DBA’s Sarah Ahmadzai and Jonny Rohrbaugh were tapped to join the Metropolis Arch30 San Francisco 2025 cohort in November 2025. View the full article, which appeared in Metropolis on January 9, 2026.
At Arch30 San Francisco, the city’s next generation of architects gathered to confront the questions shaping the building industry today: What does it mean to practice sustainability in 2025? How are you influencing the systems—both technical and cultural—that shape the built environment? What challenges do you face in your work? Where do you acquire knowledge about new materials and tools? Throughout the evening, young professionals shared an honest, ambitious view of how they are incorporating their personal values into their practice and where the discipline must go next.
While the discussions ranged widely as attendees engaged in structured mentimeter polls, group discussions and ikigai activities, two insights surfaced as clear markers of a profession evolving from within.
Firms Are Building Internal Baseline Material Standards Empty heading
Many participants noted a significant shift inside their firms: the creation of internal baseline material standards that prioritize low-embodied-carbon and healthier products. These guidelines are no longer aspirational documents—they are starting to become active tools deployed across companies’ projects.
Architects shared how these standards provide a pre-vetted foundation of products and assemblies, making climate-conscious decisions the default rather than the exception. For many teams, incorporating these baseline specifications into every project is becoming standard practice, woven into workflows rather than added later at material selection stages.
The result is a subtle but powerful cultural shift. Instead of relying on external specification guidelines, firms are equipping entire teams with shared criteria that elevate material performance and reduce embodied carbon across the board.
Collaboration at an Early Stage is Difficult but Crucial
Another recurring theme was the growing need for early collaboration to achieve impactful outcomes. In the Bay Area, where performance requirements, compliance codes and constraints are uniquely complex, architects emphasized that meaningful sustainability work cannot happen in isolation.
To succeed, teams must bring general contractors, consultants, building scientists, MEP engineers, manufacturers and even the end user into the conversation long before the design is fully formed. While this level of coordination is challenging—marked by tight timelines, siloed and changing scopes, or long-span projects—participants agreed it’s essential for delivering buildings that truly perform.
The workshops culminated with insightful product displays and demonstrations by our program partners: Arktura, Behr Paint Company, Impact Acoustic, Kwik-Wall, Longboard, Motif, and Tate Inc.
Attendees had the opportunity to engage in meaningful conversations, exchanging valuable insights, and forging strong connections with these material manufacturers. These interactions will undoubtedly provide invaluable support for their promising careers within the building industry.
METROPOLIS Arch30 San Francisco Honorees
Aubrey Timmons, WRNS Studio
Billy Schreiber, Woods Bagot
Brooks Cavender, Gensler
Caius Cowgill, Jensen Architects
Carolyn Geyer, Page & Turnbull
Chujun Zhang, HOK
Cole Hendricks, DLR
Dishaddra Poddar, Perkins&Will
Elle Brauchle, Smith Group
Harcoover Singh Bhatti, Leddy Maytum Stacy Architects
Honglin Li, Smith Group
Ishita Gupta, Studio Blitz
Jiateng Wang, Gensler
Julia Weatherspoon, Gensler
Jonny Rohrbaugh, David Baker Architects
Kate Wang, HDR
Katharine Dwyer, Huntsman Architectural Group
Lily Johnston, HDR
Madhubala Ayyamperumal, Five design Architecture and Interiors | AIA
Manushi Sheth, HLW
Mariel Mora Llorens, Woods Bagot
Michael Chin, WRNS Studio
Natalie Haydon-Hawkins, Revel
Novera Momo, WRNS Studio
Pratima Tatikonda, Bull Stockwell Allen | NOMA
Rachel McNamara, IA Interior Architects
Rakshita Ravishankar, Perkins&Will
Roger Andrade, HMC Architects
Sarah Ahmadzai, David Baker Architects
Stephanie Thompson, Jensen Architects
Tessy Lopez, HMC Architects
View the full article, which appeared in Metropolis on January 9, 2026.