What we're made of
Our Values
Light shapes human experience. At our core, we value collaboration with our community and seek ideas that will shape the future responsibly, sustainably, and for the betterment of humankind.
Vision
Our North Star
Our North Star is the thoughtful integration of light with space, materials, energy, people, and nature.
Mission
What do we do?
We help realize and enhance our clients’ visions of architecture while promoting human health, sustainability, energy effectiveness, and innovation.
Triple Bottom Line
We aim to be a true triple bottom line company by focusing equally on People, Planet, and Profit – be one of the best companies to work for in the West, be a leader in high-performance design and sustainable office practices, and have stable, long-term profits.
Corporate Covenant
Every year each of us at LUMA signs a corporate covenant, which contains core values that help seal our commitments to each other.
Stewardship
We value community and seek to restore our planet’s ecosystem.
Humility
We approach challenges with an open mind.
Accountability
We follow through on our commitments to our clients, to each other, and to the planet.
Innovation
We collaborate to discover unique solutions that work for all people and our planet.
Respect
We treat each other with dignity, respect, and compassion.
Committees
A hallmark of our culture is employee involvement in committees from tactical process improvement and Women in Leadership to learning more from our Justice, Equity and Diversity and Inclusion committee. Participation is voluntary and highly valued, from all levels of business staff and designers.
JEDI
The JEDI Committee (Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion) works to strengthen PAE as a company where diversity is a core asset, where all experiences are valued, and individuality is encouraged and celebrated. We work to ensure justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion in decision making and company practices. In addition to influencing our company, we want to influence and become a role model for the AEC industry and regional community.
Women in Leadership
The Women in Leadership Committee was formed to develop strong women leaders within the company, and to help create the paths that those women can take to be leaders. We do this through mentorship, advocacy, and the involvement of PAE’s leadership group.
Community Service
Because we know that personal involvement is an essential link with our communities, we provide opportunities to volunteer, enjoy matching gift-giving, and do pro bono work. Employees can use up to 20 hours a year to give back to the organization of their choice like donating blood or planting trees.
Learning & Development
A true expert knows how little they actually know-- that’s why we hope to keep our employees so engaged in the experience of learning that they are continually seeking it out, then using it to teach others and carry out PAE’s vision.
Research and Development
Our competitive annual PAE Grant gives any employee, including staff and engineers, the resources and encouragement to explore what inspires them. With it, our teams have the chance to research new ideas and processes. This exciting opportunity helps give space to vast new research that contributes to ideas within our industry and beyond.
Renew
The Renew team makes sure we’re walking our talk, aligning our company culture with our mission of solving the planet’s water and energy challenges. They’ve led the charge in getting PAE JUST certified, worked on an energy modeling tool for our physical offices, and provided inspiration with presentations and workshops on sustainable practices.
Leads
Stepping into a leadership role is a big career adjustment, so we set up our Leads Committee to provide the tools, training, and support to succeed. With successful leaders, empowered through feedback and mentorship, come successful projects.
Fun
Loosen up! The Fun Committee does just that, creating a “culture of fun,” and allowing us to relieve stress through play and create bonds across our teams. We enjoy karaoke, ski trips, softball games, trivia nights, and so much more. Even when social events were pushed to a virtual space, the Fun Committee stepped up with on-screen happy hours and workshops.
Wellness
We’re inspiring and creating a community of employees ready to tackle and enjoy the pursuit of a healthy lifestyle! Believing that small shifts toward a fulfilling life creates wellness, we promote preventative care and a holistic approach to wellbeing like providing workshops and classes on cooking, meditation, stress management, fitness and more.
Standards
By enhancing our standards we improve the efficiency, quality, and consistency of our designs. We review current standards, set higher standards, and create even more robust project processes and resilient buildings for our clients.
Inspiring Students
We keep engaged with the students in our communities and inspire future generations of STEM by joining the ACE mentorship program, Oregon MESA, and partnering with the Architectural Foundation of Oregon and Architects in Schools to develop a new curriculum that includes our authored engineering-focused children’s book, The Evolution of Egansville.
We have also partnered with De La Salle Corporate Work Study Program. The CWSP experience provides tremendous opportunity for economically disadvantaged students to get a college-prep education, while at the same time providing a diverse, motivated, enthusiastic entry level work force.
Giving Back
We use our time to give back to the programs and organizations that help us with our company mission, like inspiring students to go into STEM careers, staying involved in our local communities, and donating pro bono hours to valuable projects.
- We’re enrolled in the 1% for Public Architecture program, through which we provide 400 hours per year of pro bono time to a variety of projects like a National LGBTQ Center for the Arts in San Francisco, Kenton Women’s Village in Portland, all the way to a girls boarding school in Afghanistan.
- We created our own in-house version of the 1% program: Employees can spend 1% of their work time as volunteers for local programs and causes.
- Building on the commitment PAE has to its staff and community, our annual Charitable Giving funds are split between corporate giving and a large employee matching program. Donations can be matched for charities at the local and national level. Our corporate giving includes places like San Francisco’s Tenderloin Community School.
- We are passionate about molding the next generation of design professionals. Many of our senior engineers teach classes for local universities with architecture and engineering programs.