Last updated on May 21st, 2024 at 07:17 am
“There’s no place like home” could refer to Culver City, a movie industry center since the 1920s. MGM located its studios here, so it was in Culver City that Dorothy walked the yellow brick road to Oz.
The city’s history and connection to the film and television industry continues to draw tourists and residents to the area. With its booming nightlife and thriving business district, Culver City offers ideal opportunities for new commercial establishments.
This list of the best commercial architects in Culver City can get you started. These architects are all based in California and have an understanding of the area. They are ready to answer any questions you may have before starting your project.
SPF:architects
8609 Washington Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90232
SPF:architects is an award-winning firm consisting of a diverse group of professionals. Their services cover all phases of project development, from research and concept design to development and construction.
Co-founders Zoltan E. Pali, FAIA, and Judit F. Fekete-Pali, LEED AP, lead the team. They maintain consistent communication with their clients, taking care to respect their budget and investment. The firm’s goal is to create beautiful projects that enhance the area. Their success is demonstrated by their recognition this year, including the AIA Long Beach/South Bay Design Award and a Gold Award for the Los Angeles Business Journal Commercial Real Estate.
Throughout their partnership, Zoltan and Judit have received more than 90 national and regional awards for both small and large-scale design projects. They also recently won an AIA|LA Design Award for their work on WE3 at Water’s Edge.
The unique and intricate design of the six-story workplace won the firm the Los Angeles Business Council Architecture Award for Commercial Office Building and Headquarters and the American Architecture Award, among many others.
Ehrlich Yanai Rhee Chaney Architects
10865 Washington Blvd, Culver City, CA 90232
EYRC’s has an experienced and versatile team of 45 professionals who have completed numerous projects in a broad range of scales and styles. They have mastered building commercial, residential, cultural, corporate, and government facilities. EYRC cultivates the versatility and diversity of the group. Together, they have earned an international reputation for their designs and professionalism.
The firm is a recipient of the 2015 AIA National Firm Award. EYRC stands for the four partners: Steven Ehrlich, FAIA, RIBA; Takashi Yanai, FAIA; Patricia Rhee, FAIA, DBIA, LEED AP; and Mathew Chaney, AIA, DBIA, LEED AP. In addition, the team currently has ten principals, all of whom are also members of the AIA.
Photo by Eric Staudenmaier
One of EYRC’s visible projects In downtown Culver City is the Culver Steps. This office building is accentuated by a grand staircase designed to match the urban landscape and the neighboring historical and cultural sites.
Montalba Architects
2525 Michigan Avenue Bldg. T4, Santa Monica, CA 90404
The founding principal of the firm, David Montalba, FAIA, SIA, brings more than 20 years of experience in the industry. He leads a team of more than 60 designers who have created distinctive architecture and urban design projects. David’s work has been featured in numerous publications, and he has received several prestigious awards, including the AIA National Young Architect Award in 2008 and a 2019 AIA Institute Honor Award.
Montalba Architects is unique in its approach to projects, focusing on its specialty in volumetric landscapes, natural light, and pure spatial volumes. In its design solutions, the firm considers the setting and environment while creating esthetically pleasing forms and finishes.
The firm’s notable projects include Erewhon SM, a commercial shopping building that tasked Montalba Architects with its interior, exterior, and landscape design. The project’s goal was to create an experience for the community, to bring people together in a relaxing and beautiful environment.
KFA
3573 Hayden Avenue, Culver City, CA 90232
Originally founded as a design-build construction company, KFA has been evolving and expanding over the years. It provides services in architecture, design, and master planning. The firm is known in Los Angeles for its contribution to the community’s architectural heritage through more than 50 adaptive reuse projects for historical buildings.
KFA was founded by Barbara Flammang, FAIA, and Wade Killefer, FAIA, in 1975. Barbara was made an AIA Fellow for her work in Los Angeles and her 40 years of accumulated projects and experience. Wade is currently the president of the AIALA. Together, they’ve earned multiple awards for their firm, including a 2016 Firm of the Year award by the California AIA. This year, they were also honored with Los Angeles Business Journal Commercial Real Estate Awards and a Merit Award AIALA Residential Architecture Awards.
The Shay at Ivy Station is one of KFA’s newest and most expansive projects spanning over 500,000 square feet of transit oriented community. It features a multifamily residential component, a boutique hotel, a commercial office building, upscale retail, and public park. Its boutique hotel, The Shay, is operated by Hyatt under its premium Destination Hotel brand. It features 148 rooms including suites with balconies offering a scenic view of the LA city skyline from Downtown LA to the Hollywood Hills. The variety of indoor and outdoor spaces of this hotel takes advantage of Southern California’s climate, landscape, and scenery.
HOK
9530 Jefferson Boulevard, Culver City, CA 90232
HOK is a globally recognized architecture, design, planning, and engineering firm, with over 23 offices across North America, Asia and Europe. Each leadership role is based on the individual’s specialty, as HOK dives into various markets and disciplines.
The firm is divided into multiple branches, with Anne Fletcher, LEED AP, serving as Managing Principal in the Los Angeles Studio. Anne is also on HOK’s Board of Directors and was recently named by the Los Angeles Business Journal as one of LA’s most influential women in construction and design.
While the firm has completed hundreds of projects in dozens of cities, the Albany Hotel in Los Angeles, still in the works, is one of their most exciting projects. The proposed 63,000-square-foot building will replace a vacant warehouse with a high-rise and urban plaza, transforming the area and adding much-needed hotel space near the Convention Center.
Shubin Donaldson
3751 Robertson Boulevard, Culver City, CA 90232
Established in 1991, Shubin Donaldson takes pride in the company’s shared values of commitment, professionalism, camaraderie, and a strict work ethic. Led by Russell Shubin, AIA, LEED AP; Robin Donaldson, AIA; and Mark Hershman, the firm ensures a collaborative project with their clients. They also invest in the latest technology and continuous development of their team.
Russell brings his expertise for distilling ideas into diagrams. He has a reputation for helping develop the community through his work in luxury, mixed-use, multifamily residential, and commercial office projects. Robin leads the firm’s projects in investigations and creates unique fabrication methodologies for clients, as well as leading the team’s research and development.
Their work on the multi-use building at 925 La Brea in California produced a clean and minimalistic vertical architecture, highlighted by its attention to detail.
Clive Wilkinson Architects
6116 Washington Blvd., Culver City, CA 90232
Clive Wilkinson Architects designs creative workspaces, educational and institutional projects, and residential areas globally. The firm has earned over 150 international and national design awards. In 2012, they were awarded the National Design Award for Excellence in Interior Design, a prestigious title from the Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum.
The firm focuses on visionary and unique designs, finding solutions for new environments that “support, enhance, and reinvigorate contemporary life.” The firm is led by its founder, Clive Wilkinson, FAIA, FIIDA, RIBA, who was inducted into the Interior Designer Hall of Fame in 2005. He is also a former Board Director for the AIALA.
In one of its projects in 2007, the firm converted the Royal Laundry Building for The Children’s Place into The Disney Store Headquarters. Over 230 employees are accommodated in a spacious and collaborative environment that features modern and playful interiors.
Cuningham
8665 Hayden Place, Culver City, CA 90232
In 1968, John Cuningham founded the firm with the intention of creating inspiring designs that are inclusive and collaborative. The firm has grown into an internationally recognized organization with offices in several cities. The Los Angeles firm is currently led by Marcy Shulte, AIA, NCARB, LEED AP, BD+C as Principal and Executive Director for Design + Performance.
The firm’s leadership team of experienced professionals includes one of the Principals and the Executive Director for Strategy, Michele Espeland. This year, Michele was included on Globe Street’s 2021 Women of Influence. She and Marcy were involved in one of the firm’s most notable projects, the Hyatt Place Hotel.
Located in Pasadena, California, the hotel is designed with three entries for the convenience of guests. Keeping the customer’s journey in mind for the design, the entrances take into account the local retail venues. The firm was also in charge of the interior design, from the lounge to the amenities.
Wolcott Architecture
527 W. 7th Street, Suite 1304, Los Angeles, CA 90014
In California, Wolcott Architecture is known as Los Angeles’s leading creative firms. With more than 20 projects in the area, the firm has successfully tackled commercial, corporate, entertainment, technology, and retail designs. They are founding members of the ONE Global Design Network and are among the top ten firms in the country.
Wolcott Architecture promises their clients a team of trained and seasoned professional architects, designers, and project managers, dedicated to providing impactful designs from start to finish. AJ Wilder serves as the firm’s president, specializing in residential and commercial architecture and design. His two principals are Amanda Kaleps and Carlos Carrasquillo.
Their work on the Zest Finance building produced one of the firm’s most unique, innovative, and interactive designs. The interior colors are based on their client’s request for a whimsical atmosphere that can encourage fun and creative energy for the company’s employees.
Berliner Architects
5976 Washington Blvd., Culver City, CA 90232
Berliner Architects focuses on designs that are beautiful, design-forward, efficient, and sustainable. The group is equally adept at large and small projects. The team, led by Richard Berliner, LEED AP, believes that “every space counts.” Through hand-in-hand partnership with their clients, they find creative and dynamic solutions that positively impact the community.
Awards and recognition for their projects in recent years include the 2018 Outstanding Design – Interior Renovation award from the American School and University.
The firm is known for their continued working relationship with film giant Sony Pictures Entertainment. An example is their project to renovate the company’s editing rooms. Function was at the core of the interior design, which incorporated acoustic design and updated equipment.
Letter Four
8695 Washington Blvd. #205, Culver City, CA 90232
Co-owners Lauren Adams, AIA, NCARB, and Jeremy Baker, each bring more than 20 years of experience to their leadership of Letter Four. They have built it into a thriving, full-service design-build firm. They offer architecture, interior design, and construction with a commitment to creating visually inspiring projects that meet and exceed the client’s project needs and goals. With their expertise, talented pool of professionals and collaborative approach, they deliver an end-to-end process that’s seamless, transparent, and goal-oriented.
Letter Four is known for its attention to detail and consistent communication, while delivering a project that’s cost-effective and carefully designed with constructibility in mind. For the team, it’s about a shared vision with the client.
One of its many successful projects is BESPOKE Cycling Studio in Downtown LA. The fitness studio features a frameless storefront system with bold lighting and color gradient to attract passersbys. Thick, sound-isolated walls ensure that the studio is sound-proof. A state-of-the-art sound system and color-changing cove lighting creates a dynamic atmosphere that keeps BESPOKE customers energized during workouts. The tranquil shower areas and restrooms help them recharge after each session.
Colega Architects
4334 Sepulveda Boulevard, Culver City, CA 90230
While Colega Architects is the youngest firm on this list, they have created a reputation that exceeds that of most firms in the area. Their inclusion among the best commercial architects in Culver City stems from their passion and dedication to developing innovative design solutions and excellent service for their clients.
Established in 2014 by Bogdan Tomalevski, AIA, Colega is a modern architecture firm that specializes in high-quality custom homes, multifamily developments, and mixed-use projects. Using a process-driven approach and a detailed plan for each project, the firm aims to create meaningful designs that “celebrate life through the expression of space and its function.”
The firm features its design on 3rd Street as one of its highlighted projects. The building’s striking display windows and exterior fixtures enhance the urban environment.
TWG Architects
8569 Venice Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90034
TWG Architects began by specializing in industrial projects, but as the firm gained experience and developed its team, it began including commercial and residential homes into its list of services. Clients will always feel at ease, as principals Edwin Woll, AIA; David Rivera; and David Weisenbloom are directly involved with the projects, from planning to construction.
As president and co-founder of the firm, Edwin is a Harvard graduate with award-winning projects under his belt, including structures in Long Beach and Los Angeles. From his deep understanding of the profession, he believes in the value of public spaces in a city’s ecosystem.
With Edwin at the lead, the firm constructed office spaces for a digital production company at ten9fifty, Culver City. The design won the firm the Westside Prize 1999 from the Westside Urban Forum. From the landscape to the exterior and interior construction of the site, TWG Architects created a calming work environment.
Kelly Architects
2404 Wilshire Blvd. 1E, Los Angeles, CA 90057
Well-known in Los Angeles, Kelly Architects is a dynamic group of young, bright, and creative professionals who are skilled and passionate about architectural design. When it comes to commercial spaces, they have grown to be the go-to design firm for restaurant, bar, and hotel design services.
George Kelly, AIA, the firm’s principal architect, brings years of expertise in hospitality design – interiors and architecture. With over 600 projects, Kelly Architects has created a reputation for bringing its clients’ visions to life and helping them jumpstart their business ventures through unique and fresh design solutions.
In Culver City, Kelly Architects designed the bar-restaurant Public School 310. Set amidst the vibrancy of the city’s nightlife and urban lifestyle, the establishment’s interior is a perfect fit. The warmly-lit bar and educational-focused decor make for a distinctive gastro-pub vibe and inviting hang-out.
