Resume
— M.S. Real Estate Development Graduate with extensive experience in design, management, and implementation of landscape architecture and urban design projects.
— Past Project Collaborations
The Irvine Company, FarPoint, Rancho Mission Viejo Company, HOK, Gensler, Mx3Ventures, KPF, BAR Architects, Richard Meier & Partners, Brookfield, JLL, Arquitectonica, Howard Hughes Corporation, City of Anaheim
Education
2019-2020
Columbia University
Graduate School of Architecture, Planning, & Preservation | Website
New York, NY
Master of Science, Real Estate Development | Class of 2020
The Real Estate Development program is structured to provide a comprehensive understanding of finance and investment, project management, predevelopment analysis, zoning and planning, acquisition underwriting, and the value of design in real estate practices. The program is cross-disciplinary, drawing on its proximity to other modes of practice at the school, and is grounded in the three core tenets of global urban real estate development: the financial, the physical, and the legal. The Master of Science in Real Estate Development program is a three-semester degree that combines the fundamental skills of professional real estate with a holistic approach to urban development as a creative act.
2010
California State Polytechnic University, Pomona
College of Environmental Design | Website
Pomona, CA
Bachelor of Science, Landscape Architecture | Class of 2010
The Bachelor of Science in Landscape Architecture (BSLA) is a general professional degree, nationally accredited by the Landscape Architectural Accreditation Board and approved by the California Board of Landscape Architects as meeting part of the qualification requirements for licensure examination. Landscape Architects are concerned with the design, management, preservation, and use of the land. The curriculum provides a foundation in all of these areas with a particular emphasis on design, along with the cultural and technical subjects that support it. Coursework includes study of landscape design and planning processes, graphic communications, ecology, plants and planting design, construction methods and environmental history. Instruction fosters the development of creative and problem-solving abilities, communication skills, technical knowledge, environmental awareness and professional attitudes.
Employment
Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates, Inc.
Associate and BRMI Project Manager | Brooklyn, NY
Design integration of bridges, roads, and municipal infrastructure (BRMI) teams for Port Lands in Toronto. Complex landscape infrastructure project (public/private partnership) with $1.3B budget allocated by three levels of government aiming to reshape the mouth of the Don River to provide flood protection, public parks and amenities, along with a development framework.
Key Projects:
Port Lands Flood Protection and Enabling Infrastructure | Toronto, Ontario
2018-2019
2008-2018
SWA Group
Associate and Project Manager
Landscape and Urban Design professional with experience in design, management and implementation of landscape architecture projects for private developers around the world. Wide-range of scales and product types over 10 years; Conceptual design through construction document and observation phases of work. Internship in 2008 and 2009, Hired on as Full-Time Designer in 2010, and Promoted to Associate in 2014.
Key Projects:
Anaheim Regional Transportation Intermodal Center (Transit-Oriented Design) | Anaheim, CA
20-40 Pacifica (Office) | Irvine, CA
Woodbridge Village Center (Community Retail Center) | Irvine, CA
National Holocaust Monument International Design Competition (Competition, Finished Top 5) | Ottawa, Canada
Jamboree Center (Office) | Irvine, CA
600 Newport Center Drive (Office) | Newport Beach, CA
Newport Village (Mixed-Use Retail, Office, Residential, and Waterfront) | Newport Beach, CA
Kaplan Community Park (Community Development, Planning) | Ontario, CA
Downtown Summerlin (Retail) | Henderson, NV
Esplanade Retail Refresh (Retail) | Phoenix, AZ
Newport Beach City Hall Competition (Competition, Finished Top 5) | Newport Beach, CA
Rancho Mission Viejo (Community Development, Planning) | Mission Viejo, CA
Changsha Tourism Center (Civic) | Changsha, China
Snow World Resort Hotel (Resort) | Changsha, China
Taiyuan Business District (Planning) | Taiyuan, China
Lambina Hills (Community Development, Planning) | Krasnodar, Russia
Professional Accomplishments
2020 Urban Land Institute (ULI) / Gerald D. Hines Student Urban Design Competition Winner
The ULI Hines Student Competition was created with a generous endowment from longtime ULI leader Gerald D. Hines, founder of the Hines real estate organization. The ideas contest provides graduate students the opportunity to devise a comprehensive design and development scheme for a large-scale site in an urban area. Members of the winning team were awarded a prize of $50,000 at the conclusion of the competition on April 7.
This year’s competition involved an area in midtown Miami, split between the Wynwood and Edgewater neighborhoods. The Florida East Coast Railway bisects the study area, where students evaluated the potential to create a thriving, mixed-use neighborhood around a commuter train station, while considering issues of housing affordability, sustainability, and resilience in their proposals.
The winning plan from Columbia University and Pratt Institute, “La Mezcla”, is designed around three pillars: ecology, community, and economy. This mixed-use development proposal creates an environmentally sustainable community that remains relevant through ensuing climate change. The development seeks to bring together the socioeconomic diversity that exists between Wynwood and Edgewater despite the physical and perceived barrier on the site.
The La Mezcla team was comprised of Duane Martinez, Master of City and Regional Planning, Pratt Institute; Jonathan Hong, Master of Real Estate Development candidate, Columbia University; Matea Kulusic, Master of Real Estate Development candidate, Columbia University; Matthew Mitchell, Master of Architecture candidate, Pratt Institute; and Pavel Petrov, Master of Real Estate Development candidate, Columbia University.
2020
CRE Financial Council | Real Estate Debt Case Competition Participant
Our team represented Columbia University in the 2nd Annual CREFC Debt Case Competition. Competitors present their analysis of a commercial real estate lending decision using a case study based on a real-world transaction. The teams are given a week to prepare analysis and presentation materials. At the competition, each team presents its analysis to a panel of senior CRE Financial Council executives that will judge using evaluation criteria including the team’s analysis, conclusion and presentation skills.
2019
SWA+CPPLA Urban Design Studio | Co-Founder & Studio Coordinator
Design and Development constantly evolve, requiring continuing education and research to maintain continued success. Bridging the gap between practice and academia, I co-founded a voluntary teaching partnership developed with the Department of Landscape Architecture at Cal Poly Pomona and SWA Group. The SWA+CPPLA collaboration teaches urban design principles and strategies to undergraduate students, through exploring complex large-scale projects that leverage regionally unique opportunities through a hands-on pedagogical approach.
We Facilitated relationships with developers and public agencies while providing students with a rigorous education, exposure to professional practice, and internship opportunities. The participating instructors include Professor Andrew Wilcox (Department Chair), Sean O’Malley (SWA Managing Principal), Pavel Petrov (Former SWA Associate), Kevin Slawson (EDGE, Former SWA Associate), Andrew Watkins (SWA Principal), Ray Senes (Department Lecturer), Evan Lee (SWA Associate), Natasha Harkison (SWA Associate), & Dan Dobson (SWA Associate). Past project sponsors have included:
2013 | Marooned No More, Los Angeles. Collaboration with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
2014 | Food for Thought, City of Vernon. Studio work exhibited at International Architecture Biennale of Rotterdam (2014, Sixth Edition) Urban by Nature in Rotterdam, Holland 29 May until 24 August 2014. Curator: Dirjk Sijmons, Landscape Architect. Project Title: The Vernon Project.
2016 | Intense Urbanism, City of West Hollywood.
2017 | Horse of a Different Color, City of Toronto. Collaboration with Woodbine Development Group.
2018 | Beyond the Edge: Water + Urbanism in Wuhan, China. Collaboration with Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan Planning & Design Co., LTD., Wuhan City Flood Control Survey & Design Institute, Wuhan Landscape Planning & Design Academy. Raised $25,000 to fund travel and expenses of all students and faculty for the studio.
2013-2018
2018
Beyond the Edge: Water + Urbanism in Wuhan, China | Publication
The SWA+CPPLA Urban Design Studio partnered with Huazhong University of Science and Technology in Wuhan, China in 2018 to focus on addressing challenges surrounding water + urbanism in the region. This urban design studio project encompasses tremendous commercial, cultural, and environmental potential, creating the perfect laboratory for students to test ideas within the urban context through various planning and design approaches. The overarching goal of this course is to empower students with an expanded personal knowledge base, further develop and expand skill sets and provide an opportunity to examine deeper personal values of design. This publication shares the project prompt, goals, and highlights the body of work produced by the students throughout the semester. (ISBN: 978-0-692-09563-8)
2011, 2012
Two-Time Patrick Curran Fellowship Recipient | Buffalo Bayou Bliss Documentary Film
Produced feature-length Documentary film “Buffalo Bayou Bliss” covering the origins and history of Houston along Buffalo Bayou and the landscape infrastructure projects implemented to protect the City against catastrophic flooding.
“Buffalo Bayou Bliss” is a film that chronicles the rich history of Houston as it relates to the evolution of Buffalo Bayou and its connection with the growing identity and fabric of the region. Originating 35-miles west of downtown, Buffalo Bayou winds through a patchwork of diverse landscapes towards Allen's Landing, the historical birthplace of Houston. Akin to many other cities, Houston has been striving to overcome perpetual issues of flooding, pollution, public health, and a lack of equitably distributed open space, all the while attempting to foster an environment that stimulates economic development. By way of expert testimonials, Buffalo Bayou Bliss examines these complex social and environmental concerns uncovering how Houston has dealt and continues to solve these matters by leveraging its greatest natural resource, Buffalo Bayou.
Honors & Awards
2018
2018
2013
2012
2009
2009
Urban Land Institute | Emergent Leadership Award Nomination for Architecture and Design, Orange County Chapter
Tampa Bay Underground Film Festival | Winner of Best Horror Film, Producer
Available to Watch on Amazon Prime
American Society of Landscape Architects | Honor Award in the Analysis & Planning Category, National Chapter for “City/Park Hybridized”
Analysis & Planning Project “City/Park Hybridized”
World Architecture News Award | Shortlisted in Transportation Category for Anaheim Regional Transportation Intermodal Center
American Society of Landscape Architects | Honor Award in the Communications Category, National Chapter
Documentary film “Women in the Dirt: Landscape Architects Shaping California”