TCA Architects

HANOVER DIRIDON

tcaeditor - Sep 15, 2023

Hanover Diridon at 717 West Julian sits on the edge of two worlds in San Jose- a lower density largely residential neighborhood of bungalows and apartment buildings, and the planned “Innovation District” as envisioned as part of the Diridon Station Plan in San Jose. The Innovation District includes planned housing as well as a large office presence from some of Silicon Valley’s largest employers. The building design expresses this nexus in three parts- a larger scaled gesture to the future district, a reduced scale rhythm to the residential district, and a dramatic corner gesture and plaza where the two meet.

LA PLACITA CINCO

tcaeditor - Sep 15, 2023

La Placita Cinco repurposes the prototypical auto-oriented strip mall into a neighborhood-serving, inclusive community consisting of family-oriented affordable homes, outdoor amenities, and reinvigorated commercial center. The site, formerly called Tiny Time Plaza is a 2.25-acre commercial property situated between a residential neighborhood to the north and east, and industrial and commercial uses to the south and west. The 50 year old retail center consists of 2 single-story commercial buildings and a former gas station. The asphalt surface area encompassed over two thirds of the property with ill defined edges that blended into the pedestrian walkways in front of the building storefronts and adjacent public sidewalks. “La Placita Cinco” replaces the former gas station and portion of the parking lot, encompassing a third of the overall property with a 3-4 story mixed-use building consisting of 50 two-, three-, and four-bedroom apartment homes with ground floor community space.

The massing of the building provides a strong urban edge along the Fifth Street commercial corridor, while responding to the Hawley Street residential connector by opening its courtyard and stepping down the building height. The two commercial buildings and all their tenants remained, and were integrated into a reimagined site plan that is anchored by the three buildings. The commercial buildings were reinvigorated by the complete transformation of the building facades with new architecture, signage, and enhanced pedestrian [ADA] access. The remaining surface parking was redesigned to support active use. Wide, landscaped plazas were added along the retail facades, allowing the businesses to extend their operations outdoors, including outdoor dining, and to support pop-up programming such as farmer’s markets and special events. Between the two retail buildings, a mini park was added to accommodate a variety of uses, from fitness programs and concerts, to a welcoming place to meet a friend or let children play while running errands.

Mercy House is providing supportive services for residents and neighbors. The ground floor space of the housing was designed to be available as a resource for community nonprofit organizations to host events. There are spaces that could be used for small meetings (job interviews, counseling, etc.) and larger ones such as neighborhood association meetings, art classes, training sessions, etc.

The project leveraged traditional and innovative funding sources that are unique to rehabilitating a blighted commercial property with affordable housing. In its final form La Placita Cinco is supported through a 9% tax credit award, and cooperative lender and investor partners who worked diligently to find solutions that supported both the new construction of affordable residential units with the plaza renovations. Making everything possible was the support from the City of Santa Ana, who approved not only all the necessary entitlements, but also $6 million in subordinated funding to ensure the financial feasibility of the project.

Design Architect: City Fabrick

ONE PASEO

tcaeditor - Sep 08, 2023

Located in the Del Mar Heights community of San Diego, One Paseo is a mixed-use project incorporating residential, retail and office space. The residential component (designed by TCA) provides the critical mass needed to sustain 24/7 activity by locating housing in direct proximity to shopping and working environments. Horizontal proximity integrates these essential uses supporting a sustainable, pedestrian friendly and livable environment. Ultimately, the intent is to energize the community with a variety of demographics by providing a choice in housing types that in turn creates a vibrant social fabric. The housing type is 4 and 5 stories of housing above ground-floor amenities.

The retail component (designed by Ware Malcomb) consists of 12 single-story restaurant and high-end retail buildings totaling approximately 96,000 square feet. The craftsman-style buildings feature primarily wood frame construction, intricate details and various finish materials to create a community-oriented environment. The neutral color palette for the buildings allows the merchandise and tenants to be the focal point. Two office buildings (designed by Gensler) totaling over 280,000 SF round out the site and create the perfect Live, Work, Play environment.

NewPark Place Master Plan

tcaeditor - Sep 07, 2023

In 2018, the NewPark Place Specific Plan was green lit with the ambitious goal of revitalizing the NewPark Mall. Brookfield stepped up to the challenge, acquiring the mall and enlisting TCA to spearhead the master planning process. Over several years of collaboration, TCA worked closely with Brookfield Residential and Retail to forge a new vision for the area. Out of the original 1,030,000 square feet of mall space, approximately 430,000 square feet are slated for demolition, including anchors like JC Penny, Burlington, Inline Shops, and Sears. In their footprint, a fresh 220,000 square feet will be dedicated to a new Costco and a Retail co-working center.

The southern parking lots of the mall will undergo a transformation, making way for five new residential developments – three wrap and two podium structures – delivering a total of 1,519 units and accommodating roughly 2,800 residents who will support both existing and revamped retail spaces. Careful attention has been paid to vehicular circulation and service access to both retail and residential parcels. A key element of the plan introduces an activated retail/residential street, fostering a walkable and interactive environment with parks, plazas, and commercial outlets.

To address the reduction in retail square footage, parking will be replenished through the construction of two proposed podium structures. Convincing the city of Newark about the merits of this concept was crucial, so Brookfield entrusted TCA to create an experiential video fly through showcasing the new vision, emphasizing connectivity, retail offerings, and the residential master plan. The master plan was met with enthusiastic approval, signaling the transformation of a struggling mall into a dynamic and thriving concept.

Currently, TCA is focused on designing the first phase of residential development, which will comprise of 319 units.

Click to watch the video fly through!

Wallace on Sunset

tcaeditor - Sep 06, 2023

Wallace on Sunset is a 7-story, 200 unit mixed-use project containing 4,700 SF of ground floor retail in Los Angeles, CA. In response to its context, which dramatically varies on all four sides of the site, the project uses simple rectangular masses. These masses are broken up with undulations and pops of color on the facade. Balcony railings consist of aluminum and glass on the outward facing facades to preserve views and minimal metal rails at the courtyards. The sweeping frame around the fitness center’s glass volume along with the solid canopies above the balconies is sheathed with pre-finished metal panels. Wallace on Sunset is a LEED Gold-certified project.

Concept/Entitlement by HED Architects.

MERRIWEATHER

TCA Architect - Sep 04, 2023

The master planning evolved around the creation of the shared, linear park. The park’s central location provides both orientation and a shared sense of place for all the adjacent buildings in Columbia, Maryland. The park is then linked to Merriweather Drive at both its east and west ends by the primary public roads which lead into the district. These tree-lined roads are designed as outlined in the Design Guidelines to be animated with retail shops and restaurants, and have generous sidewalks promoting pedestrian activity. The project embraces the naturally distinctive context of the Merriweather district neighborhood and is a truly unique collection of residential, retail, office and entertainment space located within a surrounding forest. The buildings draw whimsical design inspiration from local forest inhibitors the “fox” and the “owl.” Marlow (the fox) a visually prominent beacon for the community and is expressive, bold and vibrant. Juniper (the owl) is quiet, calming and serves as a connector to the adjacent outside public symphony. While both buildings are intricately connected to nature, they purposefully juxtapose each other, contributing to a dynamic living environment.

Merriweather fly through video: https://vimeo.com/368404510

HANOVER NORTHGATE

TCA Architect - Jul 03, 2023

Hanover Northgate is a 7 story mixed-use project of 225 apartments and a total of 22,000 SQ FT of ground floor retail in Oakland, CA. In keeping with the Broadway-Valdez Design Guidelines, the design of the building breaks the building mid-block, coinciding with the main building entry. Variation in color, material and façade rhythm between the north and south halves of the building help accentuate this break. The building follows the curved lot line as it faces 27th Street, and presents a unique set of gestures and materials at this location to highlight this important corner. There are numerous changes of plane, balconies and other projections that add visual interest throughout all faces of the building. High quality exterior materials are used, including stone, brick, glass, metal wall panels, and cement plaster. Resident amenities include lobby, mail room, fitness room, bike parking, dog grooming, and clubhouse, along with three courtyards at the second level of the building.

HANOVER BROADWAY

TCA Architect - Jul 01, 2023

Hanover Broadway is a seven-story mixed use residential and commercial project that consists of 254 apartments. There is 33,100 SF of ground floor retail on Broadway and an additional 3,900 SF of restaurant space facing a new plaza at 27th and Valdez. Resident amenities include fitness facility, bike parking, dog grooming, clubhouse, and a rooftop deck with barbecues and expansive views of Oakland and the East Bay. Exterior materials include stone, brick, glass, cementitious wall panels, and cement plaster. The design of the building includes changes of plane, shadow lines, balconies and other projections, subtle color and material changes and other architectural elements.

ONYX

TCA Architect - Apr 15, 2023

Onyx blends traditional building façade design with contemporary colors, materials and an implied kinetic energy through playful fenestration patterns. Colorful glass guardrails reinforce this dynamism and are highlighted with architectural lighting. As an urban infill development, commercial spaces and residential entry lobbies connect the building to the public way, and employ large stone bases to help ground the building and reinforce these connections. A colorful, full-height-glazed building entry at the back of the entry court activates the formal entry, in addition to this South Park, Los Angeles street scene. Floor-to-ceiling storefront glazing at the top floor completes the top of the traditional building façade, and is articulated in contemporary mannerisms throughout. Design through entitlement, Kanner Architects; A.O.R, TCA Architects.

Millennium Mission Valley

TCA Architect - Apr 11, 2023

Millennium Mission Valley is a mixed-use apartment project on a 5.37 Acre site in San Diego, providing 291 residential and 14 shopkeeper units. Fundamental to the design is the connection of pedestrian access to and from the site. The design team held the building edge 20 feet back from the curb and carved out a 4,000 square-foot space for a central public plaza to provide a vibrant, pedestrian-oriented atmosphere. They located the project’s “front door” adjacent to a large public plaza to allow for a sense of arrival shared pedestrian experience. Courtyards offer multiple social areas to allow for a visual interaction with the central retail plaza. The retail awnings and storefronts along the ground level help to reduce the scale of the building along pedestrian frontages while allowing for views into public areas of the building. Architectural elements anchor key corners while punched openings and cantilevered balconies provide relief and texture; working to further break down the scale of the massing.