FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | RALEIGH, NC

The North Carolina State University College of Design engaged DLR Group as its founding partner, a leading integrated design firm delivering architecture, engineering, interiors, planning and building optimization for new construction, renovation and adaptive reuse with the promise of elevating the human experience through design. DLR Group will work closely with The Alliance for Inclusive Design Practice and Research (The Alliance) to form a strong pipeline between academic research and evidence-based practice. 

Formerly known as The Center for Universal Design, The Alliance has renewed NC State University’s legacy as the home of the universal design movement, which spearheaded more equitable design of housing, facilities and products for people with disabilities. Through this work, the center impacted change in policies and procedures worldwide through research, information, education and design assistance. The program is now devoted to advancing equal opportunity in the built environment, focused on supporting and translating research into practice. 

“With this funding, ideas can move more quickly from theory and data collection into real projects, campuses and communities,” says Traci Rose Rider, co-director of The Alliance and an associate professor of architecture in the NC State University College of Design. “I’m energized by the chance to co-create studies for inclusive and community-engaged design with a firm that’s committed to creating better environments for the human experience, and to transform our collaborations into teaching materials, toolkits and research that influence both students and practitioners,” she adds. 

A Dynamic Partnership

Both parties hope to raise the bar for inclusive design in both practice and education, bringing a wealth of knowledge to their efforts. 

DLR Group’s research-oriented practice centers around deep engagement with its communities and a growing expertise in equity-focused tools. This background creates an ideal laboratory for applying and testing The Alliance’s work across building types. “We’ve invested in building a rigorous research practice precisely so we can collaborate at this level and show up as true collaborators with academic institutions,” says B Sanborn, principal and design research leader at DLR Group.  

The Alliance offers the opportunity to systematize and operationalize the firm’s equity and inclusion goals, turning commitments into concrete design methods, training content and measurable outcomes that can be deployed across project teams, shared directly with clients, and disseminated to the field. 

“Partnering with The Alliance demonstrates our firm’s commitment to making inclusion real through practice and backing it up with evidence,” says Jessica Bantom, global leader of equity, diversity and belonging at DLR Group. 

With DLR Group as a nationally and internationally practicing firm, the opportunity to expand the footprint of inclusive design practice into real-world examples that directly serve communities is exponentially increased.

“By working with DLR Group’s large, research-oriented portfolio, The Alliance can develop, test and refine resources, pilot universal design approaches,  and establish curriculum ideas across diverse geographies, project types and communities,” says Rider. “In turn, DLR Group’s questions, real-world constraints, and innovations can push us to focus our agenda on the methods and evidence that are most actionable for integrated design teams and clients. This partnership will help shape research priorities, educational content, and future guidance so The Alliance deliverables respond directly to the realities of contemporary practice.”

Leaders from Industry and Academia

With this new partnership, members from DLR Group and The Alliance will take a strategic lead in driving academic research into professional practice.

Traci Rider, Ph.D. 
Co-Director, The Alliance for Inclusive Design Practice and Research 
Associate Professor of Architecture, NC State University College of Design 

Dr. Rider’s research has focused on the relationship between the design culture and the notions of sustainability and health, exploring factors impacting environmental attitudes of designers, including environmental education, learned associations and informal influences around both environmental and health concerns. She teaches courses focusing on sustainability and health for the School of Architecture, addressing topics such as existing building operations and maintenance and holistic considerations for both health and sustainability. 

Victoria Lanteigne, Ph.D.
Co-Director, The Alliance for Inclusive Design Practice and Research

With a background that bridges design, public policy and advocacy, Dr. Lanteigne has been leading inclusive design efforts for nearly 20 years. Victoria brings an interdisciplinary lens to architectural research with the aim of developing industry standards and frameworks for practical application. 

B Sanborn 
Principal and Design Research Leader, DLR Group 

Sanborn leads design research focused on workplace strategy, human experience, and organizational effectiveness. Their work helps organizations understand how people work, make evidence-based decisions about space and culture and build research capability within their teams. They specialize in strategic facilitation, observational research and translating complex insights into actionable frameworks. At DLR Group, Sanborn leads design research, where they guide research strategy and lead a team conducting qualitative and quantitative research on client-facing projects.

Jessica Bantom 
Global Leader of Equity, Diversity and Belonging, DLR Group

Bantom is a design thinker and a skilled management consultant with more than 20 years of experience. She is an experienced equity leader, helping organizations evolve their culture to understand, appreciate and acknowledge identity and cultural differences. She is also an adjunct faculty member at Marymount University focused on the intersection of diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging with design. 

Next Steps for the Alliance 

After its initial launch in 2024 with startup funding from the North Carolina State University Foundation, Inc., The Alliance is moving from visioning into implementation, with the aims of conducting large-scale research on inclusive design outcomes and revising and expanding the Seven Principles of Universal Design into a broader, intersectional, inclusive design framework. 

“Our partnership with DLR Group is a great first step in realizing the ethos of The Alliance, which includes bringing together experts, researchers and practitioners to support the advancement of inclusive design,” says Victoria Lanteigne, co-director of The Alliance. “Our goal is to continue the great work of the Center for Universal Design (CUD) in advancing design for disability inclusion and beyond to ensure that all groups and individuals can enjoy, use and prosper from built environments.” 

Get Involved

Join The Alliance to support advancing its mission to create more inclusive buildings, spaces and communities. Suggested structured sponsorship tiers can be viewed here, and reach out for other donation opportunities by email to allianceidpr@ncsu.edu. 

About the NC State College of Design: 

The NC State College of Design prepares students for a career in design through interdisciplinary engagement, innovative exploration of technologies, and a core foundation of design thinking and practice. The College of Design offers undergraduate, graduate, doctor of design, and PhD in design degrees and currently has over 900 enrolled students. NC State University is a leading public research university located in Raleigh, North Carolina. 

In response to an ever-expanding global interest in all disciplines of design, the College’s curriculum incorporates relevant practices reflecting both the university’s Tier 1 Research status and its land-grant mission. 

About The Alliance for Inclusive Design Practice and Research:

The Alliance’s mission is to advance equal opportunity in the built environment. This approach includes designing spaces, products, and systems that are centered on inclusive experiences across a spectrum of user considerations, including but not limited to age, disability and neurodiversity. 

About DLR Group:

Celebrating 60 years in 2026, DLR Group is an integrated design firm delivering sustainable, human-centered solutions for communities locally and globally. The firm’s architects, engineers, interior designers, and planners collaborate with public and private sector clients to create projects with long-lasting social, economic, and environmental value. Fast Company named DLR Group among the World’s Most Innovative Companies for its industry-leading adaptive reuse strategies: innovative design that serves clients and communities while significantly reducing carbon emissions.  

DLR Group’s promise is to elevate the human experience through design. As a 100% employee-owned firm, DLR Group fosters a culture of ownership and accountability that shapes its daily practice and drives its commitment to sustainability initiatives, including the 2030 Challenge, the China Accord, and the AIA 2030 Commitment.