Who Gets to Live in Santa Barbara?
On Thursday, March 7, 2019, Dennis Thompson, FAIA, wrote an article regarding Santa Barbara's housing shortage history. Read the article on the Santa Barbara Independent website.
Reimagining Our Downtown
On Thursday, September 27, AIA held a panel and lively discussion about the processes and challenges of revitalizing downtown Santa Barbara. It was a well attended, engaging event, where local community members and city officials from Santa Monica and San…
The First 100 Years of Skyscrapers
Skyscrapers Are High. So Is the Granada. Santa Barbara has its own skyscraper — the Granada Building. The building was constructed between 1920 and 1924. It is eight stories tall, just one and a half stories shorter than the first…
Lutah Maria Riggs AIA – A Retrospect
The Independent recently featured an historic look into the life of Lutah Maria Riggs FAIA, in an article by architect Robert Ooley FAIA. She dedicated her life to architecture and had a big impact on Santa Barbara. She is honored annually…
City of Santa Barbara Approves Historic Granny Flat Ordinance
COUNCIL VOTES BEFORE STATE LAW FORCES HAND | INDEPENDENT - BY NICK WELSH, MAY 10 Architect Alex Pujo channeled his inner Winston Churchill while quoting former Black Panther leader Eldridge Cleaver’s adage, “If you’re not part of the solution, you’re…
New ‘Granny Unit’ Rules Approved by Santa Barbara City Council
NOOZHAWK - BY JOSHUA MOLINA, MAY 9 Architect Paul Zink spoke in support of accessory dwelling units at Tuesday’s Santa Barbara City Council meeting. (Joshua Molina / Noozhawk photo) Despite some personal and political differences between members of the Santa…
Why an Architect? AIA Membership Is Architecture’s Seal of Approval
INDEPENDENT - MAY 3, 2018 BY ROBERT OOLEY FAIA It’s an age-old question: Why hire an architect? To begin answering it is to recognize that an architect does much more than just help you construct a building. There are numerous…
Santa Barbara City Council Moves Toward Accessory Dwelling Unit Ordinance
On a 4-2 vote, city leaders decide to require that ADU units be owner-occupied in perpetuity NOOZHAWK - JOSHUA MOLINA - APRIL 18 The city of Santa Barbara on Tuesday crept a bit closer to an accessory dwelling unit ordinance that would open the door…
The Saga of the Kallman Family Overlook
By Dennis Thompson - April 2018 Soon after The Mesa Architects began our volunteer work in the community in 2008, we identified a seemingly ideal project: to make a small unused part of the Coast Guard property on Meigs Road,…
Architects Stepping Up To Help Thomas Fire, Flood Victims
KCLU - APR 4, 2018 BY LANCE OROZCO They were back to back disasters. First, there was the Thomas Fire. Then, there was the Montecito debris flow. While the immediate crisis is over, thousands of Ventura and Santa Barbara County residents are…