TCA Architects

Desiree Kelley

TCA Staff - Nov 29, 2016

Desiree Kelley is a Senior Construction Administration Manager and Associate Principal at TCA Architects, and has over 20 years of experience in this field. Prior to TCA, Desiree worked at PR & P, FCGA Architecture, and Architectural Dimensions, as project manager and job captain.

Her current role at TCA has Desiree serving as the main point of contact during the construction phase for the contractor, clients’ construction personnel, and the Authority having jurisdiction. She manages projects during the construction phase to ensure compliance with the design intent, codes, budget, and schedule. Desiree also reviews and responds to RFI’s and submittals for conformance with the contract documents.

Desiree worked on TCA’s recently completed San Francisco high-rise 390 First Street (aka Modera Rincon Hill) – a 14-story, 180-unit project with puzzle-lift parking. This project interweaves a slender and modern curtain wall tower into a more traditional podium structure, while stepping down a steep hill, to form a transition from the tall towers of Rincon Hill to the residential scale of Lansing Street. Desiree also completed Hanover Northgate and Hanover Broadway, both seven story mid-rise, mixed-use podium projects in Oakland, CA; as well as provided CA services for The Asher a wrap project in Fremont, CA. All three are transit-oriented developments.

As a long-term resident of Alameda, Desiree has been passionate about contributing to positive growth and development of her community.

Ariel Abalos

TCA Staff - Nov 29, 2016

Jim Liu

TCA Staff - Nov 29, 2016

Jim Liu is an Associate Principal, Senior Project Manager at TCA with 17 years of experience in the architectural industry focused on high density mixed-use and multi-family projects. Prior to TCA, Mr. Liu worked at notable firms such as MVE & Partners, Studio T-Square, and KTGY.

As a Senior Project Manager, Mr. Liu is the day-to-day client and consultant contact during the documentation phases of the project. His primary responsibility is the documentation and coordination of all aspects of the project, including consultants, code compliance, permitting, and constructibility. In addition, he maintains the project data, such as schedules, minutes, design parameters, work plans and specifications.

Mr. Liu’s recent projects include 390 First Street (Modera Rincon Hill), a 180 unit Type-I high-rise building in San Francisco, developed by MCRT that completed construction in Spring 2021; and a 389 unit Type-V project in Morgan Hill, CA developed by Braddock and Logan. Currently he is completing the Construction Documents and Permit for a 716 unit Type-III and Type-IA project in Mountain View, CA.

Robert (Bob) Collins, AIA, LEED AP

TCA Staff - Nov 29, 2016

Robert Collins joined TCA Architects in 2013 and has over 25 years of experience in housing and mixed-use projects including new buildings, both affordable and market-rate, as well as adaptive re-use, with a scale ranging from single family infill to whole neighborhoods. Prior to TCA, Robert was employed as a Senior Architect at Steinberg Architects.

Robert has been responsible for leading Architecture and Urban Design, managing project teams from Concept Design through Schematic Design. He has also previously led projects through construction documents, and takes the lead in coordinating with clients and jurisdictions during the entitlement process. He is a licensed architect in the State of California, is LEED Accredited, and well versed in code and building technologies. Robert is proficient in Sketch-up, Revit, 3D rendering, and hand sketching.

Robert graduated from the University of Colorado with a Master’s Degree in Architecture. He also holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Architecture from the University at Buffalo. He has been awarded several industry awards, including most recently, Habitat for Humanity’s Micro-Home Infill competition.

Tak Katsuura, AIA

TCA Staff - Nov 29, 2016

Tak Katsuura has over 17 years of experience designing a range of projects, including retail, residential and master planning. Since joining TCA in 2014, Tak has been the lead designer on numerous multifamily and mixed-use projects, taking them from concept, to entitlements, to schematic design. He was responsible for the design of 1950 Addison, a seven-story infill building located in downtown Berkeley; Modera Rincon Hill, a high-rise in San Francisco; and Sand City, a master plan with two hotels and two residential buildings. Tak enjoys designing urban sites to support the revitalization of cities and communities.

Before joining TCA, Tak worked as a design director at JRDV Architects in Oakland, CA. At JRDV, he led the design of both international and local projects including Suzhou Village (Suzhou, China), Shanghai Village (Shanghai, China), the Oakland Coliseum Specific Plan (Oakland, CA) and San Pedro Market (San Jose, CA.) The San Pedro Market project was awarded the AIA Santa Clara Valley Chapter Design Merit Award and the San Jose Business Journal’s Community Impact Award.

Tak is a Bay Area native and graduated from the University of California, Berkeley. He currently lives in Oakland and enjoys building furniture and Japanese woodworking.

RADZIAH LOH, AIA, LEED AP

TCA Staff - Nov 15, 2016

A partner at TCA, Radziah Loh has been in the architectural industry for 30 years, working on single family homes, mixed-use, and residential housing to airport terminal projects. She is licensed in the states of California and Arizona, but her work covers across the US, Middle East, and Southeast Asia.

Since returning to California in 1999, Ms. Loh worked for notable firms such as, MVE & Partners, KTGY, and Steinberg Architects. She has been involved extensively in mixed use multi-family projects and in Transit Oriented Development (TOD) projects. Having managed more than a dozen such projects with sizes ranging from 167 units to 660 units, Ms. Loh has established herself as an expert on “podium” and “wrap” type projects and is very well versed in the code issues pertaining to such projects.

Ms. Loh is highly involved in her community, taking part in many different local groups including El Cerrito Boyscouts Troop 104 where she served as Treasurer, and was a Commissioner and Chairperson for the Design Review Board Commission from 2009 to 2013.

THOMAS P. COX, AIA

TCA Architect - Nov 02, 2016

Thom is the founder and Senior Principal of TCA Architects. Under his guidance, TCA has emerged as a nationally recognized leader in creative, cost effective and cutting edge design. Thom founded TCA more than 29 years ago with the goal of integrating design, technology, and new materials in the formulation of the next generation of sustainable, mixed-use, urban infill communities. TCA has a broad platform of Urban Housing, Retail, Hospitality, and Interior Design. Operating out of three California based studios (Irvine, Los Angeles and Oakland) the firm collaborates with many of the nation’s leading developers on a portfolio of projects spanning from the eastern seaboard to the entirety of California and Hawaii.

In 2012, Thom opened the Bay Area Studio of TCA. His pioneering spirit and passion for excellence in design continues as he currently guides the growth of the Oakland studio. TCA has been honored numerous times for design excellence, receiving awards from AIA, CNU, NAHB , PCBC, and ULI.

Currently, Thom is a Member and Governor of Urban Land Institute (ULI), serving on the Multifamily Green Product Council. He also shares his passion for design by speaking as an expert at industry events nation-wide, including; PCBC, Multi-Family Trends, BALA, Multi-Family Executive, University Southern California, National Association of Home Builders, and the National Multifamily Housing Council.

Thom is a veteran of the United States Navy, Submarine Service. He utilizes his love for cycling to raise funds and awareness for the fight against AIDS. Annually, he participates in the 545 mile, San Francisco to Los Angeles, AIDS/LifeCycle ‘Ride to End Aids’. Thom enjoys spending time with his wife, daughters, and granddaughters and travels extensively, exploring the wonders of the world we live in.