Around the Office – Residential Team Summit, Maurita Harris Chosen As Featured Designer for Beyond the Built

Our firm had the unique opportunity to recently hold our first ever, Residential Team Summit. The Summit was designed to allow all of the members of our Residential division, alongside senior leadership and support staff, the opportunity to collaborate, brainstorm and discuss new and innovative processes and design techniques that the team as a whole can implement into our firm. As we continue to grow that division of our firm, diversify our portfolio and push the envelope on distinctive designs – it was important that our team members had this time to step away from their desk and focus on their craft. Individuals were able to give the rest of the team an inside look into what inspires them, their ideas, their past projects, their future goals so that the group as a whole left the Summit feeling more in sync than ever before.

As a firm we pride ourselves in our level of collaboration and dedication that we devote to each and every project. Events like these not only benefit our firm as a whole, but are also designed to help our clients and our consultants, so that our team can provide the best design and client-service possible.

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We are also extremely proud to acknowledge PHX’s Maurita Harris for being chosen as a “Featured Designer” for a digital exhibition called SAY IT LOUD – Beyond the Built. Chosen from an applicant pool of over 1400 designers from around the world, it is no surprise to our firm that Maurita’s designs were selected. Having been with our firm for over 10 years, Maurita has worked on some of our firm’s most prestigious projects including, SAAR, Serenity Hospice, Saint Marcs Restaurants, and currently is the Project Architect on the AZ Biltmore Renovation.

Beyond the Built – SAY IT LOUD engages community through architecture to advocate equitable, reflectively diverse environments.  As of the day this statement is being written there are approximately 2,083 licensed African American Architects in the United States of America. This is roughly 2% percent of the total population of licensed Architects in the US. This is a staggering statistic to understand considering that in today’s world diversity is supposed to be more than just a buzzword. It is a necessity in the culture of collaboration and a key to successful business in a globally connected society. Studies show that inclusion of people with different backgrounds and racial makeup benefits everyone. Diversity is beneficial for both minority and majority groups. The end result is generation of more unique and innovative ideas through creating a socially diverse group. Diversity spurs creativity and the resulting ideas reach a broader audience. The enrichment of the field of architecture by exposure to a diverse pool of contributors and ideas is the goal.