Profile

Steven Ehrlich, the firm's Founding Partner, learned early on the significance of how architecture responds to the culture and the environment - a self-proclaimed "architectural anthropologist". Upon graduating from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute with a Bachelor of Science and a Bachelor of Architecture, Ehrlich spent six years living and working in Africa, serving for two years with the Peace Corps as their first architect in Marrakech, Morocco. He later traveled across the Sahara and taught architecture at Ahmadu Bello University in Nigeria. The lessons of indigenous building were instrumental in forming Ehrlich's approach to design and continue to influence the firm's work today.

In addition to the Firm Award, Ehrlich Yanai Rhee Chaney Architects counts eight national AIA design awards to its credit, and Steven Ehrlich is a recipient of the AIA California’s prestigious Maybeck Award and the 2015 AIA Los Angeles Gold Medal for outstanding lifelong achievement in architectural design. He has lectured and taught as a visiting professor both nationally and abroad; currently as a visiting professor at the University of Southern California.

Takashi Yanai is a Partner at Ehrlich Yanai Rhee Chaney Architects and has been Residential Studio Director since 2004. Takashi is also currently leading EYRC’s San Francisco Studio.

Prior to practice, Takashi was a design journalist and editor at GA Houses in Tokyo where his work and travels provided the seeds for his design philosophy. Today his work is rooted in its contemplative relationship to landscape and is a continuation of the California Modernist ethos infused with reinterpretations of traditional Japanese elements. In 2017 he was elevated to the AIA College of Fellows in recognition of his residential work, which articulates how architecture can “connect man and nature through masterful siting and exceptional craft.” Takashi serves on the SFMOMA Photography Accessions as well as the Architecture+Design Accessions Committees and has also been appointed the Chair of the National AIA Committee on Design for 2021.

His professional activities, travels and personal inspirations are well-documented and widely followed (57,000 followers) on his Instagram account @t_yanai. Takashi has a degree in Literature with distinction from the University of California at Berkeley and a Masters in Architecture from the Harvard Graduate School of Design.

Patricia Rhee, FAIA has been a member of the firm since 2000 and was named a Partner in 2013. She has served as Project Architect / Designer for several of the firm's most notable and award-winning projects, including The Culver Steps, Ivy Station, the United Arab Emirates' Federal National Council Parliament Complex and GSA's John M. Roll Federal Courthouse. She received her Master's degree in Architecture from Harvard's Graduate School of Design where she was awarded the Thayer Prize and received her Bachelor's degree from the University of Pennsylvania. In addition, she recently completed USC's Ross Minority Program in Real Estate. She has served on design juries with the AIA Academy of Architecture for Justice, DBIA, University of Southern California and SCI-Arc. Patricia was a founding Co-Chair of the AIA Los Angeles Women in Architecture committee. She has lectured internationally, at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, Clemson University, the World Architecture Festival, at AIA Los Angeles’ POWERFUL Women in Design symposium and AIA Women’s Leadership Summit.

Mathew Chaney is a Partner at Ehrlich Yanai Rhee Chaney Architects, recipient of the prestigious 2015 AIA National Architecture Firm Award. Mathew has served as Principal-in-Charge for some of the firm’s largest and most complex projects, including the recently completed $500m UC San Diego Theatre District Living and Learning Neighborhood and the Pendry Hotel + Residences in West Hollywood. Mathew is a recognized thought leader in alternative delivery methods throughout the A/E/C industry and lectures frequently on Design/Build and Integrated Project delivery across the country. Mathew shares leadership of the firm’s Commercial and Institutional studios with partner Patricia Rhee.

Prior to joining EYRC Architects in 2002, Mathew's resume includes 3 years at Walt Disney Imagineering as one of the lead creatives on the "Soarin' over California" Ride/Film at the Disney's California Adventure park in Anaheim, CA, and as a co-founder of an experimental digital design and fabrication collaborative "Telemachus Studio.” Mathew’s passion for incorporating the latest technology in project design and delivery ensures that EYRC Architects is on the cutting-edge of the profession.

Ashley Richardson, AIA, LEED AP, a graduate of Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, is a seasoned project manager on large, complex projects including the Pendry Hotel + Residences and the Theater District Living and Learning Neighborhood at UC San Diego. Her ability to manage large teams, while building strong client relationships, has made her an indispensable part of the leadership team and in 2021 she was elevated to Managing Principal, followed by promotion to Partner in 2023.

Ashley is involved in AIALA as a former Design Awards Committee Chair and as the 2022 Past Co-Chair of the Women in Architecture Committee.

Bryn Garrett is a facile designer and skilled leader who has been involved with a broad range of project types at EYRC since 2012. From custom single-family residential to creative office and hospitality, his unique perspective on a project’s context, scale and materiality makes him an invaluable team member.

More recently, Bryn has led EYRC’s firm-wide sustainability initiatives to bolster the wellness and net zero strategies used during the design process. Bryn was elevated to Partner in 2023 and has been heading EYRC’s San Francisco studio since its inception in 2017.