Design the future for future use.

We believe in the power of design to improve the status quo. We aim to partner with entities engaged in creating quality societal outcomes and positive systemic change. We specialize in helping clients to develop strategic visions for their projects and deploy a highly user-centric approach to the design of the built environment.

Francesca Birks, Founder, Aretee Consulting

Our Core Values

With over two decades of experience as design strategists, innovation consultants, and foresight practitioners, we believe in the importance of taking both an evidence-based and creative approach to designing a future that aligns an organization’s design aspirations with its strategic objectives and meets the needs of its future users.

Future Catalysts

We believe in the importance of sparking positive future change.

Co-Creation

We partner with our clients to co-create optimal futures and user experiences.

Inclusivity

We build teams that harness the power of collective intelligence.

Quality

We are uncompromising in our pursuit of authenticity and integrity.

Contact Us
“I have worked with Francesca on many workshops and events with the goal of aligning disparate thinking and creating actionable insight that can move us towards our aims. Her preparation is always thorough and her facilitation humane and insightful.”

Fiona Cousins

Chair, Arup Americas

“We wanted to do something bold and innovative, we were lucky to engage Francesca.  She has been instrumental in helping us break the mold and create world-class facilities and programs on campus. We continue to use Francesca and her team on projects when we need to create inspiration. If you want to do something great, the Aretee team will get you there.”

Troy D’Ambrosio

VP of Innovation, University of Utah

“Francesca facilitated a zero-to-one concept development process for a large team spanning multiple cities and time zones, resulting in an innovative application in the public realm. We could not have done it without her insights, empathy, and strategic acumen.”

Siqi Zhu

Former Director of Planning, Sidewalk Labs

Associate Principal & Director of Planning and Urban Technology, Sasaki

FAQs

We've included a list of FAQs to help answer some initial questions but don't hesitate to contact us if you have other questions.

How do I get in touch with Aretee?

We want to keep it easy. Just hit any of the contact us buttons and we will do our best to respond in a timely manner. We understand that everyone is busy!

What are your primary services?

Our primary service areas include facilitation, design strategy, and foresight consulting.  We have also been engaged in conducting research, curating cultural event programming, and developing thought leadership reports.

What clients do you typically serve?

We have worked with clients across several sectors like architecture, engineering, construction, and technology, however, we primarily choose to work with clients in education, the public sector, and AEC. That's short for architecture, engineering, and construction! This is a FAQ section after all.

Is there anywhere I can see Aretee's project experience?

If you visit the work section of our site on the upper righthand corner, you will find examples of projects we've delivered in the past.

What does Aretee mean?

The correct spelling is arete; in Greek philosophy, it means excellence, goodness, fulfillment, or virtue. These are cultural aspirations and mirror some of our core values as a collective. The word is pronounced "arte" which reminds us of art, which we love, and arête, and that's French for stop.