What DSK Architects does

DSK Architects is a privately held California-based architectural design firm founded in 2006, headquartered in Oakland with five offices across the state (Oakland, San Francisco, Pleasanton, San Luis Obispo, and Los Angeles). The firm provides programming, design, and construction contract documentation services for institutional and commercial clients, with primary specialization in K-12 and higher education facilities, healthcare environments, and commercial interior design. Core practice areas include new campus construction, modernization and renovation, classroom additions, modular construction for accelerated school delivery, OSHPD-regulated healthcare facility design, and corporate tenant improvements. The firm has differentiated capabilities in California-specific regulatory regimes—notably Division of State Architect (DSA) project approval and OSHPD healthcare construction—and in joint-use, time-shared campus models.

The business model is a traditional professional services architecture practice. Revenue is generated through design fees, project management, and construction administration billed on a project-specific, quote-based structure tied to scope, square footage, and complexity. Client acquisition is primarily direct and relationship-driven, with public-sector K-12 and higher-education work pursued through district procurement and RFP processes, and commercial work secured via direct engagement with corporate real estate and tenant-improvement teams. The customer base spans multiple California school districts (SFUSD, Dublin USD, Santa Monica-Malibu USD, Emeryville USD, San Lorenzo USD, La Honda Pescadero USD, Simi Valley USD, Bishop O'Dowd, St. Ignatius College Prep), higher-education institutions (San Francisco State University, UCSF, Santa Monica College, Evergreen Valley College), healthcare systems (St. Rose Hospital, Kindred Paramount, Casa Muir Medical Center), and corporate clients (QuinStreet, Vodafone). Firm size is reported in the 11-50 employee range; no revenue, ownership, or leadership-headcount data is publicly disclosed beyond founder Amir Kakavand serving as CEO and Managing Partner. Marketing is conducted through a portfolio website, LinkedIn, and Instagram, with no pricing publicly disclosed.

Name

DSK Architects

Legal name

DSK Architects

Website

https://dskarch.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

DSK Architects is a privately held California-based architectural firm founded in 2006 with five offices statewide, providing design, programming, and construction administration services for K-12 districts, higher education institutions, healthcare facilities, and commercial clients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Architectural Design Services

NAICS

Architectural Services (541310), 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

• Architectural design services
• K-12 school design
• Healthcare facility architecture
• Higher education campus design
• Modular construction design

Headquarters

HQ city

San Francisco

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

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: Professional architecture services for new construction, renovation, and modernization projects. Revenue generated through design fees, project management, and construction administration for institutional and commercial clients.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

DSK Architects is a full-service architectural design firm providing programming, design, and construction contract documentation services for K-12 educational facilities, higher education institutions, healthcare facilities, commercial/corporate offices, and science and technology environments. The firm delivers new construction, modernization, and renovation projects, with notable specialization in DSA-regulated school projects, OSHPD-regulated healthcare projects, modular construction, and biophilic sustainable design.

Product overview

DSK Architects is a full-service architectural design firm operating in the California Bay Area with offices in Oakland, San Francisco, San Luis Obispo, and Los Angeles. The firm offers a comprehensive portfolio of architectural and design services organized into distinct practice areas: K-12 Education (including new construction, modernization, and campus improvements for school districts), Higher Education (colleges, universities, and community colleges), Healthcare Facility Design (hospitals, medical centers, rehabilitation facilities, and OSHPD projects), Commercial Architecture (corporate offices and tech company headquarters), Interior Design (commercial interiors and tenant improvements), and Science & Technology Facilities (laboratories, research spaces, and specialized technical environments). The firm's work spans both new construction and renovation/modernization projects, with notable expertise in modular construction methods for educational facilities requiring accelerated delivery.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• K-12 Education Architecture Services Architectural design services for K-12 educational facilities including new campus construction, modernization, classroom additions, and campus-wide improvements for public and private school districts across California. Includes specialized facilities such as makerspaces, science labs, TK/K classrooms, modular classroom buildings, and playgrounds.
• Higher Education Architecture Services Comprehensive architectural services for colleges, universities, and community colleges including classroom buildings, science facilities, sports complexes (tennis, pickleball, basketball/futsal), laboratories, dormitory improvements, and campus modernization projects.
• Healthcare Facility Design Design services for healthcare facilities including hospitals, medical centers, rehabilitation units, urgent care centers, nursing facilities, and OSHPD-regulated projects such as LDR suite modernizations, acute rehabilitation unit conversions, and biophilic patient-centered designs.
• Commercial Architecture Commercial building design services for corporate offices, technology company headquarters, telecommunications campuses, and business tenants including tenant improvement and agile workspace design.
• Interior Design Interior design services for commercial spaces including office interiors, corporate campuses, hospitality environments, and specialized workspace design with emphasis on agile and collaborative settings.
• Science and Technology Facilities Specialized design for laboratory spaces including BSL-2 tissue culture laboratories, genomics labs, central utility plants, and technology research facilities.
• Modular Construction Services Prefabricated modular building design solutions for classrooms, with customization capabilities for schools requiring accelerated construction timelines and minimal campus disruption.

Quantifiable outcome

• $31.5 million Dublin High School Engineering and Science Building
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers14 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• NBBJ: International architecture firm with strong healthcare and higher education portfolios. Comparable in healthcare and education verticals, with substantially broader geographic reach.
• SmithGroup: National integrated design firm with significant higher education, healthcare, and workplace practices. Broader footprint and resources make it a broader incumbent rather than a head-to-head small competitor, but directly competes on the same institutional projects.
• Perkins&Will: Global architecture practice with large healthcare and higher education practices, including California offices. Represents the larger-incumbent tier competing on marquee healthcare and university projects.

Direct peers

• EHDD: San Francisco-based architecture firm with longstanding K-12, higher education, and community/civic practices. Direct Bay Area competitor on California public-sector education projects.
• Quattrocchi Kwok Architects: California-based architecture firm specializing in K-12 and higher education facilities, with strong DSA expertise. Closely comparable in vertical focus, regulatory specialization, and California public-sector client base.
• TMP Architecture: Mid-sized architecture firm with a significant K-12 and higher education practice, particularly in California. Comparable in scale, education-sector focus, and DSA-credentialed project delivery.
• LPA Design Studios: Large California-headquartered integrated design firm with deep K-12, higher education, and healthcare practices. Comparable verticals (education + healthcare) and DSA/OSHPD-style public-sector delivery, though at a substantially larger scale.
• HMC Architects: California-based architecture and planning firm with strong education and healthcare practices, including OSHPD and DSA experience. Direct competitor in the same institutional verticals with similar regional concentration.
• WRNS Studio: California-rooted architecture firm with a notable K-12 and higher education portfolio and sustainability-driven design approach. Comparable in California public-sector education focus and project scale.

Emerging players

• Page & Turnbull: San Francisco architecture firm with adaptive reuse, education, and cultural projects. Comparable as a California Bay Area architecture practice but with a narrower renovation/historic focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/dsk-architects
• Instagraminstagram.com/dskarch
• Xx.com/dskarchitects
• Facebookfacebook.com/dskarchitectsSF

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 DSK Architects