VMWP’s Top Memories of 2019

Posted on: December 31, 2019

As the end of the year approaches, we are counting down our 2019 top 10 VMWP memories:

#10 BEST TOUR DAY!

Thanks to Gretchen Till and Andrew Faulkner’s excellent organizing, the SF office enjoyed a walking tour of the new Transbay Transit Terminal and surrounding neighborhood, featuring many new tall and base buildings by world-famous and locally renowned architects, OMA, Jeanne Gang, SOM, Cesar Pelli, Leddy Maytum Stacy, Anne Fougeron, etc… We learned about the industrial history of the area, the waterfront and the planning policies that have shaped the new district. It was an inspiring day for all of us.

#9 BEST VR DAY!

Designer Lilly Wellington set up a virtual reality demo for our office to explore one of our projects under development. Lilly’s model was exceptional and it was amazing to see all her hard work pay off. We were reminded that affordable housing can and should be beautiful – Trust us, we all saw it! It was also fun to jump off the roof a few times.

#8 BEST LUNCH BREAK!

On a particularly beautiful day this year, the SF office spent the lunch hour playing frisbee along the Embarcadero. We are quite lucky to work only five minutes away from the waterfront and these bridge views.

#7 BEST SURPRISE!

We surprised our amazing Mariana Torres Salomao with a wedding shower in July. It is not easy to keep a secret in this office, but we made it happen. Cheers to Mariana and Hervé, we are all so happy for you!

#6 COOLEST ARTICLE!

Do you know about the project called “Nuns and Nones”? The New York Times wrote a piece about the Sisters of Mercy and their fascinating connection to their new non-religious millennial roommates…Yes, roommates! “These are radical, badass women who have lived lives devoted to social justice,” said Ms. Bradley. “And we can learn from them.” VMWP is proud to be collaborating with the Sisters of Mercy and our long term client Mercy Housing to explore opportunities to further the vocation of the Sisters by incorporating affordable senior housing in one of their communities.

#5 BEST FRIDAY DESIGN DISCUSSION!

As usual, we pinned our newest projects to the board, enjoyed some beers, snacks, and bounced ideas around the room. However this time Michael Kloefkorn shared some new energy modeling tools and we evaluated our projects in a new light. From this day forward, we address efficiency first, people first, and truly keep our sustainability and design goals in play from start to finish.

#4 BEST WORKSHOP!

Tim Van Meter and Lauren Daley had a great time presenting “Getting to Net-Zero Affordable Housing” at the Housing Now Conference in Colorado this year. HildaHaus, a net-zero, carbon-neutral, all-electric home built by Tim was presented as an example of how to actually design and build a net-zero home.

#3 BEST COLLABORATION!

All three offices came together to meet, collaborate, and strategize on these three topics: sustainability, resilience, and innovative design. Open dialogue about our shared priorities united and encouraged us to move our firm in new directions. It was an exceptionally fun, rejuvenating, and inspirational collaboration session. Many thanks to Pam Goode’s moderating, or we would have been there all night.

 #2 BEST PARTY!

 VMWP turned 30 this year and we were honored to celebrate with our VMWP family: former employees, colleagues, collaborators, clients, and partners. We are grateful to have had the opportunity to work alongside so many amazing people throughout our thirty years of sustainable and community-oriented design. Thank you for making us who we are today!

 #1 BEST ANNOUNCEMENT!

We saved the best for last… VMWP has opened in Minneapolis!!! Cheers to Laura Shagalov and Jeremy Stock as they lead the Minneapolis office. We are excited to bring our passion for designing equitable, sustainable, and affordable housing to the Twin Cities!

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