Meet the Affordable Housing Team
At Scott Edwards Architecture, we believe that everyone deserves good design and that spaces should be responsive to community and place. Our approach to affordable housing is driven by these values, and perhaps even more so as we understand that those with less choice often have greater need for our services. Collectively, SEA’s affordable housing team has designed over 1,100 units of affordable housing encompassing workforce, senior, and supportive, with typologies ranging from 6-story urban infill to garden-style developments on 16-acres, to small complexes for seasonal farmworker families. Sustainability informs every decision, and 4 of our recent developments have achieved Earth Advantage Platinum and we are pursuing Path to Net Zero on an additional development that is currently under construction. Community engagement is integrated into our process to ensure the feedback we receive is meaningfully incorporated in the design and that residents see and feel their impact in their new home.
“When I reflect on Scott Edwards Architecture’s affordable housing team, I see a group of people with unique and complementary strengths and passions working together to make a vision a reality. Everyone contributes their own perspective, experience, and personality to create a more dynamic collective, and I believe our projects are stronger for it. I am happy to be working with such a talented and dedicated team and I’m proud of the responsive, community-driven, award-winning homes we’ve had the chance to design together.”
Alexa Cano cares deeply about making places that matter, and this drive has led her to focus her work on affordable housing. She brings to her teams a mission-driven perspective and experience incorporating sustainability in a way that aligns client and community goals while also considering environmental impact. Alexa is passionate about working on projects that prioritize people and rally teams behind causes that make society better. She is currently working on the Mahonia Crossing development in Salem, a project that has a community building targeting net zero.
Amy Cripps enjoys the storytelling aspect of design and applies her resourcefulness to projects to carry concepts through from start to finish. Her partnership with clients is built on trust and mutual values and having worked in affordable housing now for 4 years, continues to feel drawn to community-driven projects and the opportunity they present to contribute impactful spaces to neighborhoods. Amy worked on the recently completed Harvey Rice Heritage Affordable Housing, a two-site project that adds 41 affordable homes to Northeast Portland.
Dave Mojica centers delivering a client’s vision using a community-driven approach. He enjoys collaborating closely with project teams, committed clients, and local jurisdictions and has designed 448 affordable housing units over the past five years. Dave is passionate about creating meaningful places through a deep understanding of context and culture, ensuring community resonance and a positive impact on a vulnerable population. He led design teams on the first two Metro bonded projects, Viewfinder and The Mary Ann, and is currently overseeing construction of Mahonia Crossing, Salem’s first affordable Community for All Ages.
Eugenia Fama-Higgins has over 10 years of experience in multi-family design, leads SEA’s multi-family think tank, and excels in balancing the principles of good design with the need for efficient, cost-effective solutions. She enjoys engaging with the community to develop responsive affordable housing and likes the process of pulling all the pieces together to make a place people love. Eugenia is passionate about this type of work because she has seen first-hand the profoundly positive impact it has on people’s lives, and this understanding drives her to always push a little harder to deliver a more apt solution. She is currently working on the Nueva Esperanza development, a project that is adding 150 affordable homes in Hillsboro, and previously worked on Viewfinder and Centennial Place.
Gillian Stoneback visualizes how residents will use and experience their new home when she designs, and by placing herself in the space, she develops intuitive and comfortable places. She cares deeply about her work in affordable housing and believes that housing can and should be more than just a roof over your head, but rather somewhere that supports the whole person. Gillian is currently working on the Mahonia Crossing development in Salem and Cedar Rising in Aloha and has previously helped design Hillside Manor in Milwaukie.
Hayley Purdy’s work as an affordable housing designer pulls from the principles of trauma informed design to make places that integrate housing with healthcare, wrap-around services, or both. She feels passionate about community-focused projects that afford the opportunity to engage the community and have their feedback influence such an important space—their home. Since 2017, Hayley has worked on 4 ground-up affordable housing buildings in the City of Portland, including Harvey Rice Heritage Affordable Housing, Garlington Place, and Centennial Place.
Jared Thornberry’s interior design for affordable housing projects is driven by community context and considers the lived experiences of residents—he is adept at incorporating the principles of trauma-informed design to ensure spaces feel welcoming and safe. Jared draws from many sources of inspiration, from graphics and apparel to photography, and he enjoys being part of teams that provide homes that people can be proud of. Jared is currently working on the Mahonia Crossing development in Salem and the Nueva Esperanza development in Hillsboro.
Molly Culbertson’s extensive experience designing affordable housing provides her with a firm knowledge of state and federal funding requirements and how navigating those requirements impacts the design. She enjoys working with clients and the community to glean valuable information that make solutions more responsive, and she loves when she can collaborate with residents from start to finish. Molly’s passion for affordable housing is mission-driven and she places the highest value on resiliency, security, and respite. She is currently working on the Mahonia Crossing development in Salem.
Phil Viana’s attention to quality, constructability, and exterior detailing lead to thoughtful and well-constructed designs. In affordable housing, he understands the value of resourcefulness and he enjoys developing design solutions that create standout moments and make simple materials shine. Phil likes to put his creative energy toward this type of work because of the invaluable role housing serves in communities and the many lives well-designed spaces enrich. He is currently working on the Mahonia Crossing development in Salem and has previously worked on The Mary Ann and Cedar Rising.
Shakti Velio is passionate about good design and understands the value of devoting time and effort to concept development—collaborating with those who will be using the space and those living in the area where the space will be built to create the best design possible is an aspect of the process that she enjoys. When considering her work in affordable housing, Shakti strongly feels that by providing a safe and comfortable home it allows people to be their most creative and inspired selves, something that is important to well-being. Currently, she is working on the Mahonia Crossing development in Salem and she has recently worked on concept development for several potential affordable housing communities in the area.
