GlobeSt.com: What are some of Ware Malcomb's most unique/creative projects?

Boshart: A few projects Ware Malcomb is working on are a large retail center in Northern California, a medical office building in Tracy and a potential new mid-rise office building in the Greater San Jose area.

The retail center will include a major national retailer, restaurant pads and a public walking trail adjacent to an existing creek. In keeping with the city's guidelines, the valley and vineyard rustic architectural aesthetic will provide a high quality shopping experience for the center's customers as well as the surrounding community.

The Tracy medical office building is designed with maximum flexibility to attract healthcare providers with shorter construction times for tenant improvements. This provides maximum commercial real estate value to the developer-owner by allowing them to market to a wider range of potential tenants.

The office building will involve our architecture, interior design, branding and civil engineering studios, resulting in an integrated design team and subsequent efficiencies to the client and end-user tenants. We will be studying the use of a cross-laminated timber/CLT structural system for this office building, which would bring innovation and value to the client, and ultimately lead to higher real estate value.  We believe the aesthetic and sustainable benefits of CLT would resonate with the younger, tech-savvy workforce of this particular market.

GlobeSt.com: Will these projects be a jumping off point for new clients?

Boshart:  Yes, for all of these projects, Ware Malcomb typically becomes the design and/or architect of record for the tenants of our original developer clients and their projects. Since we already know the particulars and agencies involved with the main project, we bring schedule efficiencies to save the tenants time and money.

GlobeSt.com: How have design trends evolved in the last five years?

Boshart: We have seen an increase in adaptive reuse which can be a very viable option in areas with limited opportunities for development. Our firm sees these projects as more than just re-positioning a property, since they typically have more structural and MEP engineering requirements. The approach is to take an existing building that was designed for a very specific use and occupancy, and transform it into an entirely different use and occupancy. We are very experienced with these types of projects which are highly sustainable in that they can revive a dilapidated building and make it energy efficient, highly marketable, and provide an enhancement to the local community.

GlobeSt.com: With those trends in mind, what are some examples of cool projects you've noted lately in the broader Bay Area?

Boshart:  The arrival of cross-laminated timber has led to some cool projects. 1 De Haro and the proposed six-story office tower at Pier 70 are just the first of many CLT buildings to be built in the Bay Area. While there is a premium to the structural cost for a CLT frame, it can be an ultimately cost-effective solution by providing expedited delivery to the market. Cross-laminated timber's warm and organic wood finish character also makes it very aesthetically appealing and leasable to a wider market. Ware Malcomb will be designing more of these types of projects and leveraging our in-house integrated design services to apply our unique design approach.

Boshart brings 20 years of architecture and construction experience leading a wide range of project management teams with an emphasis on operations. He has overseen planning, design, budgeting and construction for a variety of architectural projects.