Studio

Scott Johnson is the Founding Design Partner and directs the design of all architectural projects.  Educated at Stanford University, U.C. Berkeley and Harvard’s Graduate School of Design, Johnson apprenticed at The Architects’ Collaborative (TAC) in Cambridge, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) in Los Angeles and San Francisco and Johnson Burgee in New York City.  Returning to California, he and his partner, William Fain, assumed the leadership of the William L Pereira organization and, from it, founded Johnson Fain as an international and interdisciplinary design practice.  Johnson has been the Director of the Master of Architecture Programs at the University of Southern California and is the author of numerous books on architecture and, more recently, the fine arts.  His work has garnered many design awards and he is the recipient, with his partner, of the AIA | Los Angeles chapter’s Gold Medal award.

William Fain is the Founding Managing Partner and directs the Urban Design + Planning Studio.  He was educated at U.C. Berkeley and Harvard’s Graduate School of Design. With extensive experience in community planning, downtown redevelopment, and transit-oriented development, his career has focused on advancing the practice of urban design as a bridge between public good and private benefit.  His projects have garnered numerous awards and international recognition, including the National AIA and Progressive Architecture Awards. His award-winning projects include Mission Bay in San Francisco, Beijing’s new Central Business District, the Greenways Plan for Los Angeles, Shanghai’s Jiangwan New Town, KSA NEOM’s Conservation Master Plan, and the First Americans Museum in Oklahoma City.   During his career Fain has won Fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and he was also the recipient of a Rome Prize Fellowship at the American Academy in Rome, Italy.  He has taught at Harvard University, the Southern California Institute of Architecture, and the University of California at Berkeley.  Along with his partner, Scott Johnson, he is the recipient of the AIA | Los Angeles Gold Medal, the Los Angeles Chapter’s highest honor.

Amber has been an integral part of the leadership team at Johnson Fain for over 10 years. Her noteworthy and extensive architectural and project management background includes all aspects of the design, production, and construction administration process from concept through construction. She has a keen understanding of multiple building types in various business sectors, such as multifamily residential, mixed-use, hospitality, transportation, education and civic. Amber has been a key project team leader in the management and delivery of several of Johnson Fain’s most significant projects such as Opus One, Figueroa Eight, Citrus Commons, Metro Bus Rapid Transit Station Design, and College Station.

James (JED) is a Partner, and for over two decades, JED has been designing large-scale, complex projects for a diverse mix of building typologies, including multifamily residential, office, education, biotech, civic, cultural, and mixed-use developments. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in Architecture from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and a Master of Architecture from Virginia Tech. In his leadership role at Johnson Fain, his position is a balance between client delivery, consultant management, and building design. Throughout his distinguished career, JED has honed a deep expertise in architecture, advanced computer modeling, and sustainable design. JED has taught architectural courses, been a guest critic, and invited speaker at several universities, including UC Berkeley, USC, UCLA Extension, Art Center, and the University of Puerto Rico. His leadership includes being the past chair of the AIA | LA’s Committee on the Environment, an AIA Los Angeles Board member, and the Board President of Passive House California.

Collaborating closely with the firm’s Founding Partners for the past 35 years, Juan has extensive experience in the design and planning of complex, large-scale projects that include a diverse range of sectors for both public and private clients. He is experienced in architecture and urban design projects, as well as city planning and entitlement processes. He is an active member of both the American Institute of Architects and the American Society of Landscape Architects. Juan earned a professional Bachelor of Architecture degree with Highest Honors from California Polytechnic University in San Luis Obispo, and subsequently attended the University of California Los Angeles, where he earned a Master of Architecture with Honors. As Partner, Juan manages major urban design projects and provides design leadership to the urban design team. His career has been exemplary in its focus on large urban infill projects, incorporating sustainability and resilience strategies. His work on the following projects has been recognized with awards by the local and national AIA, as well as Progressive Architecture in the professional press: San Francisco’s Mission Bay Master Plan; the New Town of Kapolei in Oahu, Hawaii; the 3.5-mile Highway 111 Corridor Plan in Indian Wells, California; the “Main Street” precinct master plan at UC Irvine; and the Knowledge City Master Plan in Houston Texas.

As a hands-on, approachable leader, Suma oversees Johnson Fain’s interiors team in the design and planning of architectural interiors projects including commercial office, education and cultural facilities, hospitality, multifamily residential, and civic developments. With over 25 years of interior design and architecture expertise, her innovative project approach has resulted in many of Johnson Fain’s landmark projects, including the award-winning First Americans Museum, Michelin-starred Knife Pleat restaurant, Opus One Winery, City National Bank branch banks and offices, and the Los Angeles County Department of Regional Planning in the historic Hall of Records building. Suma is the Chair of AIA/L.A.’s Interior Architecture Committee and a member of the International Interior Design Association. She is a graduate of California State Polytechnic University, San Luis Obispo where she received a Bachelor of Architecture.