Meet the duo behind Seattle's La Union Studio that's working to make sure all voices are included in building a more equitable and just city. 

La Union Studio // Sergio Max Legon-Talamoni & Sonia-Lynn Abenojar 

Music // Push // Matthew L. Fisher 

Created For // AIA Film Challenge 

Transcript // We've always felt like architecture and design is so inaccessible. We have often looked around and asked..."Where are all the Black & Brown people working? And where are the Black and Brown clients?" Because of this we've been really intentional about making sure that our clientele represents who we are... who we serve... And the values that we align ourselves with. 

A lot of our clients are BIPOC folks and first generation immigrants who may not know how to navigate the design process which can be overwhelming. How can we help translate their vision through design recognizing that design is not just the building or space...It’s the people who inhabit these spaces. It’s the communities that create the context in which the building sits in. We’ve realized that the challenge to make our city more equitable really starts with genuine community engagement and dialogue.  

If we want to design a more just world then we need to include all voices and evaluate any structures that keep those voices away from the table. There are so many course corrections that can be made throughout... development and land use, the permitting process... design review… these all need to be torn apart and made more equitable. 

Seattle used to be this sleepy town that no one really paid attention to. That has changed and Seattle is clearly on the map. With that recognition, we can’t prevent change so why not embrace it? But let’s vow to embrace positive change in a way that involves everybody...that’s equity.

I’m Serio Max I’m Sonia Lynn Together we are La Union Studio