Architecture
that sees the
Bigger picture

Yes Community Architects is a full-service architecture practice that brings design excellence, community power, and development expertise together to realize ambitious projects. We look beyond the immediate design challenge to understand the larger opportunities, relationships, and resources that can shape a project's success.

Our work spans affordable and mixed-use housing, transit-oriented developments, and community-centered projects of all scales. Led by Principal Yes Duffy, whose experience includes more than 1,000 units of housing designed and developed during his tenure at David Baker Architects, YCA brings deep architectural expertise and local civic knowledge to every collaboration.

As a Bay Area-born, minority-owned, majority BIPOC firm, YCA brings deep local relationships and lived understanding to the communities we serve. We are a small firm with a wide reach.

We build trust

We bring communities into the design process as collaborators. Through creative engagement, shared visioning, and thoughtful dialogue, we help people navigate differences, recognize community assets, and shape places that reflect their aspirations. By integrating this work throughout the architectural process, we build stronger relationships and stronger projects.

We unlock

opportunities

We turn complex regulations into creative development opportunities. Our deep knowledge of evolving state housing laws, local zoning, and entitlement pathways helps clients discover untapped potential, maximize housing opportunities, and move projects forward. We don't just work within existing policy. We advocate for better policies that expand access to housing and create more equitable communities

We make

projects viable

Great ideas need a path to implementation. We understand the complex funding programs and financial requirements behind affordable housing, including LIHTC, TCAC, and AHSC. Working alongside developers and financing partners, we align architectural decisions with funding criteria, project budgets, and development schedules to strengthen applications, improve feasibility, and help projects move toward construction.

We innovate

We embrace new technologies, materials, and construction methods that expand what's possible. From modular and prefabricated housing to mass timber, digital fabrication, and emerging AI tools, we explore smarter ways to design and deliver buildings. Our flexible approach allows us to adapt these innovations to each project's goals, improving efficiency, sustainability, and affordability without sacrificing design quality.
Pull up June 13th! Ashby BART Flea Market! As we work in partnership to design new affordable housing at the Ashby BART parking lot, we’re holding that history — and future — close. Come celebrate and convene with community at th
Housing near transit is climate work. It’s equity work. It’s community work. We’re honored to share that the 13-building North Berkeley BART TOD plan has received an American Planning Association Award of Excellence, including the
April 12-18 is Architecture Week! Architecture Week is a reminder that the future of the profession is shaped every day—in reviews, in model-making, in conversation, and in the time we take to share what we know. We all play key roles in educ
2025. A year of approvals, construction, and real momentum. From breaking ground on permanent supportive housing to completing student homes, winning major transit-oriented projects, and growing our team + studio — we’re proud of what we
Happy Birthday Joseph! Black and grey ice cream cake, and one exam left until licensure! Joseph has been involved in nearly every YCA project over the past 4 years! Essential to our team! I’ve never eaten a black cake, or SPAM before, but first

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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