Sarah Dunbar, AIA

Sarah is a practicing architect, urban designer, and educator with over eighteen years of experience. Her work focuses on the intersection of the built environment and public space, innovation in housing typologies, and formal invention. Sarah is currently designing affordable and market-rate multi-unit housing, overseeing Neighbor’s planning and urban design projects, and leading Neighbor’s work on 1175 Cambridge Street with the Cambridge Redevelopment Authority. She recently led Neighbor’s work on Boston’s ADU Guidebook and the Zahrat Al Yasmeen Play Yard, both award-winning projects.

Prior to founding Neighbor Architects, Sarah worked at Utile Design, Sasaki and NADAAA. At Utile, Sarah worked on both private sector and affordable housing and also institutional projects. She was a design lead on The Laneway in Mission Hill, Boston, and led The Neponset, a 28 unit condo building in Quincy, MA. She was the project manager and led the design on Center and Stone, an award-winning 66 unit mixed-use building in Quincy, MA, and several other large, complex mixed-use projects. While at Utile, Sarah also oversaw the design and construction of the MIT Alumni Welcome Center at her alma mater.

While at Sasaki, Sarah worked on residence halls at University of Rhode Island, St. Edward’s University and others. She also worked extensively on the Tec de Monterrey masterplan and Caretta pavilion, as well as the design and coordination of the façade for the award winning Bruce C. Bolling building in Nubian Square, Boston. At NADAAA, she was a lead designer on the Rock Creek House, which has been recognized with several awards nationally and locally.

Sarah has a BFA from Oberlin College and an MArch from MIT, where she was a recipient of the Alpha Rho Chi medal, Laya and Jerome Weisner Art award, Department Merit scholarship and the Schlossman Research Award. Sarah is currently a lecturer at Northeastern University, where she teaches Urban Design and architecture studios. In the past, she has taught studios at RISD and the BAC and has served as a visiting critic at several Boston area schools.