What AC Martin Partners does

AC Martin Partners is a privately held, full-service architecture, planning, and interiors firm headquartered in Los Angeles, California, with a significant operational presence in Sacramento. The firm organizes its practice around three core service lines — Architecture, Interiors, and Planning — delivered through ten sector practices spanning Higher Education, K-14, Commercial/Industrial, Public/Civic/Institutional, Aviation, Multi-Family Residential, Office, Hospitality, Landmarks, and Special Services. Its portfolio includes several defining Los Angeles landmarks (Wilshire Grand Center, the tallest building west of the Mississippi; 333 South Hope; 444 South Flower; 505-555 South Flower; 601 South Figueroa; Union Bank Plaza; 865 South Figueroa), major California state commissions (Joe Serna Jr. Cal/EPA Headquarters, the New Natural Resources Headquarters in Sacramento), the 6.3 million SF LAX Consolidated Rent-A-Car Facility, and a deep higher education portfolio across the UC, CSU, and private university systems.

The firm generates revenue through fee-based professional services — architecture, interiors, planning, feasibility studies, and design-build delivery — billed on a project-by-project basis to institutional, governmental, and private developer clients in California. Go-to-market is direct enterprise sales supported by long-term multi-decade client relationships (e.g., a 40-year relationship with Washington Iron Works), design-build teaming with major general contractors (Turner Construction, HGA, Clark Construction, PCL), public-private partnership delivery, and earned-media positioning through industry awards (AIA, DBIA, IIDA, BOMA, ENR California). The firm invests in thought leadership via case studies, post-occupancy evaluations, and white papers, and maintains dedicated sustainability and historic-preservation practices that have produced LEED Platinum and Net Zero Energy certified buildings, seismic rehabilitations of LA City Hall and the Hall of Justice, and trauma-informed civic facilities.

AC Martin is led by Chairman Christopher C. Martin (founder lineage), CEO/President Tom Hsieh, Chief Strategy Officer Bee Rarewala, and Chief Operating Officer Jim Dixon, supported by a team of 25+ named Managing Principals, Studio Principals, Design/Technical Directors, and Principals. Leadership is reinforced by an active research publication program and a credentials-based positioning around complex civic, higher education, aviation, and landmark commissions in California.

Name

AC Martin Partners

Legal name

AC Martin Partners

Website

https://acmartin.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1906

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

AC Martin Partners is a privately held Los Angeles-based architecture, planning, and interiors firm serving California institutional, governmental, and private clients across higher education, civic, aviation, commercial, and residential sectors, with landmark commissions including Wilshire Grand Center.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Architectural Design Services

NAICS

Interior Design Services (54141), Architectural Services (54131)

SIC

Services-Engineering Services (8711)

akta.pro primary industry

Design-Build / EPC General Contracting (IMAFAAAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Sustainable/Green Building & LEED Consulting (BPAHAKAG)

Keywords

• Architecture design services
• Interior design services
• Master planning services
• Sustainable building design
• Historic preservation services

Headquarters

HQ city

Los Angeles

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 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 professional services fees: Fee-based revenue from architecture, interiors, planning, and engineering services delivered to institutional, governmental, and private clients. Engagements range from programming and feasibility studies (e.g., CalArts Housing Study, Devonshire Downs CSUN) through full design and construction administration (e.g., New Natural Resources HQ). Includes design-build project delivery revenue.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

AC Martin Partners is a California-based architecture, interiors, and planning firm delivering integrated design services across higher education, civic, commercial, aviation, residential, hospitality, and landmark sectors. The firm provides full project delivery from programming and feasibility studies through design and construction administration, including design-build delivery, master planning, historic preservation, and sustainable high-performance building design (LEED Platinum, Net Zero Energy, mass timber/CLT).

Product overview

AC Martin Partners operates a single unified design services practice organized around three core service offerings — Architecture, Interiors, and Planning — that are filtered as view-by-service across their portfolio. Around these three service lines the firm maintains multiple sector practices (Higher Education, K-14, Commercial/Industrial, Public/Civic/Institutional, Aviation, Multi-Family, Office, Hospitality, Landmarks, and Special Services) that span new construction, renovation, adaptive reuse, historic preservation, master planning, and feasibility studies for institutional, civic, commercial, and residential clients.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Architecture Full architectural design services delivered as one of three core studio offerings, with view-by-service filtering on the AC Martin portfolio site. Includes new construction, renovation, historic preservation, seismic rehabilitation, and high-performance sustainable design for institutional, civic, commercial, aviation, residential, and hospitality clients.
• Interiors Interior architecture and design services delivered as one of three core studio offerings, covering hospitality, retail, restaurants, fitness, spa, office interiors, and branded residential interior design.
• Planning Master planning and campus/scale planning services delivered as one of three core studio offerings, including university master plans, feasibility studies, programming, and concept design for higher education and civic clients.
• Higher Education Design Practice Sector practice delivering architecture and planning services for colleges and universities, covering student life facilities, science and technology buildings, professional schools, classroom buildings, and libraries for UC, CSU, Cal State, and private university systems across California.
• K-14 Education Design Practice Sector practice for K-14 educational facilities including elementary schools, junior highs, high schools, and community college projects such as Havens Elementary, Frederiksen Elementary, Westfield Village School, Placer High School Learning Commons, and Rex Fortune Elementary, including modernization, classroom replacement, seismic upgrades, and DSA-approved construction.
• Commercial / Industrial Design Practice Sector practice for commercial and industrial facilities including distribution centers (Cool Port Oakland, Alderson Business Park, Ayers Avenue, Coast Tropical), headquarters, warehouses, tilt-up construction, cold storage, and trans-load facilities for industrial and logistics clients.
• Public / Civic / Institutional Design Practice Sector practice for civic and institutional facilities including courthouses, police stations (Hollenbeck LAPD), churches, and seismic rehabilitation projects such as LA City Hall and Hall of Justice, delivered via design-build and P3 procurement.
• Aviation Design Practice Sector practice for aviation facilities including the LAX Consolidated Rent-A-Car Facility (6.3 million SF ConRAC), John Wayne Airport maintenance facility, and the LAX Terminal Cores & APM Interface Project at Tom Bradley International Terminal for airport authorities.
• Multi-Family Residential Design Practice Sector practice covering mixed-use, affordable, adaptive re-use, senior housing, supportive housing, market-rate apartments, and transit-oriented residential projects (e.g., Avalon SDSU Mission Valley, Together California, Aria, Portico, 3045 Crenshaw Blvd.).
• Office Design Practice Sector practice covering creative office, adaptive re-use, and commercial tenant improvement (TI) projects for office clients, including PCL Glendale 'Workplace of the Future' renovation.
• Hospitality Design Practice Sector practice for hotels, spas, restaurants, and retail spaces including the Wilshire Grand Center, AC Hotel, Attitude Fitness, Guerlain Spa, Hampton Inn & Suites, La Boucherie, Dekkadance and Sora, and the Lobby Bar at Wilshire Grand.
• Landmarks & Historic Preservation Design Practice Sector practice focused on landmark and historic-preservation projects including Union Bank Plaza, 333 South Hope Street, 444 South Flower, 505-555 South Flower, 601 South Figueroa, 865 South Figueroa Tower, Los Angeles City Hall, LA DWP, May Company, Million Dollar Theater, and Padre Serra Parish Church, including seismic rehabilitation and adaptive re-use.
• Special Services Design Practice Sector practice covering specialized, smaller-scale or research-laboratory projects including Caltech laboratories (Minnich, Guttman, Pachter, Ames, Parker, Gates-Thomas), Chapman University Doti Hall, Prolacta Bioscience, and the West LA College Parking Structure.

Named customers50 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship — contributed more than $7 million to design and construction of the autodesk technology engagement center at csun, providing free access to professional-grade design software for students., supporting — supported the autodesk technology engagement center alongside autodesk's $7m+ contribution., core — design collaboration on flagship mixed-use wilshire la brea project., core — p3 public-private partnership consortium for garden grove civic center revitalization., core — design-build delivery partnership for the resources building renovation., core — co-development consortium for the cool port oakland intermodal facility., minor — design-build contractor for coast tropical facility., flagship — multi-decade, multi-phase client relationship including student housing phases i, ii, and iii., flagship — long-term multi-project client relationship spanning multiple buildings and programs., flagship — multi-decade institutional client with multiple laboratory projects., flagship — 40-year client relationship spanning the original 1976 office and the 2010s renovation., minor — direct engagement for pcl glendale office renovation., minor — co-design collaboration with founder christian bale and together california on a foster care village project. and flagship — developer/owner of the wilshire grand center, the tallest building west of the mississippi..

• Autodeskflagship — contributed more than $7 million to design and construction of the autodesk technology engagement center at csun, providing free access to professional-grade design software for students.Strategic or Co-development PartnerAutodesk contributed more than $7 million to the design and construction of California State University, Northridge's Autodesk Technology Engagement Center, opened August 22, 2025. The collaboration provides students with free access to professional-grade Autodesk design software and shapes real-world STEAM learning experiences. Co-funded by a $25 million state allocation from California and supported by Apple Inc.
• Apple Inc.supporting — supported the autodesk technology engagement center alongside autodesk's $7m+ contribution.Strategic or Co-development PartnerApple Inc. is named as a supporting partner of the Autodesk Technology Engagement Center at California State University, Northridge, which opened August 22, 2025. The center is part of a collaborative STEAM educational facility with advanced labs including a 30-foot-tall High Bay Structural Lab.
• Morris Adjmi Architectscore — design collaboration on flagship mixed-use wilshire la brea project.Strategic or Co-development PartnerAC Martin collaborated with Morris Adjmi Architects (design architect) on the Wilshire La Brea project — an 8-story podium-style mixed-use building combining a 125-key boutique hotel and 121 branded residential units adjacent to the forthcoming Metro Station at Wilshire Boulevard and La Brea Avenue in Los Angeles.
• Edgemoor Infrastructure and Clark Constructioncore — p3 public-private partnership consortium for garden grove civic center revitalization.Strategic or Co-development PartnerAC Martin was selected to design the Garden Grove Civic Center developed via a P3 Public-Private Partnership with Edgemoor and Clark Construction. The 104,000 SF police station, 4-level parking structure, and 2.7-acre park constitute the civic revitalization project.
• Turner Construction and HGA (Hammel, Green and Abrahamson)core — design-build delivery partnership for the resources building renovation.Implementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerTurner + AC Martin + HGA Team delivered the Resources Building Renovation for the California Department of General Services using a progressive design-build delivery method. The 17-story, 657,000 GSF project achieved LEED Platinum certification.
• Dreisbach Enterprises, Lineage Logistics, and Fisher Construction Groupcore — co-development consortium for the cool port oakland intermodal facility.Strategic or Co-development PartnerAC Martin designed alongside Dreisbach Enterprises, Lineage Logistics, and Fisher Construction Group the Cool Port — a 250,000 SF state-of-the-art intermodal trans-load and consolidation facility at the Port of Oakland on a 22-acre site servicing 9,000 railcars and 50,000+ TEU containers annually.
• Big-D Pacific Construction Corp.minor — design-build contractor for coast tropical facility.Implementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerAC Martin worked with Big-D Pacific Construction Corp. on Coast Tropical's new Design-Build facility in Union City, California — an 84,772 SF cold storage and distribution facility.
• California State University, Northridge (CSUN)flagship — multi-decade, multi-phase client relationship including student housing phases i, ii, and iii.Strategic or Co-development PartnerCSUN is a flagship higher education client. AC Martin delivered Student Housing Phase III (200 beds, completed August 2025) following successful Phases I and II, plus the Devonshire Downs Faculty/Staff Housing (200-unit apartment complex) and the Autodesk Technology Engagement Center.
• Chapman Universityflagship — long-term multi-project client relationship spanning multiple buildings and programs.Strategic or Co-development PartnerChapman University is a flagship client with multiple AC Martin projects including Kennedy Hall / Dale E. Fowler School of Law (133,000 SF), Digital Media Arts Center, Keck Center for Science and Engineering (140,000 SF), Swenson Family Hall of Engineering, College of Business Administration at Cal Poly Pomona, "K" Residence Hall, Doti Hall, and Chapman University Housing Filmmaker's Village.
• California Institute of Technology (Caltech)flagship — multi-decade institutional client with multiple laboratory projects.Strategic or Co-development PartnerCaltech is a flagship higher education research client with multiple AC Martin projects: Parker Laboratory, Pachter Laboratory, Ames Laboratory / AMBER Lab, Gates-Thomas Laboratory (54,300 SF renovation), Minnich Laboratory, and Guttman Laboratory.
• Washington Iron Worksflagship — 40-year client relationship spanning the original 1976 office and the 2010s renovation.Strategic or Co-development PartnerLong-term 40-year relationship with Washington Iron Works. AC Martin's CEO was the production architect on the original office building completed in 1976, and the firm later designed the 8,432 SF two-story Facilities Office Building in Gardena, CA.
• PCL Constructionminor — direct engagement for pcl glendale office renovation.Implementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerAC Martin was selected by PCL Construction to renovate PCL's 25,800 SF Glendale office into a 'Workplace of the Future' with flexible, adaptable workspaces targeting next-generation workforce demographics.
• Together California (Christian Bale co-founded foster care project)minor — co-design collaboration with founder christian bale and together california on a foster care village project.Strategic or Co-development PartnerTogether California: A Village for Brothers & Sisters is a foster home project co-founded by acclaimed actor Christian Bale. AC Martin designed 12 townhome units, 2 studio units, and a 7,000 SF Community Building in Palmdale, CA, keeping siblings in foster care united.
• Korean Airlinesflagship — developer/owner of the wilshire grand center, the tallest building west of the mississippi.Strategic or Co-development PartnerKorean Airlines envisioned the Wilshire Grand Center as an iconic tower and symbol of friendship between South Korea and the U.S. AC Martin designed the 73-story mixed-use development including 890 InterContinental Hotel rooms, 18 office floors, and retail/restaurant podium in downtown LA.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• CannonDesign: Architecture, engineering, and planning firm with significant higher education, healthcare, and science & technology practices. Comparable in integrated multi-discipline delivery and pursuit of research-intensive institutional clients similar to AC Martin's UC/CSU/Caltech book.
• HKS: Architecture firm with strong higher education, civic, healthcare, and aviation practices. Comparable in design-build execution on civic/institutional projects and in pursuit of large-scale student housing, research, and government commissions.
• SmithGroup: Integrated architecture, engineering, and planning firm with concentrations in higher education, healthcare, science & technology, and civic markets — closely aligned with AC Martin's primary verticals. Comparable in research-driven design approach and campus master planning expertise.
• Gensler: Global architecture and design firm with major Los Angeles presence across higher education, civic, commercial, aviation, hospitality, and workplace sectors. Directly comparable in sector breadth and California institutional client base, though materially larger (global scale) than AC Martin.
• Perkins&Will: Architecture and design firm with deep higher education, healthcare, civic, and science/research practices — directly overlapping with AC Martin's university and laboratory portfolio (e.g., Caltech, Chapman, UC system). Comparable in integrated architecture + interiors + planning service model and LEED leadership.
• Steinberg Hart: California-headquartered architecture and planning firm focused on housing, higher education, and mixed-use developments. Closely comparable in California higher-education and multi-family student housing pipeline and in integrated architecture + interiors delivery.
• HOK: Global architecture firm with strong higher education, civic, healthcare, aviation, and sports practices. Comparable to AC Martin in sector mix (especially higher ed and civic design-build) and in design-build delivery expertise, though operating at much larger scale and global footprint.

Regional players

• Marmol Radziner: Los Angeles-based architecture and interiors firm with selective civic, commercial, and high-end residential work. Comparable as a fellow LA-headquartered design firm with strong interiors practice, though smaller and more boutique in scale than AC Martin.
• KFA (Kapan) / KFA Architecture: Southern California architecture firm serving K-14 and community college districts, with a DSA-approval-focused practice that parallels AC Martin's K-14 sector work in the same geographic market.

Broad incumbents

• Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM): Global architecture, engineering, and urban planning firm behind many of the world's tallest and most iconic buildings. Overlaps with AC Martin on landmark-scale civic, commercial, and higher-education projects, but operates at significantly larger scale and global reach.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

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Compliance8 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles16 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 AC Martin Partners