One of the largest architectural firms in the Bay Area, DAHLIN is an award-winning, full-service architecture and planning firm in residential architecture, community and recreational facilities, commercial buildings, urban design, and custom homes. Over more than 40 years, the firm has garnered many national awards and industry recognition for its innovative design solutions. In June, for example, DAHLIN will be acknowledged as one of the Top Design Firms for 2019 in the industry publication ENR Northwest.

The firm's reputation for excellence has been carefully built by focusing on the needs of its clients. "We successfully support client relationships by matching our expertise with their expectations and goals, listening and effectively collaborating to craft sustainable communities and urban environments," says Mark Day, Chief Operating Officer and Senior Principal. "Our people are passionate about creating places that promote human fulfillment and well-being."

Each project is designed by the firm with an intimate understanding of the project's context and within a framework of resource conservation and sustainability. The firm's projects reflect a commitment to sustainable design. DAHLIN's expertise allows its designers and architects to provide leading-edge solutions to resource conservation and energy efficiency, for example, while designing to appropriate LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), Build It Green, and California Title 24 standards. In fact, one of the firm's recent local projects, The Wave at Emerald Glen Park in Dublin, achieved LEED Gold, exceeding the original design goal to meet LEED Silver standards. DAHLIN's collaborative design process with the City of Dublin led to many energy- and water-conserving features, exceeding the original goal while also ensuring efficient facility operations and minimizing long-term maintenance costs.

Working with DAHLIN offers clients many important benefits, including the "tangible articulation of a client's employment brand," says Day. "Office design has a direct impact on productivity and employee perceptions of how they are valued. DAHLIN's approach considers this with respect to a client's culture and operations, providing value-oriented, innovative designs."

The headquarters of ALR in Oakland is one example of a recent client project. Designed as a working showroom for ALR's multiple lighting fixture products, new spaces include the lobby/reception area, conference rooms, private and open offices, a training room, kitchen/cafe, restrooms, shipping/receiving, and a private gym. The project was designed for LEED certification with sustainable design considerations and includes workspace planning that maximizes natural daylighting and touchless washroom fixtures for water conservation.

"For our clients, we aim to provide designs that are innovative, real, and achievable, elevating their goals and expectations to create a financially viable and sustainable environment, where people feel the meaning of place," notes Day. "Placemaking is more than a trend for us, it is a core value. We are driven by the vision of enhancing environments where people live and interact so that they feel the meaning of place. It is within this context that we work to provide value to our clients by staying at the forefront of industry design trends."

The core business operations of DAHLIN are located at its Hacienda office, along with leaders and experts in residential, multifamily, commercial, and civic market sectors. More than 100 employees work at Hacienda, where the company bought its building in 2005 and moved in a year later. "We wanted to be closer to BART, both for employees as well as being sustainable and socially conscious," says Day. The company also has offices in San Diego and Irvine; Bellevue, Washington; and two offices in China. Each December the company hosts an Invitational Art Show that features artists from the community.

For more information about DAHLIN, please visit www.dahlingroup.com.