Interactive Resources, Inc.

Please join us in welcoming back Michael Kurty, AIA, CSI, CDT, Architect / Project Manager, to our firm! Michael was an architect for Interactive Resources from 2007 to 2012, before going on to spend a decade with our colleagues at Brokaw Design. His career in architecture and construction is a testament to his dedication and passion for the field. We’re glad to have Michael back, and are making good on our promise to keep him busy! Drop by and say hello.

https://www.intres.com/welcome-back-michael-kurty/

We're excited to share our recent café design study renderings for the Speaker Nancy Pelosi Federal Building in San Francisco! Our firm has worked with the General Services Administration for decades, and this was a fun and collaborative project to work on with the GSA. Please check it out!

https://www.intres.com/speaker-nancy-pelosi-federal-building-cafe-design-study/

Interactive Resources Attends the 2024 California Preservation Foundation Conference – The annual California Preservation Foundation (CPF) Conference was recently held in downtown Los Angeles, hosted at the fabulous Millenium Biltmore Hotel, which celebrated its 100th Anniversary last year. The conference theme this year was Building Shelter, Community, and Sustainability. Many of the sessions focused on housing, and one of the more interesting presentations was called Why Bad Office Buildings Make Good Housing Buildings. The presenters, including Michael Strong from Pankow Builders and Principal Marc Steyer from Tipping Structural, explained that much of our Class B and C downtown core historic office buildings have ideal floorplates for double-loaded housing layouts and are desirable targets for adaptive reuse or rehabilitation projects. As the market for office space continually shrinks in the wake of the pandemic and discovery of work from home benefits, we are challenged to rethink how we can take advantage of the available building stock, reinvigorate, and repopulate downtowns. Skills from the field of historic preservation can be used to bolster these efforts.

Since recently joining Interactive Resources, a small but mighty architectural firm located along the Bay in the historic and charming neighborhood Point Richmond, I was delighted to discover that we have sponsored this event for over a decade. Our President and founder, Tom Butt, who joined me at the event, has been a fierce defender of historic buildings for all his professional life as an architect and most recently as the two-term Mayor of Richmond. Thanks to Tom’s efforts, many of Richmond’s most iconic historic buildings have been saved from demolition and rehabilitated. Tom is the principal author of most of the historic preservation legislation in the City of Richmond. It is from that foundation that Interactive Resources has built an enduring legacy of local, regional, and national historic preservation work.

What impressed me this year about the conference attendees compared to past events was the broad spectrum of professionals and advocates dedicated to preserving our buildings, culture, stories, and history. This is likely more about my developing perspective and not a change in the field. Another encouraging discovery was the sense of community and willingness of fellow professionals to share their strategies for saving old buildings, detailed case studies, and success stories.

After the classroom-based sessions concluded, I was able to explore and tour some popular sites such as the recently renovated Griffith Park Observatory and carefully restored Victorians on Carroll Avenue in Angelino Heights, one of the city’s oldest neighborhoods. Since northern and southern California take turns every year hosting the Conference, attendees have an opportunity to explore different urban environments and historic districts. Hope to see you in Sacramento at next year’s conference!

Author: Chris Lutjen, AIA, LEED AP BD+C
https://www.intres.com/team/chris-lutjen-aia-leed-ap-bdc/

East Bay Regional Park District opens new Service Yard and Maintenance Facility at the Dumbarton Quarry Regional Recreation Area in Fremont, California. Interactive Resources, Inc. provided architectural design and engineering services for the new Dumbarton Quarry Service Yard.

The project consists of the design for a new building and related site improvements. The new building is approximately 40 feet by 110 feet, and includes a three-bay garage, offices, restrooms, shower, kitchen, lockers, and break room/common area. There is also a separate structure for refuse and storage, as well as a vehicle wash station. Also included in the design are site improvements, exterior yard lighting and perimeter gates and fencing.

Pending East Bay Regional Park District’s Board approval, Interactive Resources' design could be used as a standard schematic design for future service yards and maintenance facilities.

https://www.intres.com/project/east-bay-regional-park-districts-ebrpd-dumbarton-quarry-service-yard/

Please join us in welcoming Chris Lutjen, AIA, LEED AP BD+C to our team!

https://www.intres.com/chris-lutjen-joins-interactive-resources-as-architect-project-manager/.

With more than 20 years of experience in a wide variety of building and project types, including historic, civic, academic, commercial, and retail, Chris brings a deep technical expertise augmented by passion and enthusiasm. Stop by to say hello!

Please join us in wishing a happy 80th birthday today to our president and founder, Tom Butt! We celebrated a day early with the team. Hope it's a great one, Tom!

We’re excited to share our pivotal role providing A&E services for the groundbreaking $700 million UC Berkeley Campus-Wide Clean Energy Electrification Project. This transformative initiative aims to enhance sustainability, reduce carbon emissions, and modernize the infrastructure of one of the nation’s most prestigious educational institutions. !

https://www.intres.com/how-were-helping-uc-berkeleys-700-million-campus-wide-clean-energy-electrification-project/

Interactive Resources helping UC Berkeley transition to a Clean Energy Campus
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/interactive-resources-helping-uc-berkeley-transition-knjgc/?trackingId=FPIM7nOPRXimBB5J5nCZMg%3D%3D&fbclid=IwAR1PXv5cze3vZEpRmtBlpCvpAzcMSicIeb2BQsbCJHHsyB2KRhwZOOyMc7U

https://www.sfchronicle.com/eastbay/article/uc-berkeley-clean-power-campus-17906829.php

UC Berkeley to embark on $700 million plan to supply its entire campus with clean energy The old steam power system with its exhaust grates blowing white v***r across campus to be replaced by electricity as part of a major infrastructure project.

We are proud to be helping UC Berkeley lead the way in transitioning to a fossil-fuel free campus. Interactive Resources provided architecture and structural engineering for 3 separate electrical substations, including one brand new building next to Hearst Memorial Mining Building, and the historic original heating plant designed by Campus Architect John Galen Howard, that will be preserved, fully seismically upgraded, and converted to a electrical substation as part of the campus electrification project.

How three UC campuses are phasing out fossil fuels This year every UC campus will publish a plan for eliminating carbon emissions and transitioning to renewable energy by 2045, and three campuses — Berkeley, Davis and Santa Cruz — are on track to decarbonize ahead of schedule.

TGIF! What are your weekend plans? We’re so lucky in the Bay Area to have incredible urban and off-road trail networks, and expanding this network has been a priority of our team, who have held local offices and served on planning committees. Biking is also favorite hobby of many of our employees, and we’re excited to support our community’s young enthusiasts. Interactive Resources is a proud sponsor of El Cerrito High’s Mountain Bike Race Team, with our own Managing Principal Andrew Butt as a coach. Have fun this weekend and don’t forget to Spring Forward!

Stopped by to check out one of our recent projects in Salinas, California while down at a high school mountain bike race with the El Cerrito High School Gauchos https://echsmtb.com/ (who we sponsor). This is the historic Salinas First United Methodist Church, where we designed a new commercial kitchen and food pantry to serve the community.

It was great to see Makyah Outman and get a personalized tour of the University of Oregon School of Architecture and his studio. Makyah has been a summer intern at IR for the past 3 summers, and we’re excited to see what he’s up to, and enthusiastic about his future!

80 West Ohio Avenue Industrial Warehouse – Interactive Resources recently provided architectural and structural engineering services for a new 40,000 square foot industrial concrete tilt-up building and related site improvements. Construction documents were prepared for the new building and site within an existing industrial park south of South Ohio Avenue within the City of Richmond.

The project design included: mechanical, electrical, structural and civil construction documents; extensive coordination with campus electrical and PG&E; structural coordination; civil engineering including grading/drainage plan, site utility plan, fire line plan, and storm water control plan and details. The new building was designed to support future tenant Improvements. Site improvements included: parking with 46 dedicated parking spaces, EV charging, and handicapped stalls. Solar panels were also added to the building rooftop.
https://www.intres.com/project/80-west-ohio-avenue-industrial-warehouse/

City of Cotati Community Center and City Hall Window Replacement – Interactive Resources recently prepared a study for the assessment of the window units at two city facilities — City Hall and the adjoining Community Center. Windows at both were beyond their expected service life and thermally inefficient. The study recommended the replacement of its original single-glazed aluminum windows with thermally efficient PVC replacement units with new hardware.

The south-facing windows at City Hall provided poor acoustical separation for city offices from the adjoining busy thoroughfare and appeared to be badly weathered. The study recommended the removal of all south-facing windows and replacement with a durable, double-glazed fiberglass window system to meet both thermal and acoustical requirements as well as providing compatible match with the building’s original character.

The submitted study was approved by the city and construction documents were prepared for the window replacement. Construction was completed in 2023. The improvement in the buildings’ appearance and performance related to the window replacement project has been well received by the city, particularly the positive impact to the acoustical quality of the City Hall office spaces.

https://www.intres.com/project/city-of-cotati-community-center-and-city-hall-window-replacement/

Cypress Lawn, New Office Building – Interactive Resources, Inc. completed a conceptual design and site planning for a newly acquired parcel along El Camino real in Colma, California. The purpose was to develop on a vacant lot a new two-story office building (approximately 9,000 square feet) that will consolidate Cypress Lawn Facilities’ offices and personnel now located throughout nearby Cypress Lawn properties and to be a symbol of Colma’s blending of architectural and natural beauty.

The design is Spanish Mission Style with modern features. Interactive Resources, Inc. collaborated closely with members of its team — civil, structural, landscaping and MEP —to create a structure that enhances the prominent area along El Camino Real with attractive building forms and colorful plantings, trees and flowers. Traditional Spanish facades, arches and red tiled roofs open up to a sleek, central glass atrium. To the west, an angled volume faces El Camino Real. It rests on a stone base with deep, narrow windows. Above is a breezy Mediterranean arcade with trellises. Flowering vines cover the trellises, reminding motorists of the beautiful plantings for which Cypress Lawn is already known.

On the inside, an atrium space features a bold colored shaft and walking bridge. Rich colors and textures create excitement of traditional and modern motifs with Spanish tile, wood accents, plaster feature walls, and lush plantings. The spacious training room will host daily coordination and training sessions, with a custom kitchen, break room, and locker rooms nearby. On the second floor are open offices, private offices, a conference room, lactation room, and a coffee station. A wrap-around overlook deck, lined with flowering trellises, connects office workers visually with their overriding purpose — Cypress Lawn’s vast, exquisite grounds on the west, north and east horizons. The exterior site improvements include parking with electric vehicle access and turnaround and electrical vehicle (EV) charging station.

https://www.intres.com/project/cypress-lawn-new-office-building/

Please welcome Yvonne Ongpin to our team! Yvonne manages office operations, including personnel-related programs, benefits and activities. Stop by to say hello!

https://www.intres.com/team/yvonne-ongpin/

We’re excited to have once again sponsored this fun event and great East Bay tradition.

Part 1

https://youtu.be/9IN07UYdquU?si=8edJm1v7sSssC2Pa

Part 2

https://youtu.be/dpoC-DKdqrU?si=JxCXafJyEIG_7O84

Disc Golf 2024 -Lake Chabot New Years Classic-Pt 1-Tomaselli, Cazanov-Diggs, Blair, Blumberg, Ritter Disc Golf Tournament in Oakland, California. First 10 holes of the final round of the Lake Chabot New Years Classic driven by Innova filmed in January 2024. ...

Clayton Young, Assoc. AIA Joins Interactive Resources as a Designer / Drafter
Interactive Resources welcomes designer/drafter Clayton Young to the firm’s architectural division. Clayton is a talented design professional and an integral part of the architectural production team. His responsibilities encompass a wide spectrum, involving the creation of renderings, site plans, elevation drawings, floor plans, and construction documents for both public agency and private sector projects.

Clayton’s engagement in his role is comprehensive, delving into various facets of his craft. His proficiency extends to Building Information Management (BIM) 3D models using Autodesk Revit, further enhancing the firm’s capabilities in design and documentation.

Clayton is originally from Melbourne, Australia.

Ankita Thukral Joins Interactive Resources as a Designer / Drafter
Interactive Resources is pleased to announce that Ankita Thukral has joined the firm’s architecture division as a designer/drafter. Ankita is a designer who is passionate about building design, drafting and modeling. She believes that thoughtfully designed architectural spaces can respond to the needs of the community and to socio-cultural challenges. Ankita brings advanced skills in Autodesk CAD, Adobe Suite, QGis and many other programs to our architectural team.

Ankita recently received her Master of Science in Architecture and Urban Design from UCLA and her Bachelor of Architecture from the Sushant School of Art and Architecture in India. Ankita is fluent in English, Hindi and Punjabi.

https://www.intres.com/team/ankita-thukral/

Thank you Westcon! We've benefitted from and been honored to contribute to Westcon’s valuable resources for many years.

WHO WOULD WE BE WITHOUT OUR MEMBERS?! ✨Spotlighting our first 25 members to renew for 2024. 👏

“Interactive Resources, a proud Westcon member, celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2023. Since 1973, the firm has been at the forefront of community-based sustainable design, with specialized expertise in waterproofing, roofing systems and forensic investigations. Interactive Resources has benefitted from and been honored to contribute to Westcon’s valuable resources for many years.”

A lovely and low key holiday dinner to wrap up a big year for the firm. It’s all about the people, and we’ve had a lot of good ones over the past 50 years!

The historic Sierra City Schoolhouse was built in 1883 and served as the local school for grades 1-12 until the front wall was damaged by an avalanche in 1952. It was recently approved for entry on the National Register of Historic Places. Sierra City, located at the base of the imposing Sierra Buttes, was once a booming gold mining center but now caters mainly to vacationers taking advantage of the nearby Lakes Basin Recreation Area, the Pacific Crest Trail, mountain biking and the North Yuba River that runs through town. The Old Schoolhouse was recently purchased by the family of Interactive Resources’ founder, Architect Tom Butt, who is planning to recreate the original belfry and mount in it, the original bell, now located at the nearby Kentucky Mine Museum.

Historic Sierra City Schoolhouse
Sierra City, California
June 2023

We’re celebrating our third decade of a favorite company holiday tradition! Our “adopted families” program works with a different nonprofit every year to provide gifts to families in need. This year, we had the pleasure of working again with the Early Childhood Mental Health Program in Richmond. Donations of time and money from our staff, present and past, and matching from the firm, made it possible to purchase, wrap and deliver gifts for 28 kids + lunch for the ECMHP’s amazing staff. We wish you all a happy holiday and a new year filled with joy, peace and prosperity!

The elves have been hard at work in Santa’s workshop. Preparing for our annual giftgiving campaign. It’s a serious undertaking!

Point Richmond loves Halloween, and we love getting into the spirit. The annual Washington Elementary school Halloween parade is always always a fun time!

Come out and see us and celebrate the great weather in Historic Point Richmond at the Point Richmond Business Association’s annual Fall Fest!

General Services Administration is celebrating 50 years of Art in Architecture. “Stare Decisis” and “Life, Liberty, Pursuit” (both 2006) are a metal sculpture and a set of three illuminated murals that artist Matthew Ritchie created in collaboration with Morphosis architects for the Wayne Lyman Morse U.S. Courthouse in , .

Photography: Nick Lehoux



https://ow.ly/MEy050PRXqN