Community Highlights: Meet Hector Parga of Parga Architecture Studio

Today we’d like to introduce you to Hector Parga.

Hi Hector, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I was born in Mexico and immigrated to the United States in 1992 at the age of seven with my mother and two older brothers. Like many immigrant families, our early years were defined by constant adjustment. We moved frequently throughout South-Central Los Angeles and Huntington Park while I attended LAUSD schools, raised by a single mother doing everything she could to keep us moving forward.

When I was thirteen, we relocated once more, this time to Long Beach. That move became a turning point. I attended middle school and high school there and eventually graduated from Lakewood High School. It was in Long Beach that my interest in architecture first took shape, though at the time, higher education felt out of reach. University was something we simply could not afford, and I was raised with the understanding that you don’t pursue what you can’t pay for.

With that mindset, I enrolled at Long Beach City College. While there, I joined a work-experience program through the architecture department and was placed as an intern at a local architecture firm. That experience changed everything. My exposure to design, problem-solving, and the built environment solidified my passion for the profession. I stayed with that firm for six years, absorbing as much as I could and learning the realities of architectural practice from the ground up.

During that period, I transferred to California State University, Long Beach, where I initially pursued a degree in Political Science with an emphasis in political theory. In 2012, I made a drastic and life-altering decision: I placed my architecture career on hold and enlisted in the U.S. Army as an infantryman. I deployed to Afghanistan in 2014 in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, earning the Combat Infantryman Badge, Purple Heart, and several other commendations. My military service profoundly reshaped my perspective on leadership, responsibility, and resilience.

In 2018, I was medically separated from the Army and returned to civilian life. I resumed my architecture career, joining smaller firms where I had to rebuild momentum and re-establish myself after years away from the profession. At the same time, I committed to the long and demanding path toward architectural licensure.

That effort culminated in October 2023, when I became a licensed architect. In parallel, I returned to CSULB to complete my degree, graduating in 2023 finally closing a chapter that had begun many years earlier.

In 2025, I took another leap of faith. I left my job and started my own practice, Parga Architecture Studio, marking the beginning of my path as an entrepreneur. The firm reflects not only my professional experience, but also my personal journey, one shaped by immigration, service, persistence, and a belief that meaningful progress is built step by step.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has definitely not been a smooth road. Nearly every phase of my journey came with its own challenges, many of which were shaped by responsibility, timing, and circumstances beyond my control.

From the beginning, financial limitations and being raised in an immigrant household meant I had to take a slower, less conventional path. Progress often came in small steps, community college instead of university, working while studying, and learning through experience rather than privilege or access.

Along the way, I was also building a family. I became a parent in 2012, welcomed my second child in 2019, and my youngest in 2020. Balancing parenthood with school, work, military service, and the long path to licensure required constant trade-offs. There were many moments when forward momentum felt fragile, and the pressure to provide made every decision heavier.

Stepping away from architecture to serve in the U.S. Army was another major challenge. While the experience shaped me profoundly, returning to civilian life and re-entering the profession after years away required starting over in many ways, rebuilding technical skills, re-establishing credibility, and proving myself again while managing family responsibilities.

One of the most difficult moments came in 2021, when I lost my mother to cancer. She had been a constant source of strength throughout my life, and she never had the chance to see me graduate from university or become a licensed architect. Carrying that loss while continuing forward was incredibly difficult, but it also gave deeper meaning to finishing what I started, and ensuring my mother’s sacrifices were worth it.

Balancing licensure exams, completing my degree later in life, and eventually starting my own firm required persistence and patience. Nothing unfolded quickly or easily. But those struggles shaped how I approach both my work and leadership today with empathy, discipline, and an appreciation for the long view.

Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Parga Architecture Studio is a boutique architecture practice rooted in thoughtful problem-solving, clarity, and close collaboration. The firm works primarily with small housing, retail, and mixed-use clients, often on infill and adaptive reuse projects where constraints such as zoning, budget, approvals, or existing conditions require a careful and strategic approach.

What defines the practice is early involvement and hands-on leadership. As a boutique firm, clients work directly with the principal from the first conversation through delivery. That continuity allows for honest dialogue, efficient decision-making, and design solutions grounded in real-world considerations rather than abstract ideals. Much of the firm’s work begins at the feasibility and entitlement stage, helping clients understand what is realistically possible and how to move forward with confidence.

We are known for designing buildings that are both thoughtful and buildable. The focus is not on spectacle, but on creating architecture that responds to its context, serves its users, and aligns with a client’s long-term goals. We value restraint, clarity, and durability. Design decisions that hold up over time and through the complexities of the approval and construction process.

What sets the studio apart is the perspective behind it. The firm is shaped by a nontraditional path; immigration, public education, military service, and years of hands-on experience across multiple scales of practice. That background informs a grounded approach to architecture: one that values responsibility, accountability, and respect for the realities clients face.

Brand-wise, I’m most proud that Parga Architecture Studio is built on trust. Clients come to us not just for design, but for guidance, honesty, and follow-through. I want readers to know that the firm exists to help people navigate complexity with clarity, and to create architecture that is purposeful, achievable, and meaningful. Underlying everything we do is the conviction that meaningful, well-designed architecture should be accessible to all, not limited by wealth or privilege.

What do you like best about our city? What do you like least?
What I like best about Los Angeles is it’s a city where no single narrative defines the whole, and that complexity is reflected in the built environment. There’s a constant tension between history and reinvention, and as an architect, I appreciate how that creates opportunities to design with context, adaptability, and purpose. Los Angeles also rewards persistence; it’s a place where unconventional paths are not only accepted but often necessary.

What I like least is how inaccessible the city can feel to the very people who give it character. Housing affordability, long commutes, and uneven access to quality public spaces continue to push many residents to the margins. From a design perspective, there’s still too much separation between good architecture and everyday life. I believe the city has an opportunity, and a responsibility, to build more thoughtfully and inclusively as it continues to grow.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.parga-architecture.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/parga_architecture_studio/
• LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/parga-architecture-studio