About
We work with communities to bring the power of design to all people.
As designers, we lend our skills to give structure and form to ideas generated by you - the experts on your own environment. As educators and organizers, we are always working to make the power of design accessible to those who have traditionally been left out of design discussions and to bring contemporary theory and innovation to expand the benefit of new ideas to all people.
Services
Hinge Collective acts as a convener, facilitator and project manager for a wide range of projects that include community engagement.
Hinge Collective is licensed to perform both full architecture and landscape architecture services.
We have experience leading the design process from concept through to construction administration. We also have served design teams as engagement consultants.
ARCHITECTURE & LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE
Conceptual Design
Construction Documentation
Construction Administration
Urban Design & Planning
Sustainable & Equitable Design
Green Infrastructure Planning & Design
ENGAGEMENT & FACILITATION
Consulting for tailored community engagement strategy & planning
Design and facilitation of engagement workshops
Stakeholder visioning and goal setting
Youth engagement and education
PROJECT MANAGEMENT
Interdisciplinary project team management
Practitioner and expert convenings
Capacity building for community organizations
Our Team
Alexa Bosse
RA, AIA, ASLA, LEED AP
Alexa Bosse is a registered Architect and founding principal of Hinge Collective with masters degrees in both architecture and landscape architecture from The University of Pennsylvania. As a leader of Hinge Collective, Alexa has worked with community organizations, city officials, local business owners, residents, and youth groups to build consensus around the realization of needed safe, quality, public space. Alexa has taught graduate and undergraduate level studios with a focus on public interest design at The University of Pennsylvania Stuart Weitzman School of Design, Drexel University, and Jefferson University.
Ari Miller
RLA, ASLA, ISA Certified Arborist
Ari Miller is a registered landscape architect, certified arborist, and the director of design at Hinge Collective. With 17 years of professional experience on a wide array of projects, Ari has always been guided by a passion for finding the intersection between living systems and social equity. At Hinge Collective, Ari brings his skills as a designer and naturalist to create compelling designs that highlight the importance of nature in cities. Ari has taught graduate and undergraduate level studios at The University of Pennsylvania Stuart Weitzman School of Design and Jefferson University.
Maddy Barnhard
Maddy Barnhard is a designer at Hinge Collective. With a background in art and textile design, she has a playful yet thoughtful approach to interactions with the community and the landscape. While studying Landscape Architecture and Regional Planning at The University of Pennsylvania, she honed her focus on design justice and participatory engagement techniques, which continues to integrate into her work. When she’s not exploring what makes public spaces thrive, you can find Maddy immersed in the rich historical and cultural tapestry of Philadelphia or off on her next adventure
Shannon McLain
Shannon McLain is a designer at Hinge Collective, where she explores empathy-centered design through community engagement. Her design philosophy focuses on improving the quality of life of communities through multi-scale iteration, human-centered design practices, and ecological considerations. Trained as an architect, Shannon also works as an Adjunct Professor at Thomas Jefferson University, teaching multi-disciplinary design studios that emphasize understanding the story of place as integral parts of the design process. Additionally, Shannon researches inclusive innovation and empathy in design; presented Neuro-inclusive Co-creation practices at the UIA World Congress of Architects, and consulting for Open Inclusion as a community leader.
Logan Lewis
Logan Lewis is a student intern at Hinge Collective. During their undergraduate years at Thomas Jefferson University, they studied landscape architecture and developed a passion for community-driven projects. They worked as a volunteer events coordinator, leading student volunteers in landscape maintenance tasks for a variety of nonprofit organizations in the East Falls neighborhood. They have also worked with Studio Bryan Hanes and the Park in a Truck program as a student intern. As their time at Jefferson comes to an end, Logan hopes to use their design skills to uplift communities as they enter the professional world.
Photo Credit: Sahar Coston-Hardy Photography