On Thursday, May 4th from 6:30 – 8:30 pm, Helms Bakery District is pleased to present a reception, lecture, and discussion with JAI KUMARAN & CLAYTON TAYLOR of WEST OF WEST, in collaboration with the Cal Poly LA Metro Program in Architecture and Urban Design. The evening will be introduced and moderated by Stephen Phillips, AIA, PhD, Principal of Stephen Phillips Architects (SPARCHS) and professor, director, Cal Poly LA Metro Program in Architecture and Urban Design (California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo).

The event is FREE and Open to the Public. Please RSVP to calpolylametro@gmail.com.

About the Architects:

West of West

West of West is an architecture and design studio founded by Jai Kumaran and Clayton Taylor in 2012, formed in California and currently headquartered in Portland, Oregon. Inspired by the explorative spirit of the American West, the studio engages architecture and design to activate new frontiers of viewing, framing, and occupying the landscape. Each project is an opportunity to build a new reality by creating progressive spaces and shaping new experiences. West of West is dedicated to collaboration. With an emphasis on open dialogue, we work alongside our clients to develop and realize projects while balancing the specific social, economic, and environmental conditions of every project with function, beauty, and opportunity. Since its inception, the studio has completed multiple projects ranging from commercial and cultural to residential and product design in cities across the United States.

Jai Kumaran, Associate AIA

Jai is a founding partner of W/W. He holds a Master of Architecture degree from the University of California, Los Angeles, and a Bachelor of Architecture degree from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. He has worked for multiple internationally recognized design firms, most recently Morphosis Architects (Los Angeles). There, he was a design leader on large scale urban developments including the Chinese University of Hong Kong and the Chengdu Financial Center, among many others. He also was a member of the construction administration team for Emerson College, Los Angeles, a project which brought together student housing, administrative offices, and educational facilities on a dense urban site. The project has since won multiple design awards both nationally and internationally. Jai’s longstanding dedication to the craft and detail of architecture allows W/W to consistently execute the highest level of work possible.

Clayton Taylor, AIA

Clayton is a founding partner of W/W. He holds a Master of Architecture degree from the University of California, Los Angeles, and a Bachelor of Architecture degree from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. Clayton has worked at a series of well-recognized Architectural Design firms including Coop Himmelblau in Vienna, as a Project Designer at Morphosis Architects (Los Angeles), and most recently
as an Associate at Rios Clementi Hale Studios in Hollywood. At RCHS, Clayton led design efforts on many creative office and multi-family developments in the Los Angeles area including, Columbia Square, Crossroads of the World, The Telephone Building, and Flight at Tustin Legacy. He also completed many competitive design proposals for RCHS like the Rancho Cienega Sports Complex and the Southwest School of Art, which won the AIA Next LA Honor Award in 2013. Clayton is a NCARB certified
architect and licensed to practice in California and Oregon.

Photos (Left to Right):  Jai Kumaran & Clayton Taylor; Roadside Hotel; GLCO New York