Join us for this Friday@1 as Leah, co-founder of Allied8, shares how her firm practices Architecture Plus.
At Allied8, Architecture Plus means expanding the role of the architect beyond traditional design boundaries. It means Architecture + Development, Architecture + Advocacy, Architecture + Policy, and Architecture + Finance. In a time marked by climate change, housing inequity, and social displacement, Leah argues that the profession faces an existential crossroads — and an opportunity. Architects are uniquely positioned to step up in new, innovative, and cross-disciplinary ways to shape not just buildings, but systems, communities, and futures.
About the Speaker
Leah is the co-founder of Allied8, an architecture, development and advocacy firm in Seattle. She has practiced in Seattle for 30+ years and is an active housing policy advocate, working to remove barriers in local policies so it’s easier to create community based affordable housing. Her specific area of focus over the last 10 years has been developing new affordable homeownership typologies so that communities and individuals at risk of displacement can create generational wealth while simultaneously ensuring communities stay intact. Leah serves on the Board of Spark Northwest, an environmental justice non-profit that enables a clean energy future for low-income communities. She is a regular design critic at the University of Washington and is a member of the Northwest Eco Building Guild and the AIA.
What is Friday@1?
On most Fridays at 1 p.m. during the academic term, PSU School of Architecture students and faculty gather to hear from professional designers and architects, academics, visiting artists, innovators, and students in the program. Friday@1 is a perfect way to wrap up each week of intense creativity in the studio and get inspired for the productive weekend ahead.
Free and open to the public. All are welcome.