This is Part 3 of a special three-part mini series about the housing crisis in the Bay Area and the architects, designers, activists, developers, and innovators that are doing something about it.

This final installment features individuals and organizations working toward three vastly different housing solutions, their design processes, and visions for the future. Guests featured in this episode are:

• Deanna Van Buren, Co-Founder and Design Director of Designing Justice + Designing Spaces

• Cara Eckholm, Chief Revenue Office at Nabr

• Osma Dossani Thompson, Architect and Senior Associate at DLR Group

We hope you enjoyed this series! Let us know what you think by sending feedback to hello@designvoicepodcast.com

This is Part 2 of a special three-part mini series about the housing crisis in the Bay Area and the architects, designers, activists, developers, and innovators that are doing something about it.

Part 2 explores how people are currently navigating building housing in the Bay Area and features conversations with Caroline Souza, principal at David Baker Architects, and Mauren Sedonaen, CEO at Habitat for Humanity Greater San Francisco.

This series is sponsored by AIA San Francisco and DLR Group.

There’s a massive housing crisis across the United States - what can architects do to help address it?

In this special three-part mini series, we’ll be digging deeper into the housing crisis in the Bay Area and hear from the architects, designers, activists, developers, and innovators that are doing something about it.

This series is sponsored by AIA San Francisco and DLR Group.

Her career began at HOK, working on large-scale and highly-complex international and national planning and landscape projects.  Later moving to the private sector, Sarah, was able to apply her appreciation for historical gardens to creating highly personalized, timeless and contextual spaces.   

In 2012, she started her own practice, Boxleaf Design, a full service landscape architectural firm, focusing on high end residential and commercial work in the Bay Area. Sarah is continually seeking insight and creative rejuvenation from the Bay Area's native and diverse environment, in its purest and most rugged form. 

In this episode, Sarah talks about how her interest in landscape architecture developed, what landscape architecture school was like, and her first job experiences out of school. Sarah also shares what made her decide to start her own studio, her experience growing and managing a practice, her design process, how landscapes are always evolving and never finite, and advice for those who want to start their own businesses.

Madelynn Ringo is an architectural designer specializing in experiential spaces that resound with purposeful beauty. With an insatiable passion for problem-solving and high regard for heartbeat moments, Ringo creates storied environments expressed within a formidable architectural framework. Simply, Ringo scales brand identities to life with a commitment to feel-good originality.

Ringo received her Architecture Master’s degree from Yale University and employs her classical training through an intuitive lens that celebrates beauty and architecture as an experiential artform. Her sculptural approach to space powers Ringo’s adventurous use of texture, form, materials and color, pushing functionality into a realm of convention-breaking appeal.

Previously, Ringo served as the creative lead on retail experiences for Glossier, designing locations in Miami, Boston, Austin and Atlanta.  Immersive experiences for iconic brands such as Studs, Bala, Funny Face Bakery and the Museum of Ice Cream are among her portfolio of designs for beauty, wellness and culturally inclusive lifestyle brands with a focus on collaborative exploration, collective solutions and a strong belief in spaces that resonate.  Madelynn is also the Head of Studio Design for aging wellness brand age.com/">Modern Age, bringing the customer experience to life through careful consideration for every customer touchpoint. 

Ringo founded Brooklyn-based studio.com/">Ringo Studio in 2020 with a focus on collaborative exploration, collective solutions and a strong belief in spaces that resonate. 

In this episode, Madelynn shares her experience moving to New York City, navigating the early years of her career and curating her professional experiences before starting her own studio. Madeleynn talks about her design process, why she loves the discovery phase of projects, and how she balances inspiration versus invention in the visually saturated world that we all live in now. We also talk about designing for Gen Z and Millennial audiences, and the desire to create emotional reactions in people when they enter a space. You can also find Madelynn on Instagram @madelynnringo.

Deryl is a licensed engineer and the fifth generation of her family to work in design and construction. Her firm is an extension of the nation’s oldest African American design and construction firm, and traces its origin to Moses McKissack, a master builder who was also a slave. Before founding her firm in 1990, Deryl earned a B.S. in civil engineering at Howard University and worked at Turner Construction and Dames & Moore to hone her experience in field work, business development and construction management.

Among the many nationally significant projects in McKissack’s portfolio of work today are Museum of African American History and Culture, the Lincoln and Jefferson Memorials, the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial, the Obama Presidential Center and the Navy Pier Centennial Projects in Chicago.

In this episode, Deryl talks about how she first got her start in the industry by drafting at her father’s architecture firm at the age of 12, her experience managing a large university facilities team by the age of 27, and what ultimately made her want to start her own business. Deryl shares the challenges she’s faced throughout her career as a black woman, how she’s persevered to become the successful business woman she is today, and gives some great advice for those who want to start their own businesses. Deryl also talks about her 7 point plan to combat racism in the AEC industry.

In this episode, Latoya shares how she went from being a Fulbright Senior Scholar in Taiwan, to becoming Director of Operations at Moody Nolan in New York.  She shares her experience as a professor at Pratt, how she developed her skillset as a professor, her approach to teaching and meeting students where they are. We also discuss the challenges of becoming a working mother, and figuring out how to carve out space for yourself.

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Books Anamika mentions in the episode:

• Radical Candor
• The Goal

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We want to hear from you! Please send your feedback to hello@designvoicepodcast.com and follow the show on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/designvoicepodcast.

Wendy Rogers is CEO and Chief Talent Officer of LPA Design Studios, an integrated design firm dedicated to creating projects that innovate, inspire and improve people’s lives. Wendy leads a team of more than 400 architects, engineers, landscape architects and interior designers in California and Texas.  As CEO, she handles the day-to-day operations of the firm, with a special focus on increasing the role of LPA's proprietary research unit, LPAred, and expanding LPA's unique informed design approach. As Chief Talent Officer, she is also responsible for developing the culture and lifestyle at the firm to retain and attract people who want to grow and make a difference in the built environment.

Wendy is a vocal advocate for sustainable design and the importance of using research to support design strategies. LPA has made energy performance a core value of the firm. For two years in a row, LPA was largest firm in the country to surpass the AIA 2030 Commitment, which establishes annual targets for reducing energy in projects. She is a regular speaker at events advocating for designs that respond to the environment and the needs of the people who use the spaces.

A graduate of California Polytechnic State University in Pomona, California, Wendy is a LEED Accredited Professional and a Fellow of the AIA.

In this episode Wendy talks about her career journey from starting as an intern at LPA to being named CEO in 2017. Wendy shares her advice for those who want to become leaders in their organizations, how to foster a culture where people can bring their authentic selves to work, and raising your hand for something when you don’t think you’re ready yet. Wendy also talks about being CEO during the pandemic, how she thinks architecture firms will need to evolve in the future, and gives some great advice for working parents.