What Lehrer Architects does

Lehrer Architects is a Los Angeles-based, privately-held architectural firm founded in 1985 by Michael B. Lehrer, FAIA, providing full-service design, engineering, and master planning across six practice areas: Residential, Civic, Education, Cultural, Workplace, and Planning. The firm employs 11–50 staff and operates from a single headquarters at 2140 Hyperion Avenue in the Silver Lake neighborhood, serving clients primarily across Southern California with selective international engagements (e.g., El Salvador).

Its core technical differentiators are sustainable design and historic preservation: the firm delivered the world's first LEED Platinum-certified museum (Western Science Center Academy, 2008), a LEED Platinum UCLA La Kretz Garden Pavilion (2018), LEED Gold/Net Zero Energy civic facilities (Hollywood Recreation Center), and co-developed the City of Los Angeles' pre-approved YOU-ADU standardized accessory dwelling unit plan. Project work spans complex civic infrastructure, sacred architecture, university innovation spaces, cemetery/memorial design (notably the 100-foot Gower Court Mausoleum at Hollywood Forever Cemetery), and affordable/tiny-home housing.

The business model is traditional professional services: project-based design fees negotiated per engagement, secured through competitive public-sector bidding (City of LA), design competitions, direct institutional relationships (UCLA, USC, Caltech, Milken), and referrals. Go-to-market relies on portfolio-driven marketing, active industry award submissions (AIA, Fast Company, Interior Design Best of Year), and earned media in trade and mainstream outlets. The firm maintains long-term core partnerships with landscape architect Studio-MLA and selective co-design partners (Arquitectura y Diseño, Kadre Architects, Kirkegaard Associates) to deliver interdisciplinary scope.

Name

Lehrer Architects

Legal name

Lehrer Architects

Website

https://lehrerarchitects.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1985

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Lehrer Architects is a Los Angeles-based, privately-held architectural firm founded in 1985, providing full-service design, master planning, and sustainable building expertise across civic, educational, cultural, religious, residential, and workplace projects primarily in Southern California.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Architecture Services

NAICS

Architectural Services (541310)

akta.pro primary industry

Architectural Design Services (BPAHAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Sustainable/Green Building & LEED Consulting (BPAHAKAG), Historic Preservation & Conservation Planning (BPAHAKAH), Interior Design Services (BPAHAKAB)

Keywords

• Architectural design services
• Sustainable building design
• Master planning services
• Civic architecture design
• Historic preservation architecture

Headquarters

HQ city

Los Angeles

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: Traditional architecture firm revenue derived from design fees for civic, cultural, educational, residential, and commercial projects. Revenue is project-based, typically one-time engagements with government agencies, educational institutions, religious organizations, and private clients.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Lehrer Architects is a Los Angeles-based architectural firm providing comprehensive design, engineering, and master planning services across six categories: Residential, Civic, Education, Cultural, Workplace, and Planning. The firm specializes in sustainable, LEED-certified, and Net Zero Energy building design, adaptive reuse of historic structures, and master planning for civic and institutional facilities, serving government agencies, universities, religious organizations, and private corporations in Southern California.

Product overview

Lehrer Architects is an award-winning Los Angeles-based architecture firm offering comprehensive architectural services. The firm operates as a single unified practice rather than a platform-with-modules structure, providing design and planning services across six project categories: Residential, Civic, Education, Cultural, Workplace, and Planning. The firm's portfolio includes notable projects such as the Hollywood Forever Cemetery Gower Court Mausoleum, UCLA La Kretz Garden Pavilion, Western Science Center Academy, and various community centers and schools throughout Southern California.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Architectural Services Full-service architectural design covering residential, civic, educational, cultural, workplace, and planning projects across Southern California, delivered to government agencies, universities, religious organizations, and private corporations.
• YOU-ADU Standard Plan Pre-approved Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) standardized design plan created for the City of Los Angeles to streamline permitting and reduce homeowner costs on small residential units.
• Master Planning Services Long-range planning and master planning services for campuses, civic precincts, water reclamation facilities, and recreation centers, including UCLA Sunset Canyon Recreation Center Masterplan, LA Glendale Water Reclamation Facility, and Google Campus Playa Vista Master Plan.
• Sustainable / LEED-Certified Building Design Design services focused on LEED Platinum and Gold certified and Net Zero Energy buildings, applied to museums, recreation centers, and educational facilities.

Quantifiable outcome

• World's first LEED Platinum-certified museum (Western Science Center Academy)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers12 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

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Arquitectura y Diseño (AyD)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-design partner on the Hollywood Forever Cemetery Gower Court Mausoleum project, working together on the 100-foot tall, 5-story vertical mausoleum structure.
• Studio-MLAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLandscape architecture partner on numerous projects including Barnsdall Park, Potrero Heights, Temple Bat Yahm, Westside JCC, Katz Family Pavilion, Camp Shalom, and multiple civic projects. Studio-MLA led the landscape design while Lehrer Architects provided architectural services.
• Kadre ArchitectscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-developed the "YOU-ADU" Standard Plan for the City of Los Angeles, providing pre-approved Accessory Dwelling Unit designs to help address housing needs.
• Keck Institute for Space Studies - CaltechminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerAcademic research facility partner for the Keck Institute for Space Studies building at California Institute of Technology.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Brooks + Scarpa: Los Angeles-based architecture firm of comparable size with deep expertise in sustainable design, affordable housing, and civic/community projects — directly overlapping on sustainability, ADU/housing innovation, and civic client segments.
• Frederick Fisher and Partners: Los Angeles architecture studio of similar scale working across cultural, civic, and residential typologies — comparable boutique profile, project scale, and LA institutional client base.
• Marmol Radziner: LA-based design-build firm of comparable size with overlapping cultural, residential, and landscape-integrated architecture work; comparable Southern California footprint and award profile.
• EYRC Architects (Ehrlich Yanai Rhee Chaney): West-LA headquartered firm of similar scale with longstanding civic, educational, and cultural portfolio; closely aligned institutional client mix and design-competition orientation.
• Standard Architecture: Small LA-based architecture practice focused on cultural, civic, and creative-sector work; comparable boutique profile and pursuit of signature civic and institutional commissions.
• Studio-MLA: LA-based landscape architecture firm with a long-standing collaborative partnership on Lehrer projects (Barnsdall, Temple Bat Yahm, Camp Shalom, Potrero Heights); complementary service and shared client base make it a peer and frequent partner.
• Rios: LA-based multidisciplinary design firm with a strong sustainability and civic/institutional portfolio; directly overlapping with Lehrer on LEED-focused, civic, and cultural commissions in Southern California.

Broad incumbents

• Morphosis: Much larger LA-headquartered architecture firm with significant civic, institutional, and cultural work; broader portfolio and global footprint allow pursuit of large-scale commissions Lehrer cannot service.
• Gehry Partners: LA-based established architecture practice with global reach and signature cultural/institutional work; overlaps on civic and cultural typologies but operates at materially larger scale.

Emerging players

• Page & Turnbull: California-based architecture and preservation firm with a focused niche in historic preservation and adaptive reuse — the same expertise that supports Lehrer's Barnsdall Park and adaptive-reuse portfolio.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/lehrerarchla

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 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 Lehrer Architects