Yakuh Askew

akuh Askew co-founded Y.A. studio with a straightforward goal: build a practice that could move between a custom hillside home and a supportive housing project for formerly homeless families, and bring the same care to both.He grew up in San Francisco, a city he describes as a study in contrasts, urban and suburban, progressive in its politics but protective of its aesthetic history, home to enormous wealth alongside some of the widest gaps between rich and poor.

His background shapes how he practices now: staying responsive to a site’s history and context, while questioning who a building is really designed to serve.That thinking runs through Y.A. studio’s housing work. On multifamily projects, Yakuh looks for the balance between a city block’s need for scale and durability and a resident’s experience of warmth and light walking up to their own front door. Projects like the Liberation Park, 383 6th Ave, and EVE Community Village reflect that approach – buildings meant to give residents stability, connection to community, and a sense of pride, not just a roof.

With clients, public agencies, and nonprofit partners, Yakuh starts by defining what success looks like together, then builds a schedule with checkpoints to keep everyone accountable. He’s especially drawn to projects that serve underserved and under-resourced populations, and to weaving sustainable design decisions into a project.