Leveraging the power of design for social impact, Sara Grant partners with mission-driven institutions to create strategic change. Her inclusive leadership approach as an architect and planner enables her to build consensus across diverse stakeholder groups. Combining research-based expertise and proven community engagement techniques, she works with clients to produce equitable, healthy, and sustainable environments.
Sara has led the design of transformative K-12 and higher education projects, cultural and religious centers, and adaptive reuse projects for public and private institutions. An Accredited Learning Environment Planner (ALEP), she has extensive experience in designing spaces to support learners of all ages and abilities. She offers clients the rare combination of creative vision and commitment to incorporating feedback through responsive, methodical development.
A proponent for architecture’s civic role, Sara advocates for policy reform that enables architects to better serve communities. She serves as Chair of the Young New Yorkers Alliance, a mentor in the GSAPP Alumni Mentorship Program, and a member of the AIA Committee on Architecture for Education and the AIANY Social Science and Architecture Committee. She holds degrees from Washington University in St. Louis and Columbia University’s Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation. She joined MBB in 2004 and became a Partner in 2015.
Publications
- Oculus | Summer 2023The Power of Choice in Inclusive Educational Design
- The Jewish Week | August 2019Wall To Wall, The Art Of Jewish Learning
- School Construction News | January 2018MBB Architects Designs Play Spaces to Encourage Healthy Kids
- The Architect's Newspaper | June 2025New Home for NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission
Awards
- 2025Society of American Registered Architects NY, Design Award of Merit, NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission Headquarters
- 2022SARA NY Design Award of Excellence, Park Avenue Synagogue
- 2022NYCxDESIGN Honoree, Park Avenue Synagogue
- 2021Interior Design Magazine’s Best of the Year Awards Honoree
- 2018 AIANY Vice President’s Citation for Design Excellence
