Best Architecture Firms in San Diego

Looking for the best architecture firms in San Diego, CA? We have our top list with residential, commercial, civic, higher education, and other project types.

Note: “best” is determined by the size of the firm, scope of the projects completed, and overall popularity of the firm. This list is also in no order.

M.W. Steele Group

M.W. Steele Group is an architecture firm that focuses on commercial, civic, urban, and housing design. It was founded in 1983, by the owner Mark Steele, who now has other managers to help him with his firm. They have done several hundred projects for many different types of buildings. This is a firm built on values and morals where they strive for every plan that is produced betters the people and the community in some way, shape, or form.

M.W. Steele Group has won several awards including the Planning Firm Award in 2017, and the University of San Diego Master Plan in 2018.

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Architects Mosher Drew

Founded in 1948, Architects Mosher Drew by Robert Mosher and several others. The types of companies/buildings they do work for are the education system, government buildings, military buildings (Maintenance, armory, etc.), zoo exhibits for animals like pandas, iguanas, leopards, etc., and healthcare-related buildings like hospitals, senior living centers, etc. This firm believes in the connection with people, nature, and space each with five-fold values and reasonings. Architects Mosher Drew has completed so many proudful projects that they have the most prominently displayed on the home page of their website.

They have also most recently won the 2019 AIA San Diego Legacy award for design.

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ArchitectsMagnus

ArchitectsMagnus was established in 2001 by the licensed architects and couple Hector and Pamela Magnus. Their specialty is creating houses with a modern and unique charm, that still feels like home to its’ owners. They only do residential, so nothing else in terms of buildings or companies. Between both of them, they have an architectural experience of thirty years. This firm is rather individualistic in terms of how it makes its design plans and even furnish the house if the clients wish them to. They bring in their own team to make everything happen from design to decorations. For the company, it’s just them doing the design work as licensed architects, everybody else is for something else specifically for the project that they are doing.

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Marengo Morton Architects

Marengo Morton Architects have been alive and well for twenty plus years doing designs for houses, commercial buildings, restaurants, hospitality, etc. This team of three conveys their style of how they get things done four-fold. One, they talk with the client on how they want things to be done and what specifics they have in mind. Two, the architects begin drawing up plans based on the meeting with the clients. Three, the architects make a 3D model of the design that they drew up to show the client. Four, the customer agrees to the design plans and makes the nod for the construction crew to start building.

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TRE Architecture

TRE Architecture was founded in 1967 by Amato Teta, inspired by his Italian heritage. The firm is founded on three principles: Enduring, Enriching, and Remarkable. They mainly focus on houses and apartment units. TRE Architecture strives to make sure that the work they produce positively impacts the clients as well as the community. This firm has a team of four, including Amato Teta, Ericka Teta, Rick Suda, and Amato Teta’s son, Allan Teta. TRE Architecture makes sure to be there for their clients from start to finish, so from the design tables to the finishing touches so as to ensure a positive experience all throughout.

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Studio E Architects

Studio E Architects is a firm that does work with houses, civic, urban, etc. They also work in areas not inclusive to the San Diego area, including most of the southwestern U.S. They have seventeen employees with four principles: Eric Naslund, John Sheehan, Mathilda Bialk, and Maxine Ward.

They have received numerous awards in both 2017 and 2018. These include the Merit Award by the American Institute of Architects, the Orchid Award for Historic Preservation from the San Diego Architectural Foundation, and more from 2017 year. For the year of 2018, they won the American Architecture Award from The Chicago Athenaeum, the Merit Award from the American Institute of Architects, and the Honor Award from the American Institute of Architects.

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Steve Lombardi Architect

Steve Lombardi Architect is known for his unique and internationally award-winning use of light in his designs. He does projects for houses, urban, sculptures, etc. Steve Lombardi is a licensed architect, having graduated from Southern California Institute of Architecture in 1979, and works closely with many different professions of clients and really focuses on their vision, especially in the way of light, wood, theatre design, etc. Mr. Lombardi has been working on projects personally and professionally since 1984, with many publications singing of his achievements. These include art gallery installations, sculptures, chapels, universities, etc. He has personally taught his profession both in San Diego and Hong Kong.

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Architect Mark D. Lyon

Architect Mark D. Lyon has done 500 plus projects in his thirty-plus years of experience. He works projects for houses and commercial in styles including contemporary, Spanish, craftsman, Tuscan, cape cod, Italian, Mediterranean, and historic. Mark D. Lyon and his firm are focused on making sure the design is what the client wants and needs but that’s still within their budget. This firm also stays with the client from design conception until everything is constructed and done.

Architect Mark D. Lyon has received the La Jolla Village News Viewers Choice Awards for Best Architect in both 2017 and 2018. Also, in 2017, he received the Las Patronas Spirit of Giving Award.

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Safdie Rabines Architects

Safdie Rabines Architects was founded in 1993 by couple Ricardo Rabines and Taal Safdie. They are a full-service firm that works from start to finish with the clients with their partners Eric Lindebak and Kevin Schiller. They are a very environmentally aware firm that makes sure that their plans are at peace with the area that they are working with. They work on a variety of different projects including education institutions, bridges, civic, commercial, residential, and many more.

In 2017, Safdie Rabines Architects won the San Diego Architectural Foundation Award for Architecture for their project of the National City Aquatic Center. The Our City San Diego Award for the Block C project. Lastly, for 2017, they won the American Council of Engineering Companies Award for the Sellwood Bridge project. In 2019, they won the Circulate San Diego Award and the ASCE San Diego Award for the Gilman Bridge project.

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Ten Seventy Architecture

Ten Seventy Architecture is a firm that works on residential and commercial projects. They are a full-service firm that stands with the client from start to finish. They also offer furniture and graphic design. Their main goals are to make sure to bring high quality to the table for the client so as to meet what they need and what they want. They strive to make sure each project conveys the modernism as it is with respect to the client and/or the community that they are doing the project for. They also have a high-quality blog that focuses on different architectural and business topics for everyone’s needs.

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