On the Path to Equity: HMFH’s Journey to a More Inclusive Practice
HMFH has long been aware of the impact of racial and gender inequality in the architecture industry. The firm has worked steadily to increase diversity within the profession through intentional outreach, such as mentorship opportunities, summer programs for high school students, internship pathways, and regular participation in career fairs in communities with minority populations.
While striving towards greater equity has always been a foundational value of the firm, in the last few years, we recognized we needed to do more. Particularly following George Floyd’s murder in 2020 and the accompanying national racial reckoning, we actively deepened our commitment to creating lasting change with deliberate, measurable steps that address racism and inequality in the architecture industry.
In this blog post, we reflect on HMFH’s efforts to build a more inclusive, collaborative, and self-aware culture.
Building a Culture of Awareness and Intention
The journey to strengthen our workplace culture and expand our collective awareness around equity and inclusion involved both staff-initiated efforts and strategic initiatives from HMFH leadership. Together, both paths have helped shape a more intentional space for curiosity, reflection, and growth.
This process included formal trainings, shared values development, and day-to-day behavioral habits. Here’s a closer look:
Phase One:
Expanding Awareness
To begin, HMFH engaged outside consultants to lead a series of cultural awareness trainings. These sessions were designed to illuminate how privilege, unconscious bias, and microaggressions can undermine creativity and collaboration.
Through discussion and guided reflection, the trainings demonstrated how inclusive behaviors can help build confidence, support individual growth, and strengthen overall collaboration and team cohesion. They also explained how even small behaviors can cause alienation, reduce trust, and diminish an individual’s motivation and creativity—and provided strategies to recognize and replace those behaviors with more inclusive actions.
Result: A reinforced understanding of inclusive behaviors and a shared language to drive long-term cultural change.
Phase Two:
Shaping Personal and Collective Credos
As the work progressed, HMFH-ers were invited to develop a “personal credo,” i.e., a guiding principle to shape how they interact with others.
Sharing these credos in an all-office meeting prompted discussion and a new idea: to create an office-wide credo to reflect shared values and define a collective purpose.
Result: Defined personal credos and a common goal to formalize an office-wide credo to guide behavior and reflect firm culture.
Phase Three:
Defining Shared Values
In Spring 2023, a small group organized an office-wide discussion series to explore how the firm could continue evolving into a more equitable and inclusive workplace.
Over several sessions, the team explored diverse topics, including:
- How can we encourage feedback from everyone, at all levels?
- How can we ensure different aspects of creativity and curiosity are recognized?
- How can we help our clients explore equity in their projects?
Ultimately, these questions shaped the development of our credo:
Today, the HMFH Architects Credo is displayed in every conference room, where it serves as both a reminder and an invitation to practice these values daily.
Result: A defined credo that anchors the HMFH culture, reinforces shared responsibility, and provides a clear vision of inclusive practice.
Phase Four:
Turning Values into Practice
With shared values in place, later sessions focused on building everyday communication and collaboration skills to make inclusion actionable. The discussion included strategies on how to:
- Ensure everyone feels comfortable asking questions and sharing ideas
- Clarify roles and responsibilities during meetings and through project development
- Give effective, supportive feedback that fosters growth
- Respect one another’s time by starting and ending meetings punctually
- Prepare agendas and lead structured, inclusive meetings
While these habits may seem like common sense, they’re not always easy to maintain in practice, especially when working under tight deadlines. By defining best practices, and then revisiting them regularly, our teams are better equipped to collaborate intentionally and inclusively.
To ensure alignment with our credo, these principles were translated into a graphic and displayed alongside the credo in every conference room as a visual anchor for awareness and accountability.
Result: Strengthened everyday habits to bring the firm’s values to life.
Moving Forward
Creating a collaborative, inclusive environment isn’t a one-time initiative. It’s an ongoing process that requires dedication, reflection, and reinforcement. But the impact is profound—and well worth the commitment. Every action not only strengthens our firm but represents a small yet meaningful step towards a more inclusive, equitable industry for all.
While it can be difficult to quantitatively measure cultural change, the evidence lives in everyday interactions: the respect shown for each other’s opinions, time, and contributions; the openness to client input and shared ideas; and the care and attention brought to each project and team relationship.
For HMFH, the journey to equity is ongoing and a living value that actively shapes who we are and how we work. Learn more about our efforts to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion in the profession:
- HMFH’s approach to the Architecture/Design High School Internship program
- Bringing Design Awareness to Teens Outside of Boston
- Cultivating the Next Generation of Design Professional at Architecture/Design Thinking Week
- Pip Lewis is One of Green Building & Design’s 10 Architects Designing for Equity
- HMFH Named to AIA New England’s List of Emerging Professional Friendly Firms for 2025
- Learning from the Ground Up: Bristol-Plymouth Students Tour Construction of their New Technical School
