Page 13 - The Nationals℠ - 2019 Gold WInners

LEGENDS AWARD 2019

ARTHUR C. DANIELIAN, FAIA

Founder & Chairman

Danielian Associates Architecture + Planning

Over the course of his 55+ year career, Art Danielian has truly made his mark on the

field of residential architecture. Not only has he achieved exemplary accomplishments

within the profession, he has a demonstrated history of giving back to the homebuilding
industry and providing mentoring to the next generation of architectural students and

industry professionals.

Art grew up in Pasadena, California, and served in the US Army before attending USC

School of Architecture. During his time at USC, he immersed himself in the field and
worked for a myriad of structural engineering and architecture firms. Two notable

projects that Art worked on include the Apollo launching structure and the Space Needle.

Upon his graduation in 1963 he began working for Ed Fickett, FAIA, one of the nation’s
pioneers in master planned residential communities. Working with Ed is where Art got his

start in residential design and ultimately found his passion.

After venturing out and starting his own architectural firm early in his career, Art Danielian pioneered such innovative

residential housing concepts such as the wide and shallow lot configurations, combo / condos, and various
improvements of the ‘z-lots’ all of which had a substantial and positive impact on community character in master

planned communities throughout Orange County. Art also assisted with the Charter for the City of Irvine. After being

honored with numerous awards within California and advanced to the College of Fellows of the AIA in 1982, Art

expanded his architecture services throughout the United States and then to the rest of the world — creating innovative
housing designs and communities that homebuyers loved to live in.

Art became a recognized expert in innovative housing design, bringing a multitude of ideas to the homebuilding

industry. He was one of the first architects to embrace a market-driven design model, working with each of his builder
clients and market researchers to truly identify their market profiles — creating homes with tremendous absorption

ratesthatwerewelllovedbytheirbuyers.Fornearly20yearsherepresentedtheAIAandledthearchitectureand

design panels at the International Builders Show and was a regular speaker at industry conferences and events. Art

was one of the founding members of his local SMC, helped ignite the MAME Awards, and was among the first group

of individuals to earn their MIRM designation by NAHB. Throughout the years Art has been honored with the Max C.

Tipton Award, the Rodney Radom Memorial Award, and in 2002, Art Danielian was the first architect to be inducted

into the California Homebuilding Foundation Hall of Fame. This honor was bestowed upon him due to “contributing
immeasurably to the community, advancement of the profession, and for elevating the architect’s role in the

homebuilding industry.”

In 2018, Art’s firm Danielian Associates celebrated 50 years in business. The firm attributes its success navigating

the ups and downs of the economic housing cycle due to their market-driven design philosophy and having an
international market presence. To date, the Danielian Associates Team has provided planning and architecture

services to 44 states and 15 countries worldwide — creating well over one million units of housing. The diverse range of

products Art and his team have designed include production housing, custom homes, multifamily housing, mixed-use,
affordable housing, senior communities, clubhouses, transitional housing for US military veterans, master planned

communities and much more.

Art believes in hard work and being tenacious. His high energy and passion for design are contagious in the office. Art

continues to work full time, focusing primarily on international projects while the firm is now under the leadership of
his son, John Danielian, AIA.

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