Higher Education

Rex Fortune is the first elementary school within the Center Joint Unified School District, educating transitional kindergarten through sixth-grade students (TK-6). The new school, named after the late superintendent of the school district, Dr. Rex Fortune opened in the Fall of 2023. Rex Fortune Elementary is focused on teaching Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math (STEAM).

Two of the six classroom buildings are designed specifically for STEAM education which opens the inside to the outside through large rolling doors to accommodate robotics and other lab functions. Two buildings are designed to accommodate traditional classrooms, and two are designed for kindergarten students with an exclusive secured interior play area.

Modular construction was utilized in this project to achieve high standards of design, schedule, and budget.

This new, 211,000 GSF, six-building high school complex includes: performing arts classrooms, a library, multi-purpose room, two gymnasiums, a variety of playfields and courts, food service and lunch shelter, administrative support services, playfields, and subterranean parking under basketball courts. It was important to maintain as much usable open space as possible to create a campus atmosphere on the constrained urban site. Given the magnitude of the intervention it was important to be mindful of the scale and character of the surrounding neighborhood throughout the process.

West Edge stands as a testament to modern urban living. The high-density, mixed-use development opens to the surrounding community through an expansive public outdoor plaza and retail promenade. Innovative residential buildings overlook these public spaces with 600 units of creative loft style and flex unit plans. The residential program includes 90 below-market-rate workforce housing units and 31 low-income units to serve the community. The mixed-use project also includes an 8-story, 200, 000 square foot office building, retail, food & beverage, and a grocer. The transit-oriented development, located less than one block from the Expo/Bundy Metro station connects residents, employees, and visitors to and from downtown Santa Monica to Downtown Los Angeles. The design team focused heavily on connecting the past to the present - the history of the site that includes the famous Martin Cadillac dealership (established in 1975), paying tribute to the prominence of the site that has always been part of Los Angeles’ history.

The new headquarters for the California Natural Resources Agency is a 22-story, 880,000 SF high-rise office tower serving as the workplace for several departments within the Agency, including the Department of Water Resources, Department of Fish and Wildlife, and the Department of Parks and Recreation. The project includes 10,000 SF of ground level retail/flexible space, a multi-vendor food court, and a verdant pedestrian plaza.

The sustainable features and strategies utilized for this LEED Platinum certified building include reclaimed water systems, mechanical chilled sails, and building materials such as rammed earth, reclaimed wood from the Paradise fire, and local/renewable materials. Designed to meet Net Zero Energy standards, the building’s Energy Use Intensity (EUI) is no more than 28.2 kBtu/sf/year.

The 148,000 square foot Health and Human Services Center, the first Zero Net Energy building in Placer County, was designed to create a transformational experiential environment, enhancing the existing campus, and providing a positive impact on all that visit and work at the facility. AC Martin responded to the client’s desire to present a building to the community that is welcoming and responsive to the budget, but not overdone or extravagant. We took this desire to heart and developed an appropriately scaled building with a clearly marked entry, that reinforces the vision of the client. 

In addition to designing a project that is both functional and affordable, we looked for meaning to reinforce the client’s vision. The entry to the building is important functionally and symbolically. A bridge is an appropriate metaphor for the project, particularly at the front door as it represents the idea that the clientele will be crossing the bridge to better things. In addition, a landscape bioswale along the public entry showcases sustainable practices while intersecting the bridge at the front door. A gentle rise of the pathway reinforces the idea of crossing at threshold, causing one to pause briefly to observe the natural elements on either side.

The overall organization of the building is informed by sensitivity to public interface, clarity of circulation, maximizing daylight, promoting cross divisional collaboration and future flexibility. The open Lobby space provides a clear view of the reception desk with visible signage directing one to the assortment of waiting areas. Designed to be intuitive and non-institutional in its expression, it is welcoming, warm, safe, and reinforces inclusivity.

Inspired by classic Spanish Colonial-style architecture combined with modern amenities, this 26-acre residential community development in Ventura, California is comprised of 10 bungalows, 132 apartment homes, and 128 townhomes. Various unit sizes include studio, one-, two- and three-bedroom layouts. The project also includes high-end residential amenities such as a private clubhouse, pool, spa, tennis courts, pet park, and much more to provide world-class tenant experience. 

Situated by the public port, the residents and visitors of Portside Ventura Harbor have the waterfront view and can take an advantage of both the California weather and the location through outdoor activities such as boating and going for a jog along the pedestrian-friendly sidewalks as well as a nearby 2.5 acre public park at the other end of the site.

The new Fifth Appellate District Courthouse in Fresno, designed by AC Martin, is a dignified and meaningful place of justice. The three-story, 61,000-SF building is located in the City’s ‘Old Armenian Town’ district on a 1.25-acre parcel, and includes a single courtroom and chambers for ten justices, offices for attorneys and staff, clerk/administrative offices, a library, conference spaces that support appellate courthouse operations, and secured parking. 

The building creates an edge to a pedestrian plaza complete with stone bands simulating rows of vines, pergola with wisteria, and a promenade lined with an orchard of flowering fruit trees, reminiscent of Fresno’s agrarian tradition. As visitors approach the limestone and glass building, they are welcomed by a reflecting pool and the warm wood-paneled walls of the public lobby. 

The courtroom itself is designed to be a destination, a place of openness, contemplation, and dignity. The tall windows flanking the courtroom look out onto courtyards, complete with a trickling fountain and landscaping indigenous to the San Joaquin Valley.

In keeping with the State’s Appellate Court Facilities Guidelines, the design facilitates safe and efficient court functioning while taking into account use and visibility of space. Avoiding the pitfall of the traditional maze-like interior spaces, AC Martin created a design that promotes excellent way-finding, and provides natural daylight and optimal views for all office spaces.

The site and parking areas, the courthouse perimeter, building entrance and interior spaces consist of active and passive security measures. The courthouse design includes up-to-date data/telecom and audio-visual systems to support its infrastructure requirements.

AC Martin, as a member of a Design-Build team with Swinerton & Walberg and Vitetta Group, provided architecture and engineering services for this 42,000 square foot State Appellate Court, which includes a 1,600 square foot courtroom, judicial chambers, and a 2,300 square foot law library. The dignified two-story design complements the architecture of downtown Riverside’s historic public buildings. An ellipse of two-story high columns connected by a steel-trellised canopy creates an elegant entrance that recalls the visual hallmarks of courthouses. The primary tenant of the building is the State of California Court of Appeal, 4th Appellate District, Division 2. The development timeline was 24 months and the facility was completed on time and on budget.

“This building sits in perfect architectural harmony and context with the greater community. The pergola, slight curvature of the front, the breezeway at the back of the building and the beautiful water fountain and courtyard are all distinctive architectural elements that exist throughout Riverside and San Bernardino counties as well as in the Inland Empire.”

- Hon. Manuel A. Ramirez, Presiding Justice Fourth District, Division Two Court of Appeal