Josh Safdie joined KMA in 2014 as an Associate Principal and became Managing Principal in 2019, shaping and guiding the work, mission, and culture of the firm. An experienced teacher and mentor, Josh promotes an internal culture of kindness, learning, and innovation that translates into KMA’s strong industry relationships and exemplary reputation in the field. As a Principal-in-Charge, he directs compliance and inclusive design projects across various sectors, including higher education, cultural facilities, landscape design, and historic preservation. He also serves as an expert witness in ADA litigation, in which capacity his work has earned a national reputation. A thought leader in accessibility and inclusive design, Josh chaired the Boston Society of Architects’ Access Committee for seven years and for ten years taught a design seminar on inclusive cities at the Massachusetts College of Art and Design.
After completing his undergraduate degree in Architectural Studies at Brown University, Josh earned a Master of Architecture from the Rhode Island School of Design. From 2004 to 2008, he served as Director of Foundation Studios at the Boston Architectural College. Already a believer in the power of design as a vehicle for social change, it was his six years as studio director at the Institute for Human Centered Design that taught Josh how the built environment impacts – and often fails – people living with a disability. That experience led him to dedicate his career to the field of architecture and accessibility.
Josh’s work has been recognized by the Boston Society of Architects, Massachusetts Architectural Access Board, and Boston Preservation Alliance. He was honored with a 2013 Berkeley Prize Teaching Fellowship in Universal Design for his seminar at MassArt, and his universally-designed home in western Massachusetts was featured in the 2012 book The Accessible Home. He has been an invited critic at schools of architecture throughout the US and as far east as Bucharest and Moscow. In 2008 he was named a Distinguished Visiting Critic at Taliesin, the Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture in Spring Green, Wisconsin.
Josh enjoys playing the stand-up bass, coaching youth soccer, and running, cycling, or rowing to preserve his sanity. During the summers and on as many weekends as he can get away, you will find him – with and without his family and dogs – on the island of Vinalhaven, Maine.