#WeAreMBH

Teamwork

At MBH, succeeding means helping others to do the same. We do high quality work because that is our character, but we do high quality work at MBH because of our teams and the MBH family.  We believe that the team is greater than the sum of the parts and value the talent and perspective each MBH employee brings to the team. We may move at a fast pace, but we make it a priority to support one another and have some fun along the way. Afterall, a team that plays together, stays together. We save our competitive streak for where it really counts, whether it be fun events like our annual Halloween costume contest or waffle-off or more serious business, like beating out the competition on an international design competition. 

Social Impact

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Service to others has been at the core of MBH culture since the firm was founded more than 30 years ago. A member of the US Navy and a lifelong philanthropist, Founding Principal John McNulty cultivated the firm’s devotion to social justice work and continues to instill this ethos to this day. 

Building More Just Communities Together

Architecture has long been a white-male-dominated field in the United States. Children from disadvantaged communities are often denied opportunities to cultivate creative practices, which develop into creative careers, due to public school art programs that are scarce and under-funded. With this in mind, McNulty became involved with the Good Tidings Foundation and holds a long-standing position on the board of the organization. Together with the Good Tidings and LeRoy Neiman Foundations, MBH designs art, music, and athletic spaces for children in underserved communities across the US. The programs, which are often contained in public schools or community centers that lost funding in struggling communities, are endowed by the Good Tidings Foundation, which ensures supplies, staff pay and operational costs for the entire life of the space. MBH has designed the spaces found in this gallery:

Communities Partnerships

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In addition to the Good Tidings Foundation, the firm also supports several other non-profit organizations. The firm’s first client in 1989 was On Lok Lifeways, a non-profit organization providing resources for the elderly to age in place in their communities, including non-English speaking populations. On Lok has supported the firm since its early days, and MBH is a lifelong supporter of On Lok Lifeways. MBH has assisted On Lok in building spaces throughout the Bay Area and provides monetary support for the organization. 

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The firm’s staff are encouraged to become drivers of philanthropic work and subsequently have developed an internal committee devoted to supporting and creating opportunities for volunteerism. Often combining a love for design with other passions, employees have engaged in both long and short term philanthropic work: 

Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

Architecture in the United States has long been a field dominated by white males. At MBH, we believe that our work benefits from diverse perspectives and have strived to create an inclusive culture since day one. At the time of our last internal survey, our firm represented 24 countries and 28 different languages, and roughly 60% of our staff identify as female. Employees often engage in cultural celebrations together at work – sharing their own traditions for Nowruz (Persian New Year), Lunar New Year, Mabuhay Luncheon (celebration of Filipino holiday traditions), and diversity potlucks to name a few.  While we take great pride in this differentiator within our industry, we also recognize the enormous strides the firm must take towards creating a more equitable organization, industry, and world.

In recognition of the systemic racism that plagues our society and in particular black communities, MBH formed a Diversity & Inclusion

Taskforce to assist the firm in making progress on the following goals:

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• Continue to expand MBH’s social impact work and develop new opportunities to assist in fighting injustice in our communities

• Increase African American representation in the practice of architecture through education, opportunity and support

• Have dialogue within the MBH community and be advocates of fairness, equality, and justice in our everyday lives

• Explore opportunities that encourage diversity and inclusion within the MBH organization​

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For more of MBH's culture, check out our social media accounts linked below.