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Architect

Ken Breuer

Education

Bachelor of Architecture
Arizona State Universiy

Registrations & Associations

Architect, CA (C-12159)
AIA, CASH

44
Years of Experience
6
Years with Firm

Professional Profile

Ken has been responsible for the design and construction documents for more than eight new elementary schools, five new middle schools, and ten new high schools, including new stadiums and aquatic facilities.  His experience also includes many modernizations for existing school campuses.

Among his project management responsibilities in our office, Ken also runs our QA/QC efforts, updating and editing in-house master specifications to the latest DSA, CBC, ADA, and IBC code requirements.  This also includes updating new products and construction materials, and writing and editing office standard specifications to meet project specific requirements, as well as District specific standards, products, and materials.

Personal Story

Ken Breuer shares the same surname as Marcel Breuer — pronounced ‘broy-er’ in Europe — another architect who taught at the Bauhas school, applied Brutalism (Beton Brut) style to his building design and created furniture such as the Wassily and Cane chairs.

A true California native, Ken was born in Santa Monica. As a child he and his family lived in Culver City and Redondo Beach until moving to Thousand Oaks when it was still very rural. “A lot of Western movies and TV shows were filmed there,” he said. The next move they made was to Fullerton where he finished high school. After graduating Ken decided to go to Arizona State University. “It was a five-year architectural program. The first year was called “pre-architecture” which included math and physics, some architecture and art classes. After that you had to submit your portfolio together with an essay to get into the architectural program.” Out of approximately 300 applicants, they only took 80 and Ken was accepted.

The next four years were filled with architecture classes – both studio and design. About halfway through the second year, he decided it was time for some fresh air. So, he took a semester off and traveled to Europe with a friend for three months. Reinspired, he returned to the States and graduated from ASU in 1977 after which he found work in Orange County. “Those first years, I did a lot of drafting,” he recalled. “Then the big 1980 recession hit, so I moved to Denver where I found architectural work with friends of mine from ASU— mainly working hospitals and educational buildings.”

Ken has since designed many beautiful schools, including a couple of CASH award-winning schools – Rancho Verde High School in the Val Verde School District, La Quinta High School in Desert Sands, Tahquitz High School in Hemet and Sycamore Canyon Elementary School in Del Mar. A self-proclaimed “crazy hard worker,” Ken likes what he does. “Seeing what you design is rewarding. I try to design schools that I personally would love to go to.”

In his free time, Ken exercises — bike rides, walks and runs (10 marathons long ago). He enjoys wildlife photography as well as sketching and doing watercolors. Having a home in Julian allows for many wonderful wildlife encounters. He and his wife Marilee also love to travel and plan on future trips to numerous destinations. (top photo l-r: Ken, daughter Natalie & wife Marilee)

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