What DES Architects + Engineers does

DES Architects + Engineers is a privately held, integrated architecture and engineering firm founded in 1973 in Silicon Valley. The firm delivers professional design and consulting services spanning architecture, civil engineering, structural engineering, interior design, landscape architecture, sustainability consulting (via its Earth Studio in-house team), and visual communications (via its 2020-founded LightFiction subsidiary). It serves enterprise clients across four primary verticals—technology companies, life science and biotechnology firms, healthcare providers, and educational institutions—with additional work for real estate developers on mixed-use and adaptive reuse projects. Notable named clients include Google, Meta, Microsoft, LinkedIn, Oracle, Genentech, Roche, Gilead, Sutter Health, Kaiser, and UC Irvine.

DES operates a project-based professional services revenue model, with engagement scope spanning ground-up construction, entitlements, master planning, and interior fit-outs. Pricing is handled through direct consultation and is not publicly disclosed. The firm generates new business through direct enterprise engagement, referrals from long-standing clients, industry events (e.g., ULI Austin, AIA San Mateo County), and inbound inquiries via its website and LinkedIn presence; it does not use resellers or marketplace channels. The integrated A&E model—architecture and engineering teams working side by side rather than as separate sub-consultants—is positioned as the firm's primary differentiator, alongside its in-house sustainability (Earth Studio, 6M+ sqft LEED-certified) and visualization (LightFiction) capabilities.

The firm is headquartered in Redwood City, California, with additional offices in San Francisco and Austin, Texas (opened June 2024). As of 2023, it was described as the largest architecture firm in Silicon Valley with 170+ employees. Leadership transitioned in September 2025, with Dawn Jedkins and Waibun Lee appointed as Co-CEOs, succeeding Tom Gilman (President since 2003) and Steve Mincey (CEO since 2003), who assumed Executive Partner roles. The firm is founder-controlled with no disclosed institutional investors or parent company, and revenue figures are not publicly disclosed.

Name

DES Architects + Engineers

Legal name

DES Architects + Engineers

Website

http://des-ae.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1973

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

DES Architects + Engineers is a 53-year-old integrated architecture and engineering firm serving enterprise clients across technology, life science, healthcare, and education sectors, with offices in Redwood City, San Francisco, and Austin.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Architectural and Engineering Design Services

NAICS

Architectural Services (541310), Engineering Services (54133), Interior Design Services (54141)

SIC

Services-Engineering Services (8711), Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

Architectural Design Services (BPAHAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Civil & Structural Engineering Consulting (BPAHAIAA), Interior Design Services (BPAHAKAB), Construction Engineering & Constructability Consulting (BPAHAIAN)

Keywords

• Architectural services
• Structural engineering
• Civil engineering
• Interior design
• Sustainability consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Redwood City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Architecture and Engineering Professional Services: DES generates revenue through providing integrated architecture, engineering, interior design, landscape architecture, structural engineering, civil engineering, sustainability consulting, and visual communications services to enterprise clients. Revenue is project-based, driven by engagements across commercial development, tech campuses, life science research facilities, workplaces, healthcare, and educational spaces.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

DES Architects + Engineers is an integrated architecture and engineering firm that delivers professional design services spanning architecture, civil engineering, interior design, landscape architecture, structural engineering, sustainability consulting (Earth Studio), and visual communications (LightFiction). The firm engages enterprise clients from early planning and entitlements through design and project delivery, employing multi-disciplinary teams that work side by side to streamline communication across disciplines.

Product overview

DES Architects + Engineers is an integrated architecture and engineering firm offering professional design and consulting services, not a software product company. The firm provides interdisciplinary services including architecture, civil engineering, interior design, landscape architecture, structural engineering, sustainability consulting (Earth Studio), and visual communications (LightFiction). These are service offerings delivered through project-based work rather than software products or platforms.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Architecture Services Full-scope architectural design services for ground-up construction, master planning, and entitlements delivered to enterprise technology, life science, healthcare, education, and real estate developer clients.
• Interior Design Services Workplace, amenity, clinic, and tenant improvement interior design services for corporate offices, tech campuses, healthcare facilities, and educational buildings.
• Landscape Architecture Services Integrated landscape architecture supporting campus planning, public spaces, and site design for mixed-use, life science, and tech projects across Northern California.
• Structural Engineering Services Structural engineering for life science, healthcare, educational, and commercial buildings, with expertise in mass timber, steel, tilt-up concrete, and adaptive reuse structural modifications.
• Civil Engineering Services Site civil engineering addressing Bay Area site design challenges including grading, utilities, stormwater management, and entitlement support for development projects.
• Earth Studio Sustainability Consulting In-house sustainability consulting practice guiding projects through LEED v4 and v5, WELL, Fitwel, and TRUE certification, with over 6 million square feet of LEED Platinum and Gold certified buildings and campuses delivered.
• LightFiction Visual Communications Specialty graphics and visualization studio providing creative communication, branding, and visualization services to expand the firm's design storytelling capabilities for clients.

Quantifiable outcome

• 70% reduction in embodied carbon emissions through adaptive reuse of existing structure at theLAB Emeryville
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers20 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

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• HaworthminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Haworth is a furniture company with a longstanding relationship with DES, involving shared showroom tours and collaborative events. DES participated in Haworth's third 5V experience fashion competition, translating architectural concepts into wearable art inspired by the theLAB Emeryville project. Haworth provided furniture and showroom spaces that inspired design elements in DES's competition entry.
• MycoworksminorOthers · 1 January 2025Mycoworks provided mycelium leather material for DES's Haworth 5V fashion competition entry, which was used to create a bodice with folds inspired by mushroom gills. This innovative material was chosen to reflect the interplay between innovation and nature in the adaptive reuse of the paint factory.
• Lane PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Lane Partners is a local South San Francisco developer that partnered with DES in 2018 to design Southline, a nearly 30-acre transit-oriented, mixed-use campus adjacent to BART. DES has been working with Lane Partners on multiple projects including Southline and 1900 Broadway in Redwood City, designing flexible R&D buildings, mass timber amenities, and public spaces with strong community engagement.
• DPR ConstructioncoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 January 2018DPR Construction served as the general contractor for the Southline project, working closely with DES's design team. The collaboration included innovative practices like a shared 'Big Room' on-site office, weekly all-hands meetings, Family Day events, and coordinated approaches to construction challenges. DPR partnered with DES to deliver Phase 1A including a six-story R&D building, mass timber amenities building, and parking structure.
• SteelWavecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSteelWave is a local East Bay developer that acquired the historic Sherwin-Williams paint factory in Emeryville and partnered with DES to redesign it as theLAB Emeryville, a 72,000-sf adaptive reuse Class-A lab and office space. DES continues to work with SteelWave on their next life science development, theLAB Foster City. SteelWave team members grew up near the East Bay project area.
• Lusardi ConstructioncoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerLusardi Construction served as the general contractor for theLAB Emeryville project. Lusardi led weekly all-hands meetings during the COVID-19 pandemic, using photo presentations to maintain team morale and project transparency. The firm coordinated closely with DES on adaptive reuse challenges including structural modifications, window replacement, and seismic upgrades while preserving the building's historic character.
• Crossover HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCrossover Health is a healthcare provider that partners with major technology companies to provide comprehensive workplace health services. DES has designed more than 30 wellness centers with Crossover across eight states for clients including Amazon, Facebook/Meta, Microsoft, LinkedIn, HP, Synopsys, and others. DES works closely with Crossover to reimagine patient and staff experience in clinic design, creating spa-like environments with dual-access exam rooms and team-based care areas.
• Lighthouse Public AffairsminorOthersLighthouse Public Affairs assisted with community engagement efforts for the Southline project, helping gather feedback from residents and local community members during the multi-phase outreach process.
• coUrbanizeminorOtherscoUrbanize is an online portal used by the Southline project team to collect community feedback from nearby residents and local community members. Over 200 comments were gathered from dozens of community members, informing project programming and design decisions.
• Mark Hulbert (Historical Architecture Consultant)minorOthersHistorical architecture consultant who worked closely with DES and Lusardi to maintain theLAB Emeryville's original industrial storefronts while incorporating modern enhancements that meet preservation standards.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• WRNS Studio: Bay Area architecture firm with strong civic, education, and workplace practices. Comparable to DES in Northern California base and integrated architecture-plus-sustainability approach for similar project types.
• EHDD: San Francisco-based architecture firm focused on education, civic, and workplace projects. Comparable to DES in Bay Area geography, mid-size scale, and education/civic client overlap.
• CannonDesign: Integrated architecture, engineering, and planning firm with strong healthcare and science practices. Comparable to DES in integrated A+E delivery model and healthcare + education vertical mix.
• LPA Design Studios: California-based integrated architecture, engineering, planning, and interiors firm with strong science/tech and education practices. Comparable to DES in integrated A&E model, California geography, and life science/education vertical mix.
• SmithGroup: Integrated architecture and engineering firm with nationally recognized science & technology practice. Closely comparable to DES in combined architecture + engineering + sustainability delivery for tech and life science clients.
• Gensler: Global integrated design firm headquartered in San Francisco with leading practices in tech workplace and life science. Directly comparable to DES in client overlap (Google, Meta, major tech and biotech firms) and integrated A&E delivery model.
• Flad Architects: National architecture firm specializing in science & technology, health, and higher education facilities. Comparable to DES in life science and academic research lab project mix and customer base.
• Perkins&Will: Global architecture firm with a leading science and technology practice serving biotech, pharma, and academic research clients. Comparable to DES in life science project mix and integrated design+research capabilities.

Broad incumbents

• Stantec: Global design and engineering consulting firm serving infrastructure, buildings, and environmental sectors. Comparable to DES in integrated A&E services for commercial and institutional clients, though much larger and more diversified.
• HOK: Global architecture, engineering, and planning firm with broad practice across workplace, science & technology, and healthcare. Comparable to DES in integrated A&E delivery but with much broader geographic and sector footprint.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/des-architects---engineers
• Instagraminstagram.com/des.architects/?hl=en
• Xx.com/desarchitects
• Facebookfacebook.com/desarchitects

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 records

Subsidiaries1 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 DES Architects + Engineers