Resume

James R. Burns, II
CEO/President

Mr. Burns co-founded Collaborative Design Architects Inc. (CDA Inc.) in 1979. With over 25 years of professional design experience, he has been designing and building public and private structures throughout the western United States and Hawaii.  Certified by the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB), Mr. Burns is a registered architect in California, Hawaii, Nevada and Montana.

The firm was initially founded for private work and development opportunities. One of the first major Architectural/Planning commissions for CDA Inc..and Mr. Burns was the Homestead Business Park.  This 120-acre business park is located in the state of Montana.  The Homestead Project includes medium-to high-rise office buildings; financial; multi-restaurant; hotel, motel and convention complex; combination office-showroom and office warehouse facilities; and a commercial-retail center.  The Homestead became a model for future business parks in the Northwest.

CDA Inc.was the architect for the entire Homestead Development, however “The Creekside” a 16-acre development within the park was designed and co-developed and owned by CDA Inc..

Mr. Burns founded the California office in 1986.  From 1986 to 2000 the firm focused on public work.  Mr. Burns focused CDA Inc. on interfacing between public agencies and private enterprises.  Assisting cities, counties and states in identifying and defining a vision became a unique talent CDA Inc. offered.  This expertise, joined with creative approaches to private and public funding sources, resulted in highly effective implementation initiatives.

One of Mr. Burns' most valuable and wide-reaching contributions to the profession has been the perfection of the Design Assistance Program, or DAP, a redevelopment and planning tools, which coordinate private, and public sector activities, thereby allowing Cities to assist business and property owners in making improvements to the community.  Many of the projects involved were the rehabilitation of downtown areas.  In the city of San Leandro, California, CDA designed over 120 storefronts in their revitalization of the city’s “North Area”.  During a 14-year period, CDA was retained by over 20 California cities to work on downtown and community revitalization strategies.  CDA received numerous awards from the cities they provided services for.

During the same 14-year period, CDA work included the Essential Services Buildings for the City of San Leandro, California.  This group includes the City's Fire Stations, the Main Library, the Public Safety Building, and a five block Civic Center Renovation and Expansion.  The design of San Leandro's Civic Center Campus was published in Progressive Architecture, highlighting government facilities.

The San Leandro Civic Center was a 1934 WPA,, “Art Deco” style structure.  The original non-ductile concrete structure was fully upgraded seismically, functionally and cosmetically.  The final project was a master renovation of 5 city blocks that make up the current Civic Center.

In the late 90’s Mr. Burns began developing private properties for his own investment purposes.  Several of the projects completed and or in progress that Mr. Burns has undertaken are the following:

  • The San Leandro Civic Center, San Leandro, CA (renovation/modernization-historic quality structure)
  • Citrus Heights Civic Center, Citrus Heights CA (renovation/modernization)
  • Life Chiropractic College West, Hayward, CA (renovation/modernization of an 11 acre, 350,000 s.f. facility into a college)
  • Belleview Apartments, San Leandro, CA (renovation/modernization of 1930’s apartment building-unreinforced concrete and historic)
  • Wailana Kai Condominiums, Kihei, Hawaii (condominium of existing residential units)
  • Midtown Lofts, Oakland, CA (renovation, expansion, conversion of an existing building into residential lofts)
  • James Lick Building, San Francisco, CA (renovation, modernization and historical land-marking of a pre-1906 masonry structure in downtown San Francisco.

Mr. Burns’s Education:

  • Bachelor of Environmental Design, 1976, University of Kansas
  • Bachelor or Architecture, 1978, University of Kansas

COLLABORATIVE DESIGN ARCHITECTS INC.