Lewis Schoeplein

Profile

As a firm we are particularly interested in the adaptation of physical spaces to sustainably meet the demands of modern life. We believe there is a need to foster and encourage human interaction, particularly as our environments become more technologically based. We believe a physically present society is important, and our projects look to create places where we can not only comfortably use our smart phones, but also comfortably put them down.

Lewis/Schoeplein Architects, founded in 1998, is a Los Angeles-based collaboration led by partners Marc Schoeplein, AIA, LEED AP and Toni Lewis, AIA, LEED AP. The practice is multi-disciplinary, and includes single and multi-family residential, landscape, urban design, commercial development, and community-based design and planning for institutions, governmental agencies, and not-for-profits.

CULTURE

  • ENGAGE THE CONTEXT

    Our projects strive to engage both their social and physical context. We seek a meaningful understanding of the culture and user groups for a project. For example: how does philosophy shape design decisions; how do the occupants inhabit their surroundings; what building elements make users feel secure/happy/calm/inspired and help them interact as a group? A building must also respond to its physical and historical context: how can we use an understanding of architectural precedent to inform new building types and new uses? How can historical typologies inspire design that is relevant and responds to the needs of our clients?
  • CONNECT TO THE LANDSCAPE

    We look for opportunities to extend building into the landscape, and bring the outdoors in. Even when a physical connection is not practical, a considered visual connection to the landscape is important in establishing a sense of place and reinforcing context.
  • LIGHT, COLOR & MATERIALITY

    We use light, color, touch and sound as building tools. We engage the senses through a rich palate of materials that tap into the range of human experience.
  • LISTEN & RESPOND

    Good design is built on an exchange of ideas. We have the ability to listen to our client’s needs and concerns, and in return communicate design concepts so they can be clearly understood in a process that is fundamentally interactive. Our projects aim to give expression to our client’s identity and aspirations while inherently considering their concerns, desires, and budget.
  • BALANCE & INTEGRATE TECHNOLOGY

    We seek a balance between the humanistic and the technological, both in the design process and in construction. We utilize state-of-the-art computerized documentation tools to bring rigor to the design process, in conjunction with more traditional drawing techniques. A balance of cutting edge technology with traditional means of drawing expression allows us to bring all participants into the process. We seek a similar balance in the application of building technologies. We are particularly interested in new technologies that conserve resources and reduce environmental degradation, and utilize innovative building technologies with a critical eye to issues of longevity, cost and maintenance.
  • MAKE CONNECTIONS

    We approach the organization of a building as a choreography of spaces; an unfolding of experiences. A building should be more than a collection of rooms that define function; the way in which we pass through a building is critical to our experience as a whole. Circulation spaces provide the background of the life for the building inhabitants, bringing opportunities for chance encounters and connections.
  • RESPECT THE ENVIRONMENT

    We have had a long-standing interest in sustainable building practices, and incorporate green design features at a fundamental level in all of our projects. Both principals are LEED accredited professionals, and many of our projects pursue LEED certification or equivalency.
  • ENJOY

    And we do.

We believe that carefully considered design can have a positive impact that goes far beyond the individual, and both principals are particularly interested in the role of architecture in the urban environment. Marc Schoeplein, a graduate of UCLA’s Master of Architecture program, also has a M.A. in Applied Anthropology, where he studied and wrote on urbanism and housing in developing countries.  Before joining L|Sa Marc was an associate at award winning firms KoningEizenberg Architecture and then Moore Rubell Yudell. Toni Lewis, a third-generation Los Angeles native, is a UC Berkeley graduate and completed a Master’s thesis at UCLA on the viability of strategic small-scale architectural intervention as a way of effecting larger urban environments.  Her previous gigs included stints at the offices of Frank O. Gehry and at Gensler.


PRINCIPALS

Toni Lewis

AIA, LEED AP
toni@lewisschoeplein.com
310 231 0300 x24

Marc Schoeplein

AIA, LEED AP
marc@lewisschoeplein.com
310 231 0300 x25

SELECTED CLIENTS

Activision | Blizzard

Adat Shalom

American Civil Liberties Union

Anaheim Free Methodist Church

Beth Chayim Chadashim

Beth Shir Shalom

Blackmarket Black Bear Diner

The Broad Museum

Canyon Crest Country Club

Burbank First United Methodist Church

Catholic Big Brothers Big Sisters

City of Commerce

City of Los Angeles

Coffee+Food

The Dog Out

Edmunds

Endemol USA

Feminist Majority Foundation

Film Independent

Glendale Community College

Los Angeles City College

Los Angeles County Community Development Commission

Los Angeles County Fire Department

Los Angeles Neighborhood Initiative

Los Angeles Southwest College

Manhattan Beach Badminton Club

Morgan-Wixson Theatre

Orange County Fire Authority

Phoenix Pain Medicine

Pierce College

Related California

Restore Neighborhoods Los Angeles

Saddle Ranch Chop House

St. Augustine by-the-Sea

Supercuts

Talpa Media

Temple Beth Hillel

Unitarian Universalist Church of Long Beach

University of California, Los Angeles

University of Southern California

V&L Properties

Venice Free Methodist Church

Venice Japanese Community Center

Violet LA

Westwood United Methodist Church

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