Movers & Shakers: JERDE acquires Superjacent, design firm ZGF adds new partners, and Bolour shuffles execs

LA design firms have made some big moves recently

Bolour’s Christopher Serna and Adam Eisenberg, Superjacent partners Tony Paradowski and Chris Torres
Bolour’s Christopher Serna and Adam Eisenberg, Superjacent partners Tony Paradowski and Chris Torres

UPDATED, 10:58 a.m., February 22: Architecture firm JERDE Partnership has absorbed landscape architecture firm Superjacent, along with its top people.

The firm will work out of JERDE’s Downtown Los Angeles headquarters. Superjacent partners Tony Paradowski and Chris Torres are now vice presidents and design principles at JERDE, joining about 15 other vice presidents and a half-dozen design principals.

Superjacent, based in Downtown, is currently working in conjunction with Skidmore, Owings, and Merrill on a transit-oriented development master plan for the City of Compton, as well as a number of projects around the L.A. area. The firm has worked on around 1,500 acres of landscape worldwide, according to a press release.

JERDE isn’t the only design house making big moves.

Downtown-based ZGF Architects LLP, which designed Google’s space in Playa Vista’s Spruce Goose Hanger, has made six veterans partners. Two of those — Mitra Memari and James Woolum — are based in the firm’s L.A. office. The other four are based in the firm’s Portland and Seattle offices.

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Memari has been with the firm since 2006. Her work highlights in L.A. include a stem cell research center at the USC Keck School of Medicine. Woolum worked on the Spruce Goose project, and also worked on a Cedars-Sinai medical office in Playa Vista and a pavilion at the Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. He’s been with the firm 12 years. They join 19 other partners at the firm, which has around 700 employees.

The Spruce Goose Hangar redesign included adding 130,000 square feet of office space to the cavernous hangar. That includes elevated walkways, a gym, and a 250-person event space.

Christopher Serna is the new head of acquisitions at Bolour Associates. He comes to the firm from Hilco Real Estate, where he was a managing director. The Beverly Hills brokerage is looking to buy up $300 million worth of commercial real estate this year as it restructures its portfolio.

The firm also promoted former Vice President of Acquisitions Adam Eisenberg, making him vice president of development. Bolour is currently developing a 380-unit project in Warner Center.