William S. Duff, Jr.

Founder & Managing Principal

William S. Duff, Jr.

Founder & Managing Principal

William S. Duff, Jr. founded WDA in 1998. He has established an innovative practice with diverse clients and commissions, and is nationally recognized for creating responsible, sustainable architecture. His work is known for its elegant simplicity both in plan and detail, and for sophisticated use of materials, light, and warmth to create innovative modern spaces.

Underlying William’s strategic vision for WDA is the belief that architecture can shape environments and improve communities. A former Eagle Scout, he believes that personal service strengthens ties to the neighborhoods and communities where he lives and works.

William has substantial experience in retail, residential, and commercial architecture, and under his leadership, WDA continues to grow and excel in each of these areas. He has designed flagship stores, retail concept designs, roll-out stores, single and multi-family homes, restaurants, and office spaces.

Other work includes cafes, wineries, art galleries, and full building renovations.

Before founding WDA, William was an Associate at Kanner Architects in Los Angeles, where he managed the firm’s retail practice. His experience extends to mixed-use, commercial, academic and laboratory buildings, urban master planning, and health-care design. William received his Bachelor of Architecture from Cornell University and his Master in Construction Management from Colorado State University.

In addition to NCARB and LEED certifications, William holds architecture licenses in five states (CA, CO, AZ, OR, WI). He is a member of the American Institute of Architects, the U.S. Green Building Council, and has served on the Marina Del Rey Design Control Board. He is the past President of the Board of Directors of Young Audiences of Northern California and the current President of the Board of Directors of Napa’s diRosa Center for Contemporary Art.

Jim Westover

Partner & Principal - Residential

Jim Westover

Partner & Principal - Residential

As a Partner and Principal, Jim provides direct oversight of all of WDA’s residential projects, preparing a strategy to achieve each of our client’s unique goals, and personally manages select high-end residential projects. He meets weekly with the firm’s project managers to review milestones, discuss technical issues and provide quality control for completed drawings.

With a Bachelor of Architecture from the University of California at Berkeley, Jim is a California state licensed architect, a LEED accredited professional, and has over 30 years of experience in architecture and interiors.

Prior to joining WDA, Jim had his own practice focusing on residential projects, preceded by 17 years as an associate and senior project manager at FME Architecture + Design in San Francisco, where he managed a variety of projects including corporate campuses, churches, schools, gymnasiums and private residences. For seven years, he served as the pro bono Project Architect for the renovation of San Francisco’s Lincoln Park Steps.

Jonathan Tsurui

Practice Manager - Retail

Jonathan Tsurui

Practice Manager - Retail

Jonathan works closely with William Duff to manage the retail practice. Jonathan’s project experience ranges from concept and original one-off designs to well-established brands, where strict standards must be followed.

Jonathan adds value to every phase of his projects through dedicated client service, and by facilitating a close collaboration process.

Jonathan completed his Bachelor of Architecture with a Minor in Sustainable Environments from California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, California. His interests include golf, foosball, and maintaining his humidor.

Phoebe Lam

Associate & Director of Operations

Phoebe Lam

Associate & Director of Operations

Phoebe excels at managing complex projects with large numbers of consultants and multiple decision makers. She currently works on projects in all of our practice areas, with a focus on single-family residential and commercial work.

Drawing on experience creating conceptual designs and site plans for 1,000,000 sq. ft. outdoor retail centers, as well as multi-building and multi-block programs and parking layouts, Phoebe also enjoys more intimate, small scale tenant improvements and homes.

In her work, Phoebe seeks a balance between forward-thinking design and a respect for the past; between the principles of modern architecture, and an aesthetic that embraces warmth and texture. She continually looks for new ways to apply sustainable principles and methods in all of her projects.

Phoebe received her BA in Architecture from UC Berkeley. Previously she worked as a job captain with with Field Paoli in San Francisco, managing teams on large outdoor retail centers and civic projects.

David K. Plotkin

Associate Principal - Commercial

David K. Plotkin

Associate Principal - Commercial

David brings to WDA his expertise in sustainable, forward-thinking architecture. As a leader in our commercial practice area, David adeptly formulates responsible modern design solutions. He thrives on negotiating challenges arising from codes, budgets, or environments, and prefers to practice conservation by blending old and new in existing buildings.

Most recently, David founded and operated his own Tucson, Arizona firm, where he concentrated on envisioning and implementing commercial and residential projects built with environmentally responsible practices.

David has also designed and managed projects for firms in New York, Nashville, Chicago, and Los Angeles, including Frank O. Gehry & Associates and Morphosis Architects.

A California and Arizona Registered Architect and a LEED Accredited Professional, David has been practicing and researching sustainable architecture since earning his Bachelor of Architecture at the University of Cincinnati. He has previously served as a Board Member for the U. S. Green Building Council, Southern Arizona Branch. His passion for sustainable design comes from a sense of personal responsibility which he believes should be inherent in contemporary architecture.  David’s family shares his enthusiasm for the environment, and together they enjoy exploring the Bay Area’s inspiring natural landscapes.

Dillon Parker

Senior Project Manager

Dillon Parker

Senior Project Manager

In his over 17 years of professional experience, Dillon’s keenest interests have been the thoughtful development of design detailing and the intense collaborative coordination of building systems with engineers, general contractors, and other associated design professionals. He’s been party to all phases of design and construction in a variety of sectors, including Commercial TI, Resort Hospitality, Multi-Family Residential, and Skilled Nursing Facilities.

Prior to joining WDA, Dillon managed, designed, and detailed a variety of projects for Bull Stockwell Allen, including snow country projects in Vermont, Colorado and California, hotel projects on the California coast and central valley, and health care projects in Massachusetts, Georgia, Virginia, South Dakota and Wisconsin. Earlier in his career he designed, detailed, and observed construction of projects while at ADD Inc.

, participating in the delivery of numerous Bay Area spaces such as the Ferry Plaza Wine Merchant in the SF Ferry Terminal Building, BRE Corporate offices in downtown San Francisco, and U.C. Berkeley Extension’s SOMA facility. Across this range of work, Dillon has always focused on realizing a design aesthetic through detailing and execution, meeting clients’ needs, and developing strong, collaborative relationships within the construction industry.

A California licensed Architect since 2009, Dillon received his Master of Architecture from University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, and his Bachelor of Arts from Wesleyan University, participating as an undergraduate in Columbia University’s “Shape of Two Cities – New York / Paris” Architecture program. Outside of the office Dillon is an avid road cyclist who typically logs five to eight thousand miles per year on his bike, and has completed dozens of century touring rides.

Peter Edwards

Senior Project Manager

Peter Edwards

Senior Project Manager

With 25 years of professional experience, Peter brings a broad spectrum of applicable knowledge to his work at WDA. From early concentrations in commercial, institutional, medical, infrastructural/transportation sectors to a residential focus over the past 15 years, Peter thrives on resolving challenges stemming from site, program, budget, and permitting constraints.

Following graduation from Cornell University College of Architecture, Peter returned to the Boston area where he had spent most of his youth. While he embarked on his architectural career he continued his education with professional development coursework at Harvard University with a concentration in Real Estate Development.

Peter later applied his combined interest and skill as a consultant to a number of development projects in both Historic Preservation and Biotechnical Research. He continues to serve as a Board Member of the Architectural Heritage Foundation in Boston.

Always living and working in close proximity to the coast has influenced Peter’s work—his designs are distinctly modern, yet respectful of and referential to each site’s environmental and regional context.

His personal interests revolve around outdoor adventures of all sorts including: long-distance offshore sailing/racing, rowing, cycling, and running. A recent migrant to the West Coast, Peter looks forward to participating in creative client driven solutions at work, while exploring the abundant natural splendor of California.

Chris Telles

Project Manager

Chris Telles

Project Manager

Chris brings strong problem solving and management skills to WDA’s retail, restaurant, and commercial practices. He works closely with our Principals and Project Managers to efficiently execute the design intent. From an early age, Chris has been fascinated by building and the process of design; he’s continually developing his creativity through a combination of experimentation and observation.

Although born in the Bay Area, Chris primarily grew up in Phoenix before heading south to Tucson to earn his Bachelor of Science in Architecture from the University of Arizona.

Beginning his career in Arizona, Chris worked on a variety of residential, commercial, hospitality and government projects, from single-family homes to large visitor’s centers and administrative offices for the Bureau of Land Management. Chris also worked on numerous restaurants throughout the western United States. Recognizing his affinity for the fast-paced nature of restaurant projects, Chris aspires to pursue similar project types with WDA.

Having spent most of his life in the dry desert, Chris is anxious to explore his new home. He enjoys being adventurous–hiking, traveling, playing sports, and looks forward to trying Bay Area activities not available in Arizona, such as sailing or surfing. Other interests include golfing, cooking, and cheering on his Arizona Wildcats.

Jon Houck

Job Captain

Jon Houck

Job Captain

Jon brings enthusiasm for parametric design and performance-oriented architecture to our Commercial and Residential Practices. Continually inspired by the motto of his alma mater, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, to “learn by doing,” Jon maintains a strong focus on craft and detail in his daily practice.

While earning his Bachelor of Architecture, Jon gained valuable experience through internships at SmithGroupJJR in Washington D.C. and MulvannyG2 Architecture in Bellevue, WA. He believes in giving back to the community.

One of his most gratifying recent experiences was volunteering as a Summer Construction Volunteer Leader for Habitat for Humanity, where he was able to apply his training hands-on to help build homes for several families. Jon was drawn to WDA because we work hard, play hard, and strive to make our community a better place.

Originally from the Pacific Northwest, Jon is looking forward to discovering the Bay Area. Outside of architecture, Jon enjoys hiking, camping, and playing sports. He is also a talented musician, playing jazz trumpet in the Cal Poly University Jazz Band for three years. Professionally, Jon continues to seek new challenges in the architectural field as he works towards his licensure.

Sheldon Eaton

Job Captain

Sheldon Eaton

Job Captain

Sheldon brings poise and candor to residential, retail, and commercial projects at WDA. When it comes to architecture, he believes that thoughtful design anticipates and improves the ways things, people, and processes connect.

Sheldon comes to WDA from Building Design and Construction, a division of the San Francisco Department of Public Works.

There, opportunities to design for the Municipal Transit Authority and the Recreation and Parks Department fostered his affinity toward urban design and green building techniques.

While earning his Bachelors of Architecture at California Polytechnic State University, Sheldon worked as an assistant at the college’s wood and metal shop, bolstering an appreciation for craft and creation. During school he also pursued architectural studies in Italy, furthering his interests in language, culture, and travel, which remains an important part of his life.

When not pursuing his licensure, he enjoys carpentry, cycling, and soccer.

Alyssa Miller

Job Captain

Alyssa Miller

Job Captain

Alyssa enthusiastically applies her organized nature and zeal for optimization to her work in WDA’s Residential and Commercial practices. She believes that the limitless possibilities that can be produced by architecture, both as a physical entity and its influences on societies, make it unique. Alyssa appreciates finding opportunities in projects of all scopes and budgets to create dynamic, life-enhancing relationships between natural, built, and social environments.

Even before Alyssa knew what architecture was, it became apparent later in life that she was always destined for that path.

As a child she began transforming empty soda boxes into playhouses and spent countless hours dreaming up designs on the Lego table her parents built her.

 

Alyssa’s passion for the profession continued to grow at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, where she developed the knowledge of conceptualization, ideation and realization of hypothetical designs in a studio setting. After graduating Magna Cum Laude from Calpoly SLO’s Bachelor of Architecture Program, Alyssa embarked on her career with a strong desire to continually progress as a student, young professional, and individual.

Aside from architecture, Alyssa’s interests extend to graphic and furniture design. She loves being outside as much as possible; playing soccer, rec. sports leagues, Lagree Pilates, Latin dancing, and exploring what San Francisco has to offer.

Gustavo Bermudez

Designer

Gustavo Bermudez

Designer

Gustavo Bermudez earned his Bachelor of Architecture degree from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. Born in the historical city of Guanajuato, Mexico, and later raised in California, he credits his bi-cultural upbringing as the source for his keen interest in respectfully fusing innovative design with historical architecture. While earning his degree, Gustavo worked on designing and building several diverse, innovative projects ranging from portable emergency shelters to light fixtures fabricated from recycled water bottles. Gustavo was a recipient of the “Best in Show” award for his thesis “Emerging Gridiron”, which focused on providing an architectural solution to the socio-economic impact of sport arenas in disuse and dilapidation.

After graduation, Gustavo began his professional career with Square Three Design Studios in Palo Alto, working on several multimillion-dollar single family homes throughout the Silicon Valley. In 2013 he joined San Francisco’s Y.A.

studio, where he helped to manage and design a diverse portfolio of projects from small and humble additions to a new 17,000 square foot multi-residential building in San Francisco’s Russian Hill district. He has also completed the design and execution of the interiors for a 7,000 square foot home in Tahoe, California, and was an integral designer for the reconditioning of a Richard Neutra-designed residence near San Francisco’s Twin Peaks.

Gustavo was attracted to WDA’s diverse portfolio of projects and the positive core values that the office employs, such as participating in charitable events and giving back to the community through design. In his spare time, in addition to pursing his professional licensure, Gustavo also enjoys playing soccer, cooking, co-designing and fabricating furniture with his wife, and traveling to tournaments across North America as a competitive Pokémon player while sharing his knowledge and enthusiasm as a mentor/coach to local children who want to learn to play the Pokémon card game.

Glorimar Irizarry Delgado

Designer

Glorimar Irizarry Delgado

Designer

For Glorimar Irizarry Delgado, architecture is both an art and a science; it is the balanced integration of sensible imagery with a systematic and structured understanding of the physical and natural world.

Born and raised in Puerto Rico, Glorimar received a Bachelor of Architecture from the Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico. During her architectural studies, coursework abroad in Chile and Spain furthered her delight in the richness of learning from different cultures. Before she was called to a career in architecture, Glorimar also earned a bachelor’s degree in biology with studies in film. She now approaches her design work with an eye towards ways of integrating biology and architecture.

As a student fascinated by the possibilities of biomimicry in design, she worked on several bio-motivated design proposals, one of which was published in an undergrad journal by the University of Puerto Rico (JOUST) and its part of the Materiability Research Network database.

Glorimar is also passionate about the possibilities for outdoor cinema as a means of building community in cities. In Puerto Rico, she founded and ran a non-profit, Cine Urbano, which promoted the use of urban public space in while educating about the art of film.

Glorimar was drawn to WDA’s aesthetic of innovative, yet down to earth, design, and its culture of participating in its surrounding community and fostering a team-oriented work environment. An eager learner new to the city of San Francisco, she looks forward to discovering everything about the Bay Area. A student of the world, Glorimar enjoys traveling and exploring other cultures. Her hobbies include: dancing, yoga, painting and going to museums.

Parvathy Nair

Designer

Parvathy Nair

Designer

Parvathy contributes her strong visualization skills and passion for design to the team at WDA. As a designer, she believes that it is her responsibility to create thoughtfully designed spaces that fit their environment while enhancing social interaction.

With a Bachelor of Architecture and minor in Architectural Engineering from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, Parvathy is drawn to the interdisciplinary nature of architecture.

During her education, she took part in a research project that focused on applying origami forms to design structures for disaster relief. Later on, she studied for a year at the Danish Institute of Study Abroad and afterwards worked in Copenhagen. The level of craft and artful minimalism of Scandinavian design is an influential factor in her aesthetic.

Outside of architecture and design, Parvathy pursues life drawing and enjoys discovering new music at live shows and concerts in San Francisco.

Wendy Osaki

Marketing & Office Manager

Wendy Osaki

Marketing & Office Manager

Wendy brings her experience in graphic design and hospitality marketing to her role as Marketing & Office Manager at WDA. Her work touches on everything from creating a welcoming environment for clients, colleagues and employees, to the design and production of innovative marketing solutions.

Wendy received her BS in Environmental Design with an emphasis in Visual Communication and Graphic Design at UC Davis.

Her graphic design experience includes positions at the Pacific Sun newspaper, Maritz Travel and Solution Set.

She added marketing to her skill set in her most recent position as Marketing Manager for Hilton San Francisco Financial District. In addition to marketing, Wendy was the hotel’s community service champion and a founding member of their sustainability team. In her free time, Wendy can be found on a jet plane, watching movies or taking a historic home tour.

Andrea Wrobel

Office/Marketing Assistant

Andrea Wrobel

Office/Marketing Assistant

Andrea utilizes her strong organizational skills and amiability to thrive as WDA’s Office and Marketing Assistant. Architecture is an interest that stems from her life-long goals to learn something new each day and to be surrounded by art and design, as well as her acute observational skills and attention to detail. She’s honored to work for an organization committed to elevating architectural design to the level of fine art.

Andrea is an alumna of Hamilton College where she earned her BA in Sociology with an additional concentration in Music and Vocal Performance.

She spent much of her undergraduate studies focusing on how all forms of art and design can impact American society and contribute to upward mobility, especially amongst underprivileged youth.

Andrea also studied the effectiveness of local food systems. She gained much of her work ethic and passion for food and sustainability working on her family’s produce farm in rural Central New York.

Music and the arts have always been major inspirations for Andrea, and she flourishes in creative environments. She feels most comfortable exploring with her camera in hand, and she enjoys constantly discovering art and design in everyday spaces and items. In her free time, she loves taking in live theatre and music, skiing, venturing out to rural parts of California, and discovering the endless activities San Francisco has to offer.