Southern California Chapter

The chapter includes the counties of Imperial, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Diego, Santa Barbara and Ventura.

Regional Director: Stephanie Stewart

Tour & Happy Hour

Thursday, June 25, 2026
3:30 PM PST

Villa Esperanza Services

2116 E Villa St, Pasadena, CA 91107

Tucked into the foothills of Pasadena, the Villa Esperanza Services Special Needs Education Campus is a powerful example of how thoughtful design can transform the learning experience for students with diverse abilities. Designed by Practice, the campus reflects a deep commitment to dignity, independence, and belonging.

Serving students with a wide range of cognitive and physical needs, Villa Esperanza’s campus embraces a holistic, student-centered approach. Classrooms are organized to support flexibility and individualized instruction, while sensory-informed design strategies—natural light, clear wayfinding, acoustic control, and calming material palettes—create spaces that reduce anxiety and support focus.

Join A4LE Southern California for a tour of this inspiring campus and gain firsthand insight into how design can support neurodiversity, enhance student well-being, and redefine what inclusive education environments can be.

Learning Objectives:

Understand Sensory Processing and Sensory Diets – Explain how sensory processing differences impact neurodivergent students in learning environments and describe how sensory diets can be used as a framework to regulate input and support self-regulation, focus, and well-being.
Explore Best Practices in Interior Design for Sensory Support – Identify evidence-based strategies to minimize sensory overload and create calming, adaptive indoor environments through choices in lighting, acoustics, materials, and spatial planning.
Incorporate Sensory-Supportive Elements in Outdoor Learning Spaces – Evaluate how landscape and play design can engage the eight senses, promote movement, and provide both stimulating and restorative sensory experiences for neurodivergent learners.
Apply an Interdisciplinary, Collaborative Design Process – Demonstrate how collaboration among architects, educators, therapists, and other specialists' results in holistic design solutions that respond to diverse neurodivergent needs and improve educational outcomes.

Presenters:

Greg Kochanowski, AIA, Design Principal, Practice
Greg is an architect, landscape designer, urbanist, and educator based in Los Angeles, and Partner and Director of Design at Practice, an architecture and design firm in Pasadena, CA. His work focuses on educational environments, civic infrastructure, and public-serving institutions that support equitable access to learning and long-term community resilience.

Greg approaches education as more than instruction delivered within buildings; it is shaped by environments that foster safety, curiosity, dignity, and belonging. His projects integrate trauma-informed and community-centered design principles, recognizing that space influences how students learn, connect, and develop agency. He works with school districts, community colleges, public agencies, and community partners to create learning environments that serve diverse student populations and reflect the social and cultural contexts in which education occurs.

He serves as Secretary of the AIA Los Angeles Board of Directors and teaches at Woodbury University, where he mentors emerging designers to understand architecture as both a cultural act and public responsibility. In 2025, he received the AIA Citizen Architect Award in recognition of his civic leadership and commitment to community-centered practice. His work has been recognized locally, nationally, and internationally. Across practice, research, and teaching, Greg advances a design ethos that is rigorous, humane, and systems-aware, positioning architecture as a tool for educational innovation, equity, stewardship, and lasting public impact.

Noelle White, AIA, Project Manager/Architect, Practice
Noelle contributes to the design culture of the practice by encouraging meaningful internal and external design dialogues. She seeks to support the firm’s mission of doing good with great design through her mentorship of design teams and management of design delivery processes. She believes that the most successful architectural solutions enhance communities through collaboration and effective communication of critical ideas. Noelle has led project teams through all design phases of award-winning residential and commercial projects in Southern California and the Midwest.

Awards:

US Green Building Council (USGBC) – California Green Building Award - Honor in Health Category
Westside Urban Forum – Design Award
Southern California Development Forum – Design Honor Award

Schedule:

3:30 – 4:00 PM	Arrival & Check-In
4:00 – 4:30 PM	Presentation
4:30 – 5:30 PM	Tour
	Happy hour to follow immediately: Magnolia House 492 South Lake Avenue, Pasadena, CA 91101

School District Member: FREE | School District Non-Member: $15
Private Member: $25 | Private Non-Member: $45

Sponsorship Opportunities:

Happy Hour Sponsor: $350 – Includes logo advertising, verbal announcement, and one (1) free registration
Event Sponsor: $500 – Includes logo advertising, verbal announcement, and two (2) free registrations
Title Sponsor: $1,000 – Includes logo advertising, verbal announcement, three (3) free registrations, and a 2-3 minute company welcome comment

Title Sponsor: