Safdie Rabines Architects
Safdie Rabines Architects is a San Diego-based full-service architecture, interiors, and urban design firm founded in 1993, serving educational institutions, government clients, real estate developers, and private residential customers across California and select international markets.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1993
- HeadquartersSan Diego, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Safdie Rabines Architects does
Safdie Rabines Architects (SRA) is a full-service architecture, interiors, and urban design firm established in 1993 by founding partners Taal Safdie and Ricardo Rabines. Headquartered at 925 Fort Stockton Drive in San Diego, California, the firm operates with 11-50 employees and serves four primary client verticals: educational institutions (UC San Diego, UCLA, CSU San Marcos), government and municipal clients (City of San Diego, Imperial County, Sycuan Band of the Kumeyaay Nation), real estate developers (multi-family and mixed-use), and private residential clients. Its work spans academic buildings, student housing, civic infrastructure, bridges, single-family residences, and master planning across California and internationally in Doha, Qatar.
SRA's product portfolio is organized into four core service lines: Architecture Services (covering residential, commercial, civic, academic, and mixed-use building design); Interior Design under the SRI sub-brand (Safdie Rabines Interiors, providing space planning, construction documents, and design development); Urban Design and Master Planning (community developments, campus planning, and visioning studies); and Bridge and Infrastructure Design (specialized pedestrian and vehicular bridges). The firm employs 3D parametric design software for complex structural geometry work, as demonstrated on the Lusail City Junction 9 project in Doha. SRA's technology stack centers on context-responsive, sustainable design methodology with multiple LEED-focused projects, supported by dedicated in-house 3D design specialists.
The business operates on a professional services revenue model, billing clients on a project fee basis (typically a percentage of construction cost or fixed fee), with projects won through competitive bidding, design competitions, RFPs, and direct client relationships. Geographic reach is concentrated in California (with particular depth in San Diego County) but extends to Los Angeles, Portland, Las Vegas, and Doha, Qatar. Notable project scale includes the 1.6M SF, $608M North Torrey Pines Living and Learning Neighborhood at UC San Diego and the Imperial County Criminal Courthouse. The firm has no external investment, no parent company, and operates as an independent California professional corporation owned by its partners.
Safdie Rabines Architects firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Safdie Rabines Architects
- Legal name
- Safdie Rabines Architects
- Website
- https://safdierabines.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1993
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Safdie Rabines Architects is a San Diego-based full-service architecture, interiors, and urban design firm founded in 1993, serving educational institutions, government clients, real estate developers, and private residential customers across California and select international markets.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Safdie Rabines Architects industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Architectural Design Services
- NAICS
- Architectural Services (541310), Architectural Services (54131), Interior Design Services (54141)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Architectural Design Services (BPAHAKAA)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Interior Design Services (BPAHAKAB)
Keywords
Where Safdie Rabines Architects is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- San Diego
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Safdie Rabines Architects business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Architecture and Design Services: Professional architecture services billed on a project fee basis, typically a percentage of construction cost or fixed fee for services, covering design, project management, and construction administration through project completion.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels8 records
Safdie Rabines Architects product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Safdie Rabines Architects is a full-service architecture, interiors, and urban design firm providing building design, interior design, master planning, and bridge/infrastructure design services. Projects range from single-family residences to large-scale academic, civic, multi-family, and mixed-use developments, delivered through direct client contracts on a project fee basis. The firm operates from San Diego with work concentrated in California and selected projects internationally, including Doha, Qatar.
Product overview
Safdie Rabines Architects is a full-service architecture, interiors, and urban design firm established in 1993, offering a comprehensive portfolio of services including Architecture Services, Interior Design (SRI), Urban Design and Master Planning, and Bridge and Infrastructure Design. The firm operates from San Diego with projects throughout California and beyond, spanning academic, civic, multi-family residential, single-family residential, and infrastructure project categories.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- SRA: Shortened abbreviation for Safdie Rabines Architects used on the company's website and social media.
Products and services
- Architecture Services Full-service architecture services including residential, commercial, civic, academic, and mixed-use building design. Projects range from single-family homes to large-scale multi-family developments and institutional buildings, delivered for institutional, government, and private clients.
- Interior Design (SRI - Safdie Rabines Interiors) Interior design services under the SRI (Safdie Rabines Interiors) brand, offering space planning, construction documents, and design development for commercial and residential spaces.
- Urban Design and Master Planning Urban design and master planning services including large-scale community developments, campus planning, and visioning studies for academic institutions and urban districts.
- Bridge and Infrastructure Design Specialized pedestrian and vehicular bridge design, including award-winning bridges for pedestrian crossings, campus connections, and urban infrastructure projects.
Quantifiable outcome
- North Torrey Pines Living and Learning Neighborhood: 1.6M SF, $608M project - most ambitious in UC San Diego's history
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Safdie Rabines Architects
Customer profileNamed customers7 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Safdie Rabines Architects technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
Safdie Rabines Architects partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- Foster + PartnerscoreSRA serves as Executive Architect alongside Foster + Partners as Design Architect for the San Diego Museum of Art expansion and renovation in Balboa Park. This collaboration respects historic architecture while introducing modern functionality and seamless landscape integration.
- HKS ArchitectscoreCollaboration on the North Torrey Pines Living and Learning Neighborhood at UC San Diego. HKS served as Executive Architect while SRA provided design services as part of the winning design competition team.
- OJB Landscape ArchitecturecoreLandscape architecture partner for the North Torrey Pines Living and Learning Neighborhood project at UC San Diego.
- Clark ConstructioncoreConstruction partner for the North Torrey Pines Living and Learning Neighborhood project at UC San Diego.
- TY Lin InternationalcoreLongtime bridge collaboration partner on projects including Lusail Pedestrian Bridges and Junction 9 in Doha, Qatar. Provided engineering expertise for complex structural geometries.
- Moffatt NicholcoreEngineering collaboration on the Gilman Bridge at UC San Diego, a 400-foot concrete archway linking east and west campuses.
- Frieder Seible EngineerscoreEngineering collaboration on the Scripps Crossing Pedestrian Bridge at UC San Diego, completed in 1993.
Scale indicators1 record
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Safdie Rabines Architects competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- BNIM: Design-led architecture and planning firm with strong sustainability credentials and AIA COTE recognition. Comparable focus on context-responsive, performance-driven design for institutional and civic clients.
- Lake|Flato Architects: Texas-based architecture firm with parallel emphasis on site-responsive, sustainable design across academic, civic, and residential typologies. Comparable size, philosophy, and award profile.
- HKS Architects: National architecture firm that collaborated with SRA on the UC San Diego North Torrey Pines Living and Learning Neighborhood. Competes for the same institutional and civic commissions, particularly higher education.
- Carrier Johnson + CULTURE: San Diego-based architecture and interior design firm with comparable service offerings across commercial, civic, and residential typologies. Operates in the same regional market with similar mid-size scale.
Broad incumbents
- Perkins&Will: Large global architecture firm with deep higher education and healthcare practices plus strong sustainability credentials. Competes for the same institutional RFPs SRA pursues, especially in California.
- Foster + Partners: Global architecture practice collaborating with SRA on the San Diego Museum of Art expansion. Much larger scale but operates in the same institutional/cultural design space and competes for marquee civic commissions.
Emerging players
- Studio-MLA: Landscape architecture and urban design firm with focus on sustainable, site-responsive environments. Comparable in philosophy to SRA's context-responsive design approach across campus and civic projects.
- OJB Landscape Architecture: Landscape architecture partner on the UC San Diego North Torrey Pines project. Functions as an adjacent design collaborator with comparable project scale and typology.
- Marmol Radziner: California-based architecture and construction firm with strong residential practice in canyon and coastal settings. Comparable to SRA's private residential and site-responsive custom home work.
Regional players
- Platt Anderson Architecture: San Diego architecture firm with overlapping higher education and civic practice. Direct regional competitor for UC San Diego and CSU San Marcos commissions.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Safdie Rabines Architects social profiles
Digital presenceSafdie Rabines Architects financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Safdie Rabines Architects leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles10 records
Safdie Rabines Architects funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Safdie Rabines Architects M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Safdie Rabines Architects
What does Safdie Rabines Architects do?
Safdie Rabines Architects is a full-service architecture, interiors, and urban design firm providing building design, interior design, master planning, and bridge/infrastructure design services. Projects range from single-family residences to large-scale academic, civic, multi-family, and mixed-use developments, delivered through direct client contracts on a project fee basis. The firm operates from San Diego with work concentrated in California and selected projects internationally, including Doha, Qatar.
Is Safdie Rabines Architects a public or private company?
Safdie Rabines Architects is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Safdie Rabines Architects founded?
Safdie Rabines Architects was founded in 1993. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Safdie Rabines Architects based?
Safdie Rabines Architects is headquartered in San Diego, United States, in the North America region.
How does Safdie Rabines Architects make money?
One revenue line is on record: architecture and Design Services.
Who are Safdie Rabines Architects's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are BNIM, Lake|Flato Architects, HKS Architects and Carrier Johnson + CULTURE. Broad incumbents are Perkins&Will and Foster + Partners. Emerging players are Studio-MLA, OJB Landscape Architecture and Marmol Radziner. Platt Anderson Architecture is listed as a regional player.
Does Safdie Rabines Architects have an API?
No public API is recorded for Safdie Rabines Architects.
What industry is Safdie Rabines Architects in?
Safdie Rabines Architects's product category is Architectural Design Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAHAKAA, Architectural Design Services, with a secondary code of BPAHAKAB, Interior Design Services. Its NAICS code is 541310.