William Hezmalhalch Architects

Crafting Communities with a Soul

By Kay Wilthew

Every home tells a story. William Hezmalhalch Architects (WHA) invests the time to develop that story and reveal the personality behind every project. They believe the surrounding environment is as important to the equation as the quality of the home. Blending site planning, neighborhood crafting and home design, WHA presents a comprehensive solution with a unique character inspired by the historic, old neighborhoods of San Francisco, Sacramento and San Jose.

WHA brings together different disciplines, services and design talent to offer homebuilders a single-source resource from entitlement to home design to construction. "Our goal is to provide our clients with integrated, full-service solutions in design, site planning, architecture and sustainable design," explains WHA founder William Hezmalhalch. Services are adapted to the different markets, demographics and customer needs defined by the varied locations they serve, including Sacramento, the Bay Area, Central Valley and Central Coast. WHA has grown organically, through the expansion of their clients. "Our company was built upon service, innovation, builder-friendly design and developing relationships. That has been our steadfast philosophy. As our clients opened multiple divisions, we grew as well to support those divisions with a seamless service."

WHA's business development model differs slightly from the norm. "Instead of constantly trying to get jobs for our clients, our approach was different," states Hezmalhalch. "Our approach was to develop resources for our clients. Our business development is truly about developing their business; our business is a by-product of their success." The company is exploring new concepts, systems and prototypes to reduce costs and project turnaround time. "We've organized our company so our clients can come to us for services from project feasibility to master planning to branding and theming. The project begins to develop a heartbeat and soul. We capture that in collateral marketing materials and graphics, creating the selling tools that our clients can use." Handcrafted renderings help deliver an individual and "personal story" for each project.

A key component to WHA's success is site planning. Performing the site plan and the architectural design simultaneously adds value by tailoring the designs to the builder's capabilities. "It's important to have a keen sense of what a builder can implement. Ultimately, our plan is to make our client successful." Hezmalhalch appreciates the importance of maintaining a sense of balance. "We want to do everything possible to enhance our clients' opportunities and lead them a step or two beyond their comfort level, without over designing and leaving too much on the table from a cost standpoint."

Serving Northern California's Central Valley region since the early '90s, the company initially worked with small builders, learning to interpret buyer needs, demographics, environmental requirements and design. The business evolved, building relationships with larger builders to produce higher-profile urban, mixed-use and high-end housing projects for public, private, international and academic clients, including Stanford University.

WHA participates in the changing environment of Northern California and reshaping Dublin with mixed-use and high-rise uses. Progressive transit-oriented, high-density uses as well as workforce housing and faculty housing are just some of WHA's Bay Area concentration. Current development includes large-scale master-planning projects reaching new emerging markets and changing buyer profiles and economic conditions.

WHA expanded across the state and the country, ultimately partnering on several international projects. Hezmalhalch believes international development offers some distinct and exciting opportunities. "The international markets are starving for Western-based master planning and architecture, so that's a great audience for us. It's challenging to expand into those areas and provide solutions that will work in their marketplace."

WHA's international portfolio includes developments in Dubai, Fiji, Costa Rica, Mexico, Brazil, China, India and even Russia. "These international projects are fun because they involve master planning, site-specific planning and architecture," says Hezmalhalch. WHA offers experience in residential, mid-rise, high-rise, commercial, retail and specialty buildings. "All those types of developments are necessary to those new towns and new areas that these countries are developing."

Whether a buyer is international or local, cost is a primary consideration. When California's home prices skyrocketed, WHA's home-builder clients and buyers were priced out of the marketplace. But the face of the housing market is changing, and WHA has repositioned itself as a leader in designing innovative, attainable housing products. Hezmalhalch notes, "Affordability is the key. The industry is shifting and builders are trying to respond to this new pricing structure and find traction in this new marketplace."

Hezmalhalch believes a diversification strategy holds particularly true in the community development industry. "A development environment involves not just residential, but a whole host of other product types. It could include churches, schools, town centers, commercial retail and institutional buildings. There may be all types of buildings and planning concepts that make up a community."

California's Central Valley presents a unique set of development challenges deserving recognition, with opportunities to help meet large-scale, long-range housing needs. Issues of evolving demographics and political base, water supply, agriculture/ food supply, transportation and employment indicate the Central Valley remains a big key to California's future. As buyer profiles shift from traditional, single-household families to multiple household, home sharing and other nontraditional housing solutions will become more prevalent.

WHA's ability to offer quality, afford- able housing options is a source of pride for Hezmalhalch. "I'm proud of our people, our clients and our industry because we provide opportunities for families and households to have a nice place to live. I think what's so powerful is that we're able to provide a kind of safe haven for people in a home with a well-conceived design." Hezmalhalch stresses the importance of this element of assurance. "A quality home is something people can feel proud of driving home [to] every night. And that sense of security and accomplishment can have a positive impact on families and the people living in the home."

The country's aging population has a different perspective of security. WHA's "Active Adult" product takes a fresh look at this housing need. Traditional solutions tended to segregate older people, and while this model has proven successful, Hezmalhalch believes there is a much better alternative. "Our approach is to have a newer model that integrates different age brackets. As the population ages, most of us, especially the 'baby boomers,' expect to be kids their whole life. They have a different mindset, so solutions are going to have to reflect that."

From senior housing and affordable family homes, to entire communities and domestic and international vacation developments, WHA's experience encompasses a wide array of project types and services. Hezmalhalch expects that WHA's range of solutions may come as a surprise to many of their clients. "They usually picture us as the humble residential firm. But we have so many exciting, innovative projects that it's going to be quite eye opening for some to learn of the vast experience and different types of projects we've implemented." WHA is a company winning wide acclaim while remaining true to its customer service foundation. "Our Northern California office was created with the intention to be there for our clients. Our clients needed our help, so we set up an office right there in their backyard, right alongside them." William Hezmalhalch Architects has a story of its own worth telling.

William Hezmalhalch Architects Inc.'s Northern California office is located at 6111 Bollinger Canyon Road, Suite 495 in San Ramon, CA 94583. Call (925) 463-1700 or visit wharchitects.com for more information or to view their other California locations.

January 2008 Builder Architect Edition Issue

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