9 Ways to Make Housing for People

Stack of 9 Ways books on a yellow background #
Get your copy today—available at local booksellers and online.

Pragmatic and imaginative, this book is a modern manual for urban housing—getting it built and making it great. 

David Baker Architects has been designing multifamily housing for more than four decades. With offices in San Francisco, Oakland, and Birmingham, Alabama, the firm is a pioneer in urban housing, with an award-winning design portfolio of more than 15,000 homes—affordable and market rate—throughout the Bay Area and across the country.  

Combining how-to with why-to, principals David Baker, Amanda Loper, and Daniel Simons lay out the core framework the firm uses to help communities develop places for people to thrive. Written in accessible language for design professionals and students as well as residents, developers, and city officials, 9 Ways to Make Housing for People engagingly explains principles and strategies to achieve quality and value in new housing. The 9 Ways have been presented in cities across America and were featured in an exhibit at the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum in New York City. 

Upcoming 9 Ways Events

May 24

AIA San Mateo County Chapter Presentation

  • Katie Ackerly, AIA, LEED AP, CPHC
  • Pedram Farashbandi, AIA, LEED GA

Wednesday, May 24
6-7:30 p.m.Location: 850 Burlingame Avenue, Burlingame, CA 94010
Learn more and register

June 9

Studio Happy Hour with Creativity Explored!
Join us for a happy hour at our San Francisco office during the AIA’23 conference where we will be featuring special guest, Creativity Explored. Enjoy drinks, snacks, and a pop-up art shop and learn more about Creativity Explored and DBA's 9 Ways.

Friday, June 9, 2023
5:30-8:30pm
Location: DBA_SFO, 461 2nd Street, Loft c127, San Francisco, CA 94107
RSVP

July 13

AIA East Bay Lecture Series: Affordable Housing
DBA Principal, Daniel Simons, FAIA is a panelist at the AIA East Bay Lecture Series on Affordable Housing.

Thursday, July 13, 2023
6-7:30pm
Location: AIA East Bay, 2150 Allston Way, #310 Berkeley, CA 94704
Learn more and register

 

 

Praise for 9 Ways

“The incredibly talented DBA team demonstrate again and again, with every beautiful project they create, the power of elevating the human experience through thoughtful design and sculpted place. This book is sure to be a favorite reference for inspiration.”
—Michelle Kaufmann, Director of R&D for the Built Environment, Google


“Driven to be a multiplier of good, DBA is at the top of their field. This book is a great story and a toolkit for anyone interested in the future of housing design and a better way of life for all of us.”
—Angela Brooks, FAIA, Brooks + Scarpa


"In an echo of Christopher Alexander’s A Pattern Language, this lively, accessible “how-to” book doesn't promote an architectural style, but rather an approach to spatial organization, detailing, and making physical and human connections that result in housing that works for residents and contributes to the life of the street.”
Frances Anderton, design writer and author of Common Ground: Multi-Family Housing in Los Angeles

9 Ways to Make Housing for People was authored by David Baker Architects, designed by Mende Design, and published by ORO Editions. 

LOOK INSIDE / Get your copy today—available at local booksellers and online.