Richard Ingrassia, AIA, LEED AP

Managing Partner/Project Director

B. Arch, M. Arch

Richard Ingrassia serves as Project Director on the firm’s entire portfolio. An expert at guiding complex developments through the intricacies of construction, document development and consultant coordination, Richard has been recognized by clients for his ability to understand their needs and engender the confidence among all stakeholders in addressing their concerns.

Leading by example, Richard sets rigorous standards for himself that in turn inspire the entire staff to rise to the exceptional levels of client service and design quality that have become hallmarks of the Rachlin practice. This ‘white glove’ service that characterizes Rachlin’s project delivery naturally led to the request from clients to extend the firm’s Design duties to encompass Program and Construction Management.

Richard took to task the spearheading of this new service, proving that, by simply extending the Architect’s role, significant soft-cost savings are possible. Reclaiming this role that was historically part of the Architect’s scope of services prior to the 1980s, Richard has returned millions of dollars back to owners’ construction budgets, collaborating with owner representatives, design teams, and builders to successfully – and much more efficiently – deliver complex, multi-project efforts with demanding budgetary and schedule requirements.

Richard’s close relationships with jurisdictional agency representatives are based on a long history of respecting their requirements and following through in a responsive manner to their concerns, facilitating timely project review and swift approvals.

With an advanced degree in Building Technology that focused on passive building environmental responses, Richard possesses a commitment to sustainability that is deeply rooted. He believes in practical sustainable solutions that offer clients long-term operational savings with a low initial capital investment. With the philosophy that good sustainable design does not need to cost more, Richard encourages the sustainable principles in all practical applications at Rachlin Partners.

Overseeing the 163-million-dollar bond campaign for the Los Alamitos Unified School District, Richard has been pivotal to the success of this program. Overseeing the Architecture, Construction Management and Bond Program Management teams of Rachlin Partners, Richard’s dedication and devotion to this massive program has led to the mantra "on time and on budget

Education

Richard’s undergraduate studies at the California Polytechnic University, Pomona, School of Architecture, nationally recognized for its rigorous technical requirements, grounded him in a solid understanding of practical project delivery techniques and methodologies.

This foundation served as a springboard for receiving his Master of Architecture degree at University of California Los Angeles’s famed school of Architecture & Urban Design, known for its synthesis of avant-garde thinking and innovative design practice.

While at Cal Poly, Richard was offered a coveted opportunity to study with famed Italian architect Cristiano Toraldo di Francia of Superstudio in Florence. His exposure to the Radical architecture movement by its seminal practitioners at the heart of avant-garde thinking in architecture and design gave him a unique perspective that challenges his thinking beyond the orthodoxies that have traditionally dominated architectural thought. It was this experience at Superstudio that inspired Richard’s early interest in sustainability, at a time when such considerations were seldom explored.

Personal

Richards’s spare time is consumed by his large Italian family and his passion for historical architecture, which is what led him down the path to become an architect. His belief that historical architecture provides us a snapshot into the soul of our past finds him traveling to many of the world’s known and unknown treasures. Whether it is the historic structures of southern California or the castles of Europe, Richard finds time in his busy schedule to nurture this passion.