We were proud to attend the ribbon cutting ceremony for a new two story classroom building for Gault Elementary School in Santa Cruz. The project programming started pre-pandemic, was put on hold at various stages but is now finally complete. The project includes five standard classrooms, and art classroom, a multi purpose room and kitchen and for single accommodation restrooms. The real joy for us was to see students, parents and teachers inhabiting the new facility and making it their own. The reason we choose to work on educational facilities is all about the creation of good places for students to learn.
We have received news that our nomination application to posthumously award Marion Mahony Griffin the AIA Gold medal has been selected as a finalist!. This has been a goal of ours for quite some time. Deena Handwerker, one of our star High School Interns took up the cause in 2022 and she compiled an excellent application for submittal to the AIA this year (2023) for consideration. We were recently notified that Marion is a finalist.
Marion was the first female to acheive licensure as an Architect in the USA. She is probably the second female graduate (MIT) of an architecture program in the USA. Marion is largely responsible for the prairie school renderings generally credited to Frank Lloyd Wright. She and her husband, Walter won the design competition for the design of Canberra, the capital of Austrailia. Our fingers are crossed. Marion deserves this recognition.
Yet another fantastic shakespeare play with the students from Santa Cruz High School! This year's production of the Taming of the shrew was amazing, updated and modern. This post pandemic even was well loved by the students! Hopefully there are some future actors, directors, writers, producers and lovers of great theatre inn attendance.
We are proud to be celebrating our 15th anniversary as Bartos Architecture, Inc. Its great to be coming out the other side of a world wide pandemic. We have a Great team, Great Clients, and Great projects. This is our first year in our new office location downtown San Mateo. Surviving a pandemic, Relocating our office, adapting to new ways of remote and hybrid work in the firm as well as the firm adapting to the new approaches by all of our clients, consultants and contractors has been quite a "ride" these past 4 years. Our intern program has exploded in a good way, as we learn that the next gen WANTS to be in PERSON, and they are hungry for new experiences, challenges and to be in an environment that not only provides professional development but a chance to see what real in person camaraderie is.
Bartos Architecture is proud to sponsor 100 Santa Cruz High School Students to attend a Student Matinee at Shakespeare Santa Cruz. This year's production was "12th Night"
This year our Giants Baseball game was focused on our awesome 2022 intern team. Great fun as always! Of course the boss just has to wear that WHITE SOX hat!
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We took the California Zephyr (sleeper car) from Emeryville to Chicago. A two day / night train ride over the Sierra Mountains and the Rocky Mountains to Chicago Union Station. We spent a week in Chicago assisting BTL Architects on the inspection of Balconies on the famed "Aqua Tower".
In the fall of 2021 we were still in the depths of the pandemic. With every "negative" there is a "positive" we took the opportunity to move our physical offices back to downtown San Mateo. The move involved a lot of logistics and physical labor. Thankfully we had Martin and a team of old friends to help do the move over a period of the last two months of 2021. The new place is at 8th and B street. Across from Charlie's tacos, near the train tracks and walking distance to a vibrant downtown scene. The new office has a great vibe for a bright post pandemic future. It is good to have a new world headquarters.
Bartos Architecture Recognized for leading a large seismic retrofit project for Marina Middle School in San Francisco.
Our office executive manager, Nathan sourced the 3D model for printing facemask holders. We played our small part in supporting Kaiser San Francisco ICU nurses (where Mark's wife and our health care advisor Hea Young Kim RN is known at the "queen of the icu" for her service). We masked up. Worked together to print and send the holders and plastic covers to the real hero's of the pandemic.
BA Family Team Goes Wight Water Rafting on the Kern River. Left! Left! Left! Right! Right! Right! ...just focus on the Leader! EXHILARATING!! What GREAT FUN!
We are proud to send 100 Santa Cruz High School Students to see a Shakespeare Matinee Production. This donation is done in honor of our President Mark Bartos' Father, Michael William Bartos, EdD a dedicated Shakespeare aficionado.
The Executive Team visit to Yosemite to celebrate the Past, Enjoy the present and Plan the future. THe event was highlighted by our state at the Awhanee, beautiful snow fall and the warm great room fireplace.
As part of our Aviation work the BA team toured SFO Terminal 1 Under Construction
Monica and George get married - twice in the same day! And we are lucky to share in her joy. The BA team is all there to help in the celebration. What a party!
The original Bartos Architecture Interns go on a team building adventure to the bottom of the Grand Canyon. Braving heat, a steep vertical climb, and all sorts of wild life, Martin and Simon had a great adventure away from the office.
This new location is actually better-accessible from all main highways: 101, 92 (San Mateo Bridge), and 280! All other contact information (phone, email, fax) remains the same. Please visit our ‘Visiting’ page for more information, or click on the image to the right for a Google map— Come by and say ‘Hi.’
The California League of High Schools' Region 4 event honoring their educators for the year was held Tuesday, November 1st at what has become their gala mainstay, San Francisco's (Lakeside) Olympic Club. The Club's mission-revival main building housed the night's happenings.
Nine teacher nominees representing their high school region were introduced, then proceeded to speak to their passion for the work. Bartos Architecture's René Peraza, Marketing Director, and Monica Landaverde, School Facilities Program Specialist, were requested to join the judging panel of five other supporting sponsors. The judging criteria covered 14 elements in three main areas: Leadership Characteristics, High School Awareness and Exemplary Characteristics, which made the task difficult to hone down to just one candidate.
After much deliberation, the judging panel selected Nicole Wallace as Region 4's 'Educator of the Year.' Ms. Wallace is a fairly new teacher at El Camino High School in South San Francisco, having taught for only five years. Still, her passion and dedication shone through, and the judges felt she served as a beacon for other young instructors entering their careers.
Bartos Architecture is an annual supporter and financial sponsor of the California League of Schools.
In the first (of a four game series) against the Padres, the Giants scored 9 to 1 against the visiting team. It was a night with visiting friends, Rendell Bustos, joined us, as was a birthday celebration for our latest hire, Neal Sellers. Of course, the evening also honored the event of 9/11 fourteen years ago.
Bartos Architecture was honored with an 'Outstanding Firm Service' recognition this past December at AIA San Mateo County's Design Awards! The award honored firms who go beyond the 'billable' bottom-line by doing pro bono work, community volunteering and the mentoring of youth. The event was also an opportunity for some of our staff to come out and 'represent' the office in full gala attire.
9 Bartos Architecture staff grouped up on Wednesday, November 12th to try their hand at bowling at Pacifica's famed Sea Bowl, along California's Coastline Highway 1. Although some of us were out of practice — by as much as ten years — others made their skills well known (Mike A., Matt G., Matt F.). Nachos, chili fries, pizza and beer were the menu, which helped fuel the great spirits and fun! Re-matches soon!
Bartos Architecture does it again at AT&T park!
Fun was had by all at a virtually sold-out game between the San Francisco Giants and the San Diego Padres. The game ran neck-to-neck at about the 7th inning stretch, but the Giants won out: 9 to 8.
About 10 staff plus a few guests made the almost full-row at the 'View' level the place to be. For some of us, it was the first time at the ball park since it's opening, and to get Willie Mays himself make a visit via limousine at his namesake field, was the icing on the cake!
Campbell Union High School District unveiled its latest library at Leigh High School campus.
Bartos Architecture has always had a close dialog with the District and its schools. Likewise, Leigh High School staff had an important part in the design needs of this project: “I have been part of school renovations over the last twenty years and Bartos is my favorite firm! Their staff listens to our needs and incorporates our ideas whenever feasible. As a principal I feel they truly care about my school and my students" said Donna Hope, Leigh High School Principal.
This is the third library project for the District. Westmont High School and Branham High School each saw their libraries modernized by Mark Bartos as the principal Architect.
Friday, Aprill 11th marked the official ribbon-cutting of the Bartos Architecture-conceived Geospatial Science Center at Piner High School in Santa Rosa, California. This site was also recently named a 'Top Real Estate Project of the Year' by the North Bay Business Journal. The winner in the K-12 category, the Center completed construction and opened in the Fall of the 2013.
“We wanted our high school to be in a position to offer a complete STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) project-based curriculum to stimulate student interest in these fields and have them see and appreciate how the deployment of these disciplines can be applied in the local community,” Mr. Kruger said.
Mark Bartos of Bartos Architecture in San Mateo developed the original design concept for the Geospatial Science Center and was asked by the school board to write what later became the successful Career Technical Education Grant application for the center’s program.
A profile on the project, which was featured in the Dec. 2 issue of the North Bay Business Journal, can be found here.
As with 2012, 2013 has proven a strong year for the SF Giants and Bartos Architecture has been there for the team. 'Doin Time' at an San Francisco home game is something the office looks forward to, and there are those of us who attend in full regalia!
Well…. a picture is worth a thousand words…we put in some nice sod last summer and ever since rocky and his buddies have been feasting nightly. So every morning we wake up and roll it back and the following night rocky rolls it back. here’s what it looks like after we roll it back…
Our AIA Chapter sends our President, President Elect (Vice President) and our Executive Director back to Washington DC each year in order to attend a conference known as “grassroots.” At grassroots we meet our contemporaries in similar positions from AIA chapters throughout the United States. It is fascinating to meet other folks and to learn that they have the same issues and goals that we have. Its also exciting to learn new ideas for making the AIA more relevant.
This year I came back inspired to keep working with our chapter to improve its programs, to get more involvement by younger members and to continue working to make our chapter into a group that not only serves the profession but serves our local community.
Factoid from the conference: In the twentieth century the expected lifespan of American citizens increased by thirty years. Five of those years can be attributed to improvements in medical technology, pharmaceuticals, surgical techniques, etc… and twenty five of those years can be attributed to improvements in Architecture and the built environment. : BUT we have to do more. We must design walkable communities that reduce our dependence upon the automobile. Fighting the fight against junk food is important. But its an uphill fight. As Architects we must advocate for the public health by advocating for tight knit, close “walkable” communities. This means getting involved in government and working for improvements to standard zoning codes. It is of course complicated. Zoning ordinances are in fact responsible for some of that increase in life expectancy. But now we need to start fixing our zoning in order to allow for a post driving everywhere society. Good Architecture. Good Design. is Good for you.
During the conference we took time to talk to our local congressional representatives (well..their staff really) about legislation that the AIA believes is important to all Americans. Our goals were definitely bi-partisan - – yet it was clear that not much is going to be accomplished in the current Washington milieu of no compromises.
As always DC is is a thought provoking, if not inspiring place. I had a chance to visit the White house for the first time and on the weekend we visited Jefferson’s Monticello and the University of Virginia. In addition to the “architectural” experience at Monticello, we were reminded that Thomas Jefferson believed that students should be able to get an education regardless of their economic background. This is why we really love working on Schools.
In late February, once again some of our key team members attended the Coalition for Adequate School Housing Annual Conference. Mark, Eric, Monica and Andrew attended the conference which as always provided us with much new and valuable knowledge. As we are focused on California Public School Facilities, this is currently the premier organization of entities involved in School Facility Design and Construction.
The biggest thing “in the atmosphere” was discussion surrounding a possible K-12 School Facilities Bond Election for November 2012. Of course we believe that the state needs to pass such a bond program. A key point made at the conference is that there are many school facilities projects that can start construction within 90 days of being funded. Thus passing a bond election will have an almost immediate effect on the state’s economy. This is in addition to the fact that thousand school districts in the state of California have facilities in severe need of improvement.
As another part of our tradition we had a nice relaxing dinner at Morton’s steak house. . . nice food. nice company. and good times.
And...We came back to San Mateo much smarter.
This January I began my 2012 term as President of the American Institute of Architects San Mateo County Chapter. We have a small chapter of approximately 120 members, including about 80 Architects. Our primary goal this year is to bring our youngest members into the ranks of our leadership. As our chapter ages along with the rest of America, we hope to revitalize the chapter and start to develop the next generation of leaders.
We are also developing a number of new programs for the chapter. A Fellowship series continues our traditional third Wednesday dinner lecture series, A Lunch and Learn series will focus on technical topics, our Associates programs will include various book authors, student critiques and building tours, and this Fall we will host our first Annual Lecture Series of notable Bay Area Architects and Urban Designers.
On January 20th 2009, we will be here in the office watching the historic presidential inauguration. In these difficult times for all of us it seems appropriate to take a moment out of our lives to simply watch and contemplate the future.
We will be here and available as always – - but we bet the phones won’t be ringing anyway.
We spent nights and weekends during the month of April finding our new digs and then fixing up the space. Most of our improvements were cosmetic, technology (IT wiring) and furniture design and installation.
We had great fun as this was our first attempt at creative expression and creation of our office look and image.
These cooperative efforts at creating our look and space helped to develop a greater sense of teamwork and emotional investment in our practice. Time out to visit the rooftop and look out at the view over downtown San Mateo and the Bay provided a nice respite from our labors.
We had additional adventures in setting up telephones, voice mail systems, cell phones, e-mails, servers (linux vs Microsoft), backup systems, etc… but we did it! AND it was and continues to be all fun, gratifying, rewarding and exciting.
Meeting new people in the building and in the neighborhood during this period helped to ground us more in our local downtown community.
Friends, colleagues, consultants and clients stopped by and called to congratulate us on this venture and to wish us luck. We thank all of you for your encouragement and confidence.