Anderson Brulé Architects

What Anderson Brulé Architects does

ABA Studios (formerly Anderson Brulé Architects) is a California-based architecture, interior design, and strategic planning firm founded in 1984 and headquartered in San José. The firm provides full-service design services — covering strategic planning, architecture, interior design, and sustainability — for public and institutional clients across three verticals: Education (higher education, community colleges, K-12 districts, independent schools), Community/Civic (libraries, municipal buildings, community centers), and Health & Wellness (healthcare systems, cancer centers, medical office buildings). Notable projects include the MLK Jr. Library in San José (a joint-use facility with SJSU serving 2M+ annual visitors), CSU East Bay CORE Library (LEED Gold, 1.2M annual visitors), El Gabilan Library in Salinas, the net-zero Aptos Branch Library, the Hillbrook School campus, and the UCSF-Washington Hospital Cancer Center.

The firm generates revenue through project-based fees negotiated per engagement, with revenue tied to project milestones and contract terms rather than recurring subscriptions. Work is procured through competitive public-sector processes including RFPs, bond measures, design competitions, and — in select cases — public-private partnerships (e.g., the El Gabilan Library P3 with Griffin Structures and Public Facilities Group). The firm employs 11–50 staff, with women comprising approximately 75% of the workforce, and operates exclusively in California. Following founder Pamela Anderson-Brulé's retirement in 2022, leadership passed to Lee Salin, FAIA (President/Managing Principal) and Mark Schoeman, AIA/DBIA (Design Principal), and in August 2025 the firm rebranded to ABA Studios to mark its 40th anniversary. The firm is privately held with no parent company, no outside funding, and no proprietary technology platform; it relies on standard collaboration tools (Miro, Google Docs, SharePoint) to support its community engagement methodology.

Name

Anderson Brulé Architects

Legal name

Anderson Brulé Architects

Website

https://aba-arch.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1984

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

ABA Studios (formerly Anderson Brulé Architects) is a San José-based architecture, interior design, and strategic planning firm founded in 1984, serving California public-sector and institutional clients across Education, Community/Civic, and Health & Wellness verticals with a 40-year award-winning portfolio.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

San Jose

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Architecture and Design Services: ABA Studios generates revenue through project-based fees for architectural design, interior design, and strategic planning engagements. Projects span libraries, educational facilities, healthcare spaces, and community buildings for public-sector and institutional clients in California. Revenue is non-recurring and tied to project milestones and contract terms.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

ABA Studios (formerly Anderson Brulé Architects) is an architecture, interior design, and strategic planning firm offering integrated services spanning strategic planning, architecture, interior design, and sustainability. The firm specializes in designing libraries, educational facilities, healthcare spaces, and community buildings for California public institutions, school districts, colleges, healthcare systems, and municipal governments.

Product overview

ABA Studios (formerly Anderson Brulé Architects) is an architecture, interiors, and strategic planning firm offering a unified portfolio of services spanning strategic planning, architecture, interior design, and sustainability. The firm's core service offerings work together as an integrated practice, serving clients across California in the Education, Community, and Health & Wellness sectors. The company specializes in creating welcoming, sustainable, and community-oriented buildings including libraries (El Gabilan Library, Aptos Branch Library, CSU East Bay CORE Library), educational facilities (Santa Catalina School Math & Science Center, Ohlone College), and healthcare spaces (UCSF-WHHS Cancer Center, Medical Office Buildings). The firm celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2024 and transitioned to the ABA Studios brand in August 2025.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Architecture Full-service architectural design covering the design, construction documentation, and construction administration for educational, civic, healthcare, and community facilities for California public institutions, school districts, colleges, healthcare systems, and municipal governments.
• Interiors Interior design services including space planning, finishes selection, furniture specification, and design for interior environments that support client operations and user experiences across libraries, educational facilities, healthcare spaces, and community buildings.
• Strategic Planning Strategic planning services that help clients define their vision, goals, and requirements for complex planning and building projects through inclusive and meaningful community engagement processes, including needs assessments, visioning, and programming.
• Sustainability

Quantifiable outcome

• MLK Jr. Library serves over 2 million visitors annually
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers13 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Swinerton BuilderscoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerGeneral contractor on the El Gabilan Library project (City of Salinas). A major California-based construction firm collaborating with ABA on public building projects. Also partnered on West Valley College Learning Resource Center.
• Griffin StructurescoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerDeveloper partner on the El Gabilan Library P3 project. Griffin Structures worked with ABA and the City of Salinas as part of a public-private partnership to deliver the new library.
• Bogard ConstructioncoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerGeneral contractor and design-build partner with ABA on the Aptos Branch Library ($12.4M bond-funded project). Bogard Construction constructed the 12,420 sf net-zero library for Santa Cruz Public Library System.
• Carrier Johnson + CULTUREcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerArchitecture firm serving as architect for the shell/exteriors on the CSU East Bay CORE Library Building. ABA served as Architect for interiors with core systems. The two firms formed a partnership to deliver the 100,957 gsf LEED Gold facility.
• Mark Cavagnero AssociatescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerArchitecture partner on the West Valley College Learning Resource Center project, which won a 2024 Structures Award. ABA collaborated with Mark Cavagnero Associates and Swinerton Construction on the renovation and expansion.
• Swenson BuilderscoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerGeneral contractor on the Hillbrook School Arts & Athletics Center (Armory adaptive reuse), which won a 2024 Structures Award. Shared the award with ABA in the Rehab & Reuse category.
• Avila ConstructioncoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerGeneral contractor on the Santa Catalina School High School Library Renovation, a design/build project transforming the 1960s Sister Mary Kiernan Memorial Library.
• HaworthminorGTM or Marketing PartnerFurniture and interior design manufacturer. Ashly Vineyard, ABA interior designer, participated in Haworth's 5V Art Exhibition event (fashion show), translating the Monterey Peninsula College Welcome Center design into a runway piece, gaining visibility for ABA.
• Santa Cruz Public Library System / County of Santa CruzcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPublic client for the Aptos Branch Library. ABA and Bogard were the designbuild team selected through a competitive process funded by a bond measure for the $12.4M project.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• HGA: National architecture and engineering firm with established education, healthcare, and civic/community practices that overlap with ABA's three primary verticals.
• CannonDesign: National architecture, engineering, and consulting firm with dedicated education and healthcare practices. Competes with ABA on California CSU/community college and health system commissions.
• Perkins&Will: Global architecture firm with dedicated higher education and healthcare studios that regularly compete for CSU/UC, healthcare system, and large public-sector work in California. Larger scale but overlapping target segments.
• NBBJ: Major healthcare and education-focused architecture firm that competes for large-scale California medical center, university, and civic projects overlapping with ABA's healthcare and education verticals.
• HOK: Large global architecture practice with strong healthcare, education, and civic capabilities. Pursues the same institutional RFPs and bond-funded projects as ABA at a larger scale.
• Page: Multi-disciplinary architecture, engineering, and planning firm with significant higher education, healthcare, and civic practices that overlap with ABA's institutional client base.

Direct peers

• SmithGroup: National architecture firm with significant higher education, healthcare, and civic practices. Competes with ABA on CSU/UC and major library commissions and serves overlapping institutional buyer segments.
• Carrier Johnson + CULTURE: San Diego-based architecture firm that has actually partnered with ABA (CSU East Bay CORE Library, where they handled shell/exteriors). Comparable California presence and education/civic focus make them both a partner and direct competitor.
• LPA Design Studios: California-headquartered integrated architecture and engineering firm with deep K-12, higher education, and civic portfolios (similar to ABA). Comparable size, similar public-sector procurement focus, and overlapping California client base make it the most direct peer.
• EHDD: San Francisco-based architecture firm with strong California education and library portfolios and a long-standing reputation for civic and community-focused design. Closely comparable in size, mission, and project types to ABA.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/andersonbrule
• Facebookfacebook.com/AndersonBrule
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/anderson-brule-architects

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

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 Anderson Brulé Architects