Hi, I’m Adam J. French, an architect whose career has evolved to meet the challenges of an ever-changing built environment. My architecture practice emerged in response to increased weather-related events and the growing financial impact of claims per event. These unfortunate circumstances have led me to conduct in-depth field investigations into building failures—experiences that few architects encounter in a lifetime.
As a forensic architect, I analyze the origin, cause, and extent of failures in residential and commercial properties, addressing issues like building envelope failures, water intrusion, roof damage, construction defects, and personal injuries. These investigations don’t just inform legal and remediation strategies—they also provide rare, critical insights into how buildings fail under real-world conditions.
This unique understanding directly influences how I design better buildings for people. By observing the cycle of failure, I create buildings that behave with resilience and are better suited to withstand the challenges of an evolving climate. Whether helping clients with forensic investigations or developing innovative designs, my ultimate goal is to create thoughtful, durable spaces that serve people for generations.
Agricultural R&D Lab
The research and development building for an agricultural company was designed to improve food quality without GMOs, focusing on sustainability and environmental responsibility. The hybrid roof design effectively manages water and provides daylight to the interior. It includes large, open spaces for collaboration, state-of-the-art laboratories, and offices dedicated to agricultural research. The design reflects the company’s commitment to non-GMO and environmentally friendly practices.
Organic Farm Office
The office design for this organic farming business combines functionality, sustainability, and aesthetics, creating an efficient workspace that reflects the company’s values and mission. The thoughtful integration of natural materials and environmental considerations underscores the commitment to organic and sustainable practices. The building has a unique, tessellated roof design that provides aesthetic appeal and functional benefits for effective rainwater recapture and natural light penetration. The facade deploys a combination of reclaimed barn wood and corrugated metal, respecting the area's rural agricultural heritage. The use of vertical wood slats recalls the gaps of light seen through barn walls when viewed from the inside. The choice of materials emphasizes sustainability, with reclaimed wood being a significant component. This aligns with the principles of organic farming and environmental stewardship. The use of wood and natural tones throughout the building’s exterior helps it blend with the surrounding environment, reflecting the organic nature of the business. The layout includes office spaces to accommodate the business's needs. The large windows ensure these spaces are filled with natural light, creating a healthy working environment. Meeting areas and conference rooms facilitate collaboration and planning, essential for a farming business. The design deploys thermal siphoning via natural ventilation, with windows and openings strategically placed to allow airflow and reduce the need for artificial cooling. The inversion of the sloped roof locates the high point of the roof at the exterior walls, providing large windows to prioritize energy efficiency and maximize daylight to reduce energy consumption. Using natural materials and a design emphasizing openness and integration with nature symbolizes the organic farming commitment to sustainability and environmental health. The modern design reflects a forward-thinking approach, indicating that the business is innovative and efficient, qualities that are important in contemporary organic farming.
Two Roof Slopes per Roof Plane
This building exhibits an innovative interpretation of the sawtooth roof, which is traditionally used in industrial and factory settings. Unlike the conventional sawtooth roofs, where the sawtooth pattern consists of repeated vertical and sloped surfaces for maximized interior light, this design has been adapted for modern commercial architecture with a unique drainage approach. The roof’s defining feature is its series of inclined planes diagonally sloped toward a perimeter drainage point. These angled surfaces create a dynamic aesthetic while ensuring practical water management. Typical sawtooth roofs have flat valleys to collect water. The valleys here have been designed with a positive slope by tilting the entire roof plane. This architectural adjustment promotes the efficient drainage of rainwater, preventing accumulation and mitigating potential damage over time. The design aligns with Starbucks’ brand and integrates with the colors of the surrounding agricultural fields and the historic Redman house across the street. The design optimized natural lighting through the inclined roof planes, reducing reliance on artificial lighting. Reinventing the sawtooth roof created a structure that was both visually striking and well-suited to the demands of the local climate. It exemplifies how commercial architecture can integrate design innovation with practical considerations.
Sculpture
Traveller. 555 E. Santa Clara Street, Ventura. Commissioned by the City of San Buena Ventura Public Art Program 1998. Blue McRight (b. 1956) & Warren Wagner (b. 1958) Steel pipes, tubes and sheets, with rust patina & solar-powered lanterns. Location: Santa Clara Street Parking Structure in Ventura’s Downtown Cultural District. Traveller (deliberate spelling by the artist) is a 30-foot, site-specific sculpture designed to emulate the Tomol canoe and paddles, the most distinctive form of travel for the Chumash Native American Indian culture. Both the site (the parking structure wall) and the artwork highlight the connections and disparities between ancient and modern modes of transportation. According to the artist, the well-established Chumash Village called Shishilop, now Ventura, was where the “Brotherhood of the Canoe” made the unique board canoes that enabled their culture to flourish. A quote by Fernando Librado, a Chumash canoe builder and historian, is part of the piece, “The canoe is the house of the sea.” The artwork also includes sculptural lighting elements (lanterns constructed of slotted steel), which cast net-patterned shadows onto the building’s surface. They are powered by solar electricity, generated during the day by photovoltaic panels mounted high on the wall. These panels serve as both power source and as contemporary symbolism for the sun. - Ventura County Star, Arts section.
Spinnaker Hotel
The Spinnaker is a Four Star caliber hotel and mixed-use project proposed for development by Fifth Avenue Landing LLC on the 4-acre waterfront site south of the San Diego Convention Center and adjacent to downtown San Diego’s South Embarcadero Marina Park. The Spinnaker has been conceived and designed to become San Diego’s bayfront architectural statement and icon – as instantly identifiable as “San Diego” as the Opera House is to Sydney. As designed by multi-award-winning architect C. W. Kim Architects and Planners Inc., the Spinnaker complex will be comprised of a landmark 250-room Four Star hotel with 20 floors of occupancy. On the 1146-foot-long walls of the 78-foot-wide hotel tower, sculpted curtainwalls arc and soar more than 260 feet into the crests of three sails. The dynamic curvilinear motif addresses the historic waterfront location of the tower, as well as its context to the Convention Center, whose signature phase-one design elements are the sails topping the Sails Pavilion. The tower, with some 175,000 square feet of guestroom space, will feature a 9,000-square-foot ground-level café and lounge, as well as Presidential and Vice Presidential Suites on the 20th floor penthouse level. The tower will connect via a glass-covered bridge to a circular two-story Rotunda (5,000-square-foot reception area and 5,000-square-foot second-floor restaurant). Crowning the Rotunda will be a 6,700 -square-foot pool deck with a swimming pool providing guests with scenic views of the South Embarcadero Park and San Diego Bay. Parallel to the Convention Center a low 32-feet-tall linear, multi-use building is proposed to connect the Rotunda by a glass- enclosed pedestrian bridge. Parking on site will accommodate 500 vehicles. The hotel will also include 16,000 square feet of pre-function and ballroom space, 8,000 square feet of pre-function and meeting rooms, 9,000 square feet of retail and storefronts facing the San Diego Bay.
The redevelopment site – approximately 30 acres of land and 13 acres of water – is located south of the San Diego Convention Center on property controlled by the San Diego Unified Port District. The area is bounded by the bay, the Convention Center, South Embarcadero Park and the 10th Avenue Marine Terminal. The Spinnaker’s architect is C. W. Kim, whose work includes the Wyndham Emerald Plaza Hotel and the Marriott Hotel & Marina, both in downtown San Diego. C. W. Kim’s design was a hit with the port commissioners.“It’s absolutely beautiful,”said port commission Chairman Frank Urtasun, adding that it could become a landmark akin to San Francisco’s Transamerica building. Local businessmen Art Engle and Ray Carpenter say they are ready to spend up to $70 million to build the Spinnaker. They envision it including a water transit center providing high-speed ferry service from locations around the bay, including Lindbergh Field. - Published in The San Diego Union Tribune, March 20, 2001, By Ronald W. Powell, Staff Writer.
The Historic Riviera Hotel
The historic Riviera Hotel was constructed in 1927 and opened for business on January 10, 1928, at a cost of $325,000. The building was designed and constructed by Henry Harms Preisibius (1872-1964), who also constructed San Diego’s first high-rise building, the 11 story (new) St. James Hotel in 1912. The renovation plan, which was completed in December of 2003 and took approximately 11 months to complete, includes the complete renovation of the historic Riviera Hotel, the reinstallation of 68 kitchens into the remodeled suites, new bathrooms, air conditioning, the addition of a ground-floor food service area for free breakfasts, a business center, fitness room and meeting rooms. The building was published in the Biographies of Established Masters Historical Resources Board Jennifer Feeley, MCP, Tricia Olsen, MCP, Ricki Siegel, Ginger Weatherford, MPS Historical Resources Board Staff
El Cortez 2
The proposed project is located on the block bounded by Ash and Beech streets and 7th and 8th avenues, which contains the Historic El Cortez Hotel building. The El Cortez Hotel building was built in 1927 on the southern two-thirds of the block. Several two-story Victorian houses were located on separate lots on the northern one-third of the block. In the 1940’s the entire block was consolidated into a single ownership, and in the 1950’s a swimming pool and 8- to 9-story hotel annex building, called the “Caribbean Wing,” was constructed on the northern portion of the block. Numerous modifications and additions were also made to the El Cortez building, including additions of an exterior glass elevator and Sky Room. The hotel closed in 1978, and the block changed ownership over the subsequent years. Over this period, several redevelopment plans were discussed for this block and for the adjoining three blocks between 7th and 9th avenues, and Ash and Cedar streets, which for some time were under one ownership. These redevelopment plans proved infeasible for one reason or another.
In 1990 the City’s HRB designated the El Cortez Hotel building Historic Site No. 269, and while the designation was applied to the entire block through its legal description, the designation resolution states “the area specifically designated being the exterior of the building.” At the time of this designation, the Caribbean Wing remained on the northern portion of the block. In 2002, the El Cortez Hotel was listed on the National Register of Historic Places (after rehabilitation was completed and the Caribbean Wing removed).
The El Cortez Hotel block was purchased in 1997, and serious discussions commenced with CCDC regarding the redevelopment of the block, which was viewed as a catalyst for redevelopment and rejuvenation of the Cortez Hill neighborhood. An early version of the redevelopment plan of the block included a proposal for Pete’s yard, which consisted of single -story retail space along Beech Street. In 1998 the Redevelopment Agency and the owner entered into a Rehabilitation Loan Agreement that provided a $5.85 million rehabilitation loan. The subsequent rehabilitation of the block included the restoration of the El Cortez Hotel building to its period of significance, being the year of construction in 1927, including the removal of some of the signature modifications made in the 1950’s, including the Sky Room and exterior glass elevator. The demolition of the Caribbean Wing building on the north end of the block also occurred at this time. - Published by Center City Development Corporation
Park Tower
The Shapery Park Tower is designed to be the region's most energy-efficient high-rise condominium/hotel and residential tower. It emphasizes quality of life, energy efficiency, environmental sensitivity, and sustainability. Key features include multi-functional systems to minimize initial and operating costs, such as using cooling tower fans to exhaust the parking garage and capturing air conditioning condensation water for laundry, swimming pool, fire water storage, and irrigation. Photovoltaic glass on the south-side balconies reduces tenants' electrical requirements.
The building adheres to the highest standards the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED certification program sets. It comprises forty stories above and four below grade, reaching a total height of 500 feet. The tower sits atop a parking pedestal covering most of the 10,840 square foot site, which includes the lobby, ancillary commercial uses, and parking facilities.
Parking in the Shapery Park Tower is distributed across seven floors: three above grade and four below grade. The underground levels contain 86 standard and 16 compact parking stalls, while the above-grade levels contain 52 and 10 compact spaces. The parking facilities are accessible from Russ Blvd and A Street.
The hotel's extensive amenities include a two-story lobby connected by escalators with integrated waterfalls. The seventh floor, which tops the building's pedestal, hosts the swimming pool, jacuzzi, health spa, hotel administrative offices, and multiple elevators, including a glass elevator. The eighth floor houses two ballroom/meeting rooms, a kitchen/pantry, and balconies.
Residential units in the tower include hotel condominium units on the 9th to 19th floors, one-bedroom units on the 20th to 24th floors, and two-bedroom units on the 25th to 38th floors. The penthouse condominium on the 39th floor offers 4,345 square feet of living space with expansive balconies. The 40th floor features a restaurant and lounge with nearly 3,886 square feet of interior space.
Beach House
This house is designed to provide a comfortable living experience with a strong emphasis on natural light and ocean views. The thoughtful integration of materials and the cohesive design create a living environment that leverages its stunning coastal location. The house is a multi-story structure with an envelope primarily composed of masonry and large glass windows. The use of masonry gives it a sturdy, timeless appearance, while the colors of the masonry pay respect to the colors of the beach bluffs behind the house. The extensive glazing allows for ample natural light and expansive ocean views. The balconies on each floor are focused on outdoor living and maximizing ocean views. These spaces serve as excellent spots for relaxation and enjoying the coastal environment. The concrete floors are textured with sand and epoxy coated to look like the patterns seen in beach sand as the waves wash away. The living room has a minimalist yet cozy setup focusing on the view. Using neutral colors and simple lines ensures the ocean view remains the focal point. Large glass doors open to the balcony, enhancing the connection between the indoor and outdoor spaces. The striking staircase combines metal and wood elements with a perforated metal railing. The design effectively blends indoor and outdoor living, emphasizing the house's beautiful ocean views from multiple vantage points.
Architecture
- Design Director: Industrial metal buildings and commercial tenant improvements; Santa Cruz and Monterey County, CA
- Development feasibility study: 166,800 sq. ft., 11 stories, 102 condominiums, retail; Beech St. & 7th Ave., Cortez Hill, San Diego, CA
- Development feasibility study: 159,700 sq. ft., 21 stories, 108 condominiums, retail; 6th Ave. & E St., Gaslamp Quarter, San Diego, CA
- Development feasibility study: 598 apartments, 246 condominiums, mixed-use retail; 8th Ave. & B St., East Village, San Diego, CA
- Development feasibility study: 68,500 sq. ft., 3 stories, 130 hotel keys, circa 1892 historic renovation; Jefferson St., Petaluma, CA
- Intermediate Designer: 3,200 sq. ft., 1,400 sq. ft., 2 stories, single-family residences; Alapai Point Rd., Kapoho, HI
- Intermediate Designer: 237,000 sq. ft., 20 stories, 90 hotel keys, 72 condominiums; 11th Ave. & A St., East Village, San Diego, CA
- Intermediate Designer: 105,000 sq. ft., 21 stories, 86 condominiums, retail, commercial; 5th Ave. & Ash St., Cortez Hill, San Diego, CA
- Junior Designer: 233,700 sq. ft., 20 stories, 250 hotel keys, waterfront retail; Convention Center, San Diego, CA
- Junior Designer: 27 stories, hotel & condominiums tower; 9th Ave. & Ash St., Cortez Hill, San Diego, CA
- Interior Architecture: 52,300 sq. ft., 5 stories, 68 hotel keys, circa 1927 historic renovation; 12th Ave. & A St., East Village, San Diego, CA
- Design Development: 22,900 sq. ft., 2 stories, 101 hotel keys; Oceanside Harbor, Oceanside, CA
- Working Drawings: 59,800 sq. ft., 7 stories, 112 hotel keys; 11th Ave. & Russ Blvd., East Village, San Diego, CA
- Working Drawings: 30,000 sq. ft., 2 stories, core & shell, House of Blues; 5th Ave. & C St., Civic/Core, San Diego, CA
- Working Drawings: 7,000 sq. ft., single-family residence; Point Loma, San Diego, CA
- Working Drawings: Municipal Facilities Building; Paris, FranceArchitecture Reimagined
Architecture Reimagined
Are you ready to transform your space into something interesting? Whether you’re looking to adaptively reuse an existing structure, create a sustainable and efficient space, or require architectural services to investigate and resolve construction issues, Adam J. French can elevate your architecture.
Call (831) 346-8155 to discuss your project and discover how Adam’s innovative designs can add value to your space.