Avelino “Jun” Coniconde Jr., AIA Assoc., LEED AP, has joined Derivi Castellanos Architects (DCA) as a Job Captain. Welcome to the team, Jun!
With 23 years of design experience, Jun has contributed to the exceptional architecture of public and commercial buildings in Manila and the San Francisco Bay Area. He worked as a licensed architect in the Philippines for a decade, then moved his family to the U.S. in 2008. He’s currently pursuing his California architecture license.
Jun comes from a family of artists — he was inspired by his father, who drew portraits of politicians in both the Philippines and the U.S., and by his grandfather, a painter whose art is featured in museums. By five years old, Jun was following in their footsteps and drawing portraits as well, a hobby he continues to enjoy today.
While working for an architecture firm in Manila, Jun had a unique experience of designing a monument for a city in Japan. The Genki no Sato Monument is one of the entrance landmarks in Kanazawa. It is a 65-foot-tall, steel structure of three hands holding a city symbol, bound by a circle. It represents the people of Kanazawa being united and helpful to one another in the development of their city.
Like the monument, Jun believes in the concept of contributing to his community and looks forward to helping to develop state-of-the-art schools with DCA. He also hopes to design a church during his career that he can be proud of. Jun follows a general rule in business to always be honest, respectful and maintain good relationships — these characteristics, combined with his ability to solve difficult problems and offer creative and solid solutions, continue to lead to success. When it comes to free time, Jun is often playing basketball and watching movies with his kids, and going to concerts and festivals. There’s also a good chance you’ll find him with a sketch book … drawing, creating art and practicing architecture are his favorite pastimes!
