WE INVEST IN OUR PEOPLE

Authentic diversity, equity, and inclusion are essential to the culture Williams Blackstock Architects cultivates, emphasizing a strong sense of community and belonging. We are open to voices and ideas that represent all perspectives, beliefs, and cultures and that foster a sense of empowerment.

We steadfastly support team members in their professional development through a framework of opportunities for growth, mentoring and training.

Williams Blackstock Architects engagement and talent acquisition efforts strengthen as we build new connections. Together, we are committed to increasing diversity across all roles and leadership. As our organization continues to grow, training for new hires and continuing education for all employees regarding Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) remain essential to the core values of the firm.

We Value All Voices and Ideas

Our DEIB Committee includes individuals of different ages, genders, races, and backgrounds. Its mission is to initiate change by celebrating diversity, to implement a culture of belonging, and to advocate for social responsibility. Its purpose is to share views, thoughts, and ideas generating firm-wide policy recommendations that promote diversity, equity, and inclusion.

We are committed to change and growth that improves our firm through actions including:

• Measuring social equity against established benchmarks and being accountable

• Building equitable frameworks to foster diverse representation

• Developing team members through continued education and training

• Establishing an education-to-work pipeline and maintaining introductory opportunities by which tomorrow’s designers can be encouraged

• Being a Birmingham asset through community service

Advancing Equity and Inclusion in DESIGN

As design leaders, we work to improve the built environment with an inclusive approach to design and with respect for our diverse communities. Our partnerships with clients focus on providing equitable design solutions through close collaboration.

We value our local communities. We achieve inspiring, thoughtful, and innovative designs for communities by listening to and respecting all perspectives that empower all people and the environment to thrive.

The Legacy Pavilion honors local civil rights figures, including Martin Luther King Jr., Claudette Colvin, John Lewis, Rosa Parks, Jonathan Daniels, Jo Ann Robinson, and E.D. Nixon, and helps visitors understand the unique role Montgomery played in fueling a civil rights movement that continues to reverberate around the world. The north end of the park contains a reflection garden featuring a monument to women, men, and children who were victims of racial terror lynching’s in the immediate aftermath of the Civil War and during Reconstruction. The Legacy Pavilion black granite monolith fountain raises up from the ground to memorialize over 2,000 people who were lynched between 1865 and 1876, and The National Memorial for Peace and Justice documents the era of racial terror and lynching that occurred between 1877 and 1950.

The new home for the Homewood Board of Education is a modern structure making up the first phase of a long-term development plan of a 24-acre site in a suburb of Birmingham, Alabama. The design was created to fit the context of the existing Homewood City Schools’ architectural style featuring natural stone veneer, standing seam metal roof and a curtain wall system to bring natural light to the interior. The office site is adjacent to an existing community garden and the main entrance, designed as a patio, serves as the gateway to the garden. The space accommodates the needs of the administrative staff while providing room for professional development activities for all faculty and staff within the school district.