Development Team

Solomon E.T.C - WRT, San Francisco
Daniel Solomon, Principal Architect
Architect, urban designer, teacher, and author, Daniel Solomon has built a career around the concepts of New Urbanism, which focus on building livable, sustainable communities. Solomon helped found the Congress for the New Urbanism in 1993, an organization which advocates the interdisciplinary approach to restoring existing urban centers and towns within coherent metropolitan regions. "[We want] to reconfigure our daily world so that it is more like the places we seek out when we have the chance, and less like the places that we know deep in our genes do not satisfy everything we long for," explains Solomon.

Solomon's passion for integrating urbanism and environmentalism make him uniquely qualified to design the David Brower Center. This competition-winning design for the downtown Berkeley site builds upon the inherent richness in the combination of affordable housing, environmental education, and a venue for the intersection of art and ecology. "It truly is the opportunity to integrate everything one has thought about for a lifetime," says Solomon. Solomon's other multi-family/mixed-use projects include the Fine Arts Building in Berkeley, 101 San Fernando in San Jose, Broadway Family Apartments in San Francisco, and the new mixed-income Othello Station Transit Village in Seattle.

Equity Community Builders, San Francisco
John Clawson, Developer
Equity Community Builders (ECB) develops urban in-fill projects that exemplify innovative, environmentally responsible design using creative financing solutions. By specializing in the planning, design, financing, and construction of high-density new construction, ECB has established strategies and systems for managing unique, one-of-a-kind development challenges.

ECB developed the Thoreau Center for Sustainability in San Francisco's Presidio, and is currently developing the Retreat at Fort Baker in Marin County as a retreat and conference center and the Ed Roberts Campus in Berkeley as an 80,000 square-foot national center for independent living.

Loisos and Ubbelohde, Oakland
George Loisos, Architect and LEED AP
An architectural design, research, and consulting firm, Loisos and Ubbelohde focuses on energy efficiency and sustainability, specializing in daylighting, energy analysis, and evaluation of building performance. Clients include architects and engineers, institutional and commercial developers, state agencies, and public utilities. Their consulting projects are diverse, ranging from the Oberlin College Environmental Studies Center, to Johnson International Headquarters, the Frederick R. Weisman Art Museum, San Francisco International Airport Terminal, and NIKE European Headquarters.

"The Brower Center is being designed to enable the occupants to use daylight rather than electrical lighting in the office spaces," says George Loisos. "This includes the design of sun shading and advanced glazing such as light redirecting glass. In addition, we are working with the electrical lighting team so the lights are gradually turned on and off as the available daylight varies so that the transition is smooth and unobtrusive to the occupants. In a normal office building, about half of the energy used is for lighting. We expect the Brower Center will reduce that between 60 and 80 percent."

Tipping Mar + associates, Berkeley
David Mar, Structural Engineer
This Berkeley engineering firm will create the structural design for the David Brower Center. Tipping Mar has earned design excellence awards for high-performance seismic designs and cutting-edge work with strawbale projects in California, China, and Mongolia. The work in China has received the 2005 World Habitat Award from the Building and Social Housing Foundation. They actively integrate seismic performance and material efficiency, while finding synergies with other systems such as daylighting and mechanical. Their work supports and contributes to the architectural expression of the building.

"The David Brower Center will advance the practice of sustainable design. Based on its mission, it may be the most important structure our firm creates," says David Mar.

Rumsey Engineers, Oakland
Peter Rumsey, P.E. Mechanical Engineer
An award-winning design engineering firm that specializes in innovative HVAC (heating, ventilating and air conditioning) system solutions. Their design work focuses on green buildings and critical environments, including data centers, cleanrooms, and laboratories. The company's philosophy is based on the premise that the best design is simple, elegant and results in substantially lower energy costs. Rumsey Engineers also actively promotes the improvement of design practices throughout the building industries. Over half of the engineers at Rumsey Engineers are LEED accredited professionals, and several of their projects have current or pending LEED certification from the US Green Building Council.

"The David Brower Center project is a compelling opportunity for us," said Clifton Lemon, Vice President of Business Development for Rumsey Engineers. "Our vision for the building is to go beyond the goals of energy efficiency and to try to take user comfort and interaction to a new level. For example, windows should be operable and accessible, views should be optimal, temperature and ventilation should all be controllable and sensitive to individual needs as much as possible."

Siegel & Strain Architects, Emeryville
Larry Strain, LEED & Materials Consultant
An award winning architectural design, research, and consulting firm committed to sustainable design with a particular expertise in green materials, Siegel & Strain is actively involved in the research and use of green building materials. Larry Strain's ReSourceful Specifications—guideline specifications for environmentally sustainable materials and methods—is an outgrowth of this research and is now incorporated into the GreenSpec Directory, published by Building Green, Inc. Nancy Malone, Senior Associate at Siegel & Strain, currently sits on the Materials and Resources Technical Advisory Group for the US Green Building Council's LEED Green Building Rating System.

"The David Brower Center is an opportunity to design a building that embodies the spirit and values of David Brower; a building that goes beyond sustaining the Earth to one that helps restore the Earth." says Larry Strain.

Cahill Contractors, Inc., San Francisco
The goal of Cahill Contractors is to actively participate in the construction of quality buildings that will last well into the 21st century. Recognized as a leader in the Bay Area construction industry for over 90 years, Cahill's construction experience includes a wide range of commercial and residential structures, as well as civic, medical, industrial, and educational facilities. Cahill's success is linked to their conscientious commitment to their clients of continued personal involvement by top level management on their projects, as well as Cahill's team approach to working with the owner and design team to resolve issues before they become problems.

"Cahill is a strong proponent of sustainable design and construction, as well as building facilities that strengthen our Bay Area community," said Cahill Vice President, Chuck Palley. "We at Cahill are particularly proud to be a part of the construction team on the David Brower Center, a groundbreaking development which will make a meaningful, positive difference to all of us."