Los Angeles

AIA, RIBA, LEED AP BD+C

Alex Korter is a principal at CO Architects and leads the firm’s Building Facades Group. With over 25 years of international experience, he specializes in strategic planning, design, technical coordination, and management on diverse projects. With a focus on place, craft and performance-driven solutions, Alex has led the design and delivery processes for academic, healthcare, commercial and civic projects. Notable work includes the award-winning Health Sciences Innovation Building at the University of Arizona and the Student Services Building at Cal Poly Pomona. He is committed to developing innovative exterior envelope systems and making environmental, economic, social and functional sustainable design a fundamental part of every projects. Alex holds a Bachelor in Architecture from the University of Manchester and a Diploma in Architecture from the Glasgow School of Art. 

Esther Chao is a senior associate at CO Architects with over nine years of experience on higher education, science & technology, and healthcare projects. Esther has worked on advanced facilities for clients such as the University of Texas at Austin, Northern Kentucky University, Arizona State University, University of California, Caltech, and the Terasaki Institute. She holds a special interest in facades, and recently worked on the facade development for the Engineering Discovery Building at UT Austin. The design uses terracotta, glass, limestone, and metal in unique and cohesive ways. Esther received her Bachelor of Arts in Architecture Studies from UCLA and a Master of Architecture from the University of Michigan.

Stephen Maher has nine years of experience in healthcare, mixed-use, commercial, residential, and transit projects. Since joining CO Architects in 2020, Stephen’s focus has been on the UCI Health – Irvine’s exterior envelope design, development and structural coordination. The façade utilizes a unified curtainwall system and plays a key role in contributing to the energy performance on this all-electric hospital. Stephen received a Bachelor of Architecture from the University of Oregon. Additionally, he has served as a studio instructor and a guest critic at the University of Oregon School of Architecture & Environment and the Ohio State University Knowlton School of Architecture.

Lyndon Neri co-founded Neri&Hu Design and Research Office with Rossana Hu in 2006, an inter-disciplinary architectural design practice based in Shanghai. Neri received his Master of Architecture at Harvard Graduate School of Design and his Bachelor of Arts in Architecture at the University of California, Berkeley. Alongside his design practice, Neri has been deeply committed to architectural education and has taught and lectured in numerous universities. He was recently appointed as Visiting Faculty at Princeton University School of Architecture, starting spring semester 2024. Neri was appointed the Howard Friedman Visiting Professor of Practice at the University of California, Berkeley in 2023, the Design Critic in 2023 and the John C. Portman Design Critic in Architecture in 2019 and 2021 at the Harvard Graduate School of Design, the Eero Saarinen Visiting Professor in 2022 and Norman R. Foster Visiting Professor Chair in 2018 at the Yale School of Architecture. Neri co-authored and edited Persistence of Vision: Shanghai Architects in Dialogue published by MCCM Creations in 2007. In 2017, his first monograph Neri&Hu Design and Research Office was published by Park Books. In 2021, the second monograph Thresholds: Space, Time and Practice was published by Thames&Hudson and the Chinese edition was translated and published in 2023 by Guangxi Normal University Press.

Kevin Nyhoff is a Design Principal based in Cannon Design’s San Diego office. With 30 years of experience, including a decade co-leading his own firm, he has significantly contributed to the built environment along the West Coast. He is renowned for his ability to merge aesthetics with functionality, creating cohesive and elegant architectural solutions that enhance communities and business outcomes. His designs prioritize the human condition, ensuring that spaces are both beautiful and beneficial for all who use them. His current work spans typologies, including a major airport, a community library, a fire station, multiple higher education buildings and more. Along with numerous project awards, Kevin was named a Leader of Influence in Architecture Design in 2023 by the San Diego Business Journal.

Esther Chao is a senior associate at CO Architects with over nine years of experience on higher education, science & technology, and healthcare projects. Esther has worked on advanced facilities for clients such as the University of Texas at Austin, Northern Kentucky University, Arizona State University, University of California, Caltech, and the Terasaki Institute. She holds a special interest in facades, and recently worked on the facade development for the Engineering Discovery Building at UT Austin. The design uses terracotta, glass, limestone, and metal in unique and cohesive ways. Esther received her Bachelor of Arts in Architecture Studies from UCLA and a Master of Architecture from the University of Michigan.

With deep roots in Southern California, founder Robin Donaldson studied painting, printmaking, and architectural theory at UCSB, earned his Master’s degree in Architecture from SCI-Arc, and spent his early career working at Morphosis. Since founding Donaldson + Partners, he has developed a trans-disciplinary design team working with a diverse range of clients to realize extraordinary ground-up residential projects and create homes for creative enterprises ranging from company headquarters to a home for quantum computers; and—on the home front—founded an R+D lab dedicated to formulating and articulating new materials, methods, design strategies,
and architectural applications.

Donaldson has been widely recognized for his interdisciplinary creativity, collaboration-intensive teamwork and creative cultural awareness. His architectural work has been published locally, nationally, and internationally in Elle Decor, GA Houses, The Wall Street Journal, Architectural Digest, and more. With offices in Los Angeles and Orange County, he lives in Santa Barbara, above
the store.

Jeremy McCarthy is an Architect with CannonDesign’s San Diego Office. With a background in fine art, he brings a unique appreciation for craft and fabrication to his work. He excels at integrating technical details to support outstanding design. As an emerging professional, he has a diverse range of experience across various project types, scales, and functions. His contributions have been featured at the European Cultural Center during the Venice Architecture Biennale.

Jaime Rivera, a Project Designer based in CannonDesign’s Los Angeles office, excels at bridging creativity with functionality to redefine architectural norms. His approach turns conventional ideas into compelling realities, characterized by bold forms, refined graphic design and seamless digital integration. Jaime’s designs push the boundaries of contemporary aesthetics while addressing crucial disciplinary challenges. His extensive portfolio includes exhibition design, urban design development, mission-critical projects and higher education. Noteworthy accolades from the A+D Museum, LA Design Festival and Denver Arts highlights Jaime’s significant influence in today’s architectural landscape.

Peter Birkholz, AIA, LEED AP, DBIA, is president and principal of architecture and historic preservation firm, Page & Turnbull located in San Francisco, San Jose, Los Angeles, and Sacramento.

An authority on architecture and preservation impacting cities and waterfronts, Birkholz’ major architecture and planning projects include the Exploratorium at Pier 15 interactive museum, the rehabilitated Pacific Telephone Building in San Francisco, waterfront buildings such as Piers 1-1/2, 3 and 5, and mixed-use projects including Twitter’s headquarters in San Francisco’s Market Square. He has led the Page & Turnbull team on the award-winning Livermore Rail Depot Renovation and is working on privately funded resiliency efforts for several piers in the National Register-listed Embarcadero Historic District.

Birkholz joined Page & Turnbull in 2007 after serving as project architect while at the firm Tom Eliot Fisch. He received an architecture degree from Iowa State University in 1984 and is a registered architect in California and a LEED Accredited Professional (BD+C) by the U.S. Green Building Council. Birkholz is also a member of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and past chair of the Oakland Landmark Preservation Advisory Board.

John D. Lesak, AIA, LEED AP, FAPT, is based in Los Angeles and is Principal-in-Charge of Page & Turnbull’s Los Angeles office. With an interdisciplinary education in architecture, engineering, and materials science, Lesak has specialized in the preservation, rehabilitation, repair, and reuse of historic structures since 1993. Lesak meets the Secretary of the Interior’s Professional Qualification Standards for Architecture and Historic Architecture. He served as a historic architect on numerous award-winning preservation projects, including the exterior rehabilitations of the Old Orange County Courthouse, Wisconsin State Capital, and Los Angeles City Hall; the relocation of the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse; and the restoration of the spire at the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Marin County Civic Center. Lesak also teaches a course on sustainable historic preservation within the USC School of Architecture’s Masters of Heritage Conservation program.

Fernando Fernandez is a Senior Estimator at Pullman San Francisco, with over 30 years in the historic preservation and construction industry. His experience spans project management, estimating, and construction operations—a trifecta that positions him as a key player in shaping successful construction endeavors. With three decades of hands-on experience, Fernandez brings unparalleled knowledge to the table on topics including restoring and repairing masonry, terra-cotta, stone, and wood windows. He is committed to the integrity of historical preservation and project efficiencies for projects ranging from rehabilitation and repair to adaptive reuse of existing structures. Fernandez has led his team to successful project awards such as the Senator Hotel Office Building in Sacramento, Mt Umunhum in SJ, the Ahwahnee Hotel in Yosemite National Park, and Pier 70 in San Francisco.

Lisa leads Eckersley O’Callaghan’s West Coast offices in San Francisco and Los Angeles. She joined EOC in 2013 to support the practice’s emerging facade engineering group in London and after playing a significant role in the group’s exceptional growth, Lisa has been responsible for the expansion of EOC’s West Coast presence.

Lisa directs EOC’s R&D efforts, focusing on innovative glass designs and technology.

She remains heavily involved in academia particularly with the Facade Research Group at TU Delft where she pursued her doctoral research and has built strong links between research and industry.

Bob is the Sales Director of Tianjin Northglass for North America, the leading fabricator of specialty and oversized architectural glass for the global construction industry.

Bob has many years of experience working with Quality Control department. Bob was the project manager for Apple Park project in Cupertino, supporting the design team on the glass selection for Apple’s new headquarters. In 2015, Bob came to the US to make more connections with architects and support their designs of future projects with the innovation and capabilities that Northglass has to offer.