About

Professional Bio

Designer  |  Servant Leader  | Educator

Di is a positive, adaptive and energetic problem solver. She is a curious self-motivated life learner who likes to share. Di priorities efficiencies, driven by resilient work ethics and specializes in laser focus. As a registered architect, Di has assisted on the success of many medium to large sized building projects.

She worked on projects for Shanghai, Shenzhen, Xiong’an, the City of Los Angeles, City of Santa Monica, and LA County. With 10 years of architectural design and project management experience, she ensures that her assigned tasks deliver efficiently on time, on target, and aligns her value to the visions and objectives of the project.

Di has provided design & management services in both the private and public industry. She worked on diverse projects including civic, multi-use, hospitality, school TIs, offices, commercials and R1,R2 ADU projects locally and internationally. She has experience delivering projects using both traditional waterfall Design-Bid-Build and Agile methods as a response to tight deadlines and complex project dynamics.

Planning / initiation

Di specializes in feasibility study, project initiation. She conducts code research and needs assessment, and help client to set project objects within proposed budgets with creative planning approach.

Di help to define project scope, propose schematic design, master planning, pushing SD approval, collaborating with client, planning attorney, surveyors, landscape and civil engineers for entitlement approvals.

technical / details

Di works on all spectrum of architectural services from SD through CD /CA, working closely with the team on contract documents. Di coordinates with clients, consultants, city/ county departmental officials, GC to streamline applications, help RTI millstone stay in line with schedule. Di reviews bid, RFIs, submittals during Pre-con and CA phase, ensuring the project adheres to budgets, schedule and quality of pre-planned design.

Coordination

Di has experience in leading projects from RFP to certificate of occupancy. She works closely with teams of A/E : civil, structure, shoring, landscape, MEP, lighting, acoustics, furniture ; GC, clients to ensure the success of a project.

Her Skills and deliveries goes beyond project design and coordination, she helps fund raising, marketing, visualizing and any strategies that lead to the success of a project.

 Scot Oehlbert

Principal, Pica Sullivan Architect scot@picasullivan.com

“Di Song has been employed at Pica & Sullivan Architects since 2019. She has played a vital role on many of our projects during that time. Her role on these projects included design, preparation of presentations, drawing production, and construction administration. Di possesses excellent communication skills and is a team player. Most Importantly, Di is a problem solver and a responsible employee that faces all challenges thrown her way. She has excellent design sensibility and is well versed in many computer software programs including ACAD, Sketchup, Photoshop and various computer rendering softwares. I highly recommend her to any future employer.”

Tom Zanic

Client, Saint Monica Preparatory, Church Rep tomzanic@outlook.com

“I have known Ms. Song in a client relationship over the last year and a half. I have found her to be focused, diligent and reliable in all manner of dealings. For example, she has been very quick to immediately research and evaluate alternative solutions to problems which have arisen on site, which has saved time and resources. So many architects prefer to do the problem solving after the meeting in a more controlled office environment, but that generally slows the process. I wouldn’t hesitate to make her part of the team.”

 Amy Patzlaff

Head of School, Clairbourn School apatzlaff@clairbourn.org

“I worked with Di Song on a Middle School Building for our school. She had wonderful suggestions and also helped us to narrow our choices based on our own needs. She came to us with ideas, but was also flexible and adapted as our desires came out. We were happy to work with Di and would recommend her as a wonderful partner in any project.”

Edward Rojas

Assistant Deputy Director, LA County erojas@planning.lacounty.gov

“I’ve worked with Ms. Song for several years now. She worked on small to large projects, which I either reviewed as the case planner or were reviewed by my staff as supervisor. My interactions with her have always been positive. She was professional and attentive. She demonstrated a good understanding of the code and was quick to resolve corrections when they came up. It was always a pleasure to work with Ms. Song, and have full confidence in her capabilities as an architect.”

Kris Sandheinrich

Principal, KGM Lighting ksand@kgmlighting.com

“Sorry for the delay, this got lost in my emails. I’ve worked with Di Song while she was at Pica + Sullivan for years. there team is always very detailed on the design and with integrating lighting fixtures in the architecture. di was always very responsive and easy to get a long with and collaborate with. She was a pleasure to work with and I hope to be able to work with her again in the future.”

All Di’s licensures are current.

Licensure

AIA  |  NCARB  

LEED AP BD+C | Assoc. DBIA