Wednesday, November 9, 2016
Hector M. Perez
Perez's design portfolio includes private homes, an Oxnard branch library, and two La Jolla Shores lifeguard stations. Yet in recent years, he's narrowed his focus as a designer and educator to underserved San Diego neighborhoods that really resonate with him, particularly Sherman Heights, Golden Hill and Barrio Logan. "I'm originally from Mexico, and the son of an undocumented worker," Perez explained. "A lot of the kids in this community need a voice that resonates with their experience. It has always been my mission to share my story to help others reach their potential." His first designdevelopbuild effort was the livework project La Esquina, completed in 2013. The twostory, eightunit building occupies a 4,000square foot lot at the corner of Logan Avenue and Sampson Street that had been vacant and littered since 1964. Now an incubator for designers, artists and writers, Perez said he's pleased his building is part of Logan Avenue's burgeoning arts district. "I'm really proud of the kind of young, creative people it attracted," he said. Perez cofounded real estate development office The RED Office last year and is also an assistant professor at the Woodbury University School of Architecture. He has several urban infill projects in Barrio Logan in the works: the 11unit mixeduse building ParkinLot; a fourunit apartment complex called Long CasitaS, and the mixeduse project Los Patios that incorporates two commercial units and 24 residences. "I'm really interested in doing these projects that deal with infill housing. We're not just flipping properties, we're inserting a project into those voids," Perez said. "We take these vacant lots and consider how to do it with the needs and demands of the community in mind. We need architecture that is beautiful, but these new buildings also have to be affordable for the places you put them. You need the right mix of units." Perez said he challenges his Woodbury students to consider who they are and how they, too, can contribute to the greater good. "My message for them is: how do you do what you always dreamt of doing while bringing benefit to others," he said. "We need to be designing things that are properly scaled, sited and serve the community." — Jennifer McEntee