Metropolis Magazine names DBA its Planet Positive Firm of the Year.
DBA has been named the 2026 Planet Positive Firm of the Year by Metropolis magazine. This award honors our firm-wide commitment to sustainable, healthy, and just design at every scale—citing our continuously innovative work in supporting sustainable, mixed-use communities that build stability and connection.
DBA’s positive and proactive approach to sustainable and resilient design is informed by decades of expertise in urban design, interior architecture, innovative construction approaches, community engagement, and sustainable design research. Our leadership—a team of eight Principals—supports a culture of innovation and robust collaboration in order to address societal challenges through design and nurture a successful social impact business model.
Hunters View Phase III exemplifies DBA’s commitment to connecting the needs, opportunities, and constraints of a site to social equity, resident, and community well-being. This final phase of the Hunters View master plan brings 118 LEED Gold affordable family homes to the neighborhood (including three-, four-, and five-bedroom units designed to keep families together) and connects its indoor and outdoor resources to the larger development’s existing childcare center, Department of Public Health wellness center, and lending‑library kiosk. The completed buildings have set the stage for upcoming neighborhood-serving resources: A dynamic glass-walled space with expansive views of downtown is ready for a YMCA Learning Center, and a prominent parkside corner is prepared for a commercial teaching kitchen envisioned to allow local food businesses to produce and distribute their wares.
DBA designed Hunters View Phase III in close collaboration with Min Design (associate architect) and Fletcher Studio (landscape architect). Part of the City of San Francisco’s HOPE SF rebuilding program, the phased project was developed by The John Stewart Company and a range of development and service partners.
Metropolis further noted a key accomplishment that exemplifies DBA’s commitment to planet positive affordable housing—that in just the past decade we have won three AIA COTE Top Ten Awards, recognizing work that sets the standard in sustainable design excellence: Coliseum Place, Lakeside Senior Housing, and Tassafaronga Village.
We appreciate that Metropolis, through its editorial coverage, convenings, and recognition programs, is raising important questions about the built environment community and practices and elevating innovation that matters.
“We aim to learn on the leading edge and take every opportunity to explore the boundaries of what’s possible in reaching for more dignified, beautiful, and sustainable communities for all,” says DBA Principal and Sustainable Design Director Katie Ackerly, AIA, CPHC, who was recognized as a Sustainability Leader in the Planet Positive program last year. “At the same time, our experience protects us from making decisions that amount to burdensome experimentation. This raises the bar for us, and for everyone who references our work.”
Read more about DBA’s recognition at Metropolis’ Planet Positive awards page.
