Following last week’s visit to Brooklyn-based StudioTEKA, we are moving our Meet Your Next Employer series west to Los Angeles, where we find the socially-conscious Stayner Architects.

The young, LGBTQ-led practice operates from its studio in LA’s Echo Park neighborhood, engaging exclusively with projects by non-profit public-benefit organizations such as schools, arts and culture organizations, and social service providers. Stayner also collaborates with entities who share their “commitment to non-extractive business models.”

The small practice of six to eight staff is currently recruiting for entry-level designers over on Archinect Jobs.

“Our primary focus is to design for social and ecological impact around sustainable food and agriculture systems,” the firm notes. Beyond their architectural portfolio, the practice expresses this ecological impact through self-directed missions like Tools & Utensils, an online resource for educational, cultural, and philanthropic institutions looking to advance the future of food on their campuses.

A portion of the firm’s architectural works is also self-initiated, whereby the firm develops, constructs, and sometimes operates projects for hospitality and multifamily residential markets throughout Los Angeles and the American West.

Those joining Stayner will engage heavily with the firm’s residential work, generally located on hillside sites. Such is Stayner’s commitment to this typology, the firm operates an in-house sister studio named Sum Of All Parts dedicated exclusively to hillside residences.

“Our purpose is to help clients live better and live lighter on the land,” the studio shares. “This philosophy is motivated by the need to deliver increased housing stock while also being responsive to the landscape and ecology of the American West.”

Acclaimed works by Stayner Architects include the Miles C. Bates House restoration project in Palm Desert, CA, which has been recognized at the 2021 American Architecture Awards and the 2020 AIALA Design Awards. Having bought the 1950s house from the city of Palm Desert, Stayner undertook a full renovation which included re-activating the house’s innovative, patented roof structure. The house will now be used for events, educational tours, overnight stays, and small conferences within the architectural community.

In San Clemente, CA, meanwhile, Stayner created a full-service restaurant set in a former 1940s men’s haberdashery. Named Tamarindo after a Latin American tropical drink, the project involved research into Mexican artists and architects, resulting in a bold color scheme combined with a raw material palette including white ash millwork, rough-hewn lava, handmade tiles, and natural leather.

In addition to architectural services, interiors, and construction management, Stayner also led bespoke roles such as obtaining state alcohol entitlements, designing the restaurant’s graphic identity and web presence, and custom-fabricating terrazzo tables and countertops using the firm’s in-house computer numeric-controlled stone mill.

“We are particularly interested in design-driven candidates who represent the diversity of Southern California, who have sophisticated aesthetic sensibilities, who are collaborative, who are willing to take risks, and who possess strong communication skills,” the firm says. “We are committed to a diverse and representative studio and encourage applications from members of groups that have been under-recognized in the profession.”

Meet Your Next Employer is one of a number of ongoing weekly series showcasing the opportunities available on our industry-leading job board. Our Job Highlights series looks at intriguing and topical employment opportunities currently available on Archinect Jobs, while our weekly roundups curate job opportunities by location, career level, and job description.