YBA designs new buildings and places in existing urban environments that sensitively apprehend and add to their character and yield exceptional value. Our work includes multi-story urban infill buildings on existing blocks, buildings that occupy entire blocks and urban master plans comprising entire areas of cities. YBA offers experience designing for a wide variety of uses and programs. We enjoy finding clever ways to maximize utilization and activation on urban sites of all sizes, including challenging sites and those where complex mixed development programs are intended.

Urbanism is an increasing feature of life for most people on the planet. YBA offers expertise instigating and augmenting pedestrian-oriented urban development and placemaking in lower density cities and towns, areas of urban growth boundary expansion and those in need of urban regeneration. We devise urban designs and town center master plans, and we provide architectural design for critical catalytic buildings and public places that anchor new nodes. We have experience in transit-oriented developments and the delivery of multi-staged developments that transform districts and neighborhoods. We help our clients maximize short- and long-term value by engaging communities to understand broad stakeholder priorities and integrate them with development objectives. Our work forms bridgeheads to an urban future.

Cities are living places that undergo cycles of regeneration and change. YBA uses design to re-imagine and reinvigorate existing urban buildings and districts, helping our clients to uncover exceptional value in the process. Our creative re-use projects and capabilities span a variety of building types from high-rise office to industrial warehouse conversions, to upgrades of existing multi-family residential and mixed-use urban buildings.

YBA offers truly innovative urban and design thinking for clients who wish to push the boundaries of what’s known. We relish the opportunity to put our creative talents to work envisioning new futures, buildings and places of substantial cultural meaning and environments that transcend established market expectations. We perform applied research and offer analytical and communications skills necessary to pursue new ideas successfully. We assemble teams of experts who share our passion for innovation. We pursue experimental design through competitions. And we also give back to the community through charitable design work and projects oriented at converting the dreams of others into realities through excellent design.