The Origin Story of Schemata Workshop

Mike and Grace founded Schemata Workshop twenty years ago with a clear idea of the kind of firm they wanted: one focused on community, direct client engagement and inspiring design. 

Empowering all members of the firm to feel ownership, they eschewed putting their own names on the door, instead opting for a name that would state their intentions – one that could carry on long past their own tenure. Collaboration and inclusivity are central to the studio culture. The pair had worked for too many firms where the design was constantly being reinvented with competing ideas. They chose “schema” the Latin word for “framework,” meaning the intentional design idea from which a project evolves. “workshop” evokes collegiality, craft and teamwork in a way that is more approachable than “studio” or “atelier”.   

Shortly after a trip to Copenhagen where Grace was taking a sabbatical to research cohousing in 2004, Mike and Grace had a chance to re-think their professional situations. While neither had actually aspired to taking on the responsibility or risk of owning their own firm, they realized it was the only way to practice architecture in a truly collaborative and inclusive environment. 

Northwest Work Lofts, view out to Elliott Bay from the first office space.

Within one month of their decision, they had a tax ID and bank account and a lease for an office space that still needed to be built out. For that first month, Schemata Workshop operated with a total of four employees out of their Belltown condo. They soon set up shop in the Northwest Work Lofts at Denny and Western Avenues with a water view – but no acoustic or thermal insulation to speak of.

After hopscotching around several office locations, they ended up in a 12-foot-wide, 50-foot-deep “shoebox” with a skylight and 14-foot ceilings on Capitol Hill - at the site of what would become their permanent home. A former garage, their new space in the one-story brick structure was originally the building’s loading bay with the rest of the building occupied by a tattoo parlor.  

1919 Franklin Auto Repair Building. Entrance to Schemata Workshop was past the espresso cart on the left.

The former Hot Rod Pinstriping Garage adjacent to the Lucky Devil Tattoo Parlor, and behind the Peoples Republic of Coffee.

Lucky Devil Tattoo Parlor artists move two blocks south to found Dark Age Tattoo Parlor, and Schemata Workshop takes over the entire 2,400 sf building.

A major milestone in 2016 was the construction of CHUC (Capitol Hill Urban Cohousing) on the same site. Reflecting their interest in creating intentional communities, the five-story building has residential homes for nine families (including Mike, Grace and their 17-year child), a “common house” kitchen and gathering space, an internal courtyard and rooftop garden that follow the cohousing principles of community. The courtyard is a bright yellow, echoing similar courtyards they saw in Copenhagen multifamily homes. The ground-floor storefront office is also painted the same bright shade on the exterior, making it a landmark on the busy streetscape. Reflecting their desire to be part of the community they serve, the glass storefront allows passersby to see the firm’s daily activities.   

Employees of the firm have happily nicknamed themselves “froggers” in light of Schemata Workshop’s iconic red and white logo designed by artist and graphic designer friends Nino Yuniardi and Tania Liminardja. The simplistic icon, originally meant to represent two people sitting at a table,  also evokes  a frog’s face. In Coast Salish* culture, frogs are communicators, travelling between land and water - a  fitting mascot for a NW-based practice committed to engaging with and creating community. 

From its inception, Mike and Grace’ s mission for Schemata Workshop’s was “empowering communities through architecture,” with a focus on direct community engagement in the design process. Twenty years later, we continue to be mission-driven, holding community central to our work, along with racial equity and sustainability.

We are proud of our contributions to the community throughout the past twenty years – represented in the way we conduct our practice, engage with our clients and partners, and approach our design work.

Schemata Workshop office at the ground floor of Capitol Hill Urban Cohousing

Celebrating 20 Years of Schemata Workshop: Building Communities Through Design

This year, Schemata Workshop proudly celebrates its 20th anniversary, marking two decades of innovation, collaboration, and a steadfast commitment to community-focused design. Since our founding, we have dedicated ourselves to creating spaces that not only fulfill functional needs but also foster connection and enrich the lives of the communities we serve. Our vision has always been rooted in the belief that thoughtful design can inspire change, promote sustainability, and empower individuals.

As we reflect on upon the past two decades, we take pride in the transformative projects we’ve undertaken, which also highlight our evolution as a firm. From early consulting efforts to our current multidisciplinary collaborations, we remain focused on creating inclusive, resilient, and vibrant environments for people to live and thrive. As we reflect on this milestone, we’re reviewing some of our past projects with our current endeavors, showcasing how our approach has evolved, while still prioritizing our commitment to strengthening a sense of community.

Rainier View Senior Apartments (2007) & Multicultural Village (In-Progress)

Rainier View Senior Apartments (2007)

The Rainier View project, initiated by a Korean Catholic Church, was designed to provide affordable housing for low-income seniors. With 50 one- and two-bedroom residences, this three-story development caters to residents earning between 30% and 60% of the Pierce County median income. Common spaces, including a double-height lobby and other amenities foster community engagement, while sustainable features support environmental responsibility.

Capitol Hill Transit Oriented Development

Capitol Hill is a diverse community with the nation’s second-largest LGBTQ population, featuring restaurants, parks, and a highly used light rail system. This Equitable Transit-Oriented Development (ETOD) leverages public investments for community benefit.

Schemata designed two of the four campus buildings: Station House offers 110 affordable homes for households earning under 60% of the Area Median Income (AMI), while The Park has 76 luxury rentals, with 20% reserved for those earning under 80% AMI. Community priorities include a Farmers’ Market, a central plaza, sustainability, local retail, and arts integration.

Seattle Public Schools Renovations (2005) & Pacific Science Center Technical Feasibility Study (In-Progress)

Seattle Public Schools Renovations (2005)

Since its inception, Schemata Workshop has been engaged in various renovation projects across elementary and high schools within the Seattle School District, including McGilvra Elementary, John Hay Elementary, and NOVA at Mann School. These renovations prioritize safety and functionality while adhering to budget constraints and work taking place during summer breaks. Key upgrades have included science lab enhancements, seismic improvements, and infrastructure updates.

Pacific Science Center Technical Feasibility Study (2024 In-Progress)

Schemata Workshop led a multidisciplinary team to evaluate the feasibility of proposed renovations to the courtyard and pools at the historic Pacific Science Center. This study aimed to assess the current condition of the courtyard’s structures and systems, establishing a comprehensive scope of work and cost projections for maintaining and updating the facilities over the next 20 years.

Alliance Center Renovation (2005) & Rainier Valley Food Bank (In-Progress)

Alliance Center Renovation (2005)

The Alliance Center renovation focused on transforming a two-story building into a hub for vital social services, including employment assistance, energy and housing support, and a food bank. Working under a very tight budget, Schemata Workshop optimized resources to create a functional and welcoming environment for the community.

Rainier Valley Food Bank (2024 In-Progress)

The Rainier Valley Food Bank is transitioning to a newly acquired former mortuary building to better serve the community. The project addresses urgent needs due to lease expiration and aims to create a more accessible and efficient space for food distribution. Schemata Workshop is facilitating this transition through strategic planning and innovative concepts, including a temporary "Food Village" to ensure continuity of services during renovations.

Kent Senior Activity Center & FAST Resource & Outreach Center

Kent Senior Activity Center (2005)

Schemata Workshop designed a two-classroom addition to an existing 1985 structure for the City of Kent Parks Department. The classrooms accommodate group exercise, fly-fish tying, art classes, and various community meetings.  The addition will allow for a visual and physical connection to the adjacent lawn as well as preserving the quality of openness and daylighting of the existing structure.

fast Resource & Outreach Center (2023)

Initially approached to enhance office space within a mixed-use development, Schemata Workshop recognized the need for a larger facility. Collaborating closely with FAST, the project evolved into a comprehensive design for a 15,000 sq. ft. Resource & Outreach Center. This facility serves BIPOC families by providing essential services and community support.

As we mark 20 years of Schemata Workshop, we reflect on the significant impact our projects have made in the communities we serve. From our early consulting efforts to our current innovative developments, our commitment to creating spaces that foster connection, inclusivity, and sustainability remains unwavering. We look forward to the next chapters of transformative design and meaningful community engagement, as we continue to evolve and respond to the needs of those we serve. Here’s to a future filled with collaboration and positive change!

Schemata Workshop Project Spotlight: Multicultural Village (Kent, WA)

Open Door for Multicultural Families (ODMF), Mercy Housing Northwest (MHNW), Lotus Development and Schemata Workshop are creating a 225 unit mixed-use housing development in Kent that will include the new offices for ODMF, a Family Resource Center, and an inclusive Early Learning Center at a transit oriented development called the Multicultural Village (MCV). The physical and programmatic design of MCV will center on the needs of people with intellectual or developmental disabilities (IDDs) and will also support people of all abilities.

The campus will include a 13,000sf Family Resource Center, 8,000sf of office space, and a 10,000sf inclusive Early Learning Center – all of which will be operated by ODMF for residents on site as well as people with IDDs coming from around the region. Programs and partnerships are being developed with Highline College (located across the street), Project Feast, and regional service providers.

Twenty percent of the homes will be allocated to individuals with IDDs and their families. Due to the diverse population the project is intended to serve, more than half the units will have two to four bedrooms. This is a unique residential model for people with IDDs, and one not currently found in the general marketplace.

Schemata is working closely with the landscape and civil teams to solve for a constant flow of pedestrians around the building, as well as the potential for a significant amount of stormwater. This poses ample opportunity for well-designed landscape and hardscape to manage the flow of people and water. A robust arts program will be informed by indigenous ways of thinking about the site, landscape and building response.

ODMF was founded in 2009 as an organization that provides culturally and linguistically relevant information, services, and programming to persons with IDDs and their families. The clients served by ODMF are often immigrants, refugees, and/or people of color. Executive Director Ginger Kwan created the vision for the MCV upon recognizing there were no inclusive residential communities for people with IDDs.

Mercy Housing Northwest owns and operates 54 properties throughout Washington and Idaho, providing over 5,000 families and seniors a place to call home at below-market rent. Beyond housing, they provide onsite resident services that focus on five key program areas – housing stability, health and wellness, community engagement, education, and financial well-being. These services help MHNW residents work toward self-sufficiency and break the cycle of poverty.

In response to Ginger's request for a land acknowledgement on the site, Schemata Workshop invited Owen Oliver from consulting firm Headwater People to join the team to help shape design concepts informing not only the site design but also the buildings and interiors.

Owen comes from the people of the Lower Columbia River, Salish Sea, and Southwest Pueblos. His work is concentrated in Indigenous education and cultural representation. In Seattle, Owen has worked with the Office of Planning and Community Development, Seattle Aquarium, Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture, and Center for American Indian and Indigenous Studies.

At the outset of design, Owen shared importance of local waterways to Native people - to their transportation, exchange of goods and ways of living. There was a metaphorical connection made between the various local waterways - the Green and Duwamish Rivers, and the new "river" of transportation created by the Sound Transit light rail, which is connecting people to the greater region. He reminded us how Native people consistently try to construct infrastructure working with nature not in a way that was detrimental to the environment.

The importance of water, gathering, and placemaking have become central concepts for the site design and how the building meets the ground plane. There will be many opportunities for people to gather - at various scales for both the general public as well as residents of the building. There will be opportunities to see and understand the context of the building relative to larger land forms like Mount Rainier, the Salish Sea and the surrounding river valleys and agricultural lands. The materials and colors for both the exterior and interior will be informed by these ideas, as will a robust arts program that will incorporate functional art as well as traditional art objects.

While the design will be rooted in indigenous ways of thinking, with the design team continuing to explore approaches to reflect a multicultural community and foster a sense of inclusion for people of all backgrounds and abilities.

Schemata's Reflection on the Model Minority Myth

The model minority myth is a damaging and dividing stereotype that all Asian Americans are universally intelligent, hard-working, and prosperous which has led to their success and achievement of the American Dream. This myth perpetuates the idea that Asian Americans are socially, politically, and economically more successful than other communities of color and thus a model for all minorities in America.

Making & Taking Up Space (MATUS) “Dismantling the Model Minority Myth promotional graphic.

In May 2024, in celebration of Asian American and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander (AA+NH/PI) Heritage Month, the National Organization of Minority Architecture Students - University of Washington Chapter (NOMAS UW) in collaboration with the Asian American Pacific Islander Design Alliance (AAPIDA) hosted an event series: Making & Taking Up Space (MATUS) “Dismantling the Model Minority Myth”. 

This series of weekly events focused on architecture and other forms of creative work. Various events throughout the month were geared towards dismantling the model minority myth. In part, it was developed in response to evolving values and the growing student dissatisfaction with the lack of diversity reflected in the curriculum and faculty demographics within the UW College of Built Environments (CBE).   

MATUS seeks to create safe spaces for AA+NH/PI and BIPOC-identifying students by providing opportunities to meet with professionals with lived experiences to foster growth, learning, and awareness.  MATUS events provide inspiration and guidance to the next generation of architects and designers by bridging connections between students and other AA+NH/PI and BIPOC-identifying professionals who have walked similar paths, faced similar challenges, and ultimately succeeded. 

MATUS 2024 by the numbers: 

• 8 events in the month of May 

• 35 professional volunteers recruited for a portfolio review and mock interview event: 30 student participants. 

• 150+ attendees for Q+A Speaker Panel, Happy Hour Social, and Finale Discussion 

• $6,100 raised. 

In line with their priorities of advancing global equity, MATUS committed half of their merchandise proceeds to the support those affected by the ongoing conflict in Palestine.   

Schemata Workshop firm tour and discussion for MATUS — May 10th 2024.

Schemata's involvement:   

• Schemata Architectural Designer, Caitlin Truong, was the founder and principal organizer of MATUS.  

• To support the efforts of MATUS, Schemata Workshop became a Title Sponsor and hosted a tour of the firm for students. Participants also had the opportunity to sit down with Principal Grace Kim and learn about her experience in the industry as a Korean American woman.  

• Shweta Sinha (Associate at Schemata) was a panelist for "Reclaimed Narratives: Reflections of the Asian American Experience in Architecture + Design" event, where she shared her reflections on the past and present as an Indian woman in the design industry.  

• Architectural Designer, Alex Lin, volunteered as a portfolio reviewer and mock interviewer, encouraging students as they prepare to enter the profession.  

Schemata is supportive of our staff's external initiatives, so we welcomed Caitlin's invitation to sponsor MATUS. As an Asian American leader, Grace especially appreciated Caitlin's leadership in highlighting an unspoken truth in our society - Asian Americans endure a lot of microaggressions and often succumb to an inadequate myth of being a “model minority”. Not all Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders share the same experiences or privileges associated with this trope. And more importantly this myth has a profound impact on personal perceptions of identity and internal racist ideologies. This was a topic and series of events that made sense for Schemata to sponsor, and we appreciated the many ways in which our staff stepped up/showed up to support Caitlin and the NOMAS chapter. As a BIPOC and women led company, we know representation matters. Not just by providing resources to sponsor an event, but also by showing up in person to demonstrate to the next generation of architects that there is a place for them, and that people that look like them hold a variety of positions within our profession.  

Panelist and organizers of MATUS "Reclaimed Narratives: Reflections of the Asian American Experience in Architecture + Design" — May 1st, 2024.

Top Row: Panelist ( Sonia-Lynn Abenojar, James Fung, Angela Yang (Moderator), Nikki Sugihara, Shweta Sinha, Taehyung Kim, Kan Paprakhon)

Bottom Row: Founders and organizers of MATUS (Hannah Hu, Eunice Chen, Carol Zeng, Caitlin Truong, and Jodi Van)

Schemata's hope for the Asian community/BIPOC community in our industry:  

Schemata Workshop is actively doing to the work to become an anti-racist company.  
That starts with identifying the racist systems that we are all operating in and the racist tropes that society tries to assign to each of us. We have conversations about this regularly. By supporting events like MATUS, we are helping all of us do the work. While BIPOC centered events may be geared for BIPOC communities to establish their presence and express their individual identities and stories, we hope that White allies will also attend these events to expand their perceptions and understanding. It is our hope that BIPOC students and architects continue to seek out leaders and mentors who look like them, and that those mentors keep their eye out for opportunities to engage and uplift the younger members of the profession.  

Schemata's Audacity to Hope

“The blessings in which you, this day, rejoice, are not enjoyed in common. The rich inheritance of justice, liberty, prosperity, and independence, bequeathed by your fathers, is shared by you, not by me. The sunlight that brought life and healing to you, has brought stripes and death to me. This Fourth of July is yours, not mine. You may rejoice, I must mourn.” - Frederick Douglass  

Schemata Workshop is committed to being an anti-racist company. We recognize that this might be a lifelong aspiration and not an immediately achievable goal…but we will try. In addition to external trainings, we have been hosting monthly internal Conversations on Race. We are working to foster dialogue  that creates a safe space to ask questions, discuss ideas, provide context, and share personal experiences. The hope being that we each grow in our personal comfort to engage with our friends, family, clients, and consultants on this topic. And grow in our confidence to interject appropriately when actions or words in a meeting or other professional setting require our intervention, so as not to cause or continue harm. And ideally prepare us for leadership within our firm, projects, and profession to challenge and dismantle systemic and institutional racism.

The Frederick Douglas quote above, juxtaposed with the image of the American flag was the inspiration for discussion this month, exploring  the topics of patriotism, national pride, and the idea of one America. We discussed what the flag means to us individually and our experiences and knowledge around Juneteenth and the Black National Anthem.

We used a conversational tool for discussing issues of race that a number of our staff learned about recently in Courageous Conversations’ Beyond Diversity training. We talked about how we might feel, think, believe, or act when encountering racist ideas or images and how the Courageous Conversations Compass can help us to be more effective in our communication with others by  identifying the mindset in which we are individually and collectively engaging with subjects of race.

In his book, A Promised Land, Barack Obama writes in the first chapter, that America is not perfect, there are many aspects of our country that remain unreckoned and unreconciled (the legacy of slavery, the slaughter of Indigenous people, textbooks full of one-sided history). AND yet, there is great promise for what our nation CAN be. We believe in the promise of our democracy. And we believe that we need to actively reclaim the flag as a symbol of everyone's freedom. And that we need to be vocal in our words and actions to create an equitable world for all who live in our beautiful country.