Top Architecture Firms in Los Angeles

Los Angeles isn’t just another market for architecture—it’s a layered puzzle of climate, codes, culture, and context. The city’s best firms don’t simply draw beautiful buildings; they solve for Title 24 energy compliance, CALGreen mandates, high seismic loads (CBC/ASCE 7), hillside ordinances, HPOZ reviews, and coastal constraints while choreographing entitlements with LADBS and Planning. Great LA architects balance art and engineering: they’ll turn a tight lot into daylight-filled space, make an all-electric home comfortable with heat pumps and ERVs, and thread parking, fire access, and accessibility through a plan that actually lives well. On larger commissions—schools, galleries, labs, and mixed-use—teams integrate envelope performance, low-carbon materials, and community input so projects pass plan check, perform in August heat, and age with grace. The firms highlighted here work at that intersection—design vision + code fluency + constructability—to deliver buildings that are as responsible as they are remarkable.

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Quick owner/developer checklist (save this):

Licensing & insurance: California-licensed architect; confirm professional liability, GL, and workers’ comp; identify Architect of Record vs. design collaborators.
Due diligence: Zoning summary (use, FAR, height, setbacks), Hillside/Coastal/HPOZ flags, easements, soils & topo, utility capacity, fire/access notes, preliminary code & exiting strategy.
Scope & team: Written program + target budget; delivery method (Design-Bid-Build, Design-Build, or CMAR); confirm structural, MEP, civil, landscape, lighting, acoustics, and sustainability consultants.
Performance & compliance: Title 24 energy model, CALGreen mandatory measures (and commissioning where triggered), all-electric readiness, daylight & glare strategy, acoustic targets, and water-use reductions.
Process & paperwork: Clear phase map (SD/DD/CD/Bid-Permitting/CA), submittal calendar, entitlement plan, and a permit strategy with LADBS; agree on meeting cadence and decision deadlines.
Budget control: Line-item estimates at DD and CD, value-engineering workshops, alternates, and a 10–15% owner contingency for unknowns & agency comments.
Closeout: As-builts, O&M manuals, commissioning reports, warranties, and a 6–12 month post-occupancy check to tune systems and verify performance.

Businesses marked are featured.

Architecture Firms in Los Angeles

Discover top architecture firms in Los Angeles specializing in modern, sustainable, and award-winning designs for residential, commercial, and cultural projects across Southern California.

Marmol Radziner

+1 310-826-6222
12210 Nebraska Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90025, United States

Marmol Radziner is a leading Los Angeles-based design-build firm recognized for its seamless integration of architecture, landscape design, and custom furniture fabrication. Known for iconic projects like the restoration of the Kaufmann Desert House, the firm delivers innovative, sustainable solutions across residential, commercial, and cultural sectors. With a holistic approach to design and a commitment to craftsmanship, Marmol Radziner creates timeless spaces that harmonize with their environment and reflect the unique vision of each client.

Architecture firm Los Angeles
Design-build services
Sustainable architecture
Residential & commercial design
Landscape architecture LA
Custom furniture fabrication

Lorcan O'Herlihy Architects (LOHA)

+1 310 657 4363
4106 W Jefferson Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90016, United States

Lorcan O'Herlihy Architects (LOHA) is a renowned Los Angeles-based architecture firm celebrated for designing dynamic urban environments rooted in sustainability and social impact. With a portfolio spanning award-winning projects such as the MLK1101 Supportive Housing and numerous residential and mixed-use developments, LOHA integrates bold design with civic responsibility. Their innovative approach emphasizes contextual sensitivity, sustainability, and community engagement—making them a standout among top architecture firms in Los Angeles.

Architecture firm Los Angeles
Urban architecture
Sustainable design LA
Mixed-use developments
Residential architecture
Award-winning architects

Morphosis Architects

+1 424-258-6200
3440 Wesley St, Culver City, CA 90232, United States

Morphosis Architects, based in Culver City and founded by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Thom Mayne, is a cutting-edge architecture firm that seamlessly fuses design innovation with urban and environmental research. Known for their bold, sculptural forms and futuristic vision, Morphosis has completed iconic projects such as the Emerson College campus in Los Angeles and the Caltrans District 7 Headquarters. The firm operates at the intersection of technology, sustainability, and design excellence, making it one of the top architecture firms in Los Angeles for large-scale institutional and civic work.

Architecture firm Los Angeles
Urban architecture
Environmental design
Emerson College LA
Caltrans Headquarters
Innovative architectural design
Thom Mayne architect

Brooks + Scarpa Architects

+1 323-596-4700
3929 139th St, Hawthorne, CA 90250, United States

Brooks + Scarpa, located in Hawthorne, California, is a nationally acclaimed architecture firm known for its commitment to sustainable and socially responsible design. Their work spans commercial, civic, and residential architecture, with a strong focus on environmental performance, affordability, and community impact. The firm has received numerous prestigious awards, including honors from the American Institute of Architects (AIA), for projects that challenge conventional design norms while delivering aesthetic and functional excellence. Brooks + Scarpa stands out as one of the top architecture firms in Los Angeles, shaping the built environment with purpose and innovation.

Sustainable architecture Los Angeles
Civic architecture
AIA award-winning architects
Residential design firm LA
Brooks + Scarpa firm
Socially impactful design
Commercial architects California

Koning Eizenberg Architecture

+1 310-828-6131
1454 25th St, Santa Monica, CA 90404, United States

Koning Eizenberg Architecture, based in Santa Monica, CA, is an award-winning firm celebrated for its thoughtful, community-focused design approach. Their work spans educational, cultural, residential, and civic architecture, delivering spaces that are both functional and inviting. With a strong commitment to social impact and sustainability, Koning Eizenberg collaborates closely with public, private, and nonprofit clients to create inclusive, innovative environments. Their designs often emphasize adaptive reuse, urban connectivity, and human-centered experiences, solidifying their position among the top architecture firms in Los Angeles.

Community-oriented architecture
Educational and cultural design
Santa Monica architects
Residential and civic architecture LA
Koning Eizenberg firm
Sustainable architecture California
Top architecture firms Los Angeles

Start smart with feasibility. Before you fall in love with renderings, ask your architect for a concise zoning and code memo that covers use, FAR, height limits, setbacks, parking, and any overlays (Hillside, HPOZ, Coastal). For homes, confirm what you can build by right, plus options for an ADU, additions, or a second unit under current state laws. For commercial or cultural work, note egress strategy, elevator counts, accessibility path-of-travel, and loading—these early moves decide everything from structural grids to rentable square footage. A quick site walk with structural and civil engineers—paired with soils and topo—often saves months later by revealing shoring, drainage, or foundation realities up front.

Then choreograph the path from idea to permit. Ask for a phase plan that spells out Schematic Design → Design Development → Construction Documents → Bidding/Permitting → Construction Administration, with deliverables at each gate (plans, sections, details, outline specs, and a running code sheet). Expect a Title 24 energy model and CALGreen checklist to land no later than DD, so façade and HVAC choices are made while change is still cheap. Keep cost aligned with design via independent estimates at DD and CD, value-engineering workshops, and a live list of alternates. Build in time for agency comments and neighborhood input; in LA, a calm, well-documented response set is the fastest route to an approval stamp.

Design for resilience as well as delight. All-electric systems (heat pumps/VRF + induction), whole-house ERVs, and cool roofs cut energy and improve comfort; solar-ready conduit and a service panel with spare capacity keep tomorrow’s batteries easy. Ask about low-carbon concrete (SCMs), FSC wood, and high-recycled steel to trim embodied carbon. For hillside lots, prioritize lateral systems, debris flow paths, and defensible space; for the urban core, tune acoustics and daylight to make dense living feel serene. The best LA firms fold these choices into the architecture so performance feels invisible and the experience shines.

Finally, protect your build and your bandwidth. Agree on a decision log and meeting rhythm, require submittal & RFI turnaround targets, and keep your architect engaged through Construction Administration—that’s how design intent survives substitutions and field surprises. At closeout, insist on labeled panels, attic and crawl photo records, O&M manuals, warranty matrix, and commissioning reports; schedule a post-occupancy walk to fine-tune lighting scenes and HVAC setpoints once you’ve lived in the space. Treat your architect as a long-term partner, not a phase vendor—the relationship pays dividends when you expand, add an ADU, or take on your next site in LA’s ever-evolving urban fabric.

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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