RDC Opens San Diego Office

RDC Opens San Diego Office to Serve Growing Local Design Portfolio; Names Sean Slater Principal-in-Charge of the New Office
SAN DIEGO, Calif. – Full-service design firm RDC, has opened offices in San Diego at 101 West Broadway in downtown San Diego, and has named RDC Principal Sean Slater, AIA, as Principal-In-Charge of the new office, RDC CEO Brad Williams, AIA has announced.
"A diverse client base has drawn us to San Diego, and we have had numerous staff regularly making the trip from Long Beach," Williams said. "Sean loved the idea of making a life in San Diego, so this has been a natural evolution for our firm. We are confident in Sean and excited for him to have this role of growing a design office for RDC in San Diego.”
Under the leadership of Slater and RDC Senior Principal Mitra Esfandiari, AIA, the design staff at the firm’s Long Beach headquarters has created a portfolio of San Diego projects that includes the multi-phase repositioning of Del Mar Highlands Town Center, the redevelopment of Horton Plaza, renovations at Fashion Valley Mall, new mixed-use at Costa Verde Center, and several new high-rise multifamily communities in early planning phases.
"We are enthusiastic about San Diego, with its natural assets, human capital, and disposition toward continuing to evolve as a world leader in livable cities. Currently our firm's San Diego portfolio would rank the new RDC office as among the largest design firms in the city,” Slater noted.

RDC is architect of record (working with RIOS) of Horton. Preliminary design images courtesy of Stockdale Capital Partners.
"RDC's national staff will collaborate with the RDC San Diego office and with our partner teams Studio One Eleven and Fathom,” Esfandiari said. “The future of RDC in San Diego is exciting for our entire firm.”
Slater is a registered architect in numerous states and has over 25 years of practicing architecture in Los Angeles, Berkeley, Atlanta and Austin. He has been a leader at nationally recognized firms including ELS Architecture and Urban Design, tvsdesign and spent five years directing his own firm. Sean is sought after for thought leadership and was honored with the Urban Land Institute's prestigious Apgar Award for co-authoring "New Suburbanism: Reinventing Inner-Ring Suburbs" and his article "Crafting Authenticity," a cover story in Urban Land magazine.

RDC Principal Sean Slater, AIA, is Principal-In-Charge of the new San Diego office. Photo courtesy of RDC.
Portfolio
RDC is currently contributing to landmark San Diego developments, including:
Horton
Serving as architect of record, RDC is collaborating with design firm Rios to reinvent Horton Plaza as the ultimate 10-block, mixed re-use campus—a sustainable, high-tech hub in the heart of Downtown San Diego. Client: Stockdale Capital Partners.
Fashion Valley
RDC is providing architecture and landscape architecture for the regional retail destination’s renovation, with flexible outdoor spaces featuring resort-like amenities and public art, as well as building renovations inspired by modern architect Irving Gill. Client: Simon Property Group.
Equinox La Costa
RDC worked intimately with Equinox’s New York City-based design team to introduce the coastal community of Carlsbad to this exclusive, luxury brand. The transformative interior design converts an abandoned 31,000 SF grocery store into a luxury fitness club.
Del Mar Highlands Town Center
RDC has worked for nearly 10 years on the multi-phase renovation of Del Mar Highlands Town Center, creating the community’s desire for family-oriented amenities such as gathering places and quality dining, shopping and entertainment options. Client: Donahue Schriber.
LaPlaza LaJolla
RDC provided a reposition of this three-story building with an atrium that hosts upscale, seaside neighborhood dining and shopping. Client: Davlyn Investments.
Costa Verde Center
The revitalization of Costa Verde Center re-imagines a 1989 neighborhood shopping center located in the University City area of San Diego into a mixed-use mobility hub. Client: Regency Centers.

RDC is providing architecture and landscape architecture for the renovation of regional retail destination Fashion Valley. Rendering courtesy of RDC.
San Diego Area Design Awards
Equinox LaCosta
* 2018 AIA San Diego Honor Award.
Del Mar Highlands Town Center
* 2012 ICSC Design and Development Silver Award Winner for Renovation or Expansion of an Existing Project.
* 2012 Gold Nugget Award of Merit for Best Rehabilitation Commercial/Industrial Project.

RDC serves as architect in the repositioning of Costa Verde Center into a mixed-use mobility hub. Rendering courtesy of RDC.
Founded in 1979, RDC is a full-service, award-winning architecture firm dedicated to making everyday places extraordinary. Practice areas include placemaking, retail, store planning, entertainment, hospitality, office, residential, interiors, and procurement. Headquartered in Long Beach, CA, the firm has 160 staff members working in offices located in Los Angeles, Washington, DC, Portland, OR, Rogers, AR, San Diego, CA, and Shanghai, China.