EC3’s team reflects the multi-cultural fabric of Los Angeles, as well as our core value and commitment to fostering a rich and diverse office culture. Edwin Chan is a member of the National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA), while EC3 is a certificated 100% Minority Owned Business.

Our team is a collaborative and supportive ecosystem guided by Edwin Chan’s direct involvement and participation in all phases of the projects. This non-hierarchical team structure allows all team members to have direct interactions with each other, leading to a more integrated process between the design and execution of the project.

Edwin Chan received his Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) from the College of Environmental Design at UC Berkeley, and Master of Architecture (M.Arch.)from the Graduate School of Design at Harvard. Between 1988 and 2012, Edwin was a Design Partner at Frank O. Gehry and Associates in Los Angeles, where he led a team of over one hundred architects and oversaw the design, coordination, and execution of over three million square feet of construction.

Edwin Chan has been instrumental for many of Gehry Partner’s internationally awarded projects, including: Opus, a 12-unit luxury residential development featuring flexible column-free floor plans and continuous balconies that open to the panoramic views of Hong Kong harbor; Novartis Pharmaceuticals’ Human Resources Building, an open, collaborative work environment in Basel, Switzerland, complete with custom furniture system by Vitra A.G.; the refurbishment of an existing 1908 building into an inviting, natural light-filled Counseling Center for the Danish Cancer Society.

Edwin Chan's commitment and expertise in designing building for the arts culminates with the Fondation Louis Vuitton for Creation, a contemporary art center set within Paris’ historic park Bois de Boulogne; and the groundbreaking Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, celebrated for its innovative architectural design that revitalized the economy of the historic Basque city by placing it on the global cultural map, and established a new paradigm for contemporary art museums. Edwin's final museum projects at Gehry Partners - the concept design of the Parc des Ateliers for the Luma Foundation in Arles, France and the transformation of the Philadelphia Art Museum (PMA) opened in the summer of 2021.

In addition to professional practice, Edwin Chan has lectured extensively in the US and internationally; and has served as visiting professor of architecture at the Harvard Graduate School of Design, University of Southern California, UCLA, and was appointed the Howard Friedman Visiting Professor of Architectural Practice at University of California at Berkeley in 2012. Among Edwin’s many awards and distinctions is the honor of Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres from the Republic of France. Edwin Chan is licensed in California, Texas, and New York; and is fluent in English, Chinese (Cantonese), and French. He has travelled to all seven continents.

Zach Pauls, Senior Project Architect

Zach Pauls brings his extremely diverse professional experience working on world-class, award-winning architecture to provide technical leadership for the office. Having designed and delivered projects of different scales and typologies, including cultural, institutional, commercial and residential, Zach oversees EC3’s design development, construction documents and construction administration phases, working closely with the client and consultant team to ensure successful project execution that meets the design, technical, and budgetary expectations.

Zach’s previous experience include Morphosis Architects’ Los Angeles and New York offices, leading large-scale institutional and cultural projects, including the Kolon Future Research Park in Seoul, South Korea; the GSA Land Port of Entry at Alexandria Bay, New York; the Orange County Art Museum in Costa Mesa; as well as several initiatives in Cap-Haïtien, Haiti. Additionally, Zach was a senior project designer at both Richard Meier and Partners and Steinberg-Hart in Los Angeles, where he worked on large-scale institutional and residential projects.

Zach is a native of Canada and studied architecture from the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg, before earning a M. Arch-II advanced diploma with distinction from UCLA in 2014. Before relocating to LA, he was also a design partner at 5468796 Architecture in Winnipeg, Canada, which represented Canada at the 2012 Venice Biennale in Architecture. Zach is a licensed architect in the State of California and formerly a Canadian Architect’s license; and holds both Living Futures Accreditation (LFA) and hold WELL AP credentials. He is well traveled in North and Central America, Europe, and Asia.

Jordan Squires, Lead Project Designer

Jordan Squires met Edwin Chan in 2015, when Jordan was the project architect for the Los Angeles Downtown Arts District Master Plan project at the multi-national architectural and engineering practice AECOM. Subsequently, Jordan joined EC3 in 2016, where he has worked on the office’s cultural and residential projects, including the award-winning True North in Detroit, MI, the Google Green Loop Project in Mountain View, CA, the Dalang Cultural and Sports Center Competition in Shenzhen, China, and the Atlassian Tower and Technology Precinct in Sydney, Australia. Currently, Jordan leads the design team for EC3’s second ground-up project in Detroit - 15 units of residential duplexes in Core City for the client Prince Concepts.

Jordan previous experience at AECOM also include over fifty master planning and feasibility studies on commercial, tall buildings, institutional, and professional sports facilities including the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. Jordan received a Bachelor of Arts in Studio Arts (B.A.) from Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan in 2012, and Master of Architecture (M. Arch.) from Southern California Institute of Architecture (Sci-Arc) with Thesis Merit Award in 2014. In addition to architectural practice, Jordan’s interest also includes photography, teaching, and research on architectural theory. His independent work has been featured in many exhibitions and publications.

Kyle Onaga, Project Associate

Kyle Onaga joined EC3 as a member of the design team for the Google Green Loop project in Mountain View, CA. Subsequently, Kyle has played an integral role in developing and coordinating the design and documentation for the DESTEFASHIONCOLLECTION 1 to 8 Exhibition at the Bass Museum in Miami Beach, FL, the Dalang Cultural and Sports Center Competition in Shenzhen, China, and the Atlassian Workplace Tenant Improvement project in San Francisco, CA. In addition to working on architectural projects, Kyle has also applied his exceptional human resource and administrative skills to overseeing the office’s management and operations.

Kyle’s previous experience include working at the Beijing studio of MAD architects on advanced 3D modeling and digital visualization for a number of concept design and master planning proposals, and at the Sydney office of LAVA, the full service multi-national architectural firm specializing in large scale sports, hospitality and urban master plans. Kyle received his Bachelor of Architecture (B.Arch.) at Southern California Institute of Architecture (Sci-Arc) where he was also an exchange student at the Institute of Architecture at the University of Applied Arts in Vienna, Austria (Die Angewandte); and his Master of Architecture and Urbanism (DRL) from the Architecture Association in London, United Kingdom in 2016.

Connor Covey, Project Designer

Connor Covey joined EC3 as a member of the design team for the Google Green Loop project in Mountain View, CA. Since then, Connor has played an instrumental role on the design of the DESTEFASHIONCOLLECTION 1 to 8 Exhibition at the Bass Museum in Miami Beach, FL, the Dalang Cultural and Sports Center Competition in Shenzhen, China, the Atlassian Tower and Technology Precinct in Sydney, Australia, and is currently project designer for the Orchard Park Mixed-Use Development in Idaho. In addition to his fluency in both physical and digital modeling, Connor has also developed an expertise in creating Virtual Reality environments.

Connor’s previous experience include Roto Architects in Los Angeles, where he was an intern designer on the “Beyond Sculpturalism” exhibition at the Geffen Contemporary, and the Belmont Plaza Aquatic Center in Long Beach, CA. Connor received his Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Landscape Architecture (with Honor) from the Herberger Institute of Design and Art at Arizona State University in 2014; and Master of Architecture (M. Arch. with Distinction) from Southern California Institute of Architecture (Sci-Arc) in 2017.

Peter Biggart, Designer

Peter Biggart joined EC3 as a member of the design team for the Atlassian Workplace Tenant Improvement Project in San Francisco, CA., working closely with the client, consultants and contractor from the design phases through construction documents and construction administration. After the successful completion of the Atlassian San Francisco project, Peter continues to combine his background in fine arts with his project execution experience as Project Designer on the office’s mixed-use, cultural and arts projects.

Peter’s previous experience include the exhibition design of “Mike Kelly : Kandors 1999-2011” at the international gallery Hauser & Wirth; and at the Los Angeles studio of internationally renowned artist Thomas Demand. During his graduate studies, Peter was an intern designer at Roto Architects in Los Angeles, where he worked directly with architect Michael Rotundi on the winning design of the competition for a Research Incubator Complex in Shaoxing, China. Peter Biggart received his Bachelor of Fine Arts (B.A.) in Painting from University of Colorado in Boulder; and Master of Architecture (M. Arch.) from Southern California Institute of Architecture (Sci-Arc) in 2017.

Erik Ramon-Valle, Designer

Erik Ramon-Valle joined EC3 as a member of the design team on the Atlassian Workplace Project in San Francisco, CA, working closely with the client, consultants and contractor from concept design through construction documents and construction administration. After the successful completion of the Atlassian San Francisco project, Erik continues to combine his skills in 3D modeling and visualization with his project execution experience in his role as Project Designer for the Orchard Park Mixed-Use Development in Meridian, Idaho.

During his undergraduate studies, Erik worked at Baumgartner+Uriu Architecture (B+U), focusing on model fabrication, construction documentation and the development of a 10,000 square-foot residence on the Hollywood Hills in Los Angeles. Subsequently, he worked at Tom Wiscombe Architecture (TWA) on the 67-acre BlockChain City master plan in Sparks Nevada. Erik received his Bachelor of Architecture (B. Arch. with distinction) from the Southern California Institute of Architecture (Sci-Arc) in 2019; where he also organized the exhibition “Victor Jones: Infrastructural Etiquette” and participated in the ARCHINECT publication “Social Media v. Architectural Discourse – a Conversation”. In 2018, Erik was named the recipient of the Julius Shulman Emerging Talent Award.

Rhett Heuer-Rubalcava, Job Captain

Rhett Heuer-Rubalcava brings proficiency in Autodesk Revit, AutoCAD and a number of BIM software, and his experience in Design Development and Construction Documents to enhance EC3’s project delivery process. In addition to practicing architecture, Rhett has been a member of the National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA), participating in various diversity, equity and inclusion causes.

Rhett’s previous experience includes HMC Architects in Los Angeles where he worked on large-scale Educational and Healthcare projects. Rhett received his Bachelor of Since (B.S.) in Architecture from Temple University in Philadelphia; and Master of Architecture (M. Arch II) from Southern California Institute of Architecture (Sci-Arc) in Los Angeles.

Arturo Saldierna, Junior Designer

Arturo Saldierna brings his strong organization and management skills as well as experience in fabrication of museum-quality exhibitions to supporting the office’s hands-on design process. Arturo’s previous experience include Michael Maltzan Architecture in Los Angeles as a junior designer on high-end residential and mixed-use projects, and at Casabella Architects in Austin, Texas as an intern designer for academic and institutional interiors. In addition to architecture, Arturo was also a research assistant at Tectonicus, studying the economic feasibility of the Solar River - a system of solar panels over irrigation canals in regions of Arizona. Arturo received his Bachelor of Architecture (B.Arch.) from University of Texas in Austin in 2018; and is fluent in both English and Spanish.

Lena Vogler, Junior Designer

Lena brings her background in classical music, combined with her interest in physical model making and furniture design to enrich EC3’s cross-disciplinary design process. Lena’s versatility has allowed her to play a variety of roles in the office’s creative process, from physical and digital model making to minor administrative and office organization responsibilities.

Lena’s previous experience include two summer internships at Gehry Partners LLP. working on the Facebook Campus and the Philadelphia Museum of Art Expansion projects, Gensler Inc. as a member of the hospitality design team, and at Michael Maltzan Architecture on the Winnipeg Art Gallery. In addition to architectural practice, Lena also worked at Sonitus Consulting on the design and development for high-end acoustic solutions ranging from professional recording studios to auditoriums. Lena received her Bachelor of Architecture (B.Arch.) from California Polytechnic University at San Luis Obispo in 2018, where she was awarded Grand Prize for the College of Architecture and Environmental Design (CAED) Vellum Furniture Competition.