Pacific Architectural Millwork

Pacific Architectural Millwork (Pacific) brings over 100 years of combined industry experience to every job the team tackles. The Pacific team’s expertise and drive has helped the company emerge as a leader for both high-end commercial millwork and as a manufacturer of custom windows and doors for the commercial and residential markets alike.

Pacific sprouted from a larger company that specialized in the distribution of windows from a leading manufacturer as an outlet for the founder’s professional background in custom millwork. The millwork division’s mastery proved a beneficial compliment to the company’s overall dedication to each customer’s needs, and it wasn’t long before the custom door and window division had accumulated its own following.

In 2009 Pacific officially launched its own line of high-end window and door products, which blend the classic feel of wood with the most modern manufacturing techniques, energy-efficient materials, as well as both traditional and contemporary designs. The entire product line is manufactured from headquarters in Brea, Calif., where Pacific also maintains its flagship showroom in addition to a secondary showroom in Honolulu.

The company won’t let its age slow it down either; the team continues to work with clients in many commercial and institutional markets, including hospitality, retail and education. Pacific is fully insured and bondable up to $6 million per project, and staffed by a total of 70 to 80 professionals ensuring the company is ready to tackle top-quality millwork projects of any size, at any time.

Making a Statement

The team’s flexibility is another reason as to why Pacific has been fortunate enough to contribute its custom millwork expertise to the construction of more than one architectural landmark over the years. One of Pacific’s most notable projects is the Soka University Performing Arts Center in Aliso Viejo, Calif., which was designed by Los Angeles-based Zimmer Gunsul Frasca Architects LLP. The project was recently awarded LEED Gold certification for meeting high energy-efficient and eco-friendly standards, thanks in part to Pacific’s contribution of Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)-certified wood and millwork.

Additional highlights of Pacific’s portfolio include Turnbull & Asser in Beverly Hills, Calif.; the Hotel Del Coronado in San Diego; Frederic Fekkai Hair Salon in Beverly Hills, Calif.; and the Skyrose Chapel in Whittier, Calif.

Maurice Jennings and E. Fay Jones, protégés of Frank Lloyd Wright, designed the Skyrose Chapel. The project required the Pacific team to produce over 10 miles of running trim and siding using only clear, all-heart redwood, Douglas fir and plain-sliced oak. The stunning result is a testament to quality craftsmanship, which earned both the chapel and Pacific the Woodworker Institute of California’s Award of Excellence.

Pacific’s exceptional mastery has helped to differentiate the company’s line of window and door products in the marketplace by putting high-quality wood products front and center. The company’s product line runs the gamut of high-end large format fenestration products with options for sliding, folding and hinged doors, as well as windows and curtain wall systems.
Masters of Innovation

Many of the products are a variation and improvement upon existing fenestration products, such as Pacific’s exclusive Slide & Seal doors, which create moving walls of aluminum/wood-framed glass panels that slide open to merge indoor spaces with the outdoors. The company developed the product specifically to improve upon existing Lift & Slide door technology.

“For a company our size, we do an amazing amount of product development and innovation,” opines Ryan Higman, vice president of sales and marketing at Pacific. “Our Slide & Seal product improves on the Lift & Slide design by eliminating the need for manual operation and multiple handles, without sacrificing weather performance. We can also fully automate the Slide & Seal, allowing an entire wall to open at the push of a button, for the ultimate in convenience.”

Pacific’s Slide & Seal product operates along the same principles as the Lift & Slide, except that an independently operating gasket along the bottom of each panel automatically engages when the door is closed to achieve the weather seal. The product also tilts panels slightly outward for extra weather protection at the head track, and comes with field-adjustable hardware that allows for greater flexibility with regards to service and installation.

Looking to the Future

All of Pacific’s products are customizable, as the company will leverage its buying power and supplier network on the millwork side to source exotic woods from reliable, FSC-certified sources. Additionally, Pacific can source specialty glass if necessary to meet a client’s aesthetic and energy-performance goals.

The extra design flexibility has enabled Pacific to establish a strong reputation early on with the company’s fenestration products. “We’re actively hiring and quickly outgrowing the fabrication facility we’re in,” admits Higman. “In the next two years we’ll also be expanding our dealer network across the western U.S. initially, and eventually nationally and internationally.”

As the dealer network expands Pacific will keep its collective ears tuned to the market, identifying areas where the company’s products succeed best and isolating areas for further refinement. As Pacific Architectural Millwork expands its portfolio of high-end window and door products, the company team will focus on ensuring every product holds up to the highest standards of quality and energy efficient.