News

Principal James Mary O’Connor, AIA will be speaking at the 10th Annual Alternative Building Materials & Design Expo Friday, May 10, 2013 at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium.

The New Embassy Campus in N’djamena, Chad is in Design Development.

James Mary O’Connor, AIA, Principal will be giving a lecture presentation at Queensland University of Technology (QUT)—School of Design/ Creative Industries Faculty in Brisbane, Australia Wednesday, March 20, 2013 at 6:30 pm.

Following an international design competition, Moore Ruble Yudell has been awarded the Fire Services Training School (FSTS) in Tseung Kwan O, New Territories, Hong Kong. This is in collaboration with Local Executive Architects, Andrew Lee King Fun & Associates Architects Ltd. and the Design-Build Contractor, China State Construction Engineering Corporation Limited. MRY’s design creates a strong sense of identity for the school, by designing a coherent sequence of public open spaces enclosed by carefully configured buildings.  According to Principal-in-Charge James Mary O’Connor, “a major goal is to transform a project that seems to be ordinary, utilitarian, and driven by programmatic needs—a fire services training center and driving training school—into a lively campus and an engaging, innovative ensemble of architecture.”

On November 14, 2012, Principal James Mary O'Connor presents "From Santa Monica to Sweden and China," an AIA LA Urban Design Committee Presentation. The presentation focuses on selected, relevant residential projects that are located on different sites and regions around the world. They provide diverse design approaches while addressing a variety of urban contexts and residential building typologies. more info

Take a creepy graveyard, mix with Shrunken Head cocktails, throw in a few bewitching costumes and what have you got? Why, it turns out to be Moore Ruble Yudell’s Halloween Party.   
 
Festivities included a spirited costume contest won by Lani Lee – who gave new meaning to being “all lit up.” Other contenders were the Alladin (Jed), Will Ferrell Cheerleading Guy (Bernie), Foxy Brown (Victoria), Medusa, (James) , Bad-Toothed Witch (Carissa), Lenny Kravitz (Takuji), Bartending Witch (Katie), Accidental Erkel (Alex), Hugh Hefner (Tristan), Zorette (Amy), Plush Airplane (Ruth), Super Mario Toad (Toru) and perhaps the Ambivalent Witch (Anne). Lady Gaga was expected but did not make an appearance.   
 
Pumpkin carvers let the pulp fly into renditions of LeCorbusier, Obama, Van Gogh’s Starry Night, Wood Grain (the Winning Entry), a House and Lyrical Pumpkin….
 
On the younger side, a little Ladybug was joined by the Little Mermaid, Pirate, Spiderman and a real Fairy. Ernie rounded out the outfits with his sporty Turtle wrap.
 
And if you bump into something with beady, red blinking eyes in the shed, don’t worry. It’s only Charlene.

2802 Pico Housing is a 100% affordable housing project at the corner of Pico Boulevard and 28th Street for the nonprofit organization Community Corporation of Santa Monica. This mixed-use urban project accommodates 33 units above active retail and community space organized around an engaging courtyard. The project strives to contribute to the life of its residents, neighbors and the City, by providing a pedestrian-friendly urban façade to enliven the corner of Pico and 28th streets. The project broke ground in December of last year is slated for completion in April 2013. The building is configured as an ensemble of stepped volumes ranging from two to four floors. A break in the urban façade on the north provides pedestrian access and engages the interior courtyard with the street life along Pico. On the 28th Street façade, a two-story volume accommodating a community room helps to break down the mass of the building and allows the ocean breeze to create naturally ventilated spaces. The architectural design emphasizes economy by using a layering approach of projected and recessed planes, with the ground floor expressed as a strong base.  The walls are punched with a pattern of windows articulated as vertical, horizontal or wrapped openings. The simple palette of materials includes multicolored cement board panels.The courtyard optimizes social interaction and incorporates a playful array of bridges, walkways and stairs.  Aligned with the entrance from Pico Boulevard, a social hub is created at the heart of the courtyard surrounded by the community room, laundry, main stairs and elevator that surround a children's play area.

Moore Ruble Yudell celebrates the completion of the Claremont McKenna College North Mall landscape. The master plan improvements include a new fountain, outdoor classrooms, expanded seating areas, drought-tolerant planting, bio-swales, and allows for universal access. read more

Moore Ruble Yudell has been awarded Phase 1 of the COFCO Agricultural Eco Valley Master Plan. The program includes a world-class winery and resort hotel facility. "In China today," says Principal-in-Charge James Mary O'Connor, "we are seeing an extraordinary growth of Western-style wine consumption driven by an expanding middle class, along with a growing interest in Western-style leisure, educational and cultural activities that have long been associated with wine consumption."

Construction is underway at the Washington University in St. Louis' Olin Business School. This is a $90 million expansion project that will nearly double the size of the business school. View Construction Webcam

Eco Valley is one of the winning projects from Architectural Record's Good Design is Good Business. The program honors architects and clients who work together to create projects that demonstrate the power of design to advance the goals of businesses, public agencies, and private organizations. The awards jury — which included editors from Architectural Record and respected Chinese architects and experts, selected 17 projects in seven categories.

“The building boom in China has brought with it strikingly innovative and useful designs,” said Cathleen McGuigan, editor-in-chief, Architectural Record. “Today we celebrate the best of these projects, illustrating that beautiful buildings can also be brilliantly practical as well, fusing form and function for the greater good.”
— Clifford A. Pearson

Grangegorman Master Plan receives 2012 Society for College and University Planning (SCUP)'s Honor Award.

Moore Ruble Yudell helped sponsor the annual AIA exhibition 2x8. For the second year in a row, the show was held at the A+D Museum. Carissa Shrock, Associate, Ismar Enriquez, Toru Narita, and Clover Linne from Moore Ruble Yudell helped with the organization, installation, and sponsorship for the exhibition. Victoria Lam, Director of Graphic Design designed the exhibition graphics.

2X8 is an annual exhibition sponsored by the AIA|LA, showcasing exemplary student work from architecture and design institutions throughout California. Each of the participating academic programs select two projects that exemplify its core vision. The students’ design work is judged by a noteworthy panel of architects and designers who then announce the winners at the exhibition opening and convene in a forum to discuss the award-winning work. This year's jury was comprised of Annie Chu, AIA, David Montalba, AIA and Randall Stout, FAIA.

“This year marks 2X8’s 10th anniversary and we wanted to shake things up a little and involve not only the students, but also a great deal of the faculty,” said Ryan Gobuty, Assoc. AIA and the 2012 2X8 Committee Chair. “Last year we sent a request for proposals to all architecture and design schools statewide, received many submissions and after careful consideration and interviews, designated Matthew Gillis, a teacher at SCI-Arc, Woodbury and Otis, as the designer to create this year’s exhibition. We are very excited about his design as well as its visual and emotional impact.”

The jury commented that Gillis’ submission was an original concept that had the flexibility to fit in many different spaces. More importantly, the design supports—rather than takes away from— the student’s work.

This is an annual event sponsored by the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition that encourages the bicycle as an option for commuting to work. Moore Ruble Yudell sponsored a pit stop along the bicycle route, offering snacks and refreshments. 30% of the office participated in riding their bikes to work, resulting in an estimated total of 280 miles travelled by bike.
 

Joseph A. Steger Student Life Center is included on a list of the 50 Most Amazing Examples of College Architecture, released by Top Colleges Online.

The Grangegorman Master Plan in Ireland has received an Honor Award in the Society for College and University Planning (SCUP)'s 2012 Excellence Awards Program. The awards will be presented in Chicago at SCUP's annual International Conference and Idea Marketplace on July 7-11, 2012.

Our goal for Grangegorman is to create a place which will enrich the city fabric, a place full of vitality and architectural value to serve the needs of not only the immediate users of the quarter but indeed the entire community in the 21st century and beyond. -James Mary O'Connor, AIA, Principal

On March 8, we participated in the ceremonial groundbreaking of the new Henry W. Bloch Executive Hall for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at the University of Missouri, Kansas City. Moore Ruble Yudell is working with BNIM on the design of the new building. See construction progress on UMKC Bloch School Webcam.

We are excited to announce that principal Krista Becker has been elevated to the 2012 American Institute of Architects' College of Fellows. This honor is bestowed to AIA members who have made contributions of national significance to the profession.

Principal Jeanne Chen participates as a juror in the bi-annual AIA San Joaquin 2012 Design Awards. The program recognizes exemplary architectural design by San Joaquin Valley architects.

Principal James Mary O'Connor lectures at the Zhejiang University school of Architecture in Hangzhou, China on Thursday Dec 22nd at 7:00 pm.

Moore Ruble Yudell's monograph, The Future of Place, is now available. Published by Liaoning Science and Technology, the monograph is a graphic showcase of current and future projects, with introductory texts by internationally renowned architecture critic, Michael Crosbie, as well the firm's partners, John Ruble and Buzz Yudell.

Principals Mario Violich and James Mary O’Connor participate in SCUP 2011's Pacific Regional Conference at Seattle University in Washington. Mario Violich reviewed innovative strategies for revitalizing campus community for the new UC Berkeley Student Community Center. James Mary O'Connor and client Noel O'Connor discussed DIT/HSE’s Grangegorman Masterplan and place-making methodologies for fitting a new campus into a dense urban fabric.

Travel Weekly recently selected Camana Bay as a 2011 Gold Magellan Award Winner in the Caribbean-Overall Destinations-Waterfront Development category. With entries from around the world, the Magellan Awards is the premier awards programme honoring the best in the travel industry. This is a testament to the unique mix of thoughtfully designed residential and commercial spaces, world-class shopping and dining, family-friendly entertainment, events and attractions that makes Camana Bay stand out among other Caribbean destinations. Moore Ruble Yudell was also awarded the first annual Governor’s Award for Design and Construction Excellence for the Camana Bay Town Centre.

Buzz Yudell performed a tour of Moore Ruble Yudell's La Loma Residence, as part of the AIACC's MDC Modern Home Tour.

Secure and Sustainable U.S. Embassies
Krista Becker, AIA, and John Ruble, FAIA, participated in the AIA Design for Diplomacy briefing on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. They presented strategies and examples of how design, function, sustainability, security and safety standards can be met in an innovative and integrated design process.

Moore Ruble Yudell sponsored the annual AIA exhibition 2x8:SOURCE at the A+D Museum. The exhibition showcases exemplary student work from architecture and design institutions throughout California. Carissa Shrock, Associate and Clay Holden, Senior Associate organized the exhibition. Victoria Lam, Director of Graphic Design designed the exhibition graphics. photos from exhibition

The Grangegorman Master Plan is a recipient of the prestigious Chicago Athaneum American Architecture Award. A video and exhibition panel of the project were featured as part of the accompanying Symposioum "The City and the World" in Madrid, on November 4-7, 2010.

The Robert E. Coyle US Courthouse is the 2010 Pacific Southwest Regional winner of The Office Building of the Year (TOBY) in the government category. This award, given by the Building Owner's and Manager's Association (BOMA), recognizes excellence in building management, operational efficiency, and community impact.

July 10-14, 2010
Integrated Leadership for a New Reality, SCUP Conference
Moore Ruble Yudell hosted an exhibit booth at the Society for College and University Planning's 45th Annual International Conference and Idea Marketplace in Minneapolis, featuring campus projects at multiple scales, from master planning to buildings.

2x8: Verge at Dwell on Design / Mobius LA  June 25-27, 2010
Moore Ruble Yudell was proud to sponsor 2x8: Verge, showcasing exemplary student work from architecture and design institutions throughout California. Associates Clay Holden, AIA and Carissa Shrock, AIA chair the AIA/LA's Academic Outreach Committee, organizer of the exhibition.