GLAS is an architectural studio built on the belief that a school shapes the community around it as much as the community shapes the school.
Mission
Crafting community through learning, belonging, and connection. GLAS is a practice built on the belief that architecture shapes people as much as it shapes space. We design environments that grow communities, deepen belonging, and support the learning that defines the future.
Gessel Leonard Architectural Studio (GLAS) was founded by Buddy Gessel, AIA, LEED AP and Brian Leonard, AIA out of a shared conviction that architecture and design should grow communities as much as it houses them — both in process and result. Our vision is to lead a contextual process that forms community identity, then creates a space for that community to inhabit.
While the design industry is moving through a wave of consolidation across California resulting in bigger firms, GLAS is a return to leader-led design. Our goal is to provide our clients an experience in which every project is led by senior leadership leveraging decades of experience.
Our structured process begins with being present and listening. We work to understand the vision, reality, and requirements of your project — leading to the design frameworks that guide the solutions that follow. Our designs are uniquely contextual, translating the vision of your campus into places with clarity and intention.
We envision architecture as a reflection of the community it serves — open in process, purposeful in form, and adaptable over time. GLAS designs simple, carefully crafted environments shaped by community insight and informed by real operational needs.
We begin by listening. Community voices — educators, students, staff, families, and stakeholders — are an essential source of insight.
We believe care is visible. Thoughtful detailing, clear documentation, and disciplined coordination are essential to quality and trust.
Educational environments evolve, and so must our understanding. We approach every project with curiosity and humility.
We design environments where people feel welcomed, supported, and included — through clarity, accessibility, and thoughtful planning.
Strong relationships are central to successful projects. We value clear communication, transparency, and collaboration.
Our emphasis on leadership is rooted in community and design, and our team is trained to be Total Architects — polymaths of the design profession who follow a project from design through construction. That continuous presence is what lets the ideas born in a visioning session show up on opening day. GLAS is built on mentorship and collaboration — the only tools we've found that effectively create Total Architects.
Founding Partner · Design Team Principal · 30 years in K-12 architecture
Leads client development, design oversight, technology strategy, sustainability, and educational and master planning, and functions as the regulatory expert across GLAS's DSA-governed public school projects.
Founding Partner · Design Team Principal · 25 years in K-12 architecture
Skilled in community clarity, master planning, educational planning, design, and emerging technologies — translating educational curriculum and pedagogy into facility design.
Our leadership has led some of the largest, most technically challenging K-12 projects across Southern California, including Liberty High School, and precedent-setting work such as Design39Campus — recognized with dozens of state-level design awards.
