Architecture Firm Named for IDEA Project

SAN DIEGO—Developers Lowe Enterprises, Inc. and I.D.E.A. Partners, LLC have selected nationally recognized West Coast architectural firm The Miller Hull Partnership to design IDEA1, an urban mixed-use project with creative office space, apartments and street-level retail.

Located on the full block bounded by E, F, Park and 13th streets, IDEA1 will anchor the I.D.E.A. District, a proposed 35-block area infused with Innovation+Design+Education+Art in Upper East Village. In addition, The Miller Hull Partnership has chosen IDEA1 as the site of its new San Diego headquarters.

“This is a major step in the evolution of Upper East Village. Miller Hull is exactly the type of creative, innovative firm that the I.D.E.A. District is designed to attract,” said Mike McNerney, senior vice president of Lowe Enterprises.

The Miller Hull Partnership, with offices in both San Diego and Seattle, has designed many high profile projects in San Diego over the past 10 years and has distinguished itself with more than 250 regional and national awards, including the prestigious American Institute of Architects' AIA Firm Award, the highest honor conferred by the U.S. architectural community for consistently distinguished architecture.

In addition to IDEA1, current projects include the design of the 'Africa Rocks' exhibit at the San Diego Zoo, the San Ysidro Land Port of Entry, and the Mesa Community College Cafeteria and Bookstore. The firm has captured worldwide attention for its design of the landmark Bullitt Center in Seattle, targeting Living Building certification.

“The Miller Hull Partnership brings a wealth of knowledge about innovation districts, as the firm has contributed to the transformation of Seattle's South Lake Union area – where tech firms, biomeds, restaurants, hip residences, and street life are all flourishing – into one of the best examples of how an urban jobs cluster can galvanize the fortunes of underused, formerly industrial downtown areas,” said Pete Garcia, principal, I.D.E.A. Partners. “The Miller Hull team will help us spur the transformation of Upper East Village into a similar jobs engine.”

Norman Strong, FAIA, partner, The Miller Hull Partnership, said, “We're honored to be selected to join the IDEA1 team. We followed Pete Garcia and David Malmuth's I.D.E.A. District concept for several years and have watched with interest as Lowe Enterprises has created a model of sustainability at the County of San Diego Operations Center. This partnership is a perfect fit for our expertise and culture that stresses collaboration, sustainability, and site-specific design.”

Miller Hull will lease 6,000 square feet at IDEA1, sufficient to accommodate its current staff and allow for future growth.

IDEA1 will occupy a 1.37-acre site, which was acquired by Lowe Enterprises and I.D.E.A. Partners through a 99-year ground lease from the San Diego Community College District. The five-story, 225,000-square-foot, mixed-use project is planned to include 63,000 square feet of creative office space, 10,000 square feet of street-level retail and eateries, and 218 apartments surrounding a large interior courtyard that will actively engage the corporate and residential occupants and neighborhood.

“IDEA1 will be designed to encourage idea-sharing through flexible, collaborative spaces for both companies and individuals. Offices will be designed to appeal to tenants at the intersection of design and technology and feature high ceilings with floor-to-ceiling glass, roll-up walls, and configurable spaces. Renters will have access to co-working spaces, a communal kitchen, clubhouse and rooftop pool,” said David Malmuth, principal, I.D.E.A. Partners. “It will be an incredibly dynamic environment for entrepreneurs, creatives, and tech workers who want to live in the center of San Diego's growing innovation district.”