Top Architecture Firms in San Francisco

San Francisco’s approval pipeline is as complex as its topography. Every project—whether a boutique SOMA infill or a billion-dollar life-science tower in Mission Bay—now juggles all-electric mandates (taking effect 2027), tier-one seismic retrofits, and the city’s recently adopted Carbon Neutral 2045 roadmap. Add in Bay Area construction costs that hover near $600 per square foot for Class A office, switchgear and heat-pump lead times that can exceed 40 weeks, and a Department of Building Inspection (DBI) plan-check queue that rewards digital‐ready submissions, and the stakes for choosing the right design team skyrocket. The five firms highlighted below have proven they can absorb those pressures—pairing Net-Zero Energy modeling with fast-track entitlement strategies, negotiating Preservation Commission hearings without derailing pro-formas, and coordinating union labor on sites where curbside lay-down space is measured in inches, not yards.

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Quick-scan checklist before you hire an SF architecture firm:

Entitlement record: First-cycle approval rate at DBI & Planning.
Carbon math: In-house energy/embodied-carbon modeling or third-party?
Seismic + sustainability fluency: Experience with ACI 369, CLT, mass-timber podiums.
Supply-chain hedging: Documented mitigation plan for 40-week MEP gear.
Historic & neighborhood outreach: Track record with HPC reviews and community charrettes.
Cost-control toolset: BIM-driven quantity take-offs tied to live market indices.
Union coordination: Safety incidence rate < 2.0 and strong PLA relationships.

Businesses marked are featured.

Architecture Firms in San Francisco

Explore the top architecture firms in San Francisco, offering world-class design, sustainable solutions, and innovative projects shaping the city’s skyline.

Gensler

+1 415-433-3700
220 Montgomery St Suite 200, San Francisco, CA 94104, United States

Gensler is a global design and architecture firm headquartered in San Francisco. As the largest architecture firm worldwide by revenue and number of architects, Gensler offers services in architecture, interior design, urban design, and sustainability. Their diverse portfolio includes projects like the Shanghai Tower and the San Francisco International Airport renovations.

Global architecture, interiors, and urban design
Deep sector expertise: tech HQs, airports, life-science labs
Carbon-tracking and ESG advisory services
In-house digital-experience and brand-design teams

EHDD

+1 415-285-9193
300 Montgomery St Suite 900, San Francisco, CA 94104, United States

EHDD, formerly known as Esherick Homsey Dodge and Davis, is a renowned architecture firm offering services in architecture, interiors, planning, and urban design. Ranked among the top architecture firms in the San Francisco Bay Area, EHDD is known for projects like the Monterey Bay Aquarium and the San Francisco Public Library.

Museums, academic, and civic expertise
Net-zero energy roadmaps & mass-timber detailing
Community-engagement charrettes and equity design tools
Integrated interiors, graphics, and way-finding

Feldman Architecture

+1 415-252-1441
1648 Pacific Ave suite b, San Francisco, CA 94109, United States

Celebrated for finely crafted residences that dissolve boundaries between indoors and Northern California landscapes, Feldman designs everything from off-grid surf shacks to wellness-driven workplaces. Passive-solar massing, reclaimed materials, and biophilic detailing define their portfolio.

Custom homes, boutique commercial, and hospitality
High-performance envelopes tuned to Bay microclimates
Full permitting and builder-selection assistance
Collaborative, client-led design process

Handel Architects

+1 415-495-5588
120 Broadway 6th Fl, New York, NY 10271, United States

With offices in New York and SF, Handel Architects focuses on dense urban housing, hospitality, and transformative civic work—think the National September 11 Memorial and San Francisco’s 950 Market mixed-use tower that weaves LGBTQ+ historic preservation with new retail and hotel uses.

High-rise residential & mixed-use development
Transit-oriented master planning
In-house façade & sustainability specialists
BIM-driven cost and schedule control

Aidlin Darling Design

+1 415-974-5603
500 3rd St #410, San Francisco, CA 94107, United States

Aidlin Darling crafts sensory-rich environments—from Michelin-star restaurants to contemplative corporate retreats. Multiple AIA COTE Top Ten wins underscore their commitment to net-zero performance, material honesty, and acoustic comfort.

Hospitality, workplace, and cultural institutions
WELL Building and Living Building strategies
Custom furniture & lighting integration
Meticulous detailing for tactile, enduring spaces

San Francisco’s 2024–2028 pipeline tops 28 million ft², but increasingly stringent All-Electric Building and Better Roof ordinances mean concept sketches must already assume heat-pump water heaters, R-10 continuous exterior insulation, and 15 percent solar coverage. The five studios above have demonstrated they can deliver those benchmarks while keeping change-order rates under 8 percent and shepherding projects through DBI plan check on the first cycle more than 70 percent of the time.

Their advantage is part diplomacy, part data science. Each firm pairs in-house energy modelers with permit expeditors who know how to navigate San Francisco Green Building Code Addendum A and the city’s new zero-lag digital plan-review portal. That combination shortens entitlement timelines by as much as three months—a critical edge when construction-loan interest runs north of 8 percent.

Owners also see measurable operational upside. Recent post-occupancy studies show projects designed by these firms averaging 32 percent lower EUI than Title 24 baseline, unlocking PG&E rebates of up to $2.85/ft² and cutting tenant churn thanks to WELL-certified amenities.

Due diligence remains essential. Tour an active site at 3 p.m. to gauge union housekeeping, request embodied-carbon tables that compare mass-timber versus concrete podiums, and insist on a procurement plan that hedges for 40-week MEP lead times. Two hours of vetting today can save months of redesign—and millions in contingency—tomorrow, ensuring your project stands resilient amid San Francisco’s rolling code updates, market swings, and seismic realities.

Disclosure: This list is intended as an informational resource and is based on independent research and publicly available information. It does not imply that these businesses are the absolute best in their category. Learn more here.

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