Colline Hernandez-Ayala

Principal, Atlanta

Colline is a natural storyteller who loves to draw, loves to learn, and loves big ideas. She enjoys working with clients and communities to help bring their vision to life by translating ideas into tangible design solutions. Colline discovered early in her career the powerful relationship between politics, social equity and the built environment, designing what she calls the “missing pieces” of our urban neighborhoods: affordable housing, neighborhood-serving retail, and healthcare. First in Chicago, then in Washington, D.C., she led teams focused on designing large-scale pedestrian-friendly, mixed-use residential development projects in areas of the city that had not seen any new investment in decades.

Here in the Atlanta studio, Colline puts her talent for collaboration, consensus building, and appreciation for neighborhood histories and culture into growing her teams’ capabilities. She is always guiding the process toward high-performance buildings that incorporate architectural innovation and sustainability as well as identity and connection for the people who inhabit them. Her approach to building a team and a practice prioritizes the creation of interdisciplinary teams that reflect the communities we serve, thereby stimulating a dynamic exchange of ideas around the table.

Say hello to Colline
Colline and her family at Clemson University (in front of our project, the Watt Family Innovation Center!).
A sketch of a mixed-use project in Baltimore.
(work done while Colline was with GTM Architects)
“Housing is everything. Designing solutions that honor the diverse architectural and cultural character of our neighborhoods is essential to preserving the authentic qualities of our American cities.”
Colline and former colleagues at a project site visit.
Collaboration in the studio
“Our goal is to design buildings that evoke identity and connection in the people who will use them.”
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