About – YBA Architects

YBA was formed at a time when architecture
firms had to evolve or risk failure.

It’s a gutsy move to start a business during a recession. While other architecture firms struggled to downsize staff and deliver work on dramatically lower project budgets, YBA founders Alex Yale and Matt Brown were building a team of creators and artists with a flexible mindset, focused in equal parts on noteworthy and enduring design, and on the realities of recession-era budgets, timelines, and review processes.

That effort and commitment didn’t go unnoticed. They attracted visionary developers and investors who were equally committed to turning hardship into fuel – fuel for creativity, for doing more with less, and for changing the landscape for the better. Together, they’ve pioneered new building practices, pushed forward necessary building code changes, and positively shaped our urban landscape.

Today, YBA is still anchored in the principles of good urbanism, a deep respect for modern design, and a passion for creating thriving communities. The firm is renowned for its flexible, sharp, partnership-based approach to exemplary architectural design.

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We employ the principles of good urbanism

Human Scale

Connect to folks at a human scale, especially at the street level, no matter how tall the structure

Density

Create density that doesn’t compromise quality

Transit-Centric

Emphasize walkability and proximity to mass transit

Green + Gathering Spaces

Offer greenspace and community gathering places where none previously existed

Sustainability

Find every opportunity to utilize sustainable materials + practices

Our Guiding Principles

Our work is firmly rooted in a set of guiding principles. We view them as a direct reflection of our core values. We evaluate all of our decisions, relationships, and goals against these principles.

We put people first

We approach every project by considering all the people involved and impacted: our clients, the tenants and residents, and the broader community served by those places. Their experiences, needs, culture, aspirations, and history inspire and inform our work.

We want our work to make a difference

We help communities pursue a future that is healthier, better connected, more equitable, inclusive, and resilient. We follow and advance best practices in social, economic, and environmental sustainability, and seek to leave communities better than we found them.

We pursue innovation in every project, while staying grounded

Every project — and every client — deserves exceptional, captivating design regardless of budgetary constraints. Our work is uniquely suited to each place, purpose, and community; we never take a commoditized approach.

We believe in the value of creative collaboration

Great design comes from intentional collaboration. We believe the best ideas and solutions can come from any member of the team. We seek diverse views and perspectives, and enable all of our collaborators to be part of the creative process.

The buildings at Alta Civic Station are carefully crafted to maximize the use and enjoyment of the new urban plaza and outdoor landscape.

ALTA CIVIC STATION | GRESHAM, OR

What our clients have to say

“YBA went above and beyond for our project—the YBA team far exceeded my expectations, engaging with broad and diverse community stakeholders, gracefully managing a complex design process with many competing interests to develop a concept design that directly addressed the needs of the community. Their designs were fresh, site-specific, contextually appropriate, and financially feasible. I appreciated their willingness to go the extra mile and would not hesitate to use them again for future projects. I recommend them to those looking for a firm that is easy to work with, knows how to listen to and constructively engage with communities and produces striking, world class design”

Josh Fuhrer - Downtown Rockwood Executive Director, Gresham Redevelopment Commission

“YBA expertly lead the master planning and architectural design process. They ran a great community engagement process, managed complex environmental issues and were excellent collaborators with the Port of Camas-Washougal and key stakeholders. Their ability to accessibly communicate their inspiring and dynamic vision has led to broad public support. With YBA as the lead architect, we are now confidently moving ahead with a landmark public-private partnership development that will re-shape the future of our community for generations.”

David Ripp - Hyas Point Executive Director, the Port of Camas-Washougal

“We’ve found YBA to be excellent communicators and people who are always focused on keeping project success as their number one priority. They are easy to work with and maintain an exceptional attention to detail. Their open, cooperative style is critical to making the overall design process a success.”

Steve Deacon - Merx Mixed-Use Apartments Founder and Principal, Deacon Development

“From initial RFP submittal through community engagement, visioning and master planning, all the way to issuance of building permits, the City of Gresham has had a great experience working with YBA. The team has been professional, proactive and responsive at every step of the pre-development and entitlement process. They delivered design that set a new standard for architecture of its kind in our community, and did so within the timeframe and according to the parameters their development teams had committed to in the Development Agreements. They connected well with staff at all levels and departments and also with the community at large.”

Eric Schmidt SE CBO - Alta Civic Station Assistant City Manager, City of Gresham

“Working with YBA was rewarding and inspirational. It was clear that YBA had a deep understanding of our preferred outcomes and expectations for envisioning a future for our site. From the start, the design process was collaborative in nature and our feedback was respected and integrated. The results provided inspiration in moving forward with our efforts at community outreach and development solicitation. We would happily recommend YBA to other agencies or private development interests looking for help in developing challenging and impactful sites while reflecting a community’s expectations and needs.”

Chris Damgen - Confluence Troutdale Community Development Director, City of Troutdale

“YBA worked with the City as an integral partner in the engagement of neighbors and the community to create a vision for a vibrant development. Through this process of engagement, a plan that addressed the neighborhood’s needs was developed, including access to fresh food, space for community serving non-profits, gathering spaces, and new mixed-income and affordable housing. Through ongoing consultation and discussion with City staff and the Design Commission, the final design received broad support and was approved unanimously. YBA’s architectural and site design created a new, iconic center for a diverse community, catalyzing new investment and development in the surrounding community.”

YBA was formed at a time when architecture
firms had to evolve or risk failure.