About Ara
We build homes that
care for you.
Ara was founded on a question: What if your home was the healthiest place you spent time? Not just non-toxic—actually healing.
The Problem
The building industry has failed to keep up with what we now know about human health. We spend 90% of our time indoors, yet most homes are filled with materials that off-gas toxins, lit by lights that disrupt our circadian rhythms, and sealed so tight they trap the air we're trying to escape.
"Green building" was a start—but it asked the wrong question. It asked: "How do we do less harm?" The better question is: "How do we actively heal?"
Our Answer
Ara exists to answer that question. We build Restorative Living environments—homes that don't just shelter you, but regenerate your health. Where technology senses and responds to your biology without requiring your attention. Where craft tradition creates spaces of warmth and calm. Where living materials breathe and adapt alongside you.
We're a small team in Los Angeles, aligned with the Living Building Challenge, building homes we'd want to raise our own families in.
What We Believe
Regeneration Over Sustainability
Doing less harm isn't enough. We build to actively heal—occupants, communities, and planet.
Invisible Technology, Visible Craft
The best systems disappear. The best craft reveals itself. We pursue both.
Outcomes Over Outputs
We don't count LEED points or square footage. We measure cortisol, sleep quality, and air purity. Outcomes are what matter.
Tradition Built Forward
We honor craft lineage while embracing building science. The best of the past, built for the 21st century and beyond.
Living Systems Thinking
The home is not a machine. It's an organism. We design for adaptation, breathing, and lifecycle.
Experience
30 years across every seat at the table.
Carpenter. Architect. Developer. Project manager. General contractor. We've held every role in the building process, which means we understand how the pieces fit together—and where things typically go wrong.
Our founder trained at Yale School of Architecture, helped establish SHoP Architects' design-build operation in New York, and has spent the last decade refining a kit-of-parts approach to homebuilding in Los Angeles.
30+
Years in construction
M.Arch
Yale School of Architecture
LBC
Living Building Challenge aligned
LA
Los Angeles based
Let's talk about your project.
Every home starts with a conversation. We'd love to hear what you're thinking.
Get in touch