erik matthews, owner

Erik has been practicing architecture for almost thirty years and is registered in Oregon, Washington, California, New York, Illinois and Wisconsin. He received his Bachelor of Architectural Design from Clemson University in 1988 and his Masters of Architecture from the University of Oregon in 2001. He has extensive experience creating branded design solutions and leading multi-disciplinary teams on multifamily housing projects. Additional experience includes rebound new MRI addition at the rose quarter; Gates fire hall (LEED gold) in Gates, Oregon; the Keen footwear showroom in Portland, Oregon; and Converse New York showroom in New York City. He also worked on the 30,000 square foot Portland Trailblazer practice facility.

Erik has been a guest critic at the University of Oregon, Portland State University and the Art Institute of Portland as well as a volunteer for Architects in Schools while residing in Chicago.  He is a member of the American Institute of Architects and is certified with the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards. 

Oh, and yes. That is a photo of Erik in kindergarten!

trena espie, associate designer

Trena received her Bachelor of Science with honors in Interior Design at Oregon State University in 2011. She went on to work for the university facilities department, gaining expertise in surveying buildings and drawing as-builts. She moved to Portland where she transitioned to the interiors realm, working and learning under a local designer for three years. With their main focus on residential, that is where she found her niche, but enjoys working on a variety of projects. She made the switch to architecture when she joined the EMA team in 2016. Trena lives on the west side and loves exploring the outdoors (ski, hike, camp, travel) with her husband and son, and their energetic border collie mix.

erin ziter, associate designer

matt decker, associate designer

Matt graduated with a degree of architecture from University of Oregon in 2017. During his studies he focused advancements and benefits of timber design, and sustainable practices in both small and large scale projects as well as everything in between. After graduating, Matt moved to Seattle and practiced residential design for a year; then moved back to Oregon and joined the team at EM Architecture in 2019. He is experienced in crafting drawing sets and understanding how to bring a building together with a special interest for the details and modeling. Since joining EM architecture, Matt has helped with the design process, and bringing drawing sets together. Outside of the architectural bubble, Matt has enjoyed a lifetime hobby of riding motorcycles and relishes in being able to race at the local race tracks and explore what the PNW has to offer on two wheels.

• amazon

• grove development

• n&n real estate services

• kirkland development

• kdc development

• tofurky

• trap door brewing

• double mountain brewery

• john’s marketplace

• port of cascade locks

• custom interface

• big beard farms

• chief consulting group

• rosenbaum financial

• western construction

• edwards construction group

• home depot

• ferment brewing

• mazama brewing

• muscle maker grille

• waste connections

• geodesign engineering

• cardinal glass

• henry v events

• key compounds

• orchard hills country club

• turtle island foods

• mf botanicals

• n45 cannabis

• skinner properties

• industrial strength gym

• brightside growing and dispensary

• next level wellness

• otis gardens

• four seasons farms

• pelinti

• blakeslee vineyard

• scout + molly

• zero subs

• uwajimaya grocers