About us
We're newly-minted designers who'd rather build with a neighborhood than for it.
RoTaCo — short for Roundtable Co. — is a Philadelphia collaborative of recently-graduated architecture and design folks. We help our local neighborhoods by offering design help and inspiration, free of charge, within our limits. Today that means small-scale, small-scope projects where a little design can unlock a lot of good.
Why a round table?
A round table has no head. We bring designers, builders, estimators, and community members together as equal collaborators — sharing the process, the decisions, and the credit.
As we grow, we're building toward an integrated, collaborative delivery model: decisions by super-majority, profits shared among the people who put in the work, and a fifth of every dollar set aside to fund community engagement and small projects that might not pay for themselves.
No head of the table.
Our values
Eight words we keep coming back to. They decide what we take on — and what we politely pass up.
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Collaboration
We build at a round table, not from a corner office.
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Equity
Good design belongs to every block, not just the well-funded ones.
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Stewardship
We tend places for the long haul, not the photo op.
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Adaptability
We meet a place where it is and grow with it.
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Non-conformity
We question the default and try the unobvious.
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Empathy
We listen first, design second.
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Transparency
Open process, open numbers, open invitations.
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Impact
We measure what we make — and share the receipts.
The founding collaborators
A small founding circle — and a growing network of allies, makers, and Friends groups around the city.
Sal Mestichelli
Founding Collaborator
Niyi Onanuga
Founding Collaborator — RA, AIA, NOMA (incoming)
Evan Thalheimer
Founding Collaborator
Want to pull up a chair? We're always looking for collaborators — designers, estimators, CMs, makers, and neighbors. Say hello →