Latitude 33 Launches Drone Service

Above: Latitude 33 drone pilots include Allan Ramos and Austin Baber. Bottom left: Altman Clinical and Translational Research Institute. Bottom right: Pacific Highlands Ranch.

Hello, and welcome to the fall 2017 edition of the Latitude 33 newsletter. It has been an exciting quarter! Perhaps most exciting is that Latitude 33 recently announced it is now offering drone services to its clients. The aerial images and 3D modeling of a project site can be used during entitlements, site planning, and tracking progress during construction. A highly valuable service, Latitude 33’s drone images can help facilitate interdisciplinary collaboration and improve communication during planning and construction.

Latitude 33 employs two highly trained drone pilots, Allan Ramos and Austin Baber, who are licensed by the Federal Aviation Administration to fly remote aircraft. With two pilots, Latitude 33 utilizes industry best practices. Both pilots are present for all flights. One pilot maintains a visual on the drone at all times, while the other pilot operates the drone

The drone allows Latitude 33 to capture high definition photos and videos, and model the site features and terrain in 3D, which can be used for planning, presentation, or preliminary design purposes. Latitude 33’s drone technology can be used for any size property, and is already being used for its existing clients. The drone offers numerous advantages over traditional aircraft photography, including:

Faster turnaround.
Images can be captured on cloudy days.
The drone operator can work from a considerable distance and not worry about natural or artificial barriers to the sight lines.
Images are high resolution and serve a variety of users. They can be transmitted, shared and printed. Software can turn them into topographical maps, bird’s-eye view images, 3D models, point cloud, orthorectified images, and more.
Drones present no safety risk for the operator and eliminates risks to ground and air personnel.
They are an environmentally friendly option. Battery-operated drones don’t produce toxic fumes.

Latitude 33 uses the latest state-of-the-art technology including Agisoft PhotoScan, and all work meets National Map Standards.

Please enjoy several other updates in our latest newsletter.

Sincerely,

Latitude 33 Leadership Team

Mesa Nueva at UC San Diego Opens

Mesa Nueva at UC San Diego opened for fall quarter, beginning September 28, 2017.

Mesa Nueva is UC San Diego’s newest housing project north of La Jolla Village Drive and west of Regents Road. The project was opened with a ribbon cutting ceremony on September 27, 2017, in time for graduate and professional students to move in for the start of fall quarter, September 28, 2017. The new development replaced 86 older units which were built nearly 50 years ago. With 1,350 new beds, the residential community is one of the largest graduate and professional student housing facilities in the country.

Mesa Nueva features furnished units in studio, 1-, 2-, and 3-bedroom designs. Mesa Nueva was designed to meet the need for housing and provide students with a greater sense of community. Shared amenities include social pool with spas and splash zones, a brew pub, outdoor lounge, a small grocery store, and more. Mesa Nueva is an integral part of UC San Diego’s Long Range Development Plan to house at least 50 percent of eligible students on campus. The addition of Mesa Nueva to UC San Diego’s housing options brings the total up to 40 percent, with additional projects underway. The Mesa Nueva Housing community was designed and built with a number sustainable building strategies, aiming to achieve LEED Gold certification.

For this project, Latitude 33 provided guidance to the team for an optimum site design solution that addressed all environmental, water quality, and retention concerns. Congratulations to the entire development team on a job well done!

Katie Yee Serves as Moderator for CREW “Women in Local Politics” Event

Katie Yee moderated CREW’s “Women in Local Politics” event with a VIP roster of panelists
Left to right in above photo: Katie Yee, Chief Relationship Officer with Latitude 33; Racquel Vasquez, Mayor for the City of Lemon Grove; Kristal Jabara, Councilmember for the City of San Marcos; Kristin Gaspar, County Supervisor for the San Diego County Board of Supervisors; and Rebecca Jones, Vice Mayor for the City of San Marcos.

Latitude 33’s Chief Relationship Office, Katie Yee, recently served as a moderator for Commercial Real Estate Women’s (CREW’s) “Women in Local Politics” event on September 25, 2017. The distinguished panelists included:

Kristin Gaspar, County Supervisor for the San Diego County Board of Supervisors
Rebecca Jones, Vice Mayor for the City of San Marco
Kristal Jabara, Councilmember for the City of San Marco
Racquel Vasquez, Mayor for the City of Lemon Grov

Over 70 guests enjoyed meeting each elected official, learning about their personal stories, and hearing more about each representative’s unique community.

Katie Yee is not only involved with CREW, she is actively involved in the Building Industry Association (BIA), The Urban Land Institute (ULI), and the Downtown San Diego Partnership (DSDP).

Projects

Dedication Held for Paseo de Colachis at USD

Above: Paseo de Colachis at the University of San Diego. Below: Latitude 33 team members at the Paseo de Colachis dedication on September 26, 2017. Pictured from left to right are: Justin Listar; Brad Sager; University of San Diego President, James T. Harris III, DEd; Jon Arenz; Katie Yee; and University of San Diego Associate Dean & Professor of Industrial Engineering, Rick Olson, PhD.

On Tuesday, September 26, 2017, Latitude 33 attended the dedication for Paseo de Colachis on the campus of the University of San Diego (USD). The new plaza, located near The Immaculate Catholic Church, replaced a two-way street and is part of the school’s plan to make the campus more pedestrian friendly. The new walkway includes a grass lawn named “the Student Commons” and a mini amphitheater. This new green space also includes many sustainability initiatives, including drought tolerant grass and a high-tech watering system that will be used to minimize the amount of water needed to maintain it. Now, the “Most Beautiful Campus in the Nation” (named by the Princeton Review) is even more beautiful.

Latitude 33 provided grading and improvement plans to expand USD’s central pedestrian promenade from the existing Colachis Plaza to Plaza de San Diego (approximately 800 linear feet of improvements). Great job, Latitude 33 team!

Awards

Altman Clinical and Translational Research Institute Earns Numerous Awards

The award-winning Altman Clinical and Translational Research Institute

The Altman Clinical and Translational Research Institute (ACTRI) is a new 345,650-square-foot LEED-certified facility, located on UCSD’s East Campus. ACTRI provides infrastructure and support for scientific research throughout San Diego, and expedites the translation of discoveries into therapies. The organization also facilitates the training and education of new researchers. For this project, Latitude 33 provided schematic design, design development, construction documents and construction administration services.

In recent months, Altman Clinical and Translational Research Institute has been honored with the following awards for design excellence:

The Best Southern California Project in Higher Education/Research by Engineering News-Recor.d
An Orchid at the 2017 San Diego Architectural Foundation’s Orchids & Onions Awards. The Orchids & Onions is the only interactive, community-based program geared towards raising awareness and encouraging practical discourse in response to San Diego’s built environment.
A Citation Award at the AIA San Diego 2017 Design Awards, which honored thoughtful and innovative design over a broad range of categories.

Congratulations, team!

Community and Culture

Latitude 33 Survives Boot Camp

The Latitude 33 team at the MCRD Boot Camp Challenge

On Saturday, October 14, Latitude 33 participated in the MCRD Boot Camp Challenge, sponsored by the Associated General Contractors (AGC). Boot Camp Challenge offers civilians the opportunity to experience a small taste of Marine Corps boot camp. This race features obstacles used by Marine recruits, with over 60 Marine Corps Drill Instructors staffing the course. Congrats to all participants for surviving boot camp!

Thank you for being a part of our planning and engineering family. From the entire Latitude 33 Team, happy Fall!

Upcoming: Did you know that Latitude 33 celebrated its 24th year in business? Stay tuned for some exciting announcements and events highlighting our 25th Anniversary in 2018!

Fall 2017 Newsletter