Caroline Souza, AIA, Principal, David Baker Architects
Congratulations to Principal Caroline Souza, AIA, on being named to Building Design + Construction’s 40 Under 40 Class of 2026!
Each year, BD+C editors choose 40 people in the building industry—drawn from the fields of architecture, engineering, real estate development, academia, and project management—to recognize their career achievements, passion for and contributions to their field, and service to the communities they live and work in.
Caroline was drawn to architecture as a profession after a revelatory experience while touring Seattle University in high school, “I walked into the Chapel of Saint Ignatius, designed by Steven Holl Architects, and thought, ‘I need to learn how to do this.’ The way the sound changed as I moved through the space, the way light moved across different textured surfaces—the whole thing blew me away.”
After receiving her B.Arch at the University of Idaho and M.Arch at the University of Michigan, Caroline worked as a designer at UrbanWorks in Chicago, where she focused on education and civic work on Chicago’s West and South Side.
Caroline joined DBA in 2014, drawn to the firm’s commitment to bringing quality design to underserved communities. She was named Principal in 2021 and is leading a number of substantial multifamily projects in San Francisco. “In the next six months, 335 families will move into homes in three affordable housing buildings—the first buildings where I've led the team as Principal in Charge. Stepping into this role has had a learning curve, but I'm proud of the work and the teams. The construction phase is a little like tending a garden: It's dusty work, but each week something new unfolds—the view from the roof deck, a design risk that paid off, or laughing with the team about having to reassure the contractor, again, that yes, we’re really sure we want the entire stairwell painted a vivid yellow.”
One of these buildings, Brightwell West, replaces an existing Employment Development Department parking lot with a new cheerful affordable housing community offering 75 affordable rental homes for San Francisco’s public school teachers, paraeducators, child-care workers, and City College employees–plus replacement parking for EDD staff.
The development, a collaboration with Min Design, will offer a multitude of programs and services designed to support residents and strengthen connections to the community, including after-school programming, financial capabilities classes, health and wellness programs, employment preparation, ESL classes, benefits assistance, and connections to community resources.
Brightwell East, a second phase also led by Caroline, will bring an additional 96 affordable homes to the corner of Golden Gate Avenue and Franklin Street.
“I can't wait for families to move into these safe, stable, beautiful homes,” she shared.
Read more about the BD+C 40 Under 40 Class of 2026.