Co-Chair of Woodbury's Master of Real Estate and Development Program Honored For Transforming North Parker Neighborhood Post Office Into Affordable Housing; Unique Approach Casts Him as Designer, Developer and Financier
SAN DIEGO, Nov. 24, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- An award-winning San Diego architect and co-chair of the Master of Real Estate Development Program at Woodbury University's School of Architecture in Barrio Logan has been named recipient of the 2015 American Institute of Architects (AIA) Housing Award and Builder 2015 Design Awards for his groundbreaking 27-unit North Parker mixed-use, live/work and affordable housing development, the university announced today.
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Jonathan Segal, FAIA – who with his wife, Wendy, owns the firm that bears the same name – was honored for designing and developing The North Parker at the corner of 30th and Upas streets in San Diego. Once a post office in a declining neighborhood, today The North Parker offers 27 units of affordable housing, two restaurants, a beer-tasting bar and an architectural office, along with open public space.
"The national AIA awards jury hit it on the nose when they referred to The North Parker as 'clean, light and fun,'" Segal said. "From the outdoor gathering places and street-level commercial spaces to the open, airy residences accessible by sweeping stairways, the whole structure has an open feel and lots of room for people to move around. It was a fun project from start to finish."
While the notion of using mixed-use development to rehabilitate a declining neighborhood isn't unusual, Segal's approach to the business of architecture is. Rather than rely on others to develop and finance the projects he designs, Segal relies on a vertically integrated business model, essentially managing the entire process (and the cost of the project) from start to finish. Today, the firm has been responsible for the design and development of more than 300 medium- to high-density urban residential, mixed-use and live/work units totaling more than 300,000 square feet of construction.
"Woodbury's School of Architecture is extremely fortunate to have access to the talents and business acumen of Jonathan Segal," said Catherine Herbst, AIA and Chair of Architecture at the San Diego campus. "His unique approach to designing, developing and managing projects inspires his students to think beyond architecture. There's no limit to the kinds of things an architect can do."
The two awards are the latest recognition for Segal, who over the last two decades has received more than two dozen local, state and national AIA awards for residential and Urban Design.
About Woodbury University
Founded in 1884, Woodbury University is one of the oldest institutions of higher education in Southern California. With campuses in Burbank/Los Angeles and San Diego, the university offers bachelor's degrees from the School of Architecture, School of Business, School of Media, Culture & Design, and College of Transdisciplinarity, along with a Master of Business Administration, Master of Arts in Media for Social Justice, Master of Architecture (MArch), Master of Interior Architecture (MIA), Master of Science in Architecture (MSArch), and Master of Leadership. The San Diego campus offers Bachelor of Architecture and Master of Architecture, Master of Leadership, Master of Interior Architecture and Master of Landscape Architecture degrees, as well as an MSArch degree with a concentration in Real Estate Development. Woodbury ranks in the top 4 percent nationally in The Economist's first-ever survey of American colleges. In 2014, the university ranked 15th among the nation's "25 Colleges That Add the Most Value," according to Money Magazine, and is a 2014-2015 College of Distinction. Visit woodbury.edu for more information.
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SOURCE Woodbury University
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