Manuela Bravo-Smith of Carrier Johnson + CULTURE Promoted to Director of Award Winning Interior Architecture Offering


In The News |

San Diego-based Carrier Johnson + Culture, a global Architecture, Interior Architecture, Landscape Architecture and Urban Design firm, is pleased to announce the promotion of Manuela Bravo-Smith as Director of the firm’s award-winning Interior Architecture offering.

As Director of Interior Architecture, Manuela will lead the firm’s efforts towards growing its design talent, while overseeing project delivery among its team of design professionals. Manuela’s commitment to team leadership has long been in the making, as she says, ”Challenge leads to opportunity, and now is the right time to realize that opportunity.” Manuela offers an award-winning design resume supporting her ability to excel in this important design leadership role.

Manuela’s notable interior design projects include:

  • LAX Hyatt Place Renovation – 280,000 s.f. adaptive reuse/conversion of an existing office building to a dual-branded Hyatt House/Place hotel totaling 403 keys. In progress. ​
  • Tower 180 – Repositioning of an existing 25-story high-rise, eight-story low-rise, and a six-story parking structure in Downtown San Diego. The project also includes a complete exterior renovation to both the low-rise and high-rise office tower and a complete upgrade of the common area spaces of the building. Completed 2020.​
  • San Diego Padres Compass Premier Club – Renovation of existing hospitality space including upgraded seating with larger seats, a new storefront system, a new bar and cook stations for exclusive Padres club members. Completed 2019.​​​
  • 5750 Hollywood Blvd. – Seven-story, 267,659 s.f. mixed-use multi-family development in Los Angeles consisting of 161 units and 5,700 s.f. of retail space. In progress.

Whether a project’s specific design focus is Life Science, Lab Planning, Hospitality, Residential, Restaurant, Retail or Corporate Office space, her over 20 years of award-winning experience has delivered on them all.  While at CJ+C, Manuela has combined her design leadership and experience with diverse building types to consistently elevate the talent around her. The move to Director of Interior Architecture was a natural one.

Since joining CJ+C, Manuela has worked to prepare herself for this significant leadership role, consistently demonstrating her capacity to mentor and working seamlessly with the firm’s Architecture, Urban Design, and Landscape Architecture talent, while building the respect of clients through outstanding execution of design thinking. Her focus looking forward is to continue to elevate CJ+C’s 43-year history of the design and delivery of high-profile interior environments to the marketplace.

The CJ+C family welcomes Manuela Bravo-Smith to this significant design leadership role.