Alumna Spotlight - Matt Adams, ‘01

Drew alumnus Matt Adams has spent the past 15 years designing spaces that shape how people live, learn, and connect. Now a licensed architect and Associate at Hamilton + Aitken Architects, Matt has worked on projects across the Bay Area ranging from schools and affordable housing to fire stations and galleries.

Although he did not originally plan to pursue architecture, Matt credits his time at Drew with helping develop the curiosity and critical thinking that guides his work today. From memorable Ecology field trips along the California coast to humanities classes that challenged students to think creatively and analytically, Drew helped spark the interdisciplinary mindset he now brings to design.

Now he brings his experiences as an alumnus and an architect back to campus for talks with econ and arts students about affordable housing design in San Francisco and what inspires him to create spaces that are not only functional and sustainable, but connects to the people and communities who call them home, work and school.

1.) Tell us a little about your time at Drew - ie. What is your favorite Drew memory? 

Most of my time at Drew was spent in the old Victorian building, and my senior year was at the temporary campus in the Presidio while the “new” building was under construction. Overall, I had a great experience at Drew, with many fun memories, including soccer practices and games, rock climbing on Fridays, and traveling to Montreal and Quebec for French class. One of my favorite memories, though, was an Ecology class trip down Highway 1, where we visited Moss Landing and Año Nuevo State Park to see the elephant seals before spending the night at the Pigeon Point Lighthouse Hostel. 

2.) Tell us about your career in architecture - how did it begin, and what is your current company/position? 

Currently, I am a licensed architect and Associate at Hamilton + Aitken Architects here in San Francisco, and I have been practicing architecture for 15 years. I found my way into architecture in a more roundabout way than some others in the industry. In high school and college, I did not initially consider architecture as a career, but I grew up working in construction with my dad, who was a general contractor. With that background in construction, coupled with a mother who was an artist and opera singer, I realized I had developed an unexplored interest in design and building.

I spent a year at City College of San Francisco building up my art portfolio before attending California College of the Arts for its three-year Master of Architecture (MArch) program. Since graduating in 2011, I have worked at firms throughout the Bay Area on projects including high-end residential homes, art galleries, schools, airports, affordable housing, and fire stations.

3.) What work projects are you especially proud of?

The projects I am most proud of, and find most rewarding to work on, are school projects, particularly K–12 education,  and affordable housing. In both cases, you are designing for user groups whose experiences can be significantly shaped by the spaces they interact with every day.

For schools, you want to create environments that are safe, welcoming, and supportive of different teaching and learning styles while encouraging creativity and free thinking. Affordable housing is similar in many ways, in that you want to create spaces that are dignified, welcoming, and allow individuals to feel ownership and pride in their homes, even when those opportunities might otherwise be out of reach.

In both instances, housing and education are essential to a fulfilling life, and as an architect, it is deeply rewarding to help create spaces that support the people who rely on them most.

4.) Can you tell us about your involvement in the possible Drew campus extension, and what are some of the exciting ideas being proposed for the space? 

I have participated in several community design and brainstorming sessions related to Drew’s broader master planning process. While a potential campus expansion is part of that conversation, I think the overall planning effort is much bigger than any single project.

I would argue that the focus is less on one specific building or expansion and more about identifying broader opportunities and a range of initiatives with 5-, 10-, and 15-year horizons that can shape Drew’s culture and identity over time. Whatever form a future expansion may take, I am sure the school’s leadership team will continue to update the community as plans develop.

5.) What classes at Drew inspired your interest in architecture…..what was your favorite subject, etc?

As I mentioned earlier, I did not know in high school that I was going to become an architect. In fact, I do not even remember exactly which art or design classes I took at Drew, because at the time I was much more focused on history and the humanities. I was always a big history nerd, which helped develop my research skills and critical thinking.

Looking back, there were two classes during my senior year that strongly connect to how I think about architecture today. The first was Ecology, where we studied organisms, ecosystems, and the relationships between living things and their environments. That way of thinking has a direct relationship to architecture, because buildings also exist within larger systems, social, environmental, structural, and mechanical, and all of those systems influence how people interact with spaces and with one another.

The second was an English class focused on humor and fiction. One of the books we read was The Third Policeman by Flann O'Brien. The book pushes logic so far that it becomes irrational, almost hyper-logical to the point of absurdity. In architecture, because it is a design discipline, we are often challenged to explain the logic behind every design decision. For my master’s thesis, I became interested in pushing that idea to the extreme, much like the policemen do in the book. The result was a design project that took a relatively simple land-use concept and followed it to its absurd conclusion to explore what new architectural and urban relationships might emerge.

6.) What advice would you give to students interested in either architecture, design or other similar fields?

If students are interested in architecture or design, I would encourage them to experience as many aspects of the field as possible. That obviously includes taking art and design classes in high school and college, but also getting real-world experience outside the classroom.

Some firms and organizations offer internship opportunities for high school students, but I would also strongly encourage students to gain hands-on construction experience whenever possible. It is one thing to draw how you think something should go together, but it is another thing entirely to physically build it yourself. I encourage young designers to volunteer with organizations like Habitat for Humanity, where they can help build homes and gain firsthand experience in construction.

And sketch as much as you can. Drawing by hand is one of the best ways to understand how buildings and details come together. It forces you to slow down and think critically about what you are drawing, helping you notice relationships and details you might otherwise miss.

7.) How can current students connect with opportunities like the one you had?

If students think this is something they want to pursue, I would encourage them to approach it more directly than I did. There are several excellent programs in San Francisco that expose students to architecture and design, including The Architectural Foundation of San Francisco, various high school design programs, the AIA San Francisco Youth Design Festival, and volunteer opportunities through Habitat for Humanity.

City College of San Francisco also has great introductory art, drafting, and architectural design classes that high school students may be able to enroll in while still in school.

Help the Next Generation of Drew Graduates Cross the Stage — and Thrive Beyond It