Ashley Richardson and Bryn Garrett are EYRC's newest Partners
Ashley Richardson and Bryn Garrett both joined EYRC in the early-mid 2010s – a time of rapid change and tentative economic recovery not unlike our present moment. Our continued growth and versatile practice wouldn't be the same without their stewardship of some of our most ambitious projects over the past decade, including a fruitful foray into hospitality and multifamily housing (the Pendry West Hollywood) and our most complex higher education projects to date (the Ridge Walk North and Theatre District Living and Learning Neighborhood projects, both at UC San Diego).
We are thrilled to open an exciting new chapter at EYRC with the addition of Ashley and Bryn as our newest Partners, who each share some thoughts below on how it started, how it's going and the journeys in between.
EARLY DAYS
Shortly after joining EYRC in 2014, the firm won the AIA National Architecture Firm Award (we were Ehrlich Architects at the time). It was exciting, and reinforced that I made the right choice in moving to Los Angeles and joining the practice. That fall the entire office was privileged to get to travel together to the Monterey Design Conference which left me inspired and filled with a sense of community and camaraderie. Those feelings continue to this day. – Ashley
When I first joined Ehrlich Architects in the years following the ’08 recession, it already felt like a familiar place. I had just graduated from the University of Southern California where Steven Ehrlich and Takashi Yanai were co-teaching a fifth-year design studio. During the semester, we held our pin-up reviews in the Culver City office, which were usually well-attended by staff willing to give students honest feedback on their work and invaluable professional guidance. Students were invited to wander amongst the sea of desks and elaborate wood models while digging into a wine and cheese spread under the rubber tree on the back patio. Our professors and all the staff in the studio were so open to giving us a peek into what international competition had the studio humming at that moment, all despite the economic uncertainty at the time. When I eventually joined the firm, in many ways it felt like an extension of that fifth-year design studio. – Bryn
When I first joined Ehrlich Architects in the years following the ’08 recession, it already felt like a familiar place. I had just graduated from the University of Southern California where Steven Ehrlich and Takashi Yanai were co-teaching a fifth-year design studio. During the semester, we held our pin-up reviews in the Culver City office, which were usually well-attended by staff willing to give students honest feedback on their work and invaluable professional guidance. Students were invited to wander amongst the sea of desks and elaborate wood models while digging into a wine and cheese spread under the rubber tree on the back patio. Our professors and all the staff in the studio were so open to giving us a peek into what international competition had the studio humming at that moment, all despite the economic uncertainty at the time. When I eventually joined the firm, in many ways it felt like an extension of that fifth-year design studio. – Bryn
OUR OFFICES
We are on our third San Francisco studio location in the span of six years, and I think our current location in Dogpatch is well-suited for the evolution of the practice. I love that we sit on a prominent storefront corner and can engage with the bustling sidewalk at 5pm on a weekday afternoon. At dusk our large windows and skylights glow with a warm light, putting our space and work prominently on display to passersby. In the same vein, we hope that the energy of the neighborhood flows through our open doors and reinvigorates our design work. – Bryn
My favorite part of the LA office is our outdoor courtyard. I love being able to roll up our garage door and fill the office with fresh air and a view of palm trees. We host BBQs and eat lunch out on the patio, and it feels like the heart of the office. The office kitchen is directly adjacent to the patio and the best casual conversations happen in the kitchen when people take a moment to relax and catch up on more personal items in addition to work. Indoor-outdoor connections! – Ashley
My favorite part of the LA office is our outdoor courtyard. I love being able to roll up our garage door and fill the office with fresh air and a view of palm trees. We host BBQs and eat lunch out on the patio, and it feels like the heart of the office. The office kitchen is directly adjacent to the patio and the best casual conversations happen in the kitchen when people take a moment to relax and catch up on more personal items in addition to work. Indoor-outdoor connections! – Ashley
ON THE HORIZON
Our work at UC San Diego is incredibly meaningful to me personally; I love getting to work on college campuses and hope to see both our Theatre District Living and Learning Neighborhood and Ridge Walk North Living and Learning Neighborhood experience expand into further Higher Ed work. We have a lot of room to grow in San Diego, where I’ve been spending a lot of time lately. I also can’t wait to see where our internal EYRC committees take us. In the past few years, I’ve been particularly inspired by both our Design Justice Committee and Digital Practice Committee – specifically some of our pro bono projects and internal rendering competitions. This internal focus on various practice areas allows us to leverage the incredible talent we have in the office across all our project types. – Ashley
We’ve had significant progress on a few milestone projects in the Bay Area this year that have me excited about the direction we’re growing as a studio. Our artist community project at Varda Landing won unanimous planning design approval and will be an innovative case study of long-term resiliency in response to sea-level rise. Similarly, we will complete our first fully custom prefabricated home in the same county later this year, showcasing the breadth of building types, markets, and challenging natural environments we choose to embrace in our work. EYRC is a passionate group of talented generalists, and I proudly believe that will continue to make our studio a vibrant and progressive place to work. – Bryn
We’ve had significant progress on a few milestone projects in the Bay Area this year that have me excited about the direction we’re growing as a studio. Our artist community project at Varda Landing won unanimous planning design approval and will be an innovative case study of long-term resiliency in response to sea-level rise. Similarly, we will complete our first fully custom prefabricated home in the same county later this year, showcasing the breadth of building types, markets, and challenging natural environments we choose to embrace in our work. EYRC is a passionate group of talented generalists, and I proudly believe that will continue to make our studio a vibrant and progressive place to work. – Bryn
Please join us in celebrating their exceptional work over the years, and keep your eyes peeled for further developments on their exciting current projects!