Hastings+Chivetta hires Michael Craig Smith, AIA to lead new California office

Friday, October 31, 2014

Hastings+Chivetta Architects is expanding westward, adding a fourth office to the firm. The new office is located in Irvine, California at the heart of Los Angeles’ growing construction market.

“We are excited to be a part of this vibrant area,” said Hastings+Chivetta President Christopher Chivetta. “With our vast experience planning and designing higher education facilities, it makes sense to be located near such a high concentration of colleges and universities.”

Hastings+Chivetta is currently part of the architectural team working on the new $73 million Belmont Beach & Aquatics Center in Long Beach, California.

Michael Craig Smith, AIA, will serve as Director of the California office, bringing with him 25 years of design and construction experience at California universities. Smith comes to Hastings+Chivetta from California State University, Fullerton where he successfully completed more than 20 major capital projects worth a combined $500 million as the Director of Design and Construction.

“Mike’s intimate knowledge of architecture and construction from the client’s perspective will be a tremendous asset to Hastings+Chivetta’s clients,” Chivetta said. “He has spent years on the client side, and will bring that unique perspective to each project.”

In addition to capital projects, Smith also created design standards for the Fullerton campus, as well as a LEED baseline. The largest project during his tenure – the $142.6 million Student Housing III project – earned LEED Platinum in 2011.

Smith earned his Master of Architecture and his Bachelor of Science Environmental Design from the University of California-Berkley. He has served as the Commissioner for the City of San Clemente, Beaches, Parks and Recreation Commission; as a member of the City of San Clemente Coastal Advisory Committee and on the Board of Directors for the Friends of San Clemente.