Our Purpose

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We believe in the power of good design to enrich communities, harmonize with nature, and create joy for residents.

What we do (and why we do it):

At Architects FORA, we strive to be the best partners we can be in the pursuit of ending the housing crisis because home is a basic human necessity and access to quality housing is one of the greatest challenges of our time. We leverage the power of design to expand access to quality housing choices - serving our communities with responsive designs and healing spaces that celebrate people, place, and the planet.

Our primary role as architects in this process is to listen + ideate + design + innovate + lead a collaborative process to create restorative, community-focused, beautiful places. We recognize that design is a powerful tool and an impactful process in itself, so we are keen listeners who leverage a meaningful, responsive, human-centered design process. Our collaborative, transparent, diverse, and passionate team leads this process, weaving together joyful design, social responsibility, and environmental sensitivity. As continuous learners, we are ever-evolving and elevate the standards design, so residents of our buildings and our planet thrive for generations to come.

“It is an honor to create and a responsibility to do right by our communities, residents, society, and planet.”

— Sarah Vaccaro, Principal

For A -

leigh avenue courtyard - the location of one of our post-occupancy surveys

Design is better when diverse perspectives and disciplines are at the table, and those closest to the problem are closest to the solution. So we:
/ co-create visions with our clients and communities,
/ leverage hyper-local knowledge,
/ loop in outside experts, best practices, and emerging research when needed, and
/ design with empathy for end-users.

orchard gardens rendering - sensitive community engagement was necessary to help existing resitdents with transitions into the new building

Design is an impactful process and we hold a deep respect for humanity. Thus, we:
/ are keen and receptive listeners to the journeys and desired futures of our residents,
/ push conventionally exclusive boundaries of architectural design process with a more holistic and healing approach,
/ acknowledge the role our designs have to play in restoring justice to communities marginalized by broken systems and housing policies, and
/ our end goal is bigger than just a building. We want to see aspects of our world and lives transformed for the better.

We pride ourselves on designs that synergize with communities and build upon their existing strengths. So we:
/ create opportunities for connection to community and amenities,
/ create connections to nature, and
/ promote health and wellbeing through healthy materials, natural daylight, and fresh air.

Sustainable Design Stratgies 1585 studios mountainview

We approach design with the goal of celebrating, respecting, and harmonizing with nature. So we:
/ recognize the healing power and beauty of nature elements integrated with architecture,
/ leverage technology to optimize our designs and design process,
/ reduce our impact through low energy, low carbon, and low water solutions, and
/ know that by future-proofing our buildings, we are ensuring our residents will not have to face a disproportionate vulnerability to climate change.

woman in walker in japantown - a housing project meant to help seniors age in place in their neighborhood affordably

We envision a world with housing for all income levels, designed for all ages and abilities, and equitable in opportunity across place. So we:
/ strive to increase the availability of high-quality housing choices, and
/ craft adaptive and flexible spaces that support residents’ wide spectrum of needs and opportunities