https://chazandra.com Chaz Kern Wed, 05 Aug 2026 01:54:25 +0000 https://chazandra.com en https://chazandra.com/Home-Image-Scroll Wed, 05 Aug 2026 01:54:20 +0000 Chaz Kern https://chazandra.com/Home-Image-Scroll Chaz is a design practitioner focused on developing housing models rooted in self-determination, and creating pathways to put them into practice. As a co-founder of Office of she developed the organization’s first strategic plan, shaping its purpose as a practice on Reparative Urban Development. At LA Más she managed the Backyard Homes Project, an initiative that helped homeowners build a new Section 8 rental Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU). She’s an orgaizer with Design as Protest, a Board Member at the Association for Community Design, and currently working at a Community Land Trust in Eugene Oregon.Chaz has been featured in Wallpaper Magazine and named Cultured Magazine’s inaugural 2021 Young Architect. Chaz’s work is in the Smithsonian Institute Permanent Collection, and she has been has been invited to guest lecture at Rice University, University of Oregon, SCI-Arc, UCLA, USC, and UC Berkeley. <img width="2084" height="2084" width_o="2084" height_o="2084" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/160b5314b8f678edc21ee6522cb09dcef0cc41120065f073495f0f46fc79d7c4/by-02.png" data-mid="250973723" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/160b5314b8f678edc21ee6522cb09dcef0cc41120065f073495f0f46fc79d7c4/by-02.png" /> https://chazandra.com/Office-of-Strategic-Plan Wed, 05 Aug 2026 01:54:23 +0000 Chaz Kern https://chazandra.com/Office-of-Strategic-Plan Strategic Planning <img width="3300" height="1277" width_o="3300" height_o="1277" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/e93ed20d21dab64b6b8edcdc241c3054060a4c650c839bcf25e801e12a7662a9/OOO_Original-Font_w_o-Descriptions-06.png" data-mid="250973676" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/e93ed20d21dab64b6b8edcdc241c3054060a4c650c839bcf25e801e12a7662a9/OOO_Original-Font_w_o-Descriptions-06.png" /> 2022-2023 Facilitator In late 2023, Office Of: began a strategic planning process to clarify our impact and align our programs with our core values. Through this work, we defined reparative urban development as our guiding framework. This framework centers the public’s right to space by structuring our operational model around the practice of repair and supporting people see themselves in the places they live. <img width="1575" height="2400" width_o="1575" height_o="2400" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/8d5a18d592d9df7314e45ed72e2bcf4a7ae9cc07aa0979d6ac9c4934171ed863/OOO_Original-Font_w_o-Descriptions-02.png" data-mid="250973686" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/8d5a18d592d9df7314e45ed72e2bcf4a7ae9cc07aa0979d6ac9c4934171ed863/OOO_Original-Font_w_o-Descriptions-02.png" /><img width="1415" height="951" width_o="1415" height_o="951" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/a08985b65e65955c517921c6f5203d8b8bab03ef7613192b515e3208eab719d4/OOO_Original-Font_w_o-Descriptions-04.png" data-mid="250973679" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/a08985b65e65955c517921c6f5203d8b8bab03ef7613192b515e3208eab719d4/OOO_Original-Font_w_o-Descriptions-04.png" /> From the beginning, one of our core intentions was to bridge the gap between theory and the lived experiences of those most impacted by inequities in the built environment. We set out to reimagine urban development toward a future grounded in resident-directed development, community networks, and abundant neighborhood resources. As we moved through the strategic planning process, we came to understand that collective transformation requires collective process and that meaningful change happens over time –through cumulative, often messy efforts. <img width="2979" height="1866" width_o="2979" height_o="1866" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/ea80223a46196254eeccd34481c7e47cc69683c54a2100f5af1e827d11632d49/OOO_Original-Font_w_o-Descriptions-01.png" data-mid="250973684" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/ea80223a46196254eeccd34481c7e47cc69683c54a2100f5af1e827d11632d49/OOO_Original-Font_w_o-Descriptions-01.png" /> https://chazandra.com/ARDJI Wed, 05 Aug 2026 01:54:23 +0000 Chaz Kern https://chazandra.com/ARDJI Index Framework <img width="1500" height="952" width_o="1500" height_o="952" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/eedd3fbd7f7b7f097f956c3e1d3c3f50f01d18c9c27e853f0508e01b93a0fc9b/ARDJI-Spread-5.png" data-mid="250973696" border="0" data-scale="100" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/eedd3fbd7f7b7f097f956c3e1d3c3f50f01d18c9c27e853f0508e01b93a0fc9b/ARDJI-Spread-5.png" /> <img width="1012" height="1320" width_o="1012" height_o="1320" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/dfa0fe52613ed18d419c00af309ebdfdfdde6a594f2ded892caa0ce9b2c1dc92/Screenshot-2024-08-06-at-6.51.23PM.png" data-mid="250973697" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/dfa0fe52613ed18d419c00af309ebdfdfdde6a594f2ded892caa0ce9b2c1dc92/Screenshot-2024-08-06-at-6.51.23PM.png" /> Design as ProtestFramework Co-author, Facilitator&nbsp; The Index is a tool for architects, designers, planners, policymakers, and community activists committed to taking action towards identifying and dismantling systemic racism within our practices, organizations, academic institutions, and local governments. The goal of the Index is to achieve justice and liberation within design institutions by holding them accountable to their anti-racist commitments. It provides a visual way to track accountability and resources for guiding concrete actions <img width="1220" height="813" width_o="1220" height_o="813" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/2ff6fa04be6108e4c82549657e234f52c16dd42cbd55c5a9cc1c02e244c13a34/large_220329_ccc_deps_dap_0015.jpg" data-mid="250973711" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/2ff6fa04be6108e4c82549657e234f52c16dd42cbd55c5a9cc1c02e244c13a34/large_220329_ccc_deps_dap_0015.jpg" /> https://chazandra.com/Reimagining-Home-Across-the-Asian-Diaspora-Lab Wed, 05 Aug 2026 01:54:24 +0000 Chaz Kern https://chazandra.com/Reimagining-Home-Across-the-Asian-Diaspora-Lab Facilitated Lab &nbsp; <img width="2084" height="2084" width_o="2084" height_o="2084" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/8e462aa2d5d1eef0bf2a9158cd4c0af97592c94a55e6f831a8ae3ea924ab261b/AAJIL_Lab_Reimagining-Home-01.png" data-mid="250973737" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/8e462aa2d5d1eef0bf2a9158cd4c0af97592c94a55e6f831a8ae3ea924ab261b/AAJIL_Lab_Reimagining-Home-01.png" /> <img width="2084" height="2084" width_o="2084" height_o="2084" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/70d1d3a636712bca286fcd6f22eda3b72f18564e8ef7573030df5c669c4247be/AAJIL_Lab_Reimagining-Home-03-copy.png" data-mid="250973740" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/70d1d3a636712bca286fcd6f22eda3b72f18564e8ef7573030df5c669c4247be/AAJIL_Lab_Reimagining-Home-03-copy.png" /> 2024 Facilitator How do we shape, experience, and imagine "home" within the Asian diaspora? &nbsp; In partnership with the Asian American Justice Innovation Lab, this Lab invited participants to explore "home" as both an imagination and a geography—examining how Asian identities are formed and expressed through spaces outside of their 'homeland.' &nbsp;By looking at both private and public spaces in the built environment, we identified where we feel affirmed or erased within our personal dwellings, neighborhoods, cities, and beyond. Through collective discussions and design exercises, we explored how identity, migration, ancestry, and the complexities of cultural expectations hold visual presence and meaning in the spaces around us. This lab ran for 5 months in 2024 and invited anyone who identifies as part of the South Asian, East Asian, South East Asian, West Asia, Central Asian, and Pacific Island Diaspora. This Lab is indebted to and was inspired by: Center for Babaylan Studies, "Home Bound: Filipino American Lives Across Cultures, Communities, and Countries" by Yen Le Espiritu, the Design as Protest Collective, the Urban Humanities Network and “Is There Such a Thing as Asian Diasporic Architecture?” in the Dark Matter Issue of Architects Magazine by Tonia Sing Chi, BZ Zhang. <img width="1878" height="1210" width_o="1878" height_o="1210" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/e146c741e3a119bf3090a07823a2e07026ddd10e0c552afd3366de302bcf155d/Screenshot-2025-09-17-at-12.35.54PM.png" data-mid="250973741" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/e146c741e3a119bf3090a07823a2e07026ddd10e0c552afd3366de302bcf155d/Screenshot-2025-09-17-at-12.35.54PM.png" /> <img width="2386" height="1380" width_o="2386" height_o="1380" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/2cbbf1ead43b5f2fc5fe19f2087994bfb0bf247da78f76a0442fe6cf16544560/Screenshot-2025-09-17-at-12.32.31PM.png" data-mid="250973739" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/2cbbf1ead43b5f2fc5fe19f2087994bfb0bf247da78f76a0442fe6cf16544560/Screenshot-2025-09-17-at-12.32.31PM.png" /> <img width="1354" height="544" width_o="1354" height_o="544" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/1548880c2add25246f2447fe6b9a3e0c5faf8bba432a1de8fb1abe00514780b4/Screenshot-2025-09-17-at-12.38.17PM.png" data-mid="250973742" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/1548880c2add25246f2447fe6b9a3e0c5faf8bba432a1de8fb1abe00514780b4/Screenshot-2025-09-17-at-12.38.17PM.png" /> https://chazandra.com/Mattapan Wed, 03 Jan 2024 02:13:03 +0000 Chaz Kern https://chazandra.com/Mattapan Mattapan ADUs <img width="1526" height="858" width_o="1526" height_o="858" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/188d1d327df7e7179adbafda33fdbea2feede6f4d2d05e827a81a5fd058ce5a4/Screenshot-2024-01-02-at-6.11.04PM.png" data-mid="200603319" border="0" data-scale="100" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/188d1d327df7e7179adbafda33fdbea2feede6f4d2d05e827a81a5fd058ce5a4/Screenshot-2024-01-02-at-6.11.04PM.png" /> Office of:OfficeCity of Boston Zoning Analysis Project Manager, Designer2023 Office of collaborated with the Boston Planning and Development Agency and Woodsong Associates to actively identify potential regulatory changes and policy solutions for zoning related to Additional Dwelling Units (ADUs). Our aim was to reduce barriers to the permitting process by identifying patterns and obstacles in existing zoning regulations and physical lot constraints that currently necessitate ZBA approval. We provided recommended changes to zoning to enable ADU development as-of-right. This initiative marks the first step among several for the BPDA, promoting resident-led development in communities of color and initiating a comprehensive, equity-focused, city-wide zoning reform. <img width="950" height="862" width_o="950" height_o="862" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/777d2e53afdbba34d2c8f0912a3cf3d51cca2fdaa70aa9dba075ddc8a308e541/Screenshot-2024-01-02-at-6.10.14PM.png" data-mid="200603320" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/950/i/777d2e53afdbba34d2c8f0912a3cf3d51cca2fdaa70aa9dba075ddc8a308e541/Screenshot-2024-01-02-at-6.10.14PM.png" /> https://chazandra.com/NELA-CR Wed, 05 Aug 2026 01:54:25 +0000 Chaz Kern https://chazandra.com/NELA-CR Northeast LA Community Response <img width="2406" height="1548" width_o="2406" height_o="1548" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/86f77ca134dfda58982467a577b134bc7b52f0e435056e82aecab414fa93b0fd/Screenshot-2023-11-19-at-7.58.25PM.png" data-mid="252947107" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/86f77ca134dfda58982467a577b134bc7b52f0e435056e82aecab414fa93b0fd/Screenshot-2023-11-19-at-7.58.25PM.png" /> <img width="2398" height="1550" width_o="2398" height_o="1550" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/c90ed5de4ba2792ef59a44fed24eee137ec5c38bf1ae9decdfe6328dd1af224e/Screenshot-2023-11-19-at-7.58.20PM.png" data-mid="252947106" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/c90ed5de4ba2792ef59a44fed24eee137ec5c38bf1ae9decdfe6328dd1af224e/Screenshot-2023-11-19-at-7.58.20PM.png" /> LA Más Public Engagement Collateral Development &amp; Design, 2020 Northeast LA Community Response, developed at LA Más, was a relief initiative created in response to the coronavirus crisis in March. The initiative was based in Elysian Valley and supported neighborhoods throughout Northeast Los Angeles, including Glassell Park, Cypress Park and Lincoln Heights. For 10 weeks, along with local volunteers we called neighbors, identified needs, and connected people to resources such as groceries, masks, activity kits, rent and mortgage information, unemployment filing, among others. <img width="2410" height="1210" width_o="2410" height_o="1210" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/7b7e94026639230cb61def0e4421e65bd19711d1a7efde01532f92814b78643f/Screenshot-2023-11-19-at-8.10.15PM.png" data-mid="252947148" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/7b7e94026639230cb61def0e4421e65bd19711d1a7efde01532f92814b78643f/Screenshot-2023-11-19-at-8.10.15PM.png" /> With the tremendous support of 150+ volunteers who helped with outreach, assembly and deliveries and 30+ partners who offered their resources, over 2,000 Northeast LA residents were engaged and over 750 residents received direct support. <img width="1456" height="2713" width_o="1456" height_o="2713" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/d2b24df2d5e8579d157de14fd33be7199bee1343eb03ca373709a9638fc6a74d/f87f050fa1d285ebaff16951c0d350a6.jpeg" data-mid="252947181" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/d2b24df2d5e8579d157de14fd33be7199bee1343eb03ca373709a9638fc6a74d/f87f050fa1d285ebaff16951c0d350a6.jpeg" /> https://chazandra.com/Info-1 Wed, 03 Jan 2024 02:39:01 +0000 Chaz Kern https://chazandra.com/Info-1 Work HighlightsChaz is a design practitioner focused on developing housing models rooted in self-determination, and creating pathways to put them into practice. As a co-founder of Office of she developed the organization’s first strategic plan, shaping its purpose as a practice on Reparative Urban Development. At LA Más she managed the Backyard Homes Project, an initiative that helped homeowners build a new Section 8 rental Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU). She’s an orgaizer with Design as Protest, a Board Member at the Association for Community Design, and currently working at a Community Land Trust in Eugene Oregon.Chaz has been featured in Wallpaper Magazine and named Cultured Magazine’s inaugural 2021 Young Architect. Chaz’s work is in the Smithsonian Institute Permanent Collection, and she has been has been invited to guest lecture at Rice University, University of Oregon, SCI-Arc, UCLA, USC, and UC Berkeley. EDUCATION 2015 - 2017 &nbsp; &nbsp; M.Arch, University of Oregon2011 - 2015 &nbsp; &nbsp; B.Architectural Studies, ASUTEACHINGWoodbury University Spring 2024 Adjunct Professor ARCH 589 Graduate Studio 4; ARCH 547 Environmental Systems Integration Cal Poly Pomona Fall 2021 Lecturer ARCH 4011 Topic Studio: Public Spaces, Low Rise Neighborhoods Cal Poly Pomona Fall 2020 Lecturer ARCH 4011 Topic Studio: Much ADU about Nothing TRAININGS &amp; ACCREDITATIONS 2024 Urban Homesteading Assistance Board National Incubator 2023 Pathways to Equity P2E Virtual Fellowship 2022 Southern California Association of Governments Housing Policy Leadership Academy 2021 Ross Minority Program in Real Estate, University of Southern California AWARDS AIA Phoenix Metro + City of Phoenix ADU Competition Winner, 2024 Los Angeles Architectural Award for Innovation in the Built Environment, 2023 Cultured Magazine Young Architectʼs Honoree, 2021 AIA SouthWest Oregon, Peopleʼs Choice Award - Emerging Professional, 2016 PRESS Office of: Office brings together fun, seriousness and curiosity in architecture, Wallpaper / Firm Feature 10 emerging Californian practices rethink architecture in the Golden State, Wallpaper / Firm Feature Accessory Dwelling Unit Equity Strategies: Promising Practices to Advance BIPOC and LMI Equity/Inclusion in the ADU Housing Ecosystem, Casita Coalition / Interview How to Put Affordable in the Missing Middle, University of Torontoʼs School of Cities / Project Coverage + Interview Chazandra Kern Designs With, Not For, Communities, Cultured Magazine / Interview <img src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/2500/q/75/i/e9ad427511899ee370e0f2beb5616486042544899355455f78514b2ee853598b/Work---Chaz-facilitating-a-homeowner-workshop-at-Housing-Here-Commnuity-Workshop-with-LA-Mas.png" width="1336" height="930" style="width: 249.197998px; height: 173.468666px;"> Well-designed rentals L.A. can afford. That's the mission of the Backyard Homes Project, Los Angeles Times / Project Coverage Policy and Program Models for Creating Accessory Dwelling Units in New Hampshire, New Hampshire Housing / Project Coverage L.A. is making the process of building backyard homes faster with new, pre-approved designs, KTLA 5 Los Angeles launches bold new ADU program to combat housing shortage, Architectʼs Newspaper / Project Coverage Whatʼs it like to be a neighbor right now,Curbed Magazine / Interview Perspective: How to make accessory dwelling units affordable, Accessory Dwellings / Project Coverage Empty Garages: The Answer to Californiaʼs Housing Shortage?, New York Times / Project Coverage LEADERSHIP 2024 - 2025 Asian American Justice + Innovation Lab, Community Leadership Program 2022 - present Association for Community Design, Working Board Member 2021 - University of Oregon Architecture Department Advisory Board, Member 2020 - present Design as Protest, Core Organizer PRESS 2025 10 emerging Californian practices rethink architecture in the Golden State Source: Wallpaper / Firm Feature 2024 Office of: Office brings together fun, seriousness and curiosity in architecture Source: Wallpaper / Firm Feature 2023 Accessory Dwelling Unit Equity Strategies: Promising Practices to Advance BIPOC and LMI Equity/Inclusion in the ADU Housing Ecosystem Source: Casita Coalition / Interview How to Put Affordable in the Missing Middle Source: University of Toronto’s School of Cities / Project Coverage + Interview 2021 Chazandra Kern Designs With, Not For, Communities Source: Cultured Magazine / Interview&nbsp; Well-designed rentals L.A. can afford. Source: Los Angeles Times / Project Coverage&nbsp; 2020 Policy and Program Models for Creating Accessory Dwelling Units in New Hampshire Source:&nbsp; New Hampshire Housing / Project Coverage 2020 L.A. is making the process of building backyard homes faster with new, pre-approved designs Source: KTLA 5 2020 Los Angeles launches bold new ADU program to combat housing shortage Source: Architect’s Newspaper&nbsp; / Project Coverage&nbsp; 2019 Perspective: How to make accessory dwelling units affordable Source:&nbsp; Accessory Dwellings / Project Coverage&nbsp; 2019 Empty Garages: The Answer to California’s Housing Shortage? Source:&nbsp; New York Times / Project Coverage&nbsp; <img src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/2500/q/75/i/236e5efc967134bb920ecbf81a20e924129d11da1f9408ff0151fabeda01f9ee/Work---Chaz---Hector-staffing-engagement-at-the-Welcome-to-Western-Community-Festival-with-LA-Mas.png" width="1336" height="930" style="width: 376.713623px; height: 262.233285px;"> PRESENTATION 2025 - “Unpacking the CLT–LEC model” Northwest Community Land Trust Coalition Annual Gathering 2024 - “Housing Oregon Conference: Tenants Opportunity to Purchase Act” Oregon Housing &amp; Community Services Department 2023 “ULI Toronto: How to Put Affordable in the Missing Middle?”, University of Toronto’s School of Cities 2021 “Decolonizing Design Research: Collective Voice”, AIA New York 2019 “Housing Oregon Conference” Oregon Housing &amp; Community Services Department&nbsp; WORKSHOPS 2026 “An Introduction to ACD’s Resource Repository”, Association for Community Design 2023 “Organizing &amp; Design Justice”, UCLA Planning Abolitionist Futures 2023“Reflections on Positionality”, Woodbury NOMAS Invited Speaker 2023 “Community Design Workshop”, Urban Humanities Global (Un)Conference 2022 “Positionality &amp; Direct Action”, UCLA Planning Abolitionist Futures 2021 “POLICY AS PROTEST - VISIONING WITH DAP”, Hindsight 2021 INTERVIEWS 2024 Storytelling Spaces of Solidarity in the Asian Diaspora (SSSAD) 2022 “How to: do no harm”, The Canadian Centre for Architecture LECTURES 2023 “Design for/by/with”, 2023 AIA Arizona Associates Gathering 2022 “First Friday - Distance Edition: LA Más”, The Architectural League NY 2021 “LECTURE: LA MÁS”, Taubman College University of Michigan 2021 “Open Forum in Support of LA’s AAPI Design Community”, AIA LA 2021 “Llewelyn-Davies Sahni Innovative Practice Lecture”, Rice University 2021 “Community-Driven Design with Antoinette D. Carroll, Alex Ramirez, and Chazandra Kern” University of California, Berkeley 2020 “Civic Leadership: Unpacking the Democracy of Design”, AIA New York “The Backyard Homes Project”, Creative Neighbors 2019 “Design+ with Elizabeth Timme and Chaz Kern”,&nbsp; College of Design Lecture Series. University of Oregon