"The time of year is here to be merry and joyous. Celebrate the warmth of the season and spread happiness to all the people you know."

While the quote above is from MTP's holiday greeting card I hope the sentiment expressed prevails all year with you and yours. We at MTP certainly tried to spread happiness to our clients, consultants, contractors and vendors. 2006 was a year of wonderful opportunities, great beginnings and renewed relations.

The year marked a concerted effort by the office to improve neighborhoods, celebrate materials, create movement and capture daylight. Clients asked us to use our imagination and creativity to envision new life for tired and ignored buildings such as the signature 1960's Oakland high-rise at 1330 Broadway and San Francisco's 333 Kearny Street. We provided a host of residential clients with dreams come true. Projects were varied and included a new addition for a growing family, a new master bath for empty nesters, a gourmet kitchen for a corporate executive's wife, and a grand home for a new family. Past clients called to say they loved the work we did on their offices in the past and could we help again to improve employee satisfaction, comfort, aspiration, productivity and wellness. Each and every time we used the four principles above as our benchmarks to evaluate success.

With the spirit of the holidays upon us, I would be remiss to end this year without highlighting one special organization, Summer Search. Summer Search is a non-profit organization providing programs to "find resilient low-income high school students and inspire them to become responsible and altruistic leaders by providing year-round mentoring, life-changing summer experiences, college advising, and a lasting support network." You can learn more about Summer Search on the web at summersearch.org. The commitment of the employees and principals of Summer Search is inspiring and a nice reminder of what is important as we enter this holiday season.

Thank you for an amazing year. If I can be of service to you, a friend or a colleague with architecture or design needs, please let me know. In the mean time, may you and yours close the year with goodwill and cheer and embark on a prosperous and rewarding 2007.

If you, a colleague or a friend have a workplace or home space need, please feel free to call me for a free consultation at 415.538.3465. Or email me at ted@mtparchitects.com.

Ted Pratt AIA NCARB
Principal/Founder