MBH Arch
MBH Architects is a privately held, full-service architecture firm founded in 1989 with 150+ staff across US and India offices, serving enterprise retail, luxury, biotech, housing, and institutional clients via integrated architecture, planning, and VR/3D visualization services.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1989
- HeadquartersAlameda, United States
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What MBH Arch does
MBH Architects is a privately held, full-service architecture firm founded in 1989 and headquartered in Alameda, California, with 150+ professionals across offices in San Francisco, New York, Denver, Mumbai, and Bengaluru. The firm delivers architecture, master planning, interior design, and VR/3D visualization services through an integrated single-P&L model that pairs US-based creative leadership with India-based planning and production capacity under the MBH Planning sub-brand, supplemented by a dedicated Luxury Retail Studio. Its core technology stack is conventional architectural CAD/BIM augmented by VR and 3D visualization for client design review, with no disclosed AI/ML components.
MBH generates revenue primarily through project-based professional services fees tied to enterprise retail, luxury brand, biotech, multi-family housing, healthcare, and higher-education clients. Named engagements include Target, Gap, Tesla, Tiffany & Co., Dior, Allbirds, Gucci, Levi's, H&M, Whole Foods, MBC BioLabs, WeWork, On Lok Lifeways, and UC Berkeley. The firm is MBE certified and was ranked #6 in VMSD's 2026 Top Retail Design Firms and #4 in the SF Business Times' 2024 Bay Area Architecture list. In 2018 it acquired Christiani Johnson Architects and formed a strategic partnership with Hyphen to extend cross-border reach.
Go-to-market is relationship-led, anchored by decades-long client tenures and a follow-the-sun delivery model that leverages India for cost-efficient design production. The firm is privately held with no disclosed external funding; leadership transitioned in 2023 with Jason Dries-Daffner as CEO and Ryan McNulty as President, completing a generational handover from the founders.
MBH Arch firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- MBH Arch
- Legal name
- MBH Architects, Inc.
- Website
- https://mbharch.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1989
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- MBH Architects is a privately held, full-service architecture firm founded in 1989 with 150+ staff across US and India offices, serving enterprise retail, luxury, biotech, housing, and institutional clients via integrated architecture, planning, and VR/3D visualization services.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
MBH Arch industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Architectural Services
- NAICS
- Architectural Services (541310), Interior Design Services (54141)
- SIC
- Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Architectural Design Services (BPAHAKAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Interior Design Services (BPAHAKAB), Building Information Modeling (BIM) & Digital Design Services (BPAHAKAK)
Keywords
Where MBH Arch is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Alameda
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices6 records
Markets served
MBH Arch business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Architectural Design Services: Professional fees for architectural design services across multiple sectors including retail, housing, laboratory, hospitality, restaurant, and mixed-use projects. Revenue generated through project-based contracts with developers, retailers, and corporate clients.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels8 records
MBH Arch product offering
Product offeringCore offering
MBH Architects is an integrated architecture and design firm delivering state-of-the-art design solutions across multiple sectors including multi-family housing, retail, hospitality, laboratory, workspace, mixed-use, restaurant, healthcare/senior living, and community impact projects. The firm combines architecture with environmental graphic design, fixture design, and interior design under an integrated delivery model, and supplements its design services with VR/3D visualization for immersive design review. Revenue is generated through project-based professional design fees contracted with enterprise clients such as major retailers, developers, biotech firms, and corporate brands.
Product overview
MBH Architects is a Minority-Owned Business Enterprise architecture and design firm offering professional services rather than a software product. The core offering is architecture and design services across multiple sectors (multi-family housing, restaurant, mixed-use, hospitality, workspace & laboratory, retail, healthcare, and community impact). The firm provides integrated services combining architecture with environmental graphic design and wayfinding. A specialized Luxury Retail Studio handles upscale brand environments. VR/3D visualization technology is offered as an add-on capability for design review. The firm operates MBH Planning as a sub-brand with offices in India for international project delivery. Projects span commercial, residential, institutional, and community-focused developments.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- MBH Planning: India operations division
- Luxury Retail Studio
Products and services
- Architecture and Design Services Full-service architecture and design delivering state-of-the-art design solutions across multiple sectors including multi-family housing, restaurants, mixed-use, hospitality, workspace, laboratory, healthcare, retail, and community impact projects for enterprise clients, developers, and corporate brands.
- Environmental Graphic Design Wayfinding, signage systems, and environmental graphic design services integrated into architectural projects to enhance spatial navigation and brand experience, including large-scale murals and branded graphics in built environments.
- VR and 3D Visualization Services Virtual reality and 3D visualization services allowing clients to experience designs at real scale in real time, using VR panoramas (HoloBuilder integration) and 3D viewing headsets for immersive design review before and during construction, and as a visual aid for client and stakeholder presentations.
- Laboratory Design Services Specialized laboratory facility design for biotech incubators, wet and dry research labs, and life science facilities, including multiple MBC BioLabs incubator locations and the UC Berkeley Bakar BioEnginuity Hub — an adaptive reuse of the historic Berkeley Art Museum into a life science incubator.
- Healthcare and Senior Living Design Services Healthcare facility design including senior centers, PACE centers, and healthy aging campuses such as On Lok Lifeways facilities, Dr. Gee Center, and the Vivalon Healthy Aging Campus in San Rafael, designed for nonprofit and senior care operators.
- Community Impact Design Services Pro bono design services for underserved communities including art studios, music studios, and youth facilities delivered in partnership with the Good Tidings Foundation and LeRoy Neiman Foundation, supporting creative spaces for disadvantaged communities across the US.
- Luxury Retail Studio Specialized studio within MBH Architects focused on luxury retail design for global upscale brands including Tesla, Tiffany & Co., Dior, Gucci, and Allbirds, delivering flagship stores and shop-in-shop environments.
- MBH Planning (India Operations) Planning and design services delivered from offices in Mumbai (since 2018) and Bengaluru (since 2022), serving global retail clients and projects in hospitality and multi-family housing sectors, operating under Principal and Managing Director Reena Nadkarni and Principal and Managing Director Abhijat Hukoo.
Quantifiable outcome
- 500+ biotech companies launched through MBC BioLabs incubator model
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use MBH Arch
Customer profileNamed customers16 records
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
MBH Arch technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
MBH Arch partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
14 partnerships are on record, tiered major, minor and core.
- Eden HousingmajorCollaboration on Vivalon's Healthy Aging Campus project in Marin County, California. Eden Housing partnered with MBH Architects and Van Meter Williams Pollack LLP for this forward-looking project.
- Van Meter Williams Pollack LLPmajorArchitecture and design firm collaborated with MBH Architects and Eden Housing on Vivalon's Healthy Aging Campus project.
- Factory_OSmajorCollaboration on Project Phoenix affordable housing development showcasing innovative design, cutting-edge technological solutions, industrialized construction, and groundbreaking biomaterials.
- Forell/ElsessermajorStructural engineers for Bakar BioEnginuity Hub project, working on seismic improvements and structural solutions for the adaptive reuse of historic Berkeley Art Museum.
- PAE EngineersminorMechanical/electrical engineers for Bakar BioEnginuity Hub project.
- Page & TurnbullminorPreservation architect for Bakar BioEnginuity Hub adaptive reuse project.
- Jett Landscape Architecture + DesignminorDesigned through-block pedestrian path for Bakar BioEnginuity Hub project.
- HyphencoreEuropean architectural powerhouse with over 250 colleagues located in 10 offices in 8 countries in Europe and Latin America. MBH and Hyphen share common values and dedication to craft, offering local knowledge, international expertise, and 60+ years of combined experience. Companies participated in inaugural employee exchange program in 2018.
- Christiani Johnson ArchitectscoreAward-winning multi-family housing architect Rick Christiani joined MBH on June 4, 2018, filling the Housing Studio with experience. Partnership formed from collaborations on past projects such as Petrini Place in San Francisco.
- Good Tidings FoundationcoreLong-standing partnership with nonprofit children's charity for designing art, music, and athletic spaces for underserved youth across the US. Programs contained in public schools or community centers are endowed by the foundation which ensures supplies, staff pay and operational costs.
- LeRoy Neiman FoundationcorePartnership with LeRoy Neiman and LeRoy Neiman and Janet Byrne Neiman Foundation to create LeRoy Neiman Arts Studios for children in underserved communities.
- On Lok LifewayscoreNon-profit organization providing resources for elderly to age in place; MBH's first large client in 1989. MBH has assisted On Lok in building spaces throughout the Bay Area and provides monetary support for the organization.
- ACE Mentor ProgramminorMBH employees participate in ACE Mentorship program for future professionals in the industry.
- NOMA Project PipelineminorMBH employees engage in NOMA Project Pipeline program to support diversity in architecture.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves10 records
Expansion highlights6 records
MBH Arch competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- HOK: A global architecture, engineering, and planning firm with strong science & technology, healthcare, and mixed-use practices. Comparable to MBH on multi-sector studio structure and large institutional lab/healthcare commissions.
- Gensler: The largest global architecture and design firm with a substantial retail practice serving many of the same enterprise brand clients as MBH (e.g., Apple, Nike, Samsung). Highly comparable as a multi-sector design services peer, though materially larger in scale and broader in sector coverage.
- Perkins&Will: A large global architecture practice with deep healthcare, lab, and higher-education portfolios, comparable to MBH's adaptive-reuse and life-sciences work (e.g., Bakar BioEnginuity Hub). Larger scale and broader geographic reach but overlapping on institution-grade projects.
Direct peers
- HGA: A national architecture, engineering, and planning firm with strong healthcare, arts, and community impact practices — closely mirroring MBH's adaptive-reuse lab/healthcare/community portfolio and MBE-equivalent culture emphasis.
- SmithGroup: A major integrated design firm with comparable healthcare, science & technology, and workplace practices. Overlaps with MBH on lab design and adaptive reuse for institutional clients, with a similarly diversified studio model.
- NBBJ: A major architecture and design firm with strong healthcare, life sciences, and commercial practices; both firms operate in lab/biotech design (NBBJ's healthcare arm competes with MBH on MBC BioLabs–type incubator work) and corporate workplace, serving similar enterprise clients.
- Chute Gerdeman: A specialty retail design and brand experience firm, comparable to MBH's Luxury Retail Studio on flagship store and shop-in-shop design for global retail brands. Direct niche competitor in retail-focused experiential design.
- DLR Group: An integrated design firm with comparable practice areas across housing, workplace, healthcare, and mixed-use. Often competes with mid-sized firms like MBH on developer-led multi-family and commercial projects.
- CallisonRTKL: A global architecture and design firm with a flagship retail practice covering luxury flagships, lifestyle centers, and mixed-use retail — directly overlapping MBH's luxury retail studio and core retail work. Closest comparable on retail design specialty at scale.
Emerging players
- KSS (Kaplan Gehring McCarroll): An architecture and planning firm with strong senior-living and healthcare practices, comparable to MBH's On Lok/Vivalon senior-living design work. Smaller in scale but a direct competitor on senior care facility commissions.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
MBH Arch social profiles
Digital presenceMBH Arch financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
MBH Arch leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles13 records
MBH Arch subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries3 records
MBH Arch funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
MBH Arch 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 MBH Arch
What does MBH Arch do?
MBH Architects is an integrated architecture and design firm delivering state-of-the-art design solutions across multiple sectors including multi-family housing, retail, hospitality, laboratory, workspace, mixed-use, restaurant, healthcare/senior living, and community impact projects. The firm combines architecture with environmental graphic design, fixture design, and interior design under an integrated delivery model, and supplements its design services with VR/3D visualization for immersive design review. Revenue is generated through project-based professional design fees contracted with enterprise clients such as major retailers, developers, biotech firms, and corporate brands.
Is MBH Arch a public or private company?
MBH Arch is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was MBH Arch founded?
MBH Arch was founded in 1989. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is MBH Arch based?
MBH Arch is headquartered in Alameda, United States, in the North America region.
How does MBH Arch make money?
One revenue line is on record: architectural Design Services.
Who are MBH Arch's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are HOK, Gensler and Perkins&Will. Direct peers are HGA, SmithGroup, NBBJ, Chute Gerdeman, DLR Group and CallisonRTKL. KSS (Kaplan Gehring McCarroll) is listed as an emerging player.
Does MBH Arch have an API?
No public API is recorded for MBH Arch.
What industry is MBH Arch in?
MBH Arch's product category is Architectural 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 and its SIC code is 8700.