Education

Five decades after the 1954 Brown vs. Board of Education decision that made desegregation possible, most students in the US still attend largely segregated schools, and schooling continues to be unequal. Schools attended by largely minority students lack resources, and the spaces lack adequate facilities for a high-quality educational environment. They experience higher dropout rates and teacher turnover and fail to serve the people. 

We believe it is time to end racial inequality in educational opportunities and school buildings in Northwest Washington and consider that every student has infinite worth and possibility. To this end, we bring an equity-centered and careful attention and approach to design. Our pluralistic view acknowledges the value of our different identities. We strive to develop trust between all the stakeholders and the design team to collaborate meaningfully. We pledge to follow a co-design process that includes the voices of students, clients, and the community and serves each with careful attention and respect. We have experience designing school buildings and high education spaces in every Ward of Washington DC and across the globe for our bright future generations. From renovating the existing building like a historic building for an elementary school in Northwest Washington, DC master planning a new higher education campus outside New Delhi, India, we look to the intersection of the extended context of a project – climate, sustainability, site, culture and community – and to the client’s program to create design solutions that are inviting, inspirational and functional.

What grounds us is our belief that we are part of something much greater than ourselves. As designers and emphasizers, we will strive to build on students’ work, identities, and families and consider future generations and communities to create buildings and spaces that foster a more just and healthy community with sustainability and education as a centerpiece.