Culture

Since 1998, our collective team has built and cultivated a culture where diversity is encouraged and people feel supported. Our community is driven by shared goals and values.
We are deeply committed to fostering a supportive work environment. Learning, collaboration, and respect are our foundation. Together, our team shapes and cultivates an environment of inclusiveness and creativity. Our leadership prioritizes flexibility and work-life balance, maintaining a healthy community for all our team.
MBB invests in team members by providing time, resources, study groups, and opportunities for research. We have a robust mentorship program to advance our individual career goals and increase engagement in the wider architectural community. MBB supports licensure and sustainability accreditation.

Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion
We believe it is our responsibility as architects and planners to change architectural practice so that it is more equitable, diverse, inclusive, and just. Historically, the lack of equity in architectural practice and allied professions has meant that women, people of color, and people who are LGBTQ+ have been underrepresented, undervalued, and harmed by bias. At MBB we commit to advancing change through recruitment, mentorship, and promotion to increase numbers of underrepresented architects at all levels of the profession.


Community
As a women-owned firm, MBB works to advance equity across the profession. Racial and gender diversity are integral to our recruitment efforts. We train young women, people of color, and LGBT+ designers for successful and meaningful careers by creating opportunities for networking and professional advancement. Many members of our team participate in professional and academic mentoring programs—including AIA Torch program, Architectural League/City Tech, and GSAPP—outside our office to support young architects and students from underrepresented communities to help secure their future in the industry.

UNICEF Classroom Furniture

MBB team members at the 2018 AIA New York’s annual Day of Service for Edible Schoolyard New York City in Harlem
Civic Engagement
We are committed to supporting communities where design can have a meaningful impact. In addition to our civic work, including projects with the NYC School Construction Authority in Queens, the Billie Holiday Theater in Brooklyn, and numerous projects for NY State Parks and other agencies, we have worked with numerous not-for-profits on projects like Women In Need, Habitat for Humanity, and UNICEF. Additionally, we have provided pro bono work to local organizations such as the Edible School Yard at PS 7, Concrete Safaris, and Medgar Evers College.

The Medgar Evers College Collaborative Research Project explores how design can support student-faculty relationships and student retention, including activating the margins of circulation spaces for gathering and collaboration.
Harold Buttrick Travel Grant
The Harold Buttrick Travel Grant was established in 2016 in the memory of MBB founding partner Harry Buttrick, FAIA. The travel grant is awarded on a discretionary basis to an MBB employee, and is designed to broaden the recipient’s experience and understanding of architecture. Previous recipients have traveled to Norway, Japan, South Korea, Mexico, Budapest, Ljubljana and Prague to study regional architecture. Every recipient presents research, insights, and photography with our team.

Former designer and grant recipient Nyssa Sherazee inside the Museum of Water, Wind, and Stone, on Jeju Island, by Japanese-Korean architect Itami Jun.

Grant recipient Sanou Cisse at the Stegastein Viewpoint overlooking Aurlandsvangen and the Aurlandsfjord in Norway.
Belonging
MBB fosters belonging within our studio by maintaining a collegial environment and making time for team outings, networking events, office happy hours, architectural site visits, NYC Bike to Work Challenge participation, and other activities.

2024 MBB summer picnic