We Believe:
There is a need for creative, responsible, and inspiring architectural services in many under-served communities of the world.
The best people to provide those services are people from those communities.
Many gifted people in these communities do not pursue a career in architecture because of barriers to training & gainful employment.
Our Mission:
We invest in design professionals from developing countries by providing training and employment so that they can better impact their communities through design.
We create training opportunities and generate revenue by providing design services to clients and other architecture firms in the United States.
The revenue from our stateside work subsidizes our time on our architectural Impact Projects in Ethiopia and with other international architectural partners.
What’s an Impact Project?
“Impact projects” have an intentional positive social impact on the under-resourced communities that they serve.
Our Story
The idea for Conduit Collaborative was born in Port au Prince, Haiti, after the devastating earthquake struck the capital city in January 2010. After seeing the catastrophic damage that followed the earthquake firsthand, founder Chris Kulp recognized how pervasive poor construction techniques were in developing communities (which points to a significant gap in training for architects and craftsmen).
Inspired to play a role in improving this problem, Chris completed professional architectural licensure and obtained a master’s degree specializing in international cooperation and sustainable emergency architecture. From 2016 to 2019, Chris worked for a nonprofit architecture firm, 100 Fold Studio. While there, he managed design projects for nonprofit and humanitarian organizations in the developing world and invested in younger aspiring architects on his team. This is also where Chris met Josh Gebreyes, Conduit’s first architectural fellow.
After several years of practice in the nonprofit architecture sector, Chris returned to Pennsylvania to start his own practice focused on the training and employment of young architects from developing countries. The firm’s name stems from the belief that we should all live our lives as conduits—where the training and experience we are blessed to receive is transferred to others for their benefit, not our own.
Chris Kulp
Founder - Principal Architect
Chris is a licensed architect and craftsman who is driven to use his gifts to serve others. He is a graduate of Temple University in Philadelphia, USA (Bachelors of Architecture), and the International University of Catalunya in Barcelona, Spain (Masters of International Cooperation in Sustainable Emergency Architecture). His passion for investing in people led him to start Conduit Collaborative in 2021. He loves traveling, skiing, and hosting people for a good meal around a table — one he probably built himself.
Joshua Gebreyes
Architectural Fellow
Joshua is a graduate of the prestigious Ethiopia Institute of Architecture, Building Construction, and City Development (EiABC), and co-founder of an Ethiopia-based social enterprise, Infinite Leather & Crafts. Joshua is an architectural designer and social entrepreneur with a passion to use his skills and resources to create opportunities for others. He loves traveling, meeting new people, painting, and crafting.
Yididiya Abebe
Architectural Fellow
Yididiya holds an undergraduate degree in Architecture from Addis Ababa Science and Technology University, as well as a postgraduate diploma in Sustainable Architecture from Critical Concrete and the Escola Superior Artistica do Porto (ESAP). Her passion lies in researching environmentally friendly building methods and exploring the social implications of architecture. Being an avid coffee enthusiast, she loves gathering with friends and family over a cup of coffee, and discussing anything and everything.
