San Francisco

Big ideas, evolving industries, and constant reinvention define the Bay Area and our San Francisco studio is growing alongside that energy. Our team of architects, interior designers, strategists, and specialists collaborates across workplace, science and technology, healthcare, higher education, housing, and civic sectors to create spaces that bring people together and support how communities thrive.

From adaptive workplaces and research environments to urban campuses and cultural destinations, we approach design with curiosity, optimism, and a desire to push ideas forward. As our Northern California presence continues to expand, we’re building a studio culture that values creativity, collaboration, and shaping what’s next together.

What's New
Market Spotlight
Project in Focus
People & Office Culture
Community Impact

What's New

Bay Area Voices in the Field

HGA’s San Francisco team has been active in regional conversations across higher education, healthcare, and civic design. At the SCUP Pacific Regional Conference, Jon Riddle and Amin Mojtahedi joined UCSF’s Alicia Murasaki for “Bridging Silos: Designing for Convergence, Equity, and Innovation“ a session focused on integrated planning, stakeholder co-creation, universal design, and measurable impact.

Roderick Allen also participated in AMFP NorCal’s 3rd Annual Behavioral Health Symposium, sharing insights from the new Child, Adolescent, and Adult Behavioral Health Services Center at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center.

HGA also welcomed Lauren Hamilton as Director of Firmwide Strategy. In this role, Lauren will partner with leaders and teams across HGA to strengthen alignment around strategic priorities, identify opportunities for growth and innovation, and support the continued success of the firm.

 

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Market Spotlight

San Francisco Perspectives

This month’s Market Spotlight asks a simple question with complex answers: “What challenge in your market excites you most right now?” Inspired by our HGA Quick Takes series, we invited multiple voices from across our SF team to respond. Their responses reflect the pace and complexity of working in the Bay Area today, where technology, healthcare needs, housing pressures, climate challenges, and shifting work patterns are all reshaping the built environment.

 

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Project in Focus

Building Momentum at UCSF Barbara and Gerson Bakar Research and Academic Building

Construction continues to advance at UCSF’s Parnassus Heights campus, where the Barbara and Gerson Bakar Research and Academic Building (BRAB) will serve as a translational research hub for biomedical discovery. Designed to support innovation in scientific research and education, the building will provide academic spaces that promote multidisciplinary learning and will become the new home for the UCSF School of Nursing. BRAB is being delivered through a progressive design-build partnership among UCSF, HGA, Snøhetta, and Hensel Phelps.

 

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People & Office Culture

Celebrating Our San Francisco Team

Our San Francisco office celebrated Employee Appreciation Month with time to pause, connect, and recognize the people who make the office culture what it is. The month included an ice cream social, professional massages, and an all-staff luncheon, with a special congratulations to Isvet Paz, this year’s San Francisco Founders’ Award recipient. Chosen by her peers, the Founders’ Award recognizes employees who reflect HGA’s values through meaningful work, collaboration, and lasting impact. Congratulations to Isvet and to all of this year’s honorees across the firm.

 

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Community Impact

Supporting San Francisco’s Creative Community

HGA’s SF Community Action Impact group recently connected with ArtSpan, a San Francisco nonprofit dedicated to supporting local artists and strengthening the city’s creative community. Through this relationship, the team had the opportunity to engage with ArtSpan’s benefit auction and celebrate the artists, makers, and creative voices shaping San Francisco’s cultural landscape.

 

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A Culture of Curiosity

Located in the heart of San Francisco, our studio reflects the energy of a city shaped by big ideas, complex challenges, and constant change. Our team brings together designers, strategists, planners, and problem-solvers who value collaboration, curiosity, and thoughtful design thinking across disciplines. Inside the studio, that culture is built through both the work and the moments between it. We make time for project tours, office gatherings, employee-driven outtings, and everyday opportunities to connect across disciplines. From ice cream socials and all-staff lunches to conversations around sustainability, resilience, research, and the future of the Bay Area, our San Francisco team is building a culture that is engaged, evolving, and ready to push ideas further.

Meet our San Francisco Leadership >