by Roger Vincent | Los Angeles Times
Oil giant Phillips 66, operator of a massive oil refinery near the Port of Los Angeles, has unveiled plans to replace its belching smokestacks and hulking steel tanks with stores, restaurants and soccer fields. Phillips 66 announced last year that it would close the century-old refinery and remove it to make way for a new development intended to provide services and recreation for people who live nearby, along with warehouses to serve the port.
by Erika Murphy | GlobeSt.
AO Multifamily Studio blends deep expertise in architecture, planning, and development across luxury, market-rate, and affordable housing, delivering hundreds of successful projects nationwide. The studio is an innovator in modular multifamily, with more than 11,000 units in production and proprietary building solutions like HyTuck, HyWrap, and Archetype, which optimize speed and cost. AO was honored with the 2025 Gold Nugget Grand Award for Multifamily Community of the Year for The Row at Red Hill, one of the largest apartment developments in the U.S. at 1,221 units.
by Ray Huard | San Diego Business Journal
AO, formerly Architects Orange, is expanding its San Diego presence with several new projects in the works or recently finished. Based in the city of Orange, AO has worked in San Diego for more than 30 years and opened an office in Solana Beach in May 2017 with a full-time staff of three. Since then, AO has grown to have a San Diego staff of 15 in its 2,800-square-foot Solana Beach office. “We like that market. It’s a great place to work,” said AO Managing Partner RC Alley.
by John Caulfield | Building Design+Construction
Most of affordable housing projects engaged by the California-based architecture firm AO are new builds that are components of urban infill development. Where new construction might have an edge on renovation and adaptive reuse as a delivery choice is in the density it yields, which is always an issue for affordable housing projects.
by Bruce Greenfield, Partner, AO | Surf Park Central
Surf parks are entering a new era. What began as stand-alone attractions centered on the thrill of riding a perfect wave is evolving into fully integrated destinations resulting in holistically designed environments that blend surf action with symbiotic mixed uses, lifestyle amenities, and indoor/outdoor experiences. The lagoon remains the centerpiece, but its role is expanding, acting as the heart of environments that include hospitality, recreation, dining, residential, retail, wellness, and cultural uses.
by David Barista | Building Design + Construction
Arcadis North America, Stantec, Gensler, KTGY, Perkins Eastman, AO, Niles Bolton Associates, Perkins&Will, and Hord Coplan Macht top Building Design+Construction's ranking of the nation's largest multifamily housing sector architecture and architecture/engineering (AE) firms for 2025, as reported in BD+C's 2025 Report.
by Nellie Day | California Centers
In an effort to retain tenants, shoppers, and relevance in today's market, owners are turning to more modest improvements that move the needle without breaking the bank. Getting to the top is never easy. Some perpetually spin their wheels trying to reach the summit, while others constantly evaluate how to hold onto their position.
by Commercial Construction & Renovation
AO completed the first phase of AMLI’s first development in the San Diego region. 97 units were completed in this phase with the whole project expected to be conducted in five stages. Notable architectural features of the seven-story development are its monochromatic black-and-white exterior, rounded corners and three courtyards. AMLI Aero also incorporates work/play through a variety of amenities including a rooftop pool + sunset deck with dining + cooking areas, co-working space, clubhouse, fitness center, leasing space and more. The full 4-acre project is expected to be completed in spring 2026.
by Ray Huard | San Diego Business Journal
A Chicago-based developer, AMLI Residential, has finished the first phase of a Kearny Mesa apartment that will ultimately have 442 luxury apartments. AMLI Aero at 3585 Aero Court at the corner of Aero Drive and Aero Court marks the company’s entry into the San Diego County market. “We were looking to do our first project in San Diego. We hadn’t been able to do that yet, so, when the opportunity came along, we were excited to do it,” said John Readey, AMLI vice president of development.
By Mann Report
With views of fireworks at the Happiest Place on Earth, you need a Skydeck to match. Cloud House, a new community developed by Bonanni Development not only enriches the urban experience along Stanton, California's revitalized Beach Boulevard corridor, it offers its residents spectacular views of Disneyland's fireworks via Orange County's largest rooftop Skydeck.
by Leah Draffen | Multifamily Executive
Once a former warehouse, The Row at Red Hill is a bold reinterpretation of Santa Ana, California’s industrial legacy. Displaying the raw character of its past mixed with contemporary lines, the building features floor-to-ceiling windows, gray brick veneer, and steel X-bracing, while light stucco, bold window patterns, and a glass tower create juxtaposition. Custom LED lighting spotlights architectural features.
by Parimal M. Rohit | Orange County Business Journal
A local architectural firm is in the middle of the ongoing changes to one of Orange County's most popular destinations-Downtown Disney. Orange-based AO has already completed two major projects-Parkside Market and Sip & Sonder. Both places were designed and built to provide guests with a casual dining experience. AO is also working on other Disneyland Resort projects that haven't been disclosed.
by Nicole Gutierrez | ABC15 Arizona
The East Valley has a brand-new hub for food and pickleball fun! Christi Christian, CMO of Dink & Dine Pickle Park, gives ABC15’s Nicole Gutierrez a sneak peek of the new entertainment venue at Mesa Riverview, opening to the public on August 20 at 6 a.m., with a grand opening celebration planned for later.
by Jason Rupp, Partner | AO
The electric vehicle (EV) revolution is underway, not just in California but across the nation. While most headlines spotlight advances in EV and battery technology, another story unfolds in the less glamorous, yet equally critical, realm of parking design. As jurisdictions move towards ambitious goals like California’s proposed 2035 ban on new gas-powered vehicle sales, the demand for high-performing, future-ready parking infrastructure is clear.
by Steven Sharp | Urbanize LA
The announcement that Phillips 66 would close its Los Angeles area refineries in Wilmington and Carson at the end of 2025 raised concerns of higher prices at the pump in the near term, but also questions about the future of the roughly 650 acres of land the facilities now occupy. A filing made earlier this year with the City of Los Angeles sheds light on what's to come, at least for the property in Wilmington.
by Jose Reyes | AO
As digital transformation reshapes the global economy, the demand for data centers has never been greater - or more complex. From powering everyday cloud storage and streaming services to supporting the explosive growth of artificial intelligence, data centers are the critical infrastructure behind our digital lives. Their design, however, is anything but standard.
by Austin Castro | ABC 10
A major surf-themed entertainment and recreation venue could be coming to Placer County as early as 2027. Developers behind the proposed Alchemy Surf Resort submitted a new application to Placer County with hopes of breaking ground next year. The project would span 25 acres within the larger Placer One development, transforming a currently vacant field into a recreation destination. Plans for the resort include a surf center, hotel, bungalows and various recreational facilities, according to Inland Surf Company, the developer behind the proposal.
by Steven Sharp | Urbanize Los Angeles
A draft environmental study offers a look at changes to a proposed mixed-use development in Monrovia. The project from Blake Griggs Development, dubbed "The Monroe," slated for a roughly 1.6-acre property at 701 Myrtle Avenue, calls for the construction of a new five-story building featuring 204 apartments above 2,370 square feet of commercial space and a 329-car garage.
by Steven Sharp | Urbanize Los Angeles
In Fountain Valley, Shopoff Realty has secured approvals to redevelop a long-empty 18-acre property with housing. The Euclid + Heil development, named for its cross streets, sits at 16300 Euclid Street near Mile Square Park. The project, which is being developed in partnership with National CORE and Lennar, will include: 304 market rate apartments, 83 senior affordable units, 36 two-story triplexes, and 183 three-story townhomes.
by Josh Pringle | CTV NEWS
The Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Ottawa officially opened to the public Thursday afternoon, the first “fully integrated resort” in Canada featuring a hotel and gaming facility. The $350 million facility on Albion Road in Ottawa’s south end features a 150-room hotel, a 24-7 gaming floor, bars and restaurants and an entertainment venue. “I think we’re got something that exceeds what we promised the City of Ottawa and the province of Ontario,” Jon Lucas, chief operating officer of Hard Rock International, told CTV News Ottawa.