Architects named for Ambassador campus site

Architects named for
Ambassador campus site

The following is from an Oct. 2 press release.

PASADENA—The Worldwide Church of God announced today that it has selected the team of Van Tilburg, Banvard & Soderbergh and EDAW, Inc. as master architect/planner to design a residential development on the 48-acre site of the former Ambassador College in West Pasadena.

"We wanted the most talented architects available to help us design a community that will reflect the best of Pasadena," said Bernard Schnippert, director of Finance & Planning for the church. "Van Tilburg, Banvard & Soderbergh, in conjunction with EDAW, Inc., bring their world-class reputations, their deep roots in Southern California and their award-winning Pasadena portfolio to the Ambassador campus," said Schnippert. "They have the unique combination of skills, vision and experience we were looking for in an architecture team."

The church reviewed proposals from some of the most respected architects in California and the nation before narrowing its choice to Van Tilburg, Banvard & Soderbergh and its partner on the project, EDAW, Inc.

Johannes Van Tilburg and Steve Kellenberg of EDAW, working with the Worldwide Church of God, will be responsible for the overall look and feel of the Ambassador project. Individual buildings will be designed by additional firms, but those designs will have to be in accordance with the design guidelines set by Van Tilburg, Banvard & Soderbergh, EDAW and SheaHomes.

The firm of Van Tilburg, Banvard & Soderbergh is one of the most accomplished and recognized residential architects in the nation and has decades of experience in Southern California and the West.

Van Tilburg has received awards from the local and national American Institute of Architects (AIA), the cities of Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, Manhattan Beach and the County of Los Angeles.

The firm has also received awards from a host of professional builder organizations, including the Pacific Coast Builders Conference and the National Association of Homebuilders. Among its prominent projects are the Holly Street Village development in Pasadena, Villas of Renaissance in La Jolla, California, the Dominguez Hills master plan in Carson, California, the Adventura community in Irvine, California, and Janss Court on the Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica, California.

For EDAW, the assignment represents a homecoming. The firm was the original master planner and landscape architect for the Ambassador campus. The Ambassador site is renowned for its graceful sweep, its spectacular gardens and natural feeling of its fountains and waterways. The campus is widely recognized as an example of how to integrate modern uses with natural and historic Pasadena gems.

Though EDAW will now combine its talents with those of Van Tilburg as joint master architect, EDAW’s history in cultivating a garden sanctuary in Pasadena is especially crucial in creating a residential development that integrates with the campus’ natural and man-made beauty.

EDAW has been a leader in the fields of landscape architecture, land planning, urban design and environmental planning for more than half a century. In addition to its earlier work on the Ambassador campus, other prominent California projects include Playa Vista in Venice; the Monrovia Nursery project in Azusa; the Chapman University specific plan in Orange; and urban design work for the County of Los Angeles in Marina Del Rey.

The Worldwide Church of God has always been a proud steward of this unique campus," said Johannes Van Tilburg, principal of Van Tilburg, Banvard & Soderbergh. "We are delighted to have the opportunity to work with the church and its management team to preserve and conserve the best qualities of this site while generating an exciting and valuable project that neighbors and the entire city can be proud of."

Steven Kellenberg, principal in the Los Angeles office of EDAW, said: "We thought it would be a unique challenge to create a new development from the foundation of our award-winning master plan and landscape design for the Ambassador College campus. We are delighted and very proud that the Worldwide Church of God has given us an opportunity to reinterpret this site for another generation."

Bob Yoder, SheaHomes’ vice president of Community Development, Southern California, said: "We could not imagine an architecture team better suited for the goals we have for this development. Van Tilburg and EDAW have a solid reputation for listening and working with communities. They also have the creativity, the experience and an innate feel for ‘Pasadena character’ to transform this campus into the extraordinary neighborhood we all envision."

The pairing of Van Tilburg and EDAW has an established record of success. The two firms have collaborated on a variety of projects, and the two principals, Johannes Van Tilburg and Steven Kellenberg, teach Design and Planning at the master’s degree level at the University of Southern California School of Planning.

In July, the church completed a similar nationwide search before selecting SheaHomes as its master development consultant. Like Shea, the Van Tilburg group and EDAW have both a national reputation and a long history of interpreting the look and feel of Southern California communities to fit the character of the surrounding neighborhoods.

The Worldwide Church of God is creating a master planned community on the Ambassador campus that would include a transit-oriented urban-village on the East Campus and a garden-residential community on the West Campus. The church seeks to preserve key garden areas on the campus, historic homes on the site and to determine the future of the Ambassador Auditorium as part of the development.

Over the past 50 years the WCG acquired 138 separate lots and combined them into one of the most lovely campus environments in Southern California—Ambassador College. The Ambassador campus grounds include acclaimed gardens, historic homes and the Ambassador Auditorium, which has been compared to Carnegie Hall in its grandeur and acoustic quality.

SheaHomes is the largest privately held building firm in the nation, and is known nationwide for its commitment to homeowner services. Shea Homes is also a leading developer of energy-efficient homes and a leader in creating communities that are harmonious with their surrounding environment.

Hit Counter