TZL 1297

BUSINESS NEWS BLOKABLE SELECTS WHA INC. AS ARCHITECTURE PARTNER, STREAMLINING COMPLIANCE WITH TOUGHEST BUILDING CODES IN THE U.S. Blokable, the developer that builds high- quality, low-cost, and connected housing, has selected William Hezmalhalch Architects, Inc. , the comprehensive land planning and architectural design firm, as its architecture partner to oversee code compliant design and architecture of projects Blokable is developing. WHA will work with Blokable’s design process to comply with various jurisdictional codes and regulations. WHA will also create plans and contextual features appropriate for the communities in which Blokable is developing projects. By streamlining design and code review for the most stringent jurisdictions in the U.S., WHA enables Blokable to further drive costs out of development, expedite the approval process for both market rate and not-for-profit projects, and quickly and cost- effectively build beautiful, energy efficient, comfortable, and modern housing where it’s needed most. Blokable’s project partners include land owners, investors, and nonprofit housing service providers who are looking for less costly and more efficient alternatives to traditional market rate development or who want to broaden access to affordable and work-force housing in their communities. Blokable has reinvented the development process with a global first-a vertical platform

that integrates planning, permitting, siting, design, manufacturing, delivery, and ongoing support into one transparent and easily managed service. By offering the entire real estate development stack, Blokable can drastically cut overall project time and slash project costs as well as reduce long-term operating and maintenance costs. “In the construction industry, time is money. WHA combines deep architectural expertise with a thorough understanding of how our product works, bringing us the additional flexibility to operate in the most expensive and housing-stressed areas of the country,” said Blokable Co-CEO Nelson del Rio. The proprietary Blokable Building System, implemented in the company’s factory in Vancouver, Washington, unlocks previously unavailable efficiencies through just-in-time manufacturing of standardized, prefab housing components called Bloks, which can be easily combined and stacked into a variety of custom configurations-including high-density, multi- story residential. “A common pitfall of other prefab and modular construction technologies is that they must adapt to local building codes, which vary across states and municipalities,” continued del Rio. “Too often the result is custom projects that further drive up the cost of development. Working with WHA means we can deliver a standardized and repeatable product anywhere, completely vetted and

code compliant, without compromising cost, build quality, or livability.” “WHA is pleased to provide our architectural expertise to help Blokable scale up its innovative housing development platform,” said Ron Nestor, senior principal at WHA. “A key advantage of the Blokable Building System is its transparency-providing the cost and performance profile upfront and eliminating the need to adjust the bill of materials to meet cost and site requirements. This lets WHA focus on applying the Blokable system to deliver the best architectural plan and design for the site.” “We need to reduce the cost and complexity of housing creation,” added Blokable Co- CEO Aaron Holm. “We’re working with WHA to ensure our total compliance with state and local codes so that we can focus on our goal of expanding prosperity and equity through housing. It’s exciting to see how quickly WHA can create a fully compliant and costed site plan using the Blokable Building System.” WHA is a comprehensive land planning and architectural design firm that specializes in the shaping of new communities and reshaping of urban and existing in-town neighborhoods. For more than 37 years, WHA has been the go-to firm for creating projects rich in diversity, creativity, and forward-thinking solutions. With offices located in Orange County, Los Angeles and Bay Area, California, WHA has served numerous agencies, builders, and developers.

PAM WOOD, from page 11

runs smoothly. The key is to ask the right questions, under- stand the project, and discuss the parameters with the client in order to manage their expectations. ❚ ❚ Keeping the lines of communication open. With technol- ogy on the forefront and our day-to-day communication circling mostly around emails and instant messaging – which are great tools – we tend to neglect the power of talking to clients. In order to consistently maintain a strong level of communication, you must learn how to harness the power these tools provide to keep conversations alive throughout the duration of your project. The minute there is a breakdown in communication, problems start to happen, and deadlines are in jeopardy. Looking back on the years I’ve spent building a design department, I reflect on the challenges faced, and the mistakes made along the way. Every hurdle encountered should be taken as a challenge to find the best solution. It may sound cliché, but you must learn from these successes or failures. I take the opportunity to continually share these lessons with our design team, and new designers, to help them build their careers as part of this in-house team. Our department’s mantra is to maintain consistency in our work products and customer service, which strengthens our reputation and builds confidences with our internal clients. PAM WOOD is the graphic design manager at Geosyntec Consultants. She can be reached at pwood@geosyntec.com.

career I never fully understood the benefit of having an in- house design department, now I can’t imagine a company without one. When you work surrounded and married to your company’s brand, no one knows the brand, and its as- sets, better than your design department. We understand the value in which the assets are being used, how to implement them in the most viable manor, and how to make changes and updates that will benefit the firm. “Looking back on the years I’ve spent building a design department, I reflect on the challenges faced, and the mistakes made along the way. Every hurdle encountered should be taken as a challenge to find the best solution. It may sound cliché, but you must learn from these successes or failures.” ❚ ❚ Delivering exceptional graphics, on time and on budget. In order to maintain a high-quality and cost-effective work- flow, you must train your designers to understand the im- portance of adhering to deadlines and embracing the client’s expectations. As a graphics manager, it is your responsibility to make sure all details are being followed and the process

THE ZWEIG LETTER May 20, 2019, ISSUE 1297

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