Priscilla joined HKIT as an Architectural Designer and brings nearly 7 years of experience…
10/04/2021
Zen-Inspired Senior Living
The Foresight Radio podcast series presents 95% Reserved Before Groundbreaking! What’s So Special About Enso Village?, which highlights HKIT & Mithun’s exciting new senior living community “A unique partnership between Kendal Corporation and the San Francisco Zen Center brings the nation’s first Zen-inspired CCRC to Healdsburg, California. With 95% of its capacity reserved — before groundbreaking…
09/23/2021
Accelerating Affordable Housing
At HKIT, affordable housing is a keystone to our practice and we are thrilled that Gov. Gavin Newsom launched the new California Housing Accelerator fund for “shovel-ready” affordable housing projects. This fund will support 7,000+ units of low-income housing statewide. Many of these projects have been waiting for the green light in our office –…
08/31/2021
Welcome to Our New Staff
It’s our pleasure to introduce three new staff members who joined HKIT in July! They bring a wide range of industry experience and a fresh perspective to our education, affordable housing and senior living projects. (clockwise from top) Akshata Atre, Junior Designer Akshata is a recent graduate of UC Berkeley’s College of Environmental Design, where…
07/13/2021
AIA SF Competition: The Classroom of the Future
Senior Project Manager, Joey Favaloro, is a co-chair of the AIA Committee for Education (CAE) working on the planning and design of learning environments. The CAE is currently sponsoring an exciting design competition: The Classroom of the Future – Creating safe spaces for learning in the wake of COVID-19. The idea is to explore visions…
06/30/2021
Welcome to Our New Staff
We’re thrilled to announce four new staff members that have joined HKIT this June! They bring diverse skills to our interior design and affordable housing projects, and we’re delighted to have these talented individuals on the HKIT team. (Left to right) Hannah Hathaway, Junior Interior Designer Hannah is a recent graduate of George Washington University,…
06/22/2021
Painting a Brighter Future: The Art of Paseo Estero & Vista Estero
Click on the link for a glimpse into the truly collaborative art program at HKIT’s newest affordable housing community. This project exemplifies the importance of a dynamic and interactive urban fabric on the quality of life for residents.
05/25/2021
First Look: Enso Village (EFA Magazine)
Enso Village community has been featured in Environments for Aging magazine – visit the link below for a preview of this exciting project! FIRST LOOK: Enso Village
03/08/2021
Celebrating International Women’s Day!
Happy International Women’s Day! In support of the 2021 International Women’s Day theme #choosetochallenge we are announcing the addition of these awesome women to the HKIT team. (clockwise from top) Alma Davila, Designer A recent graduate of CCA, Alma brings an expansive set of skills in 3D modeling, graphic presentation, editing and drawing. She currently…
02/05/2021
A Preview of Monarch Homes
We’re excited to show you a glimpse of our latest affordable housing community! Monarch Homes on 33rd and San Pablo in West Oakland will provide 51 homes for seniors, veterans and those who have experienced homelessness. The lobby provides a light-filled, cheerful space to welcome new residents as they move in over the next few…
01/08/2021
Viamonte Opens Its Doors
Construction is complete and residents are moving into this beautiful new senior community in Walnut Creek. Viamonte includes 191 apartments, each RCFE licensed, allowing for a “Home-for-Life” model of care where services can be brought to residents in the comfort of their own home. And as a bonus for these residents, they are among the…
12/17/2020
Holiday Giving
Even though this year we can’t be there in person, our team has worked hard to bring warmth and comfort to the seniors at the North Richmond Senior Community Center. Thank you to Alten Construction, Richmond Wholesale Meat Co. and Safeway who participated in donating food and poultry to this organization.
11/20/2020
Mindful Aging
We have reason to be thankful early this year! On Tuesday the Healdsburg Planning Commission unanimously approved the design of Enso Village, a 221-unit senior living facility. We’ve been working with Mithun, lead design architect, Kendal, Greenbrier, and the San Francisco Zen Center to design “a Community that has a focus on mindful aging, the…
11/05/2020
Glenview Elementary School Campus Unveiling (Video)
On October 9, 2020, Oakland Unified School District held a “campus unveiling” ceremony to introduce the newly-completed Glenview Elementary School. Click on the image above to watch a video from the event!
10/12/2020
NOMA Conference, 2020
HKIT’s Director of Design, Rod Henmi, is co-chairing the National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA) conference happening this week! Rod said “This year’s online conference is an opportunity to widen the understanding of public spaces and available avenues of engagement in our professions. We will provide an evocative and educational agenda that tackles the immense challenges in…
10/05/2020
Leading Age California
Are you attending the virtual Leading Age conference on October 7-9, 2020? HKIT Principal, Christophe Laverne, will be leading a discussion with Susan O’Connell, Spiritual Director of the San Francisco Zen Center, and Jennifer Block, Chaplain & Educator, about the Zen-inspired senior community, Enso Village, and the influence of a spiritual practice on design. Zoom…
07/01/2020
Welcome to Our New Staff
We are excited to announce six new staff members that have joined HKIT. Our work in affordable housing, K-12 learning environments, and senior living continues to expand and we’re delighted to welcome these smiling faces to the team. (From L to R) Gabriela Blackburn, AIA, joins HKIT with more than 10 years of experience as…
06/16/2020
Fight for Meaningful Systemic Change
HKIT Architects unequivocally condemns racism and social inequality and stands in support of Black Lives Matter. We recognize that the status quo has failed the Black community and resolve to do more to fight for meaningful systemic change. Since our founding in 1948, we have worked with partners in public education, affordable housing, and senior living…
05/07/2020
Piedmont HS NZE STEAM Building
We are thrilled the students are as excited as we are about this new NZE STEAM classroom building on the Piedmont High School campus!
04/28/2020
Casa de La Misión Moves Forward
Because it’s essential, affordable housing construction won’t stop during these quarantine days. We are thankful to be a part of such important work and grateful for the brave construction workers that show up every day to keep this project going.
04/08/2020
Casala Family Housing
Construction is complete, and families have moved into Casala, a new affordable housing community with 55 family apartments in San Francisco!
03/11/2020
HKIT Architects is proud to announce an addition to the firm leadership
Margaret Parker Salop has been promoted to Principal at HKIT Architects. She is a pivotal member of the team, and is focused on affordable housing for families and seniors. Margaret’s primary interest is how firms can thrive in the work of designing sustainable, beautiful, community-serving buildings, particularly for schools, low-income families, and seniors.
02/04/2020
Would you choose architecture as a career?
Our goal is to always be giving back to the community. This week our Principal Jeff Evans led a discussion with students at Piedmont High School about his career path to becoming an architect and leader in sustainable design. The new STEAM Classroom building, a Net Zero Energy project currently in construction on their campus,…
12/03/2019
Miraflores Achieves GreenPoint Platinum
Miraflores, our recently-completed affordable senior community in Richmond, achieved one of the highest possible GreenPoint certifications – Platinum – with a 171-point score from the Build It Green organization. These points are the result of exceeding standards in energy efficiency, water conservation, indoor air quality, resource conservation, and livable communities. We strive to design homes…
11/18/2019
Principal, Tom Brutting, FAIA, Honored
Congratulations to our Principal, Tom Brutting, for receiving the 2019 AIASF Community Alliance award for his Chapter Service. The Alliance Awards program honors individuals, firms, and organizations whose overall work, leadership, and dedication shape the character and vibrancy of our communities and the future of our built environment. We are so grateful for Tom’s commitment…
11/14/2019
2330 Monroe, Santa Clara
We couldn’t be more thrilled that last night the City of Santa Clara gave us the green light on this exciting project. 2330 Monroe St. will provide 65 affordable apartments, with 16 reserved for residents with developmental disabilities. The project is planned to be all-electric, includes 8 EV stalls, carshare, and even parking for electric…
10/03/2019
John Muir Elementary School
This elementary school is being transformed with an entirely new design-build campus. Part of Martinez USD Measure R, this $30M project is being built alongside the existing buildings so students do not have to be relocated during construction.
08/23/2019
Welcome Jeff Loustau, AIA, LEED AP
Jeff Loustau is the newest member of our Senior Living team. Jeff joins us after spending 20 years as an architect and real estate developer. He is currently managing the Belmont Village Union Avenue development, a new 150-unit senior community in San Jose. When Jeff is not designing senior living spaces he’s busy as an…
08/20/2019
Introducing Belmont Village Union Avenue
We’re happy to share the fourth senior living community we have designed for Belmont Village Senior Living. Currently in design, Belmont Village Union Avenue is the result of a unique partnership with the Union School District in San Jose and is being developed on a former school bus yard. The new senior community will provide…
08/06/2019
Senior Living Trends
Today our Principal, John Frando, lead a conversation on design trends in Senior Living communities at the SFAIA Design for Aging meeting. We learned about repositioning and customization in Independent Living units, and how much is too much?
07/19/2019
Double Congratulations!
Congratulations to Amy and Lisa for passing the California Supplemental Exam (CSE), the last in a long series of Architect Registration Exams, they are well on their way to becoming licensed architects and we couldn’t be more proud!
06/06/2019
Breaking Ground at Brooklyn Basin
We were proud to take part in the groundbreaking celebration for Paseo Estero and Vista Estero at Brooklyn Basin – new affordable housing communities in Oakland that will transform the waterfront with an intentionally-designed mixed-use, mixed-income and inclusionary community!
05/11/2019
Rotary Terrace wins Gold Nugget Award
Rotary Terrace in South San Francisco received an Award of Merit in the category Best Affordable Senior Housing Community. Congratulations to the entire team!
02/13/2019
UC Berkeley College of Environmental Design Career Day
We spent some quality time with emerging architectural students at the UCB College of Environmental Design (CED) Career Fair. Students came to us because of their interest in affordable housing and socially-impactful architecture. We look forward to bringing on board some enthusiastic interns this summer!
01/11/2019
Life’s Garden Re-Opens
We recently celebrated the re-opening of Life’s Garden Senior Community in Sunnyvale, after a $65M redevelopment that started in 2016. The renovation touched every aspect of the 200-unit community from new fixtures and finishes in all units to the installation of drought tolerant landscaping. We couldn’t be happier for this community to start the year off…
12/21/2018
We’re in the Holiday Spirit
We’re in the holiday spirit and spent the morning with our friends at the Multicultural Senior & Family Center in Richmond. We put together 450 bags of groceries for their annual holiday food drive. Thanks to Alten Construction and Richmond Wholesale Meats for their contributions.
11/27/2018
Lightfighter Village Moves Forward
HKIT is excited to be moving forward with this important new housing community for Veterans and their families. Working collaboratively with the Veterans Transition Center (VTC) and EAH Housing, this 70-unit residence will be modern, energy efficient, and LEED Certified. It was approved unanimously by the Marina City Council in November. Lightfighter Village will be…
07/11/2018
70 Years and Counting!
We are pleased to announce the installation of a commemorative exhibit at the AIA East Bay Chapter office (1405 Clay Street, Oakland). Come by to see a visual history of the firm’s 70 years. HKIT’s proficiency and diverse portfolio of multifamily and senior housing, learning environments, and municipal work has been a consistent part…
04/10/2018
Learning Environments: Then & Now
We are proud of our 70-year heritage of designing schools that reflect the ever-evolving approach to teaching, and provide healthy learning environments that support academic success. It’s exciting to be at the forefront of creating flexible indoor-outdoor classrooms, including STEAM / STEM classrooms, maker spaces, and linked learning academies. Our schools are community-centered and contextual…
02/09/2018
HKIT Architects Celebrates 70 Years!
2018 Marks a Special Anniversary for HKIT Architects: 70 Years of Continuous Practice in the Bay Area! We are excited to celebrate seven decades of shaping our community with “Architecture that enriches the community and environment.” Join us for a look at our legacy of civic and socially-responsible projects and the people that have contributed…
12/20/2017
Season of Giving
On December 15th, HKIT staff delivered 10 hand-tied fleece blankets and worked with volunteers at the Community Senior Citizen Center in North Richmond, to assemble over 300 grocery bags with food for the holidays for seniors and low-income families in the community. Our team spent the morning coordinating with volunteers, bagging food donations, and had…
11/20/2017
HKIT’s Castle Creation
HKIT was proud to participate in the 35th Annual Leap Sandcastle Classic on November 11th. We joined forces with Alfatech Engineers, BrightWorks, Degenkolb Engineers, IA Interior Architects, Leland Saylor & Associates, One Workplace, SC Builders, Tipping Structural Engineers, and our Partner School, San Francisco’s Lawton Elementary. Together as Team “Sandy Potter,” we built a replica…
HKIT Architects is Expanding
In business for 70 years, HKIT Architects is expanding its leadership team to better serve our clients. “Our strength is our commitment to client service, we give our full attention and commitment to each project, large or small,” says Principal Dara Youngdale. Consistently listed as one of the top 25 firms in the Bay Area by…
09/04/2017
Making Connections at Lion Creek Crossings
This article features a glimpse at life at Lion Creek Crossings, an affordable community in Oakland. Lion Creek Crossings offers a healthy environment, comfortable surroundings, and amenities such as on-site child care. The project has served as a beacon in a challenged area – “That’s the place I want to live,” as one resident states. A video of the Lion…
08/02/2017
School on Wheels Serves SF Adults
As a firm that is committed to education, housing for all income levels, and strong community building, HKIT is pleased to share this exciting new resource. The first of its kind in the nation, the Five Keys Mobile School will serve at-risk youth and adults who have fallen through the cracks in the public education system. Donated…
07/17/2017
Donner Lofts Named Urban Finalist by Affordable Housing Finance
Donner Lofts addresses two big challenges faced by the city of San Jose, Calif.—the need for workforce housing near downtown jobs and permanent housing for people who have been homeless. Read the complete article here.
06/15/2017
Transforming a middle school campus!
The Stone Valley Middle School new classroom and multi-purpose buildings are starting to take shape. Watch for updates as the project progresses and ultimately transforms the San Ramon Valley USD campus.
05/18/2017
Groundbreaking at San Ramon Valley High School
On May 17, 2017, we attended the groundbreaking of the San Ramon Valley High School classroom building, the largest project funded by the $260 million Measure D Facilities bond, designed by HKIT Architects. “The SRVHS classroom building project will provide students and staff with a state-of-the-art facility to replace existing outdated buildings. The new building will…
04/06/2017
Approval of San Pablo and 33rd Street Housing Project
We are excited to announce that the Oakland Planning Commission has approved HKIT’s proposed design for a new 51-unit senior housing community on San Pablo and 33rd Street in Oakland, California. This project was unanimously approved by the commission with high praise for the proposal.
02/22/2017
71 Units of Family Housing in Downtown Oakland
One of our most recently completed projects, Prosperity Place, located in downtown Oakland near Lake Merritt provides a vital mixed-use complex and 71 family housing units.
01/23/2017
Equitable Restroom Design for Comfort, Safety, and Gender-Inclusivity
“‘Gang style’ bathrooms, in which rows of stalls are installed opposite rows of wash basins and designated only for males or for females, have been de rigueur in educational facilities for the last hundred years… Relinquishing this traditional bathroom model is daunting, since individual toilet rooms can significantly increase costs through additional plumbing, ductwork, ventilation, partitions,…
12/19/2016
Giving Back
On December 16th, HKIT staff delivered 336 turkeys (over 4,300 lbs!), canned goods, and hand-tied fleece blankets to the Neighborhood House of North Richmond, a non-profit organization serving seniors and low income families. HKIT volunteers spent the morning working with NHNR volunteers, bagging food donations, moving pallets of frozen turkeys, making deliveries to local house-bound seniors, and having a great…
09/16/2016
Lion Creek Crossings Receives 2016 Builder’s Choice & Custom Home Design Award
HKIT Architects is proud to announce that Lion Creek Crossings, a new, affordable senior community located in Oakland, has won a Grand Award for the 2016 Builder’s Choice & Custom Home Design Awards in Builder Magazine. Thanks to the entire team, Related, EBALDC, and Oakland Housing Authority with Nibbi Construction, for completing a great project! For…
08/15/2016
San Ramon Valley High School
We are excited to present our new 3-story classroom project at San Ramon Valley High School in Danville. The new building replaces 9 aging classroom wings on a crowded existing campus with a new 21st century classroom building providing students and staff with state-of-the art facilities. Demolition began in August 2016 with construction planned to begin…
06/24/2016
Viamonte Wins Grand Award
We are proud to announce that Viamonte Walnut Creek has been awarded the Gold Nugget Awards 2016 “Grand Award”! Judges Statement: “This senior housing project is On the Boards but it carries with it a design review approval from the City of Walnut Creek. The site is part of a master planned community offering commercial…
05/27/2016
HKIT Earns Awards of Merit in the 2016 Gold Nugget Awards Competition
HKIT is pleased to announce that two of our projects, Viamonte Walnut Creek and Belmont Village Albany, have earned the 2016 Gold Nugget Award of Merit for “Best Senior Housing Community – On the Boards”. The GNAs are the oldest and most prestigious design awards in the nation and a centerpiece of PCBC, where all winners share one common…
05/13/2016
$28 Million Middle School Renovation Begins Construction
Construction on the $28 million Stone Valley Middle School renovation project officially began on Thursday, May 12th. This project will completely transform this San Ramon Valley Unified School District campus, replacing and modernizing aging classrooms and facilities.
04/25/2016
Principal Thomas Brutting Presenting at LeadingAge California 2016
HKIT Principal Thomas Brutting, FAIA, will be co-presenting next week at the LeadingAge California 2016 Annual Conference in Palm Springs, on the following subjects: The Aging Eye: The Impact of Visual Impairments Tuesday, May 3 from 9:15am-10:15am Presenters: Thomas Brutting, Principal, HKIT Architects; Shari Roeseler, Executive Director, Society for the Blind Planning the Future: A Blessing or Curse?…
04/06/2016
Breaking Ground at St. Raymond K-8 School and Parish
We recently celebrated the groundbreaking the highly anticipated “Child Development Center” at the St. Raymond K-8 School and Parish in Dublin. HKIT has provided on-going master planning and design services for the St. Raymond community over many years. Our current work includes new classrooms and outdoor play areas, campus-wide landscape improvements and the remodel and…
03/24/2016
Groundbreaking at Stargell Commons, Alameda
Alameda officials and housing advocates broke ground on Wednesday, March 23rd, celebrating the start of construction on the city’s newest affordable housing complex Stargell Commons, a housing project in Alameda which will consist of 32 units of affordable family housing. For more information about the project or groundbreaking, please see this Contra Costa Times article.
03/01/2016
HKIT Volunteering
HKIT spent the weekend volunteering at the St. Anthony Foundation Dining Room, serving over 2,000 meals in one day to individuals and families in the Tenderloin neighborhood of San Francisco. This recently completed facility was designed by HKIT Architects and serves both the community as well as provides 90 units of affordable senior housing.
02/26/2016
Kimochi San Mateo Ribbon Cutting
On February 22nd, HKIT staff members Tom Brutting, Diana Ariza-Klose, Rod Henmi and Sonja Marck joined congresswoman Jackie Speier, Japanese Consul General Jun Yamada and other luminaries in the ribbon cutting at the Kimochi San Mateo assisted living facility. HKIT dramatically transformed a decrepit former building into a handsome, welcoming assisted living facility for 14…
02/17/2016
HKIT Announces Four New Principals
We are pleased to announce that Jeff Evans, John Frando, Christophe Laverne and Paul McElwee, have been named Principals in the firm. In business for more than 68 years, HKIT Architects is expanding its leadership team to better serve their clients. “Our strength is our commitment to client service, we give our full attention and…
01/15/2016
Swan’s Market in Old Oakland
We are excited to be located in the heart of this evolving neighborhood, directly above Swan’s Market, and proud to be an Oakland-based firm. Swan’s Market isn’t your typical food court – the building will soon be celebrating its one hundred-year anniversary, and the recent ascendance of Swan’s Market gourmet food scene has drawn national…
12/04/2015
How Architects Can Help Climate Change
“The LEED approach to sustainability is broad and certainly adds value, but to address climate change, we need to delve deeper.” For more information about how architects and builders have a large role in fighting climate change, read more here. Left: The Bullitt Center, a revolutionary office building in Seattle designed by Miller Hull, that…
11/14/2015
2015 AIASF Design Awards
We are proud to announce that the St. Anthony Foundation Dining Room and Social Work Center is a recipient of the 2015 AIASF Design Awards in the Social Responsibility category. This building is a mixed-use residential project and the result of development efforts of two non-profit organizations: Mercy Housing California and the St. Anthony Foundation.
10/01/2015
ULI Global Award for Excellence
HKIT is excited to announce that the recently completed Vera Haile Senior Housing/St. Anthony’s Dining Room has been selected as a finalist in the 2015 Urban Land Institute (ULI) Global Awards for Excellence competition, an international award program representing a multidisciplinary collection of developments around the world.
09/30/2015
School Innovation in Finland
At the Saunalahti school in the city of Espoo, Finland, you would never look at the building and think it was a school. Across its 10,500 square kilometres, there’s a primary school, a secondary school, a kindergarten, a youth club, theater, cafeteria, library, gym and more. Teaching takes place in a relaxed atmosphere: children are allowed to sit where and in whatever position they want, and discussion…