FORA and The Feminist Practice Model

Mar 8

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Je’Nen M. Chastain, MBA, Assoc. AIA, Founder, Apostrophe Consulting
Phone: (919) 335-8136
Email: hello@apostrophe.consulting
Website: https://www.apostrophe.consulting/

NEXT-GEN ALL WOMEN OWNERS TRANSFORM LEGACY ARCHITECTURE FIRM

FORA and The Feminist Practice Model

SILICON VALLEY, CA - March 2023: Architects FORA is leading industry transformation by redefining what the 21st-century architectural practice looks like and how it operates. Since purchasing OJK Architecture + Planning in 2021 and rebranding as Architects FORA, next-generation partners Sarah Vaccaro, Leah Alissa Bayer, and Kate Conley have transformed the 40-year-old affordable housing practice into a 100% virtual, 100% women-owned business with a uniquely feminist identity, and are ready to expand its legacy across California, Washington, and Colorado.

“We chose to lead this firm together to carry forward its important mission: serving our community by creating vibrant, resilient, and equitable housing. The best way to do that is by creating a working environment where people are healthy, happy, and secure. We can only do our best caring for others when we feel cared for ourselves.” – Leah Alissa Bayer

/ The fact that an architecture firm’s leadership group like this exists is rare, even in 2023.

In getting to know this new leadership team, it is impossible to overlook that the composition is entirely unlike what most have experienced in legacy architecture firms. All three owners are women in their 30s and are highly qualified to lead large, complex architecture projects. One partner brings prior experience founding a fully remote architecture firm. One brings high-end technical design expertise from one of the world’s most admired architecture firms. And the third brings a depth of passion for partnering with nonprofits to serve communities with the highest level of care. The fact that an architecture firm’s leadership group like this exists is rare, even in 2023.

The architectural profession faces increasing scrutiny with regard to culture, EDI, and relevance amidst an evolving societal and technological landscape, and there is an overwhelming demand by underrepresented women in practice to address their needs in the workplace. Architects FORA, identified by its peers as boldly embracing its identity as a feminist practice, represents the change architects and society at-large are looking for.
What defines a feminist practice? FORA’s owners point toward their values of compassion, inclusivity, and radical transparency, emphasizing their commitment to building authentic, restorative relationships.

“The value of how we’ve decided to practice is reflected in the team members who want to work with us. Over 90% of our staff identify as women and over 60% identify as belonging to one or more minority groups. These designers typically come to us wanting a flexible work location, often wanting to stay near their families in places with little or no choice of local firms. Once they’re here, they realize flexible work offers so many more options beyond choosing what city you work from.” – Kate Conley

Underlying their approach to practice is a philosophy of improving the quality of lives of everyone they engage. In their project work, that means thoughtfully designing for and with the environment and the people they serve. They have pioneered a robust engagement framework, Engage FORA, that invites community members to the table early in their design process to craft more equitable designs that are a celebration of their neighborhood resulting in homes that best serve the residents and strengthen the community.

“We create homes for so many different types of residents: very-low income seniors, veterans, formerly unhoused, victims of domestic abuse, low to moderate income families, and intellectually and developmentally disabled individuals. We believe everyone deserves the beauty, security, and joy of a resilient and restorative home, and we believe that restorative process can begin by designing with the people we serve. When we align ourselves with clients and collaborators who share these values, the good and hard work of creating places with purpose flows naturally.” – Sarah Vaccaro

In practice, they improve lives by crafting a suite of intentional and progressive policies designed to empower diverse team members, such as: work from anywhere, flexible schedules, equal salaries, transparent processes, clear criteria for bonuses and leadership recognition developed by the team, and an equal voice at weekly design collaboration sessions. Additionally, each staff member is given one day a week to deepen their chosen subject matter expertise, ranging from data-based research that makes their buildings better for occupants, to technologies and storytelling techniques that improve their practice’s workflow. The results are reflected in their stats: over 300 applicants in 24 hours during their recent hiring effort, not a single employee has resigned since their leadership transition, and their team regularly expresses how happy and fulfilled they are at FORA.

“My partners and I trained under a different type of leadership and we faced many challenges as young women. Instead of taking the position that “we went through it, so you have to, too”, we ask, “how can we design the practice we wish we had?”. It’s all an experiment, but each day we adapt to create a better business for us all.” - Leah Bayer

/ How does a Feminist Practice act?
Here’s a look at FORA’s model at work:

Equitable, Diverse, Inclusive Processes: Everyone has a place, everyone has a voice.
Innovation Driven by Curiosity: They’re subject matter experts invested in research-backed impact.
Compassionate, Transparent, and Fun People: Their clients are their partners and love working with them.
Resilience Through Adaptability: Tech-savvy and nimble, they act to protect now and the future.
Actively Advancing the Boldly Good: They’re dismantling barriers through local and state policy advocacy.

The benefits of their practice model for their clients is most clearly reflected in their recent work on Mitchell Park Place, for which FORA is the architect and community engagement consultant working with nonprofit housing developer Eden Housing. In a regulatory process that would usually take a year or more, the team was able to successfully expedite it down to three months without sacrificing their meaningful community engagement process.

“There’s often a sense that community engagement will drag down a project schedule, and that streamlining legislation will be used to force a project through city approvals. For Mitchell Park Place we took the opposite approach. We invited city officials to witness how deeply we value community input on our design. We proved to them that, although we were using streamlining legislation, our design had widespread community approval, which in turn made official city approval a much swifter process. ” – Kate Conley

There is no question that Architects FORA is on a trajectory of growth, tripling in size since its ownership changed in 2021 and recently ranked amongst Silicon Valley Business Journal’s Top 25 Architecture Firms. Committed to building partnerships with those invested in improving the lives of their community, this mission-driven firm is addressing housing insecurity through the depth of their meaningful community engagement, bold housing advocacy, and research-informed design strategies.

There is no “one size fits all” solution to tackling big issues like the housing crisis. FORA’s compassionate approach shows us the power of a uniquely feminist practice as they make strides toward creating a better world for us all.

Apostrophe Consulting is a purpose-driven, woman-owned management consulting practice dedicated to helping architects transform their companies. With expertise in talent development, change management, and business strategy, Je’Nen helps her clients navigate growth in a changing world. Together, we win more work, build a culture of leadership and trust, and create a pipeline for emerging leaders to grow. For more information, visit www.apostrophe.consulting or email Je’Nen Chastain at hello@apostrophe.consulting.

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Je’Nen Chastain
Founder
Apostrophe Consulting
(919) 335-8136
hello@apostrophe.consulting
https://www.apostrophe.consulting/