DEBRAH  L  WALKER  ARCHITECTS

Debrah Walker established her firm 30 years ago and from the beginning has been committed to timeless, responsive, sustainable, and healthy design.  She has worked as the prime architect as well as consultant on renovations and new buildings. These projects have required working as part of a team with individuals, community groups, and agencies.  With a commitment to the environment she believes all good building design begins with a response to its site as well as it’s community. From residential remodels and mixed use buildings, to a Zen Meditation Center, from play yards to a non-toxic home for a client with multiple chemical sensitivities, Debrah brings her experience, sensitivity, and commitment to every project. She works closely with her clients to develop responsive, functional, and carefully detailed designs.  As one client said of her, “Debrah listens, really listens.”

 

Debrah received her Bachelor of Architecture from the University of Oregon where her focus of study was historic preservation, sustainability, and the environment. Working for the Lane County Planning Department, when progressive land use policies were established, Debrah did research, writing, and graphic design for the Willamette River Greenway and for Eugene’s Urban Growth Boundaries. For 16 years she taught in the Design Department at Cornish College of the Arts. In her continuing role as an educator she presented a Case Study on “Building Chemical Free Buildings”, at the ACSA (Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture) Technology and Housing Conference. As a community activist Debrah has served to represent a number of community interests including the Community Design Chairperson for Volunteer Park’s Play Yard in that historic Olmsted park, for eight years as Chair of the Facilities Committee to secure and then renovate Seward school for the T.O.P.S. K-8 school, as a member of the Community Design Advisory Committee for the Miller Community Center, Community Advisor for the Seattle Arts Commission, and on the School Advisory Team for the renovation of Meany Middle School. As a volunteer she was also the designer of the “inspiration figure” for the Miller Fountain.