Owen Kennerly

Principal

Hometown: New York City

Education: BA, Northwestern University; MArch, University of California, Berkeley

Affiliations:  AIA, SPUR, and SFHAC (SF Housing Action Coalition)

Sarina Bowen Kennerly

Principal

Hometown: St. Helena, California

Education: BA and MArch, University of California, Berkeley

Affiliations: AIA, SPUR, SFHAC (SF Housing Action Coalition), and Build It Green

Brian Stryzek

Associate Principal

Inspiration: Chicago, where I grew up, with its rich history of modern architecture. And today, I draw inspiration from Oakland, with its cultural diversity, as well as travel to memorable sites such as the Basilica Cistern in Istanbul.

Hometown: Suburbs of Chicago

Education: BArch, University of Kentucky

Affiliations: AIA East Bay and SPUR

Brigitte Ngo

Inspiration: The often overlooked slivers of in-between spaces of buildings and how the forced perspective frames a city and/or landscape; the play between the texture of building materials and patterned light; multicultural narratives of talented and fanatical individuals.

Hometown: Newport Coast, CA

Education: Bachelor of Arts in Urban Planning; University of California, San Diego
Master’s in Architecture; Pratt Institute, New York

Yuzi Chen

Inspiration: Having lived in China, Germany, and the U.S, I have observed how the customs, history, and philosophies of a society shape its physical spaces. I am interested in applying cross-cultural principles in understanding clients and designing spaces that are functional, natural, and personal.

Hometown: Sichuan, China

Education: California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo

Catherine French

Inspiration: Traveling and exploring new places near and far; sharing the company of thoughtful and insightful people; watching my son discover new delights – a handful of things that inspire me.

Hometown: Boulder City, Nevada

Education: Bachelor of Science Civil Engineering, University of Nevada, Reno; Master of Architecture, University of Texas at Austin

Isaac Warshauer

Inspiration: Old buildings. They are essential sources of perspective and incredible libraries of good ideas. Whether 30 or 3,000 years old, they are reminders of what lasts, what fades, and what really matters.

Hometown: Chapel Hill, NC

Education: BA in Archaeology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; MArch, Columbia University, New York

Hector Hernandez

Inspiration: After living and working in Spain & Colombia, I’m really inspired by the power of architecture to improve people’s lives by the creation of healthy and inspiring spaces in which to be together.

Hometown: Mondragon, Spain

Education: BArch & MArch, Escuela Tecnica Superior de Arquitectura de San Sebastian, UPV, Spain.

Our design combines exuberance and rigor, modernism and urbanism. With each project, whether urban or rural, we consider the larger framework in which the building fits—the living context. That includes nearby structures as well as ecological, social, political, economic, and regulatory layers.

Our clients appreciate that our designs not only have flair, but also arise from a deep understanding of the finer points of building codes. We see all spaces in the urban environment as linked to each other, ripe for activation and capable of serving a variety of purposes.

We believe in tying together big-picture thinking with small-scale finesse.

Our design combines exuberance and rigor, modernism and urbanism. With each project, whether urban or rural, we consider the larger framework in which the building fits—the living context. That includes nearby structures as well as ecological, social, political, economic, and regulatory layers.

Our clients appreciate that our designs not only have flair, but also arise from a deep understanding of the finer points of building codes. We see all spaces in the urban environment as linked to each other, ripe for activation and capable of serving a variety of purposes.

We believe in tying together big-picture thinking with small-scale finesse.

Owen Kennerly

Principal

Hometown: New York City

Education: BA, Northwestern University; MArch, University of California, Berkeley

Affiliations:  AIA, SPUR, and SFHAC (SF Housing Action Coalition)

Sarina Bowen Kennerly

Principal

Hometown: St. Helena, California

Education: BA and MArch, University of California, Berkeley

Affiliations: AIA, SPUR, SFHAC (SF Housing Action Coalition), and Build It Green

Brian Stryzek

Associate Principal

Inspiration: Chicago, where I grew up, with its rich history of modern architecture. And today, I draw inspiration from Oakland, with its cultural diversity, as well as travel to memorable sites such as the Basilica Cistern in Istanbul.

Hometown: Suburbs of Chicago

Education: BArch, University of Kentucky

Affiliations: AIA East Bay and SPUR

Brigitte Ngo

Inspiration: The often overlooked slivers of in-between spaces of buildings and how the forced perspective frames a city and/or landscape; the play between the texture of building materials and patterned light; multicultural narratives of talented and fanatical individuals.

Hometown: Newport Coast, CA

Education: Bachelor of Arts in Urban Planning; University of California, San Diego
Master’s in Architecture; Pratt Institute, New York

Yuzi Chen

Inspiration: Having lived in China, Germany, and the U.S, I have observed how the customs, history, and philosophies of a society shape its physical spaces. I am interested in applying cross-cultural principles in understanding clients and designing spaces that are functional, natural, and personal.

Hometown: Sichuan, China

Education: California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo

Catherine French

Inspiration: Traveling and exploring new places near and far; sharing the company of thoughtful and insightful people; watching my son discover new delights – a handful of things that inspire me.

Hometown: Boulder City, Nevada

Education: Bachelor of Science Civil Engineering, University of Nevada, Reno; Master of Architecture, University of Texas at Austin

Isaac Warshauer

Inspiration: Old buildings. They are essential sources of perspective and incredible libraries of good ideas. Whether 30 or 3,000 years old, they are reminders of what lasts, what fades, and what really matters.

Hometown: Chapel Hill, NC

Education: BA in Archaeology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; MArch, Columbia University, New York

Hector Hernandez

Inspiration: After living and working in Spain & Colombia, I’m really inspired by the power of architecture to improve people’s lives by the creation of healthy and inspiring spaces in which to be together.

Hometown: Mondragon, Spain

Education: BArch & MArch, Escuela Tecnica Superior de Arquitectura de San Sebastian, UPV, Spain.