Teamwork is at the heart of how Berliner Architects finds unique solutions, shares ideas, and creates spaces for our clients that are both functional and inspiring. Our new appointments recognize the valuable work that our team members have done with and for our clients.
We are pleased to announce that Tony Armer and Rahel Zewdu have been appointed Senior Associates. Appointed to Associate are Eric Rutgers and Gilmar Campos. Together, our team looks forward to working with clients and partners to improve project outcomes, adapt to new technologies, and design nurturing environments where every space counts.
Eric Rutgers, AIA, NCARB, LEED AP BD + C | Associate
What’s your current position at Berliner, and can you tell us about your background and the kind of work you do?
I’m a Project Architect, and I've been licensed since 2016. I have a background working on commercial projects while living in San Francisco, like the GoPro headquarters, and then I moved to Boston. There I focused on a lot of university and institutional work, and a project that sticks out to me was a hybrid high school library we worked on. It integrated offices and maker space classrooms in this really great forest setting. Eventually I moved to Los Angeles and tried high-end residential design.
I found that I couldn't really connect with that type of work, and I wanted something that was more mission driven. As I looked back, I realized that my most rewarding experience and I was with the high school and with the universities. So I sought out a company that had those shared values. I found Berliner and the work they do with community colleges and charter schools. It's now been over a year since I've been working, and I have quite a few projects going on. It's been really rewarding because I grew up in Los Angeles and I’m able to make an impact here.
Why were you interested in studying architecture?
I really like solving problems and puzzles, but also I enjoyed painting and sculpture. Growing up, I was also very strong in math and science, specifically geometry and abstract thinking, topics like calculus and trigonometry. I had some mentors who recommended architecture, and I found that I liked the combination of design and science, and that it was a field that requires that you keep learning. There’s always something new to learn and find out, and I enjoy that. Recently, I’ve been very interested in sustainable thinking and becoming involved with groups looking at water quality and energy. I think there’s definitely a growing community for these issues in Los Angeles.
What project have you really enjoyed working on in the office?
I’ve enjoyed working on the Mayfield master plan, which is a 10 year master plan where we identified four projects on campus when they hired us. They really just wanted one new building, but the city needed them to do master plan, and it was good for them. I think it was a good learning process and they really thought to upgrade their existing facilities and elevate the entire campus, which is a really refreshing way to look at it.
What challenges have you faced in the last year that you had to overcome?
I’ve been learning a lot about LAUSD requirements. Working with past ways of construction that are not as efficient or sustainable has been challenging, and we’re learning on the go. But I wouldn't want to be in a spot where everything was just very easy and I know exactly what to do. I kind of like just having enough knowledge to know what I don't know, and being comfortable with that.
What advice would you give to others who want to advance in their career and learn?
Really try to use every opportunity, every task that you might be assigned to. Look deeper and try to understand and not just follow directions, but to really take it one step further and try to predict what the next steps would be. Think about ways you could potentially add to a conversation and try to absorb as much as you can.
Are there other designers or people that inspire you?
Recently I started looking into more work by Enric Miralles. It’s interesting because he was practicing in a time when a lot of the software was very basic, but craft was still accessible. He would design these very complicated buildings and you would have no idea how he put the drawing set together yet. I think that made me realize, what is the purpose of a drawing? What are you really trying to communicate? I'm curious what will happen in the future how that's going to evolve, how we document construction. I think it's very useful to keep looking back at history and previous projects to learn from them.
What do you enjoy most about working at Berliner?
I appreciate Richard’s willingness to give everyone agency and trust to prove themselves. If someone wants to take on an idea, they can run with it. For example, net zero energy and zero carbon, it's something I've been given the chance to network with people in LA about, going to conferences and meetings and just trying to talk to people who know a lot more than I do. We have the chance to pursue our interests and grow. I’m glad there’s a culture that supports individual learning.
What is your favorite part about Los Angeles?
This might be a bit unique, but I would say all the strip malls in Los Angeles. The small businesses, like print shops and restaurants. It feels like there’s so much to explore, and I really like learning about all the different neighborhoods and the history of the city. Los Angeles is a place of energy and optimism and art. It’s a very exciting place to be, and I think new ideas are welcomed here.
Gilmar Campos, LEED AP BD + C | Associate
What’s your current position at Berliner, and kind of work do you do?
I’m a project designer and I also help manage projects. I have experience working with the design through construction administration, where I spend a lot of time working with people. Right now I’m wrapping up the Brightstar school project, and I’m working on a playground in East LA. I’ve been fortunate to work with a range of people in architecture and on the job site, and I enjoy getting to know people outside of the office.
You have a background in urban design at Columbia University, and a degree in architecture from Woodbury University. Why were you interested in studying design?
I grew up in South Central Los Angeles for half of my life. I remember the riots, and for me, it was very personal. I was with my mom and sister, and we went on the bus to my grandma's house. I should've known better because I saw people honk and holding signs, but I was a kid. When we were coming back, the bus couldn't stop. There were break-ins in nearby stores, and then the hospital that was in front of our apartment complex burned down. So my mom decided to send us to a better school district, and I went to Manhattan Beach. I rode the bus for an hour and a half, and I remember seeing the city that way. When we moved to Compton, I would ride the bus for longer, up to two hours.
Throughout that time the Metro started the green line. For some reason, I would just love to take the Metro and look at the environment and wonder how so much change could happen from street to street. I realized that the way that I could make an impact in the city is through my perspective of how not only buildings but our larger environment can create a better community. For undergrad I studied a lot of buildings, but I was more interested in the homeless issue and more community-based kind of projects. So that's why I went to Columbia, and that's where I really defined who I was. I believe that architecture is about community and how we can give hope and opportunity to people.
What project have you really enjoyed working on in the office?
I’ve really enjoyed Brightstar, working on the construction documentation set and the administration. It has been a great experience where I learned a lot. I learned how to better manage the construction process and work with others. I enjoy interacting with everyone on site, from the foreman to the electricians, it’s been great to simply spend a few moments getting to know people and listening to what they have to say. For example, the General Contractor and I got along because we both enjoyed punk music, and we would talk about that. In that way, you build relationships and trust, and that goes a long way to making a better project and making meaningful work.
What challenges have you faced in the last year that you had to overcome?
I would go back to the Brightstar project, as I learned a lot after the structural design had to change. Everything was already approved, and you have to go back to the city and make sure the new design gets approved, and you don't know if it will because the connections might be different than they were before. So that was challenging, but also a great learning experience.
What advice would you give to others who want to advance in their career and learn?
I would say that you should be passionate about what you do. Be sure of yourself and treat others with respect. Simply being a good person and asking questions like “how are you” can go a long way in the profession, but also life in general. Kindness and respect allow you to better appreciate the perspectives of other people. Don’t stress out about the small things, there’s always solutions to problems. At the end of the day, how you treat others will reflect whether the project succeeds or not.
Are there other designers or people that inspire you?
Definitely Teddy Cruz. He’s been a big influence in my life and when I practice. He’s spoken a lot about waste and community, including on the other side of the border, and how they’re using waste to construct buildings. I feel that's something that we should think about when we're designing, is a more careful consideration of waste and our impact on the environment. More broadly, I think architecture has a role to play in issues like gentrification, development and housing, and Teddy’s work explores ways that we can make an impact. I also really enjoy Archigram and Superstudio, their work is really inspiring.
What do you enjoy most about working at Berliner?
I enjoy learning from everyone else and their perspectives. I believe the environment of the people I work with and the culture is really good. It’s great to hear how someone’s day is going and their individual work, as well as what they enjoy outside the office. There are great people here, and that’s what I enjoy the most.
What is your favorite part about Los Angeles?
You might laugh, but it’s the smell. If you go through different parts of the city, you experience different smells: at the beach you smell the ocean and the salt, or this great area around Alameda where they have taco trucks and you smell the al pastor tacos, or the soups and BBQ in Koreatown. Los Angeles has a really great diversity of smells that can tell you where you are in the city. I also enjoy the coast, simply driving along the water or looking at the beach. It’s very peaceful and gives me time to reflect.
Tony Armer | Senior Associate
What’s your current position at Berliner, and kind of work do you do?
I’m a project manager at Berliner, and right now, I'm primarily working on Prop 51 for a high school, but I'm also working on several other projects that are in various stages of development.
Why were you interested in construction and design?
I've been doing this for over 30 years, and I still enjoy it. I've loved architecture since I was a kid. I went through a lot of drafting classes, the same thing everybody does when they want to do it. But then I went into the army, and when I came out of the army, I found I still had a passion for doing it . A friend of mine had recently graduated from SCI-ARC and we were at lunch one day and starting discussing architecture, he introduced me to some of his other friends from school and started giving me a network. He had passed the contractor’s license exam and started a design build residential practice and he was starting to get busy so he asked if I would join him. As his practice started slow down, I started going out to work in commercial firms. Most of my experience is really doing by learning. I tend to be very hands on and feel I get a better understanding of things this way. I like CA, and I think it's important because it's easy to draw but not understand it. If you're actually watching somebody build, I think you learn a lot more from it.
What project have you enjoyed working on?
At one point I had moved to Utah, and started working for one of the three bigger firms in Salt Lake City. I was there for 12 years. It was a very beneficial period in my career as I was exposed more to several other aspects of the field other than just drawings and designing the building but also what a practice involves from a higher level. I worked on almost entirely K-12, but would on occasion help the firm with projects that needed help. But I learned a great deal about educational architecture but about education and the kids we educate as well. I did all the CA work on my projects, I met with clients, and over time, it helped be become more well-rounded. It pushed me up towards leadership and administrative positions and helped me better understand the practice from different perspectives. It helped me be more well-rounded.
I come to enjoy working on schools. I've done almost every type of project. I've worked on hospitals and concrete tilt ups. I've done institutional. I like schools because I think of the client that we're doing the schools for. I mean, we all went to school, and I've always thought about the process of things that I was dealing with in schools and how we can we make those things better.
What advice would you give to others who want to advance in their career and learn?
I have a couple of thoughts. One of the first things somebody told me to do is to read a spec book, which is boring. It's horrible, but the specs cover means and method, how you put things together. We just draw the wall and we call it a six inch wall. We don't necessarily get into the means and methods. I think that understanding that a little better will help you. And never be afraid to ask questions. There's nothing wrong with asking a question, if you don't know something, it's OK. Ask the question. It's better that you ask the question or say, let me see if I can find out.
In short, try to listen, don't talk. We have a habit of when somebody says something, we want to jump into the conversation. Try to listen to what somebody says. Then you can understand where someone is coming from, what they're asking you and how to resolve it. If you're constantly thinking about how you want to respond to that question, you’re not listening.
Are there other designers or people that inspire you?
I think I’ve been inspired by different firms, and different people depending on where I’ve been in my career. I enjoy looking at how other firms and people solved problems that were specific to their location as well as there parameters. I don’t think I have one particular person or office in particular, but more so different practices that influenced me at a given time. I think the creativity and problem solving is what inspires me.
Are there any particular types of projects you’d like to do but haven’t?
I've never done a high rise building. But then that being said, I don't know that I feel I am missing anything if I don’t do one. I've thought about it a lot of times, and I really like doing K-12 and higher-ed type projects. I like doing educational things. So I would say that it's probably not one that I haven't done, but there might be some out there that I'd still be happy to do if they presented new problems and challenges I haven’t had to work through yet.
What is your favorite part about Los Angeles?
I was born in the San Fernando Valley. So I've lived in the San Fernando Valley in that area for most of my life. I’m not sure there is a particular place in the city that is my favorite, as I really enjoy backpacking and hiking. So we go to places like Joshua Tree, or up to Tahoe. I guess the thing I like about the valley is you are still fairly close to beaches, mountains and other areas to enjoy.
Rahel Zewdu, LEED AP | Senior Associate
What’s your current position at Berliner, and kind of work do you do?
I'm a Senior Associate and Project Manager at Berliner Architects. I joined the firm right after college and worked here for 12 years, until 2012. Then I moved to Michigan and Washington, D.C., where I worked for for another architecture firm a little over a year. I then relocated to San Jose, where I worked at Gensler. And since I’ve moved back to Los Angeles, I rejoined Berliner Architects. I feel like I’ve come full circle!
I went to architecture school at Cal Poly SLO, and I loved everything about it. What you learn in school is very interesting, and becomes very different when you join the workforce. As a student you are able to be much more creative. You can select any site you want, including the Moon or Mars, and your creativity is limitless. When it comes to the real world, you’re drawing and drafting and thinking about public spaces in a practical way. I started as a drafter at first, and at some point throughout this one big project, Richard (Berliner) asked me to read over the proposal. It kind of happened by accident, but that is how I gravitated toward project management, and I just fell in love with it.
Why were you interested in studying architecture?
I was born and raised in Ethiopia, and I come from a family of five kids, three older brothers and one younger sister, so I am the first girl for the family. My oldest brother was an architect. While he was in architecture school, he would bring a lot of his assignments home and build models. At the time I was in third grade, I believe I was seven or eight years old. I would just be near him and try and help him build. I was just fascinating with the plexiglass and the cardboard. I gravitated toward it since a very young age. So I owe it to my brother, really.
What projects have you enjoyed working on most?
I’ve really enjoyed our educational work. They're my favorite clients, in part because they trust us and are very open-minded. They are usually very eager to learn, ask good questions and they're open to a lot of good ideas as well. I think that makes it very, very easy to work with such amazing people. And we learn so much from them as well. We understand that things like their budget might be a problem, but they want to see great design as well. So we find ways to serve these amazing educators and students. It’s a great collaboration.
What advice would you give to others who want to advance in their career and learn?
I am here because I've learned a great deal from so many different individuals, whether in this office or just life in general. I am eager to share my knowledge with everyone, and I intend to do that. I see a lot of great talent in this office, and I hope to share my experience with people so they can grow. My work may be a little different than the rest of the people in the office, as it involves a lot of emails, phone calls, proposals and scheduling. However, these are essential aspects of any project and I intend on sharing more of my knowledge with others.
Are there other designers or people that inspire you?
You can learn so much by even simply going to the city and meeting with planners or officials. You can inquire about how to better present your work, and how to improve. You learn and get inspired from outside the profession too. Then sometimes it is simply the people in your life you learn from. You start talking to them and exchange ideas. Teachers and students alike inspire me. My 5-year-old niece and how she sees the world also inspires me greatly. Really, it's what you decide or what you choose to take from all your interactions. I always look for the positive part of work, and life in general.
What do you enjoy most about working at Berliner?
I enjoy both the work we do and the people I work with. The culture of the office is really great. We're not very small, and we’re not too big either. We're just perfect. Our culture is more about what we look for in each other and how we help each other out. And we also listen to each other. I think to me, the energy is very important. From the day that I joined the office, even as we’ve grown, we have maintained a great positive and nurturing culture.
What is your favorite part about Los Angeles?
I enjoy the different cultures, languages and overall diversity of this beautiful city. I did not realize what I had until I moved to Michigan. You’re going to laugh at this, but it was very, very hard to find a decent Mexican restaurant in Michigan. So I cherish what our city has to offer, from the people to the food. There are so many cultures represented in LA and as an immigrant myself, this environment has allowed me to share my culture and explore others’ as well.