WRNS Studio

What WRNS Studio does

WRNS Studio is a privately held architecture, interiors, and planning firm founded in 2005, operating from four U.S. offices in San Francisco (headquarters), New York, Seattle, and Honolulu with a workforce of 101–250 employees. The firm delivers comprehensive design services spanning commercial, institutional, residential, and mixed-use projects across verticals including workplace, education, healthcare, science, transportation, and community. Its technical practice is built around four differentiated capabilities: sustainable campus design frameworks combining LEED, WELL, Living Building Challenge, and IFLI Zero Carbon certifications; mass timber and Cross-Laminated Timber (CLT) construction expertise; adaptive reuse of historic buildings meeting the Secretary of Interior's Standards for Historic Rehabilitation; and integrated water and energy management systems targeting net-positive and net-zero outcomes.

The firm serves enterprise and institutional clients through project-based engagements acquired via competitive bidding, direct invitations, and long-term relationships, with delivery methods including Design-Build, GMP negotiated contracts, and public-private partnerships. Named clients include Amazon (Amazon JFK27/Hank in Manhattan, 695,000 sq ft), Intuit (Mountain View campus targeting LEED Platinum), Airbnb (San Francisco headquarters across 5 buildings), Microsoft (Silicon Valley Campus achieving LEED Platinum, WELL Platinum, and IFLI Zero Carbon), UC Berkeley (Berkeley Way West), UC Davis (Student Health and Wellness Center), Salk Institute (Jacobs Science and Technology Center), Dolby (HQ Cinema), and Princeton (Frist Health Center). Revenue is generated through professional service fees determined by project scope, complexity, and delivery method; pricing is not standardized or publicly disclosed.

The firm monetizes primarily through large multi-year campus and building projects, with documented sustainability outcomes including 87% construction waste diversion, 86.5% energy cost savings on renovations, 60% embodied carbon reduction through adaptive reuse, and 57% water consumption reduction. Its go-to-market relies on reputation, project portfolio, industry awards (Fast Company 2024 World's Most Innovative Company #6 in Architecture; multiple AIA, Architizer, and SARA awards), and professional network engagement rather than productized marketing. Recent strategic moves include partnerships with FABRIC Mass Timber (2025-11) on California's first mass timber manufacturing facility and with Mad River Mass Timber, Team Projects, and Forell (2026-04) on a mass timber multifamily housing study, signaling continued expansion of mass timber and sustainability practices.

Name

WRNS Studio

Legal name

WRNS Studio

Website

https://wrnsstudio.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

WRNS Studio is a privately held architecture, interiors, and planning firm founded in 2005, serving enterprise tech, higher education, and healthcare clients across four U.S. offices with specialized expertise in sustainable design, mass timber construction, and adaptive reuse.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

San Francisco

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Architecture and Design Services: Professional fees for architectural design, interior design, and planning services on a project basis. Revenue generated through negotiated GMP, Design-Build contracts, and public-private partnerships for institutional and commercial clients.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

WRNS Studio is an architecture, interiors, and planning firm delivering comprehensive design services across multiple sectors including workplace, education, healthcare, science, transportation, community, and residential projects. The firm provides architectural design, interior design, and urban/campus planning, with specialized expertise in mass timber (CLT) construction, adaptive reuse of historic buildings, and integrated sustainability consulting targeting LEED, WELL, Living Building Challenge, and net-zero carbon/water certifications. Projects are delivered through Design-Build, GMP, and public-private partnership contracts to institutional and corporate clients.

Product overview

WRNS Studio is an architecture, interiors, and planning firm offering comprehensive design services across multiple sectors. The firm's portfolio spans architecture (commercial, residential, institutional, workplace, education, health, science, transportation, community), interior design with biophilic and sustainable approaches, and urban/campus planning. The firm specializes in mass timber construction (including CLT buildings), adaptive reuse of historic structures, and sustainability consulting with LEED, WELL, and Living Building Challenge expertise. Notable projects include workplace campuses for major tech clients (Amazon, Microsoft, Intuit), healthcare facilities (Stanford Medical, VA Behavioral Health), educational institutions (UC systems, Cal Maritime), and sustainable infrastructure. The firm has been recognized as a Fast Company 2024 World's Most Innovative Company.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Architecture Services Comprehensive architectural design services spanning commercial, residential, institutional, and mixed-use projects across multiple sectors including workplace, education, health, science, and transportation, delivered to institutional and corporate clients.
• Interior Design Interior design services focused on biophilic design approaches, sustainable materials, and human-centered workspaces that promote wellbeing and productivity in built environments.
• Planning Services Urban and campus planning services including district planning, master planning, and site improvements for educational institutions, healthcare facilities, and commercial developments.
• Mass Timber Construction Design Specialized design expertise in mass timber construction including Cross-Laminated Timber (CLT) buildings, encompassing California's first CLT building and mass timber multifamily housing studies.
• Adaptive Reuse Design Revitalization of aging infrastructure and historic buildings for modern use, applying reuse-over-replacement strategies that minimize embodied carbon and construction waste.
• Sustainability Consulting Sustainability advisory services including LEED certification pursuit, WELL building standards, Living Building Challenge compliance, and net-zero carbon strategies for client projects.

Quantifiable outcome

• 87% of construction and demolition waste diverted from landfills on Mayo Hall project
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Mad River Mass TimbercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2026Collaborating on mass timber multifamily housing study to explore sustainable construction methods for residential development.
• Team ProjectscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2026Partner in mass timber multifamily study exploring design and construction innovations.
• ForellcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2026Partner in mass timber multifamily study focused on sustainable residential construction.
• FABRIC Mass TimbercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2025Partnership to launch design for California's first mass timber manufacturing facility, advancing sustainable construction in the state.
• Pacific Clay BrickcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2025Collaborated on Architectural Brick Workshop bringing together educators, students, architects, and manufacturers to investigate new possibilities with architectural brick. Pacific Clay provided their Southern California production facility for hands-on brick making experiments and fabrication sessions with Cal Poly students.
• Cal Poly College of Architecture & Environmental DesigncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2025Academic partner for Architectural Brick Workshop, integrating the workshop into second-year architectural technology curriculum. Students designed custom brick formwork and participated in fabrication sessions at Pacific Clay plant.
• 826 ValenciacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Ongoing pro-bono partnership since 2018 for educational nonprofit projects including Mission Bay Writing Center, San Francisco International High School Writers' Room, and Charles Drew Elementary School Writers' Room. WRNS Studio provides design services while BCCI serves as general contractor and other partners contribute services.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Perkins&Will: Large sustainable-focused architecture firm with parallel commitments to LEED Platinum, WELL, and Living Building Challenge work across higher education, healthcare, and science — directly overlapping WRNS's sustainability framework and core verticals.
• Lake|Flato: Sustainability-focused mid-size architecture firm with similar emphasis on regional work, adaptive reuse, and net-zero design; closely comparable in scale and design philosophy to WRNS.
• Bohlin Cywinski Jackson: Design-focused architecture firm known for sustainable, craft-driven work across workplace, education, and cultural sectors; comparable size and design ethos to WRNS, especially on mass timber and biophilic projects.
• Perkins Eastman: Mid-large architecture firm with parallel higher education, healthcare, and senior living practices; comparable institutional client mix and project scale to WRNS.
• SmithGroup: Major US architecture and engineering firm with deep higher education, healthcare, and science practices; similar size and directly overlapping client verticals with WRNS.
• HKS Architects: Major US architecture firm with leading healthcare, education, and workplace practices; comparable size and overlapping client verticals with WRNS, especially in healthcare and higher education.
• NBBJ: Major US architecture practice with strong healthcare, science, and corporate workplace portfolios, including flagship tech campuses; comparable in scale and client mix to WRNS.

Broad incumbents

• Kohn Pedersen Fox (KPF): Global architecture firm with strong commercial workplace and mixed-use portfolios; comparable in delivering flagship tech and corporate campuses though typically larger in scale.
• HOK: Global architecture firm with deep higher education, healthcare, and workplace practices; broader portfolio than WRNS but overlapping on campus master planning and institutional sustainability work.
• Gensler: Largest global architecture and design firm with significant workplace and interiors practices serving many of the same tech and institutional clients as WRNS; far larger scale but overlapping services.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/WRNSStudio
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/wrns-studio
• Instagraminstagram.com/wrnsstudio

Compliance7 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about WRNS Studio