TEF Design
TEF Design is a San Francisco-based architecture and interior design firm founded in 1997, serving healthcare, education, government, and community clients across the Bay Area through seven practice areas with a staff of 50+ architects and interior designers.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1997
- HeadquartersSan Francisco, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What TEF Design does
TEF Design is a San Francisco-based architecture and interior design firm founded in 1997 that delivers professional design services across seven practice areas: Workplace, Healthcare, Education, Housing, Preservation, Infrastructure, and Community. The firm employs 50+ architects and interior designers and operates from a two-story 1950s building at 1420 Sutter Street, combining what it describes as large-firm project experience with small-practice culture. Its design methodology centers on inclusive co-creation with stakeholders, research-driven problem solving, sustainability, and adaptive reuse of existing structures; named landmark projects include the Stanford Neuroscience Center, UC Berkeley C.V. Starr East Asian Library, UC Santa Cruz Institute of the Arts + Sciences, San Francisco International Airport Terminal 3, PG&E's Martin Substation, the St. Regis San Francisco pool renovation, and the Don Fisher Clubhouse for Boys & Girls Clubs of San Francisco.
The firm generates revenue through project-based professional services contracts obtained via direct enterprise client relationships, competitive bidding on public-sector RFPs, and repeat engagements in healthcare, education, government, and community sectors, primarily across the San Francisco Bay Area with emerging reach into Sacramento. The firm actively partners via joint ventures with peer firms — Tod Williams & Billie Tsien, KMD Architects, David Baker + Partners, Paulett Taggart Architects, and Hood Design Studio — to pursue larger commissions than a 50-person practice could win independently. The firm holds JUST Organization certification from the International Living Future Institute and is a Certified Green Business under the San Francisco Green Business Program, signaling an explicit ESG and social-equity positioning. TEF Design is privately held as a partnership with no external institutional investment and no disclosed revenue.
Business model mechanics: professional services billing tied to project scope and complexity; horizontal segmentation across seven use-cases rather than vertical specialization; go-to-market via enterprise field sales and public-sector competitive bidding; no disclosed pricing tiers, recurring contracts, or software products; revenue mechanics are entirely project-driven. The firm has evolved through multiple name changes (Tom Bloszies Aguila Architects → Tom and Aguila → Tom Eliot Fisch → TEF Design in 2014) reflecting partner transitions, with leadership succession further evidenced by the addition of Andrew Wolfram as partner in February 2014.
TEF Design firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- TEF Design
- Legal name
- TEF Design
- Website
- https://tefarch.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1997
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- TEF Design is a San Francisco-based architecture and interior design firm founded in 1997, serving healthcare, education, government, and community clients across the Bay Area through seven practice areas with a staff of 50+ architects and interior designers.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
TEF Design industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Architecture Services
- NAICS
- Architectural Services (54131), Interior Design Services (54141)
- SIC
- Services-Engineering Services (8711)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Architectural Design Services (BPAHAKAA)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Interior Design Services (BPAHAKAB)
Keywords
Where TEF Design is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- San Francisco
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
TEF Design business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Architecture and Design Services: Professional services revenue generated from architectural design, interior design, and consulting services for projects across healthcare, education, workplace, housing, preservation, infrastructure, and community sectors.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels5 records
TEF Design product offering
Product offeringCore offering
TEF Design is a San Francisco-based architecture and interior design firm providing professional architectural design services across seven practice areas: Workplace, Healthcare, Education, Housing, Preservation, Infrastructure, and Community. Services span new construction, renovation, and adaptive reuse projects for enterprise clients, government agencies, healthcare systems, educational institutions, and community organizations. The firm employs over 50 architects and interior designers who combine large-firm experience with small-practice personalized attention.
Product overview
TEF Design is a San Francisco-based architecture and interior design firm established in 1997, offering comprehensive architectural services through seven distinct practice areas: Workplace, Healthcare, Education, Housing, Preservation, Infrastructure, and Community. The firm employs over 50 architects and interior designers, combining large-firm experience with the culture and care of a small practice. Services span new construction, renovation, and adaptive reuse projects, with a strong emphasis on sustainability and community-focused design. The firm operates under the TEF Design name following a 2014 rebrand from its original name Tom Eliot Fisch.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Workplace Design Services Architectural design services for workplace environments including corporate offices, headquarters, and commercial spaces for enterprise clients.
- Healthcare Design Services Design of healthcare facilities including hospitals, medical offices, clinics, and specialized healthcare centers for healthcare providers and systems.
- Education Design Services Architectural services for educational institutions including schools, universities, libraries, and academic buildings.
- Housing Design Services Design services for residential projects including multi-family housing, affordable housing, and residential developments.
- Preservation Design Services Historic preservation and adaptive reuse services for existing buildings, maintaining architectural heritage while modernizing for contemporary use.
- Infrastructure Design Services Design of infrastructure projects including utility facilities, transportation-related structures, and public works projects.
- Community Design Services Community-focused architectural design including recreational facilities, cultural centers, and public gathering spaces.
- Interior Design Services Interior design services provided by the firm's staff of 50+ architects and interior designers, complementing architectural design work across practice areas.
Quantifiable outcome
- Revenue tripled within three months of Lantern Cafe opening at UC Merced
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use TEF Design
Customer profileNamed customers11 records
Segments7 records
Ideal customer profiles1 record
TEF Design technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
TEF Design partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- David Baker + PartnerscoreJoint venture partnership on mixed-use developments including the Don Fisher Clubhouse site, where David Baker + Partners designed the housing component while TEF designed the Boys & Girls Club clubhouse.
- Paulett Taggart ArchitectscoreCollaboration on Golden Gate Valley Branch Library renovation, where TEF worked with Paulett Taggart Architects on the historic Carnegie library originally designed by Ernest Coxhead.
- Tod Williams and Billie TsiencoreOngoing joint venture partnership including C.V. Starr East Asian Library at UC Berkeley and current UC Santa Cruz Institute of the Arts + Sciences project.
- Hood Design StudiocoreJoint venture partnership on Bayview Opera House project in San Francisco.
- KMD ArchitectscorePartnership on 525 Golden Gate/PUC Headquarters project, where TEF served as interiors lead while KMD handled core and shell design.
- Stevens ArchitectsminorJoint venture team partnership on San Francisco Public Utilities Commission Headquarters project.
- Hathaway DinwiddieminorGeneral contractor partnership on Jefferson Elementary School sandcastle contest collaboration through Leap arts education organization.
- Equity Community BuilderscoreDevelopment partnership on Don Fisher Clubhouse site, where Equity Community Builders developed the housing component adjacent to the TEF-designed clubhouse.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights4 records
TEF Design competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- EHDD: San Francisco-based architecture and interiors firm of comparable size (~80 staff) with similar mission-driven culture and a comparable mix of education, civic, and residential work. Operates in the same Bay Area professional services niche as TEF and competes for overlapping institutional RFPs.
- David Baker + Partners: San Francisco architecture firm focused on housing, community, and mixed-use projects. TEF and David Baker + Partners are both Bay Area firms of similar scale and are documented JV partners on the Don Fisher Clubhouse site — directly comparable in mission, geography, and project type.
- Leddy Maytum Stacy Architects: San Francisco architecture firm with a comparable practice profile in higher education, civic, and adaptive reuse work and a similar sustainability orientation. Directly competes with TEF for Bay Area university and public-sector commissions.
- Bohlin Cywinski Jackson: Practice with offices including San Francisco that delivers higher-education, civic, and culturally significant projects of similar character to TEF's preservation and institutional portfolio. Comparable in design philosophy and project typology mix.
- Paulett Taggart Architects: San Francisco preservation-focused architecture firm that collaborated with TEF on the Golden Gate Valley Branch Library. Similar small-firm scale, Bay Area geography, and specialism in historic preservation and adaptive reuse — direct overlap in niche.
- KMD Architects: Healthcare and civic architecture firm partnered with TEF on the 525 Golden Gate / PUC Headquarters project. Overlaps with TEF on healthcare and public-sector work in Northern California and competes for similar institutional commissions.
Broad incumbents
- Perkins&Will: Large global architecture firm with a strong healthcare and higher-education practice. Andrew Wolfram, a current TEF partner, was previously at Perkins+Will, indicating labor-market and project overlap. Competes for the same institutional clients as TEF at much larger scale.
- Gensler: Largest global architecture and design firm with a significant San Francisco office. Regularly competes with TEF on workplace, healthcare, and aviation commissions (including at SFO scale) as a broad incumbent offering a wider portfolio than TEF's specialized practice.
- HOK: Global architecture firm with major healthcare, education, and civic practices. Competes for the same large institutional clients (universities, health systems, airports) that anchor TEF's marquee project list, though at much greater scale and broader service mix.
- SmithGroup: Large US architecture and engineering firm with deep higher-education and healthcare practices, including a San Francisco office. Overlaps with TEF on university and healthcare work and competes for institutional clients in Northern California.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
TEF Design social profiles
Digital presenceTEF Design compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
TEF Design financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
TEF Design leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles7 records
TEF Design funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
TEF Design 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 TEF Design
What does TEF Design do?
TEF Design is a San Francisco-based architecture and interior design firm providing professional architectural design services across seven practice areas: Workplace, Healthcare, Education, Housing, Preservation, Infrastructure, and Community. Services span new construction, renovation, and adaptive reuse projects for enterprise clients, government agencies, healthcare systems, educational institutions, and community organizations. The firm employs over 50 architects and interior designers who combine large-firm experience with small-practice personalized attention.
Is TEF Design a public or private company?
TEF Design is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was TEF Design founded?
TEF Design was founded in 1997. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is TEF Design based?
TEF Design is headquartered in San Francisco, United States, in the North America region.
How does TEF Design make money?
One revenue line is on record: architecture and Design Services.
Who are TEF Design's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are EHDD, David Baker + Partners, Leddy Maytum Stacy Architects, Bohlin Cywinski Jackson, Paulett Taggart Architects and KMD Architects. Broad incumbents are Perkins&Will, Gensler, HOK and SmithGroup.
Does TEF Design have an API?
No public API is recorded for TEF Design.
What industry is TEF Design in?
TEF Design's product category is Architecture 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 54131 and its SIC code is 8711.