At SERA, a group of staff passionate about design created Design Interest Group Integrated Thursdays (DIG IT for the acronym-lovers in us) to strengthen our dialogue about how design fits into our practice. At each event, staff is presented with a topic, given background, and asked to create a well-designed experience that addresses the topic’s […]
Many women in architecture say they are underrepresented in the industry, especially at upper management levels. But they also say that being mentored – and mentoring others – has helped them succeed. Here are a few of their stories.
Each year a dedicated group of SERA employees perform a strange ritual, venturing into places most people try not to imagine, let alone touch. While their coworkers are heading home for the day, the group collects all of the office trash, tossing it on the floor to dig in. Waste audits can be dirty, disgusting […]
If you’re like me and don’t know the difference between a fun hobby and just more hard work, then you might be interested in building yourself what is called an Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU). An ADU is essentially a small home in your backyard that is just small enough to seem like a project any […]
In order to maintain healthy connections in a complex and evolving world, we sometimes have to seek places with characteristics that resemble those of our ancestors from millennia ago. At SERA, we’re currently exploring what those conditions are, and how to integrate the natural and built environments to the benefit of human health and well-being.
Architects are accustomed to long distance relationships; Beginning as students we fall in love with images of buildings, we read what we can, study the floor plans, but only after a long courtship do we eventually meet in person.
Over the past few years two seemingly unrelated issues have been eating away at me: How can we as a species do more to address climate change, and why is my digestive system feeling out of whack? At first I thought I was just stressing out over the fate of the planet. But the more […]
SERA Architects has promoted 19 employees to firm leadership, including two Principals, four Associate Principals, and 13 Associates. In addition to being named a new Associate, one employee was promoted to Director of Finance. These employees have exhibited a consistent drive to improve their work, the work of the firm, and the firm’s cultural and […]
A few weeks ago, I walked over to Shattuck Hall, home of the PSU School of Architecture, to participate in a review of first-year student work. l look forward to these opportunities because they offer a connection to a range of people in the design community, and because they provide an occasion to delve into ideas […]
When our hospitality studio isn’t designing hotels from the inside out (see: Pearl District Residence Inn, AC Hotel by Marriott and more), they’re helping revitalize existing hotels around the country. The redesigns are always remarkable, but when juxtaposed against the original conditions, the transformations are stunning. Check out four of SERA’s recent hotel interventions below. While the Before images are amateur snapshots (taken during […]