SANTA ANA, Calif.—Southern California design firm SVA Architects, founded in 2003, has been honored with four 2022 Gold Nugget Awards of Merit, three of them for the architect’s work in the educational sector in the Golden State.  The Gold Nuggets, now in its 59th year, recognizes outstanding architectural design and planning achievements.

Their 2022 educational awards include one for the Serramonte Del Rey Faculty & Staff Housing in Daly City in the category of Best Student or Faculty Housing.  Working with design-build partner J.H. Fitzmaurice, SVA added additional residences at affordable rates for staff.

SVA also picked up the award for Best Rehabilitation Project thanks to their work on South Pasadena Middle School in South Pasadena, where the architect redesigned the school’s Old Gymnasium to give it new life as the Arts Building.  SVA’s efforts allowed the existing Romanesque Mediterranean exterior motif to be maintained while the interior was reworked to become a performance space.

In addition, SVA’s renovation work at The Barn at University of California, Riverside took home the award for Best Special Use Project.  The Barn is among the oldest structures at the campus, having been built as horse stables in 1917—nearly 40 years before the school itself was even founded.  The Barn later served as a student cafeteria and performance venue, and the renovation will allow it to continue serving UCR for decades to come.

This marks the eighth consecutive year the firm has won one or more Gold Nuggets.

“These award-winning projects are the result of a synergy between our team, and the developers, contractors, project managers, and local community members,” said

Ernesto M. Vasquez, CEO of SVA Architects.  “They demonstrate that the best results are achieved when we ask questions, listen, engage, and collaborate to make healthy, vibrant communities.”

Added Robert Simons, SVA’s president: “It’s very rewarding for us to have these projects recognized with Gold Nugget Awards of Merit.  We’d like to thank the judges for honoring these projects and recognizing the value and enrichment they bring to our communities.”

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SANTA ANA, Calif—SVA Architects has been awarded four PCBC Gold Nugget Awards of Merit for its design work in California. One of those four awards was for its efforts at the Woodbridge High School Performing Arts Center, located in nearby Irvine. The performing arts center won in the category “Best Special Use Project.”

The new Performing Arts Center (PAC) at Woodbridge High School replaced an outdated 250-seat theater with a bigger house that can seat up to 650 people. Amenities include a scene shop, dressing rooms, 1,600-square-foot “black box” theater as well as the most up-to-date theater technologies. Specific coursework offered there includes not only performing but also lighting techniques, production, and set and scenery design.

SVA also received a Gold Nugget Award for its work at San Diego State University’s South Campus Plaza, a mixed-use gateway to the campus that ensures that the school melds seamlessly into the surrounding community. The plaza was designed to be pedestrian-oriented and offer quick access to the SDSU Transit Center, as well as be a welcoming ingress to more of the campus. South Campus Plaza is LEED Silver-certified and exceeds California Energy Standards by 15 percent.

The Gold Nugget Awards recognize achievement in architectural design and planning in over 60 building categories, including mixed-use and educational. SVA’s other wins this year are for its work on two other California projects, the Fruitvale Transit Village Phase IIB in Oakland and The Reserve at Seabridge Marina in Oxnard.

“SVA strives to design the best possible project for each particular site and its context within the greater community,” Ernesto M. Vasquez, CEO of SVA Architects, said in a recent statement. “It’s very rewarding to see our efforts recognized within such a competitive and significant awards program.”

Added Robert Simons, president of SVA: “We’re thankful to the Gold Nugget Awards judges for recognizing SVA’s work and our commitment to enriching our communities throughout California, and beyond.”

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