Newsletter: October 2025

In nature, the symphony of October in the United States is one of abundant activity. While deciduous trees are shedding their leaves, a variety of mammals are harvesting and storing for winter. For people, October is also a busy time. In the final quarter, plans for the coming calendar year are being made, while celebrations of the current one’s accomplishments are simultaneously prepared. 

To honor this month of both foresight and reflection, we’re sharing and celebrating some of our most recent projects, while fueling you with insights to help prepare new projects for the new year.
 

Drew Pedrick, AIA, Founder and CVO, MCTIGUE

The True Cost of Conscious Architecture

One of the first questions new clients ask is, "Will Conscious Architecture cost us more?" and we absolutely understand why. In a world where the price of everything seems to be elevating, particularly in a time of planning budgets for next year,  it's natural to wonder if choosing Conscious Architecture might stretch your purse strings. 

But we've discovered through years of practice that our approach isn't just more affordable than traditional methods — it's genuinely more cost-effective than building unconsciously.

We invite you to  learn more of what we mean by that, and why this matters for your next project.

Ideas Festival Emory Recap!

Visiting Atlanta for the Emory Ideas Festival October 18th yielded many rich and provocative conversations, including with new and current partners. Highlights included Founder and CVO Drew Pedrick’s talk, “The Four Pillars of Architectural Resilience for the Future of People, Place, and Planet,” a special visit to Sweet Auburn with historic preservation champion Gene Kansas, and a visit with our great friends at Rootstock . 

Of the trip, Drew says: 

“Being on the Emory Oxford campus and seeing the internal renovations they’ve been doing while preserving the original, historic buildings is the essence of resilience. And the connections that Gene and I shared around the importance of heritage in both New Orleans and Atlanta was very special.” 

We’ll be expressing more of what emerged from this visit — including the potential for projects in the Atlanta area — so please follow us on LinkedIn if you aren’t already.

Project Highlight: Brunswick Building 3rd Floor

Creating a modern, functional, 4K square foot workspace within a historic, newly renovated building — while minimizing waste and designing for adaptability over time — was an excellent opportunity for Conscious innovation. 

Modular wall panels and structural systems that allow for easy reconfiguration or relocation in the Brunswick Building 3rd floor offices mean that walls, posts, beams, staircase, flooring, railings can now all be completely disassembled and reassembled based on purpose of Place, either at this site or elsewhere. 

The results of this project exemplify MCTIGUE's mission to design with integrity and care — delivering resilient, adaptable environments where people, place, and planet thrive together.

Project Highlight: Sirens of the Sea

How do you create an inviting and meaningful sense of place — in an industrial-scale warehouse, on a small budget, using minimal footprint and material impact — and still tell a story that honors the individuals and community that make up San Pedro and Los Angeles? As collaborators with client, landlord and other stakeholders, to start. 

Adding a soft fabric perimeter upon which dynamic images of ocean life, vistas and shifting abstract imagery can be projected made this featherlight construction even more fun.

After our work with owner Yolanda Regalado, Sirens By The Sea is becoming a daily amenity serving the nonprofits, startups, and innovators rooted in the blue economy: one that is beautiful, nourishing, and aligned with the environmental values of the AltaSea campus at the Port of Los Angeles.

Project Highlight: DaVita Playa Offices

Rather than treating this as a typical office renovation, we reimagined the project as an opportunity to craft a new workplace that would actively support our client's culture while improving functionality for everyone. Our approach centered on maximizing impact in strategic areas while including the entire staff in the design process.

Involving everyone was key. We implemented a highly interactive process that put every employee at the center of decision-making. And the transformation exceeded expectations, creating measurable benefits for the tenant, landlord, and broader DaVita Corporation while finishing within budget and establishing a new corporate standard for workplace design.
 

We respect your privacy and are committed to protecting your personal information. Any data collected through our communications will be used solely for the purpose of providing you with relevant updates and services. We will never share or sell your information to third parties.

If you no longer wish to receive emails from us, you may unsubscribe at any time by clicking the unsubscribe link provided in this email. You can also reply to this message, including unsubscribe in the topic. For more details, please contact us directly.