Founded by women, we commit to equity, community engagement, and sustainability.

History

Our Boston-based practice, founded in 1982, has had two fundamental goals since its inception: to create bold and refined architecture for the public realm and to create a collaborative workplace inclusive of the diverse voices and talents of our colleagues. From the beginning, our work has been intentionally public in nature and attitude, often embedded in the urban fabric. We are committed to providing meaningful spaces for human interaction and to promoting social well-being. Our first designs were for infrastructure — a building suspended under a bridge in Boston and an airfield maintenance building - which led to more significant projects such as the University of Pennsylvania Gateway Chiller Plant. Our public building projects began with small community recreation buildings and neighborhood police stations, and expanded to important civic buildings including state and federal courthouses. Our initial renovation projects for universities led to major campus buildings and master planning.

Today, we are a diverse team of 30 from the U.S., Central America, Europe, and Asia. Our work lies at the juncture of architecture, landscape, urban design, and infrastructure. Our projects are embedded in cities, on campuses, and across the wider landscape. Inventiveness in dramatically complex projects and a diversity of project types are the signatures of our work. While we remain committed to building in the Boston area and contributing to our community, our work now extends across the country and the world, most recently through projects in France and Taiwan. We are pleased by the accolades our work has produced over the years. In 2007, the American Institute of Architects honored us with its Firm Award, the highest distinction it bestows on an architecture firm, and the first women-led firm to be so honored. From 2014 to the present, our firm was included in the ARCHITECT Top 50 national rankings. Recognized with over 100 national and regional awards, our work has also been widely published, appearing in publications in the U.S. and abroad, as well as in exhibitions nationwide. Our 2011 monograph, Made to Measure: The Architecture of Leers Weinzapfel Associates (Princeton Architectural Press), records the first chapter of our work.

Sustainability

Social, environmental, and economic sensibilities drive our work and practice. For each project, we investigate various techniques and tools to produce long-lasting, innovative, and inspirational design solutions. We are signatories and advocates for 2030 Commitment. We are pioneers in the development of mass timber with the first in the USA large scale buildings for higher education. In house, we lead an active “Green Monsters” group that studies, shares and applies latest sustainable practices for each project.

Equity

We give an equal voice to all members of the team and see our work as a collaborative effort. We support initiatives such as 100% Talent: Boston’s Women Workforce Council and the Girl UNinterrupted Project, a national research initiative launched by Juliet Chun AIA and Zhanina Boyadzhieva AIA at the office.

Education & Mentorship

We have been educators in various institutions such as Harvard University, Yale University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Wentworth Institute of Technology, and Boston Architectural College. Internally, we provide mentorship to emerging professionals through design lunches with senior staff, workshops in sustainability, and one-on-one conversations on career growth.

Community Commitment

We are advocates for design excellence, equity in practice, and sustainability approaches in our immediate communities. We have continuously served on the board of organizations such as the Boston Society of Architects, Boston Civic Design Commission, BSA Foundation, Boston by Foot.