Who We Are

Amanda has designed and managed educational, retreat, camp and recreation projects in a wide range of settings. She holds degrees from the University of Virginia, where she studied the relationship between thermal comfort and human interactions with the built environment. Amanda taught design and research courses at UVA, and enjoys mentoring young architects. Through her professional work in remote settings across California, she has studied the complexities of building in sensitive habitats with wildfire risks and explored the integration of carbon-sequestering natural building materials.
Amanda approaches her work with attention towards the interactions of the design of structures and management of landscapes.

“Our practice is based on the idea that good design is about values, not just aesthetics, and that everything we do is leading toward a low-carbon future,” says Henry Siegel. “We have always put sustainability and design on equal footing, expanding the definition of design excellence to include the enduring value to clients that is inherent in a high-performance, site-sensitive, healthy, and resilient outcome.” Since the early 1990s, Henry has championed this integrated idea about good design, and has put that conviction into practice through projects that combine design for environmental stewardship with thoughtful, site-sensitive building design. His projects have won multiple awards, including Top Ten Awards from the AIA Committee on the Environment (COTE). Henry is past chair of the COTE national Advisory Group and current member of AIA California COTE steering committee, where he advocates for laws and codes addressing climate change and the building sector, and for the incorporation of sustainable design values and metrics into awards programs and architecture school curricula. Henry has taught at the University of California, Berkeley, and is a past member of the University’s Design Review Committee. He has spoken widely and has served on architectural awards juries across the U.S.

Jill Eliason joined Siegel & Strain Architects in 1999. Since that time, her role in the operations of the practice has grown steadily. In her role as Office Manager, Jill oversees the daily operations of the business, budgets and projections, accounts receivable and accounts payable. Her steady hand and clear business acumen has helped the firm build, grow, and develop intelligently over time. It’s no exaggeration to say that Jill keeps the firm running. Jill was promoted to Associate in 2016.

“I’m a puzzler by nature,” Karen Richards says. “I see complex issues and can weave things together. In the firm, that manifests in my strong role in the teaching and learning aspects of the practice. I work to make sure that we are all thinking and learning and growing. I do a lot of collaboration and facilitation with clients, and also interact with consultants and community members. I value all these interactions.” Since joining the firm in 2007, Karen has worked with non-profit organizations, educational institutions and public agencies to design new buildings or to improve existing facilities to achieve maximum efficiency and incorporate integrated sustainable strategies. Her strong set of professional, communication and organizational skills, and her passion for problem-solving on every project, are keys to her successful relations with clients and colleagues alike. She has been involved in efforts to cultivate awareness about architecture as a career path among high school students.

“Today more than ever, we need buildings that work for everyone—and that are healthy for our planet and climate. Our practice has been about caring for the earth and people equally,” Larry Strain says. “We need to consider buildings through the twin lenses of the climate and equity emergencies we are living in. The most responsible way to do this is to transform, retrofit, and care for the buildings we already have and make them low-carbon, safe, and healthy for the people who live and work in them.” Larry has been practicing sustainable design since the 1980s and believes in an architecture that serves the environment, is rooted in community, and supports equity and justice. His practical experience as a builder prior to becoming an architect and his problem-solving skills are great assets. His industry- leading research on embodied carbon has helped to establish methods and benchmarks for designing lower impact buildings, and has led him to advocate for reusing and retrofitting existing buildings. He shares his expertise by speaking and writing frequently. Larry has served on the boards of the Carbon Leadership Forum, USGBC–Northern California Chapter, and the Ecological Building Network.

Marjorie Smith brings a strong commitment to sustainable design to her projects. Since joining Siegel & Strain Architects in 2000, Marjorie has managed many of our camp and park projects in local, regional and National Park settings. Her recent projects have focused on the design of youth facilities and appropriate design for sensitive natural sites — projects where she strives to reduce material toxicity while maximizing energy efficiency, comfort and durability. Marjorie has been instrumental in the effort to change California building codes to remove toxic flame-retardant chemicals from below-grade foam insulation and to encourage manufacturers to offer foam insulation without these chemicals. Marjorie was promoted to Principal in early 2022.

Michael Hayden is an experienced architect who has served as Senior Project Manager and Designer for numerous projects over the years. He has particular expertise collaborating with clients and consultants creating construction documents, and working with contractors for public agency and institutional projects. His work includes the National Environmental Science Center, a 17-buiding education center in Yosemite National Park projected to be zero-net energy and designed to achieve LEED Platinum certification and the zero-net energy Jess S. Jackson Sustainable Winery Building at the University of California, Davis. He joined Siegel & Strain Architects in 2001

“We have an ethical imperative to design and build in a way that contributes to ecological health and responds to the issues of our time,” says Nancy Malone. “These inspire a commitment to research and systems thinking in our practice. This is why I often dive deeply into the performance of a building envelope, for example, because that is intrinsic to making the building successful — as a building and within an ecological context.” Nancy has dedicated her career to designing beautiful, regionally appropriate, high-performance buildings. She has applied her passion for the environment to help build Siegel & Strain Architects into a nationally-recognized leader in sustainable design, particularly in the arenas of sensitive site planning, healthy materials, high-performance building assemblies, and low-carbon buildings. Many of Nancy’s projects have received awards for research, design excellence, and sustainable design, including two of the firm’s four AIA COTE Top Ten awards. Nancy has served on a range of committees developing green building standards and has taught sustainable design at UC Berkeley and UC Davis. Nancy’s thoughtful approach to research, design, and collaboration fosters unique, place-based solutions for each client and project.

“Design and sustainability are one and the same,” says Susi Marzuola. “A deeply integrated process results in a memorable, meaningful outcome with enduring value. We strive for low emissions and all-electric where possible because we believe that, in the same way that everyone deserves good design, everyone deserves a safe environment and a future to look forward to.” Susi’s passion for the particular and the greater good is the driving force behind her leadership at the firm. Her commitment to community collaboration is evidenced in the practice and all its work. Susi Marzuola focuses her considerable energy on the design of projects that are rooted in place and community, marry vision to design solutions, capture imagination, and achieve the highest levels of performance. Her collaborative leadership is central to the firm’s profile on advocacy issues; she speaks regularly in the community, within industry groups, and beyond. Susi is active with the Berkeley Climate Action Coalition’s Electrification Working Group and has taught at the University of California, Berkeley.