AC Martin’s design for Our Lady Queen of Angels Catholic Church in Newport Beach was conceived to reinforce the worshipper’s experience. Through the development of layered spaces and light levels, noble and permanent materials, and a strong sense of procession, the parishioner is transported from the surrounding environment into a more reverent and spiritual space and experience.  

Completed in 1928, Los Angeles City Hall, a joint venture of Albert C. Martin, John Parkinson, and John Austin, was the city’s tallest building for more than 30 years. The iconic building features a 452' high central tower rising from a two-story base, flanked by wings to the north and south.

By the 21st century, hundreds of earthquakes had shaken the building. While the building’s foundation, footings, granite base, and structural steel remained strong and intact, the unreinforced masonry walls had suffered over time, necessitating a seismic retrofit. The renovation included seismic strengthening, life safety and accessibility code upgrades, and preservation of historically significant building elements. The plan also included base isolation of the structure. Approximately 414 base isolators were inserted into columns and under walls of the building just below the existing basement level and just above the existing foundation system. Installation of the isolators required the construction of a new basement-level structural slab. 

Additionally, reinforced concrete shear walls were added to strengthen existing masonry walls. A four-foot-wide underground moat, hidden from view, surrounds the perimeter of the building to allow for movement during seismic events. Once completed, the renovation was nearly invisible, allowing the historic building to retain its identity and splendor.

Los Angeles City Hall - Landmark

Our team worked with Orange County on the restoration and renovation of the Heroes Hall Veterans Museum, located at the Orange County Fairgrounds. The 4,800 sf Veterans Museum serves as the center piece of OC Fair’s history. We utilized the building’s original structure while ensuring it’s structurally sound and advance. The renovation design allows for plenty of natural lighting to take in the exhibits, as well as view the OC Fairgrounds from the museum. The five-sided pillar at the entrance of the Medal of Honor Plaza has a plaque on each side to commemorate World War I, World War II, Korean War, Vietnam War, and Iraq War. The plaques were commissioned in 1988 by AMVETS (American Veterans), before moving to their place at the Veterans Museum.

The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power Headquarters (renamed the John Ferraro Building in 2000) provided a central headquarters complex that consolidated eleven scattered offices of one of the nation’s largest public utilities on a 13-acre hillside site which formed the westerly terminus of the Los Angeles Civic Center at the time of completion. The 17-story office building served as a complete “working city” for 4,000 civil service employees with a base structure accommodating 2,400 cars. The typical office floor is approximately an acre in size, with a total of approximately 1,635,000 SF. A helistop located on the penthouse level faciliated the Department’s field inspections.

In 2009 NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) commissioned AC Martin to update its Master Plan which sets forth the guidance for development of the JPL Oak Grove facility over a projected ten year planning horizon.  This plan will serve JPL in both establishing the overall direction for needed physical changes at the Oak Grove facility but also the Table Mountain Observatory facility and the Deep Space Network of satellite antennas located around the world. The master plan will identify specific core projects conceptualized to meet Lab needs, improve Lab functionality and campus aesthetics.  The current master plan developed in 2003, because of several recent events occurring at the policy and funding levels of NASA now calls for an update so that it conforms to current NASA guidance.  Specifically, the updated master plan currently in preparation (Update Plan 2011) will address the following policies and needs of NASA:

• Redirection of the 2006 NASA Strategic Plan elements associated with the Constellation Program to emphasize solar system robotic missions, earth systems and climate change;
• Compliance with NASA guidelines for the preparation of Center Master Plans (CMPs) as contained in NASA Procedural Requirements document NPR 8810.1 and incorporation of JPL Environmental Affairs Department documents, and significant public communication;
• Compliance with NASA guidelines for insuring a focus on facility efficiency and sustainability as contained in NPR 8820.2F;
• NASA guidance for facilities that specify goals for removal and upgrading of NASA real property assets for all NASA Centers;
• NASA guidance for facilities that adopt national goals for achieving facility sustainability in the areas of energy and water use and for achieving reductions in green house gas (GHG) emissions;
• NASA directions for Center Master Plans to comprehensively address master planning for all facilities under management by JPL. This requires that the JPL Master plans simultaneously consider the needs and assets of the Oak Grove, Deep Space Network (DSN) and Table Mountain Facility (TMF) activities under management by JPL/Caltech/NASA.