Our Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion

OUR COMMITMENT TO DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION

Moving towards a more just and equitable future

We’re proud to lead our industry by example.

Celebrating human differences

Keeping ourselves accountable

Our Diversity, Inclusion, and Engagement program supports and strengthens a firmwide culture that embraces and celebrates all people, regardless of age, culture, ethnicity, gender identity, language, physical ability, race, religion, sexual orientation, size, or socioeconomic status.

To effect positive change in all aspects of our work, we established the design industry’s first Diversity Council. The Council is made up of a rotating cross-section of diverse staff from around the world.

Inclusion is paramount. Because when people feel included, they feel inspired and empowered. And that leads to innovation.

This leadership group acts as a resource and advocate for the value of diversity and inclusion in our firm culture, business success, and community well-being.

We believe diversity drives innovation and inclusion sparks creativity.

Different perspectives from people of different backgrounds paint a canvas of ideas with bolder, brighter colors. The combined creativity is infinite. Together, we’re designing a more vibrant, dynamic world. We’re moving beyond socially constructed barriers and stereotypes and toward an open, united, productive society.

We offer fellowships, awards, and mentorship programs—most of which are aimed at creating opportunity for underrepresented high school and college students:

The Black in Design Mentorship

The E. Todd Wheeler Fellowship

Program at the Harvard Graduate

honors the design luminary of the

School of Design (GSD) aims to

same name, who transformed

inspire the next generation of Black

healthcare architecture—and

designers and build the professional

healthcare delivery—in the mid-

pipeline of Black talent. The

twentieth century. The yearlong

program gives GSD students the

fellowship is open to recent design

opportunity to mentor Black high

graduates and is highly competitive.

school students and provides the GSD students with mentorship by

The Phil Freelon Fellowship at the

Perkins&Will designers.

The Cornell Future Architect Award is a merit-based award that gives

Harvard Graduate School of Design

under-represented high school

(GSD) expands academic opportunities

The Nagle-Johnson Family

students the opportunity to attend

for African American and other

Fellowship at the Harvard Graduate

Cornell’s Introduction to Architecture

under-represented students of

School of Design provides financial

Program, at no cost. The program

design at the GSD.

aid to under-represented students

introduces students to the rigors of

with the aim of expanding their

a Bachelor of Architecture degree

academic and career prospects.

program and helps them prepare a competitive portfolio.

Clockwise from top right: Greenville Town Common, Sycamore Hill Gateway in Greenville, North Carolina; Museum of the African Diaspora (MoAD) in San Francisco, California; and the Durham County Human Services Complex in Durham, North Carolina

Race and Equity in Design As a firm, and as individuals we can mitigate the impact of racism and inequity in design practices.

We acknowledge the inequities our industry has created and condoned, and we must take action, now, to right the wrongs of the past. We pledge to continue to embed justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion (JEDI) into our firm culture, our work, and our communities through design.

Our actions are our voice.

Destination Crenshaw Los Angeles, California Stretching 1.3 miles along an elevated light rail path connecting LAX to central L.A., this outdoor museum will foster the historically Black Crenshaw community’s strong arts culture. Our design vision will make this outdoor gallery the nation’s largest celebration of African American contributions to world culture.

VTA’S BART Silicon Valley Phase II Extension Santa Clara, California By design, the Bay Area Rapid Transit extension through downtown San JosÊ and Santa Clara will result in more equitable and pedestrian-oriented communities.

National Center for Civil and Human Rights Atlanta, Georgia Through its architectural design, NCCHR conveys the spirit of the U.S. Civil Rights movement and places this important chapter of U.S. history in the context of the ongoing struggles for Black rights around the world.

Sacramento Valley Station Area Plan Sacramento, California Focusing on user experience, this pivotal project will transform the area into a sustainable regional mobility hub within a connected, vibrant, and pedestrian-friendly community.

North Carolina Freedom Park Raleigh, North Carolina This park honors the history and struggle for freedom for Black North Carolinians.

Its symbolic design creates a unique public green space with passages that provide access from different directions—representative of the varied paths to freedom.

Historic Emancipation Park Houston, Texas For many decades, Historic Emancipation Park was the only public park in Houston open to African Americans. It had fallen into disrepair following years of underfunding and neglect. Through a neighborhood-centered design vision, we created a destination that enhances the health and well-being of the surrounding population and the broader Houston community.

Hello Baby Chicago, Illinois Part of our Social Purpose program, our design for this nonprofit organization is the first free standing, free of charge drop-in play space in the nation. The welcoming space supports families raising young children in underserved neighborhoods in Chicago.

Fowler Clark Epstein Farm Restoration Boston, Massachusetts As a part of our Social Purpose program, we guided the design process to help revive the farm to provide a valuable community-based resource and support a vision for a healthier local food source in an underserved community.

COMBATING RACISM: OUR PLEDGE TO THE BLACK DESIGN COMMUNITY

We stand in solidarity with the Black community in the fight against systemic racism, heartbroken by the senseless killings of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and the many other Black victims who came before them.

This message alone is not enough. We ourselves have work to do. We can design a more just and equitable world if we continuously challenge the status quo, embrace human differences, and advance egalitarian ideas. This is a moment for the design industry as a whole to commit to a better future. To ensure we are supporting grassroots organizations, diversifying our leadership, mentoring and encouraging young Black architects and designers, and listening closely to the communities we work with.

We pledge to increase our: nj Support for scholarships and internships at historically Black design schools, and for Black design students at other schools nj Recruitment of Black design staff and our total number of Black professionals at the firm nj Promotions of Black staff to leadership positions of Associate Principal and Principal nj Financial contributions to the National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA) nj Pro bono design services and handson contributions to underserved Black

Starting immediately, we are doubling down on our commitment to make a positive difference.

communities

And this is just a start. We look forward to sharing our progress as we go.

For more information, visit our Diversity and Inclusion page.