The American Institute of Architects, California Council (AIACC) announces Jonathan Segal, FAIA, of San Diego as the 2013 AIACC Distinguished Practice Award recipient. This annual award recognizes significant contributions to a specific building type or practice area, as well as an individual architect’s work, responses to challenges and innovations within the design and construction process, and achievement of design excellence through a collaborative spirit. This award recognizes a career of dedicated commitment to the built environment.
Established in 1989, Jonathan Segal FAIA & Development Company is known for its design and development of medium- to high-density residential and mixed-use projects. Segal has pioneered the architect’s role in the development process, showcasing his “architect as developer” philosophy in such innovative projects as the Kettner Row & Little Italy Neighborhood Development, the first attempt to create fee simple single-family convertible housing in downtown San Diego; The Union, San Diego, an adaptively reused, sustainable affordable residential housing unit for which Segal acted as owner, developer and contractor; and The Q, San Diego, a sustainable residential and retail building that Segal first designed as an office building but, facing changing markets, resourcefully converted to loft apartments and retail.
Segal’s firm has received more than 60 national and local design awards, including six National AIA Honor Awards and Residential Architect’s 2012 Project of the Year Award for The Charmer, a mixed-use housing and retail project in San Diego.
Segal has shown consistent commitment to mentorship and to the advancement of the architectural profession, the Awards jury noted. He has lectured throughout the United States and Europe, offering his lecture series “Architect as Developer” live and online. Recently, Segal co-founded Woodbury University’s Master of Architecture in Real Estate Development program, a hands-on, studio-based curriculum that aims to bring the unique perspective of the architect into a leadership role in building development.
“Jonathan Segal is an excellent practitioner,” the Awards jury commented, “and in his firm, he has created a unique business model that has changed the way architects practice. He demonstrates a strong commitment to community involvement, particularly in the city of San Diego, and has dedicated himself to the profession as an educator.”
The AIACC congratulates Jonathan Segal on his impressive accomplishment.