ROMA Design Group is an

interdisciplinary Interdisciplinarity or interdisciplinary studies involves the combination of multiple academic disciplines into one activity (e.g., a research project). It draws knowledge from several other fields like sociology, anthropology, psychology, ec ...

firm of

architects An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

landscape architects A landscape architect is a person who is educated in the field of landscape architecture. The practice of landscape architecture includes: site analysis, site inventory, site planning, land planning, planting design, grading, storm water manage ...

, and

urban planners An urban planner (also known as town planner) is a professional who practices in the field of town planning, urban planning or city planning. An urban planner may focus on a specific area of practice and have a title such as city planner, town ...

based in

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

, USA. It was founded in 1968 by American architect George T. Rockrise.

History

ROMA Design Group was founded in late 1968 by

George T. Rockrise George Thomas Rockrise, FAIA, ASLA, AICP (November 25, 1916 – July 7, 2000) was an American architect, landscape architect, and urban planner of Japanese and English descent based in San Francisco, California. During his career he practiced both ...

, FAIA, ASLA, AICP. Rockrise was an architect with a strong interest in landscape and site design. He began his career in Panama during World War II, and then returned to New York City, working for Edward D. Stone and Skidmore, Owings, and Merrill (United Nations). Rockrise then worked in

, for the landscape architect Thomas Dolliver Church.Jim Doyle (July 14, 2000
"George T. Rockrise"
''San Francisco Chronicle''. In 1950 he established his own practice in San Francisco; George T. Rockrise, A.I.A. In 1968 Rockrise formed George T. Rockrise and Associates with Robert A. Odermatt, Robert C. Mountjoy, and James J. Amis becoming principals. The firm later became Rockrise, Odermatt, Mountjoy, and Amis, and ultimately ROMA Design Group, as it is known today. In the 1980s Boris Dramov, Bonnie Fisher, and Jim Adams became Principals, having met at the

Harvard Graduate School of Design The Harvard Graduate School of Design (GSD) is the graduate school of design at Harvard University, a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It offers master's and doctoral programs in architecture, landscape architecture, urban ...

. Jim Adams later went on to open ROMA's offices in

Austin, Texas Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the county seat, seat and largest city of Travis County, Texas, Travis County, with portions extending into Hays County, Texas, Hays and Williamson County, Texas, Williamson co ...

. In 2000, ROMA's design for the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

was selected as the winning submission in an international

architectural design competition An architectural design competition is a type of design competition in which an organization that intends on constructing a new building invites architects to submit design proposals. The winning design is usually chosen by an independent panel o ...

. The firm is currently under the leadership of Boris Dramov,

FAIA Fellow of the American Institute of Architects (FAIA) is a postnominal title or membership, designating an individual who has been named a fellow of the American Institute of Architects (AIA). Fellowship is bestowed by the institute on AIA-member ...

, FAICP, Design Principal and Bonnie Fisher, FASLA, Landscape Principal

Notable projects

Since the 1950s ROMA Design Group has become known for a wide variety of architecture projects, including San Francisco's

Cathedral School Cathedral schools began in the Early Middle Ages as centers of advanced education, some of them ultimately evolving into medieval universities. Throughout the Middle Ages and beyond, they were complemented by the monastic schools. Some of these ...

, the

Bahrain Bahrain ( ; ; ar, البحرين, al-Bahrayn, locally ), officially the Kingdom of Bahrain, ' is an island country in Western Asia. It is situated on the Persian Gulf, and comprises a small archipelago made up of 50 natural islands and an ...

's U.S. Embassy in

Manama Manama ( ar, المنامة ', Bahrani Arabic, Bahrani pronunciation: ) is the capital and largest city of Bahrain, with an approximate population of 200,000 people as of 2020. Long an important trading center in the Persian Gulf, Manama is h ...

, the Domaine Chandon Winery in

Yountville, California Yountville ( or ) is a city in Napa County, in the Wine Country of California, United States. Located in the North Bay region of the Bay Area, the population was 3,436 at the 2020 census. Almost a third of the town's population lives at the Ve ...

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

's Sun River Resort, and the Inn at the Tides in

Bodega Bay, California Bodega Bay is a village and census-designated place (CDP) in Sonoma County, California, United States. The population was 912 at the 2020 census. The town, located along State Route 1, is on the eastern side of Bodega Harbor, an inlet of Bodega ...

. ROMA Design Group has become known for revitalizing declining urban districts of at least 25 cities, for example

Suisun City, California Suisun City ( ; Wintun for "where the west wind blows") is a city in Solano County, California, United States. The population was 29,518 at the 2020 census. The city takes its name from the adjacent Suisun Bay, which in turn is named for the S ...

. In particular the firm has long been associated with the transformation of the

waterfront after the demolition of the

Embarcadero Freeway Embarcadero, the Spanish word for wharf, may also refer specifically to: Places * Embarcadero (Oakland), California * Embarcadero (San Diego), California ** Embarcadero Circle, waterfront re-development project in San Diego * Embarcadero (San Fran ...

, ROMA's new Ferry Terminal was welcomed by the ''Baycrossing Magazine'', saying the terminal created new hope for the city. According to Boris Dramov, "The effect is intended to speak to the role this space has as a gathering place, counter-pointing the modern and the traditional. You see it with the granite portals through which passengers pass to enter the floats. The stainless steel on floats’ canopies recalls the new trolley stops.""San Francisco Ferry Terminal Project Lurching to the Finish Line"
Baycrossings Magazine, October 9, 2001. Retrieved from archive 2013-08-12. In 2006 ROMA's 637-foot long Pier 14 was completed, which the ''San Francisco Chronicle'' described as "compelling".John King (October 31, 2010
SFGate "The Embarcadero, Extended"
''San Francisco Chronicle''. It designed

Santa Monica Santa Monica (; Spanish: ''Santa Mónica'') is a city in Los Angeles County, situated along Santa Monica Bay on California's South Coast. Santa Monica's 2020 U.S. Census population was 93,076. Santa Monica is a popular resort town, owing to ...

Third Street Promenade The Third Street Promenade is a pedestrian mall esplanade, shopping, dining and entertainment complex in the downtown area of Santa Monica, California which originally opened as the Santa Monica Mall on November 8, 1965. It is considered a premier ...

Kathleen Rawso
Third Street Promenade - Case Study 39
Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Centre. and other projects in the Santa Monica downtown and Civic Center.

International

::* Viaduct Harbour Plan,

America’s Cup The America's Cup, informally known as the Auld Mug, is a trophy awarded in the sport of sailing. It is the oldest international competition still operating in any sport. America's Cup match races are held between two sailing yachts: one f ...

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The List of New Zealand urban areas by population, most populous urban area in the country and the List of cities in Oceania by po ...

, New Zealand (1997) ::*Makati Pedestrianization Project,

Makati Makati ( ), officially the City of Makati ( fil, Lungsod ng Makati), is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the National Capital Region of the Philippines. Makati is the financial center of the Philippines; it has the highest concentration ...

Manila, Philippines Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populated ...

(1998) ::*Greenbelt Master Plan,

(2003) ::*Zhanggui Zhang New Town Master Plan,

Tianjin, China Tianjin (; ; Mandarin: ), alternately romanized as Tientsin (), is a municipality and a coastal metropolis in Northern China on the shore of the Bohai Sea. It is one of the nine national central cities in Mainland China, with a total popula ...

(2003) ::*Zhanggui Zhang Town Center Plan,

(2003) ::*

Bonifacio Global City Bonifacio may refer to: Places * Bonifacio, Corse-du-Sud, a town in Corsica, France * Strait of Bonifacio, separating Corsica from Sardinia * Bonifacio, Misamis Occidental, a municipality in the Philippines * Bonifacio Global City, a central bu ...

Master Plan,

(2006) ::*Konstantinovo New Town Community,

Moscow, Russia Moscow ( , American English, US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia. The city stands on t ...

(2008) ::*Konstantinovo West Village Urban Design Plan,

(2009) ::*Orchard Road Concept Plan,

Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...

(2010) ::*Bomonti Hotel Conference Center/Residential Complex,

Istanbul, Turkey Istanbul ( , ; tr, İstanbul ), formerly known as Constantinople ( grc-gre, Κωνσταντινούπολις; la, Constantinopolis), is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, serving as the country's economic, ...

(2012) ::*Altinyildiz Mixed Use Project,

(2012) ::*Concept Plan for Hotel/Conference Center,

Tashkent, Uzbekistan Tashkent (, uz, Toshkent, Тошкент/, ) (from russian: Ташкент), or Toshkent (; ), also historically known as Chach is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Uzbekistan, largest city of Uzbekistan. It is the most populous ...

(2012) ::*Mountain Resort/Hotel Complex, Shahdag,

Azerbaijan Azerbaijan (, ; az, Azərbaycan ), officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, , also sometimes officially called the Azerbaijan Republic is a transcontinental country located at the boundary of Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is a part of th ...

(2012) ::*Visioning for

Heydar Aliyev International Airport Heydar Aliyev International Airport ( az, Heydar Aliyev adına Beynəlxalq Hava Limanı) (IATA: GYD, ICAO: UBBB) is one of the seven international airports serving Azerbaijan. Formerly, it was called Bina International Airport after a suburb of ...

Baku, Azerbaijan Baku (, ; az, Bakı ) is the capital and largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and of the Caucasus region. Baku is located below sea level, which makes it the lowest lying national capital in the world an ...

(2012)

Awards

*Partners for Livable Communities Investors in America Award: A Celebration of Vision & Community Spirit *ABAG Urban Design Award, City Station District Pedestrian Open Space, Union City, California. *Ferry Building Plaza, National AIA Urban Design Award of Excellence *Outstanding Brownfield Redevelopment Award: Phoenix Awards, 2003. South Downtown Redevelopment Project, Portland. *Award of Excellence: Congress for the New Urbanism, 2001. Robert Mueller Municipal Airport Redevelopment and Reuse Plan. *Design Competition Winning Submission. Martin Luther King Jr. National Memorial Foundation Inc., 2000. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial, Washington, D.C. *Honor Award: Urban Design Category, National American Institute of Architects, 2000. Mid-Embarcadero Open Space/Transportation project. *Honor Award: Mixed-Use Category, The Waterfront Center, 1999. Suisun City Waterfront Project. *Merit Award: Planning and Urban Design Category, American Society of Landscape Architects, National Chapter, 1995. Civic Center Specific Plan, Santa Monica. *Ahwahnee Community Design Award, Local Government Commission, 1995. Civic Center Specific Plan, Santa Monica, California. *Ahwahnee Community Design Award, Local Government Commission, 1995. Suisun City Redevelopment Plan, Suisun, California. *Ahwahnee Community Design Award, Local Government Commission, 1995. Community Design Principals, Chico, California. *Ahwahnee Community Design Award, Local Government Commission, 1994. Downtown Recovery Plan, Santa Cruz, California. *Honor Award: Design Category, National Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects, 1993, Pier 7, San Francisco, California. *Merit Award: Design Category, National Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects, 1993. Third Street Promenade, Santa Monica, California. *Outstanding Planning Award, American Planning Association, Sacramento Chapter, 1993. Capitol View Protection Plan, Sacramento, California. *Grand Award: Best Community Site Plan, Under 100 Acres. Pacific Coast Builders Conference, 1993. Navy Broadway Complex, San Diego, California. *Urban Design Award of Excellence, National Chapter American Institute of Architects, 1992. Railyards Specific Plan, Sacramento, California. *Urban Design Award of Excellence, National Chapter American Institute of Architects, 1992. Third Street Promenade, Santa Monica, California.

References

External links

Official Website

Official YouTube
{{DEFAULTSORT:ROMA Design Group Architecture firms based in California American landscape architects Architects from San Francisco Companies based in San Francisco Design companies established in 1949 1949 establishments in California