Sparling, a national electrical engineering and technology consulting firm with offices in Seattle and Portland, said it was opening a San Diego office Sept. 11. The expansion is part of Sparling’s strategic plan to grow into Southern California.
“Although we have just now opened an office here, Sparling has been committed to the Southern California business community since 1979, serving a number of clients in the health care arena,” said Eric Overton, chief executive officer. “We see a bright future in this region and are proud to be the firm of choice for so many high-profile clients.”
Sparling, which also consults clients in higher education, life science and retail industries, has worked on 300 projects in Southern California, including Los Angeles, Orange and San Diego counties.
“We’re a specialized niche firm that’s wholly committed to the more innovative side of the built environment,” said Jeff Hankin, who manages Sparling’s San Diego office in Sorrento Valley.
Services include architectural lighting design, acoustical, audio and video consulting, plus wireless and data network and telecommunications consulting. Sparling also has a sustainable building design practice focused on improving energy efficiency.
Hankin, who has been a part of Sparling’s executive team for 20 years, said one of the biggest contributions Sparling can make to a health care facility development project is experience working with the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development.
“Helping owners and architects to navigate the complex regulatory environment for health care design and construction is more than a value-added capability; it’s critical to the ultimate success of the project,” he said.
The firm has consulted on health care facilities, including projects in Denver, Palo Alto and Princeton, N.J.
Sparling has 160 employees nationwide. It is seeking to hire several project managers, engineers and technology consultants locally. Last year the consulting firm had revenues of $22 million.
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Open House Has Unexpected Turnout:
Home sales may be slowing in the county but hundreds of homebuyers turned out for an open house late last month to see one of North County’s newest developments. More than 1,200 interested buyers visited Del Mar developer Davidson’s Viridian neighborhood at La Costa Greens in Carlsbad during a grand opening weekend Aug. 25-26.
The development, with prices starting in the low $900,000s for one- and two-story homes with 2,800 to 4,600 square feet, is adjacent to the golf course at La Costa Resort. There are four floor plans with three to five bedrooms and 2.5 to 4.5 bathrooms.
“Countless outstanding details in the architecture, interiors and landscaping at Viridian create a wonderful and lasting impression for visitors of this luxury home neighborhood,” said Petra Eigl, a Davidson sales representative. “The floor plans and pricing were also very well received throughout the grand opening weekend.”
The Viridian development will feature 91 single-family detached homes within La Costa Greens, a master planned community that includes a private recreation club, parks, tennis courts and proposed 32-acre park and aquatic center.
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Name Change Reflects Parent:
San Diego’s NTDStichler Architecture said Sept. 10 that the firm will return to their parent company name of NTD Architecture. The firm has operated under the name NTDStichler since 2003 when NTD Architects and the Stichler Group combined to form a national firm.
“We’re thrilled at the events currently taking place at our firm,” said Jon Alan Baker, president and CEO of NTD Architecture. “We are fortunate to have a number of long-term choice clients and we remain dedicated to ensuring their satisfaction through the use of our process improvement system.”
NTD’s process improvement system implemented on all projects involves the use of program planning tools, document control systems and information management systems to ensure that the project outcome is aligned with clients’ expectations.
NTD employs more than 300 architects, engineers, interior designers and support staff in San Diego, Los Angeles, Visalia and Auburn, plus Phoenix and Tucson, Ariz. The San Diego office employs 126.
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Awards For Office Buildings:
The San Diego Building Owners and Managers Association honored a dozen local office properties in its Office Building of the Year award ceremony held Sept. 12.
Nominees are evaluated on tenant relations, community involvement, emergency evacuation procedure plans and continuing education for building personnel.
This year’s recipients included the downtown Chambers Building, managed by Barker Pacific Group; Pacific Ridge Corporate Centre in Carlsbad, managed by Brandywine Realty Trust; Fortress and the Nobel Executive Center in University Towne Center, managed by CB Richard Ellis; Torbati Building downtown, managed by Interstate Holdings; AMN Healthcare Services Inc. building in Carmel Valley, Kilroy University Centre, Kilroy Centre Del Mar and Kilroy Sabre Springs, managed by Kilroy Realty Corp.
The award competition is held annually in conjunction with BOMA International. Local winners have the opportunity to advance to the regional and international levels. In the past, several San Diego projects have won international awards, including the Hazard Center in Mission Valley, Symphony Towers downtown and 225 Broadway, also downtown.
Send real estate news to Michelle Mowad at
mmowad@sdbj.com
. She may also be reached at (858) 277-6359, ext. 3109.
