Mithun

Congratulations to the University of Montana on the groundbreaking of a new residence hall this week! This project will be the largest student life facility on campus and home to more than 600 students when complete in 2026. Located at a prominent campus corner, the building defines a welcoming, accessible gateway to the university. Landscape design will engage and celebrate the community, local ecology and the university’s distinction as a state of Montana arboretum. The project is designed by Mithun (architecture, landscape architecture and interior design) in association with MMW Architects, executive architect and collaborating designer. Additional team members include Associated Construction Engineering (MEP), WGM GROUP, Inc. (civil) and DCI Engineers (structural). Dick Anderson Construction is the general contractor.

We had an amazing time visiting the Enso Village campus last week for their opening ribbon ceremony! Residents and staff welcomed the community for a reflective celebration, accompanied by a live painting of an enso by Zen scholar, artist and activist Kaz Tanahashi. Enso Village is a 16-acre, 275-unit mixed housing development in Healdsburg, California, and the first Zen-inspired senior community on the West Coast. This agrarian village is designed to promote self-reflection, growth and active, healthy living for seniors while reflecting the highest level of land stewardship and design. Mithun led the design (architecture and landscape architecture) in association with HKIT Architects, executive architect, and Gates Associates, executive landscape architect. ForrestPerkins is interior designer. Special thanks to our partners and community advocates including San Francisco Zen Center, Susan O'Connell, The Kendal Corporation, The Weitz Company, Healdsburg Chamber of Commerce and City of Healdsburg. Learn more about the net-zero targeted facility and its unique mission here: https://lnkd.in/gVT_NThq

Colleges and universities across the nation are experiencing dynamic tension between long range development initiatives and disruptions in enrollment trajectories. Some regions and systems are grappling with growth and transformation while others are seeking to update campus infrastructure and facilities to support recruitment and retention. Amidst these challenges, institutions remain committed to expanding access to affordable campus housing to better ensure the future success of their students and programs. In "Universities Adapt to Serve the Next Generation," Brendan Connolly and Lynn Mcbride share key patterns that have emerged in our work with diverse public and private institutions to plan, design and construct vibrant campus communities. https://lnkd.in/gNGUkGEy

Join us at the 9th Annual AIA Los Angeles Design for Dignity Conference! This Friday, August 2nd, Mithun principals Simone Barth and Damian Possidente, AIA, LEED AP will co-present “Building Equitable Community on Campus and Beyond” with UCLA associate vice chancellor Peter Hendrickson, AIA and GGLO Design principal Gio Aliano, AIA. The presentation will share current strategies, challenges and future visions for the development of sustainable and equitable campus communities that enhance student experience and long-term institutional resilience. Featured case studies include UCLA Gayley Towers and UC Santa Barbara San Benito student housing. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/g4n7WikK

How can we transform yesterday’s spec office into the destination workplace of tomorrow? In response to record-high vacancy rates, Mithun recently helped a Texas-based developer explore how a typical commercial office could be redesigned as an innovative #masstimber structure, prioritizing wellness, community and environmental responsibility. Surprisingly, the transformation was possible without impacting the existing entitlement, including FAR, general building massing and below-grade parking. Read more via ARCHITECT Magazine: https://lnkd.in/gZUZQuDG

Congratulations to MidPen Housing Corporation on the opening of Gateway Rising – 140 new affordable homes on Willow Road near the Meta campus in Menlo Park! It’s been our pleasure and honor to design this replacement and expansion to the beloved Gateway family housing community, as well as the adjacent Sequoia Belle Haven senior affordable housing.   Kudos to the design and construction team including Devcon Construction, Emerald City Engineers, Inc., DCI Engineers, Coffman Engineers, Banks Landl Lighting Design and Steelhead Engineers, Inc.

Mithun is collaborating with design-build partner FORMA Construction to refresh eight existing community parks in Shoreline, WA. All the parks prioritize improvements that enhance accessibility and inclusivity, with a tailored design and mix of amenities at each location to reflect the distinct personality of their neighborhoods and create a range of unique visitor experiences across the city. Design-build delivery provided a key pathway for delivering design excellence and budget and schedule performance. Learn more in Deb Guenther's cover story, “Advancing park design with progressive design-build project delivery” in the Daily Journal of Commerce (DJC) Landscape Northwest special section: https://lnkd.in/g7qW794e Image by Plomp for Mithun. Special thanks to the City of Shoreline and DJC section editor Shawna Gamache.

We are honored to support Heirloom in their efforts to bring new Direct Air Capture (DAC) facilities to Northwest Louisiana. The first facility at the Port of Caddo-Bossier in Shreveport will begin construction later this year. When operational in 2026, it will remove around 17,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide annually. “We couldn’t be more excited to be building these new facilities in Northwest Louisiana,” said Shashank Samala, CEO of Heirloom. “These investments not only bring meaningful economic activity and job creation to the region, but also help to cement Louisiana as a leader in this new energy economy and further America’s leadership on the global stage.” Mithun partner Jason Steiner said, “This is a generational opportunity for transformative positive change. In our collaboration with Heirloom we share a profound alignment of climate values and a vision for a sustainable, net-zero future. We are thrilled to contribute our integrated design knowledge to advance Heirloom’s DAC facilities, harnessing the natural power of limestone to permanently remove carbon dioxide from the air.” Mithun is providing architecture, landscape architecture and interior design services for this DAC facility, the firm’s second for Heirloom. Additional design team members include PAE, MEP; KPFF Consulting Engineers, structural; and Moffatt & Nichol, civil. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/gN5gqdrA Image by Plomp for Mithun. #DesignforPositiveChange

“Home In Tacoma” received unanimous approval from the Planning Commission! This new zoning code regulates buildings, open spaces and landscaping in the residential neighborhoods of Tacoma, WA—allowing ambitious increases in both housing density and tree canopy to meet the City’s dual goals of affordable housing and climate resilience. Mithun is excited to be working alongside the City, ECOnorthwest, and Parametrix on the project. Next steps involve public hearings and City Council process and approval, with the goal of adoption in early 2025. Learn more via the City of Tacoma: https://lnkd.in/gPaYin9E #HomeInTacoma #DesignforPositiveChange #middlehousing

Construction has begun on Transbay Block 2! The $309 million full-block development incorporates two new affordable housing buildings, Transbay Block 2 West and East, which together will be home to more than 700 residents in the East Cut neighborhood of downtown San Francisco. Transbay Block 2 West (2W) features affordable senior housing developed by Chinatown Community Development Center and designed by Mithun with Kerman Morris Architects LLP, associate architect. The building includes 151 apartments for seniors (including 30 homes reserved for those who have experienced homelessness), supportive services, shared amenities to foster community among residents, a sixth-floor roof deck, a courtyard garden and 3,000-square-feet of ground-floor retail. The design will form a backdrop to the future Transbay Park at the heart of the district. “We’re extremely proud to serve as architects for Transbay Block 2W, which demonstrates San Francisco’s commitment to stable homes, design excellence and beautiful, equitable, walkable urbanism for San Franciscans of all ages and backgrounds,” said Mithun partner Anne Torney. "We are grateful to the San Francisco Office of Community Investment and Infrastructure for their vision for Transbay and this site, and their guidance and funding to bring this project to life.” Congratulations to the project sponsors, community advocates and Block 2W design team members bringing this vision to reality! California Department of Housing & Community Development (HCD), Office of Community Investment and Infrastructure (#OCII), DCI Engineers, OLMM Consulting Engineers, Luk & Associates, Engineering 350, AR Green Consulting, Plural, Urban Design Consulting Engineers (UDCE), 4EA Building Science, Tucci Lighting, CSDA Design Group, m.thrailkill.architect.llc. The Block 2 East (2E) building contains affordable housing for families and formerly homeless individuals, and will be developed by Mercy Housing California with architecture by Kennerly Architecture & Planning in association with Y.A. studio. A public mews will connect the two sites and support pedestrian connectivity within the neighborhood. Swinerton and Rubecon are constructing both Transbay Block 2W and 2E.