Community Investment Fund Spotlight: Hatch Architects Design Center

Get ready to be inspired! Learn to Earn Dayton Communications Intern, Caitlyn Russell, is sharing exclusive stories from the recipients of our Community Investment Fund. Discover the innovative ways these investments are shaping a brighter future for Dayton.

Hatch Architects Design Center is opening doors for students in Dayton by introducing them to architecture through real-world experiences. Since its founding in 2020, the nonprofit has focused on increasing diversity in the architecture profession by engaging students in innovative design-build programs. Through the program, Hatch Architects inspire them to explore new career paths and see themselves as future designers.

Over the past three years, Hatch has been supported by Learn to Earn Dayton’s Community Investment Fund (CIF), backed by Blue Meridian Partners and local philanthropic organizations. Before receiving the grant, Hatch led small-scale design workshops using materials such as blocks and Legos. The CIF funding has significantly expanded their capabilities, allowing them to implement full build projects, hire more staff, and run multi-week design-build workshops for children of all ages.

Alex Bohler, founder of Hatch Architects Design Center, shared the difference this funding has made, “kids deserve to know this career exists—and that they can do it too.”

Hatch Architect's summer camp is located at the Dayton Metro Library Northwest branch and offers hands-on, design-build experiences for students of all ages, with week-long sessions for grades K–6 and a two-week intensive for teens. The teen program includes a design week followed by a build week with support from a certified carpenter. Last year, the K-6 programs served 33 students who built functional birdhouses and mini/travel-sized cornhole games. Teen program participants were able to design and construct a playhouse for the Dayton Metro Library that provided a much-needed shaded area for the children and they completed a table with seating at heights suited for everyone. This year, they began by interviewing the library staff to better understand their needs, then applied those insights to design and build mobile tack boards, book carts, and oversized games for indoor and outdoor use.

“Many students don’t realize architecture and related fields are career options. It’s hard to pursue a path you’ve never heard of,” said Alex. A core mission of Hatch Architects is to increase diversity within the architecture profession. Currently, only 27% of licensed architects are women, about 2% are Black, and 1% are Black women. Hatch Architects is working to help those numbers grow by providing early exposure and hands-on experience. In 2024 alone, nearly 400 students participated in Hatch programming. Of those, approximately 75% identified as Black/African American, 18% as White, and 2% as Latinx. Among participants who reported gender, 45% were female and 55% male, showing meaningful progress toward a more inclusive and representative future in design.

Hatch Architects Design Center has expanded its outreach to college students as well. Currently, there are two college students, two recent college graduates, and two industry professionals who work as program specialists throughout the summer.

“You learn best when you teach someone else,” said Aiden Davey, an architectural technology student at Sinclair Community College, who emphasized the knowledge gained by working with children, and discussed the opportunities that Alex has given the student workers.

The program has seen strong demand - the latest summer camp had a wait-list of 30 teens and all three sessions were at capacity. Looking ahead, Hatch is exploring ways to expand its reach; through other summer camp programming, after-school partnerships, and collaborations.

For many students, the impact goes beyond career plans, just discovering that architecture is an option can be transformative. “We’ve had teens say, ‘I didn’t even know what an architect was, and now I’m interested,’” shared Alex. As one of the few female-led architecture programs in the region, Hatch Architects is not only shaping physical spaces, it’s inspiring a new generation of designers, leaders, and community builders across Dayton.