Yes Community Architects
Yes Community Architects is a full-service architecture practice that integrates design, community power, and development expertise from visioning through construction administration and occupancy.
Since 2018, YCA has designed, advocated for, and helped reimagine housing in the Bay Area and beyond—from ADUs and tree homes to prefab workforce housing and transit-oriented neighborhood developments.
Our work is informed by people and place, and strengthened by a deep understanding of housing policy, entitlement strategy, and emerging opportunities for development. By leveraging and helping shape evolving state housing legislation alongside innovations in technology, sustainability, and construction, we help unlock opportunities that others might overlook.
As a Bay Area-born, minority-owned, majority BIPOC firm, YCA brings deep local relationships and lived understanding to the communities we serve. We excel at working within layered, sensitive, and sometimes polarized contexts, building trust across agencies, communities, developers, and design teams to move ambitious projects forward. Small firm, wide reach.
We integrate design, engagement, and development expertise. We understand housing policy. We unlock opportunities. We stay involved through construction.
Yes Duffy, AIA
Principal Architect
Yes is recognized for integrating architecture, community engagement, development strategy, and civic collaboration throughout the design process. His work spans affordable housing, mixed-use development, planning initiatives, and public-private partnerships throughout the Bay Area. He approaches architecture not only as the design of buildings, but as the design of processes, partnerships, and long-term community value.
Before founding Yes Community Architects, Yes spent eight years at David Baker Architects, contributing to the design, entitlement, and construction of more than 1,000 units of award-winning housing. He helped expand the firm’s expertise in modular housing, digital fabrication, and emerging models for maker and creative communities.
Known for his deep relationships across local government, community organizations, and development teams, Yes is frequently sought out for guidance on entitlement strategy, zoning, stakeholder alignment, and community engagement for complex projects within evolving urban environments. In addition to practice, he has taught Design/Build courses at UC Berkeley and previously served as Chair and Member of the Berkeley Zoning Board of Adjustment.
Kelly Gregory, LEED AP
Architect
Kelly is a social architect and design strategist. Her practice is rooted in justice-focused work: affordable housing projects, government service design, democratic public space, design-build, and in-depth, human-centered research. Her projects fold current communities and future solutions into functional, creative spaces for collaboration and engagement. Kelly has more than 15 years of experience in architectural design. Over six years with David Baker Architects, she focused on affordable infill housing, and as a designer at Paulett Taggart Architects, she worked on civic buildings throughout San Francisco. Most recently, she worked with the Washington State Department of Transportation as the first ever artist-in-residence within a statewide government agency.
George Tolosa, RA, NOMA, LEED AP
Architect
George brings over two decades of experience designing complex, high-density buildings in urban contexts worldwide. His work combines deep technical expertise in performance-driven façade systems with a passion for crafting architecture that responds to people, place, and environment.
Before joining YCA, George served as Principal and Design Director at Handel Architects, leading award-winning, mixed-use and residential towers including Serif & The Line Hotel and the Four Seasons Residences in San Francisco. His career also includes design leadership at Gensler and Woods Bagot.
A licensed architect in California, George holds a Master of Architecture from the Harvard Graduate School of Design and a Bachelor of Architecture from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. He currently teaches architecture and design at Laney College and San José State University.
Joseph Ongaco
Designer
Joesph has a passion for affordable housing, community-focused design and construction and he has been instrumental at YCA, providing architectural design for projects from concept to completion. He has extensive experience in fabrication, model-making and prototyping, helping push innovative approaches and methods for our projects. Joseph also helped found FLOZ, an AI-powered construction estimating platform. His combined expertise in architecture and technology reflects YCA’s commitment to forward-thinking, equitable, and efficient design practice.
Zoë Conley
Community Liaison
Zoe is a multi-faceted professional and creative with a passion for inclusive design and collaborative strategizing. Berkeley-born and bred, Zoë graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology and Human Rights from UC Berkeley, and continues her education with current courses in Architecture and Interior Design. As Community Liaison, Zoe leads our efforts to engage community members, so that our projects truly reflect, support, serve and uplift the neighborhoods they’re in. Zoe makes use of multiple tools to make community design real – from social media and online tools to partnerships with grassroots groups and sourcing further funding.
Megan Sui Lau
Community Architect in Training
Megan is a filmmaker and designer dedicated to creating spaces and stories that foster belonging and understanding. A first-generation Chinese-American from the Bay Area, they bring a multidisciplinary perspective that bridges visual storytelling, social justice, and community design.
Megan completed their Master of Architecture at UC Berkeley and now supports community engagement and designs housing and cultural projects at YCA. Their past experience includes work with Gensler and leadership in film production through Ukkei Entertainment, a creative platform uplifting underrepresented voices. Their award-winning films have screened at festivals across the U.S. and Canada.
They have the deep creativity and innovative mindset of an elite architecture firm, combined with the purpose-driven passion and scrappiness of a non-profit community organization.
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