Name

William Duff Architects

Legal name

William Duff Architects, Inc.

Website

https://wdarch.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Architectural Design Services

NAICS

Architectural Services (54131), Architectural Services (541310), Interior Design Services (541410), Interior Design Services (54141)

SIC

Services-Engineering Services (8711), General Bldg Contractors - Residential Bldgs (1520)

akta.pro primary industry

Interior Design Services (BPAHAKAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Design-Build / EPC General Contracting (IMAFAAAD), Residential Design-Build & Renovation-Integrated Builders (IMAFABAE), Residential Interior Fit-Out (Multi-Family & High-End) (IMAFANAE)

Keywords

• Architectural design services
• Aviation architecture
• Hospitality design
• Adaptive reuse design
• Sustainable architecture

Headquarters

HQ city

San Francisco

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Architectural Design Services: WDA generates revenue through professional architectural and interior design services for residential, commercial, retail, hospitality, and aviation projects. Services are billed on a project-by-project basis with fees determined by scope, complexity, and scale of work. The firm provides full-service design from concept through construction administration.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

William Duff Architects (WDA) is a full-service architecture and interior design firm providing custom design services across residential, commercial, hospitality, and aviation sectors. The firm delivers end-to-end services from concept through construction administration, with particular specialization in airport terminal design (SFO), luxury retail, adaptive reuse of historic structures, and LEED Gold certified sustainable design. Projects are typically large-scale, complex commissions for enterprise clients, luxury brands, hospitality operators, and government entities.

Product overview

William Duff Architects (WDA) is an architecture and interior design firm offering a comprehensive portfolio of services organized by project type and specialization. The core service areas include Residential Architecture (custom homes and estates), Commercial Architecture (retail, office, adaptive reuse), Hospitality Architecture (restaurants, bars, wineries), and Aviation Architecture (airport lounges, retail, dining). Specialized capabilities include Sustainable/LEED Design, Adaptive Reuse, and Workplace Design. The firm operates across multiple sectors—retail, residential, commercial, restaurant/hospitality, and aviation—with projects spanning from high-end residential homes to airport terminals. Notable projects include Alaska Airlines Lounge SFO (hospitality/aviation), SFO Luxury Retail for Gucci/Coach/Burberry/Hermes (commercial/aviation), Brilliant Earth nationwide showrooms (commercial), Isabel Marant San Francisco (adaptive reuse), and various residential commissions. The firm also runs Arch Camp, a community outreach program introducing students to architecture careers. WDA maintains offices in San Francisco, Seattle, and Park City, with the headquarters at 1275 Folsom Street, San Francisco, CA 94103.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Residential Architecture Custom residential design services for high-net-worth clients commissioning single-family homes, estates, and multi-family projects in Northern California. Projects include Butterfly House, Golden Oak Residence, Wheeler Residence, House of Light and Shadow, and Modern Hillsborough Estate, characterized by harmony with land and connection between people and nature. Delivered as full-service architecture from concept through construction administration.
• Commercial Architecture Retail, office, and commercial space design for enterprise clients. Includes flagship stores, retail concept designs, roll-out store programs, tenant improvements, and adaptive reuse projects. Notable projects include Brilliant Earth nationwide showroom rollouts, Isabel Marant boutique in the historic Hotaling Building, and Madison Square Garden Company offices at Pier One. Delivered as full-service design from concept through construction.
• Hospitality Architecture Restaurant, bar, winery, and hospitality venue design for hospitality operators. Includes airport dining amenities, rooftop bars, and quick-service restaurants. Notable projects include Kaiyo Rooftop (Japanese-Peruvian Nikkei bar), illy Caffè at SFO Terminal 1, Amy's Drive Thru at SFO, and Goldilocks (first Filipino eatery in a US airport).
• Aviation Architecture Airport terminal retail, airline lounges, and airport dining design. Specializes in navigating SFO's Design Review Committee process. Projects include Alaska Airlines Lounge SFO (11,591 sf, LEED Gold), British Airways Lounge SFO (8,124 sf), Air France Lounge SFO (5,786 sf), SFO Luxury Retail for Gucci, Coach, Burberry, and Hermes, and the LEGO Store at SFO. Over 12 years and 30+ projects totaling 60,000+ square feet across all four SFO terminals.
• Sustainable Design and LEED Certification Services LEED-certified and sustainable architecture services delivered as an integrated capability across all practice areas. WDA has completed multiple projects to LEED Gold standards and received USGBC California Green Building Awards for projects demonstrating commitment to sustainable design and occupant well-being.
• Adaptive Reuse Design Renovation and repurposing of pre-existing buildings for contemporary uses, including work in historic districts with city planning regulations. Projects preserve original architectural elements while modernizing interiors, combining old and new for design richness. Notable projects include WDA Studio (7,200 sf office in former industrial warehouse), Isabel Marant boutique in the historic Hotaling Building, and 69 Maiden Lane.
• Workplace Design Modern office environment design supporting creativity and collaboration for enterprise and government clients. Includes tenant improvements, open floor plans, and flexible workspaces. Notable projects include Madison Square Garden Company offices at Pier One (24,995 sf) and Ireland House (Consulate General of Ireland and state agencies) at One Post in San Francisco.
• Alaska Airlines Lounge at SFO 11,591 sf flagship airline lounge at SFO Harvey Milk Terminal 1, designed to LEED Gold standards with six seating types, distinct hospitality zones, Bay Area-inspired design elements including a custom Fireclay tile mural and 40-foot acoustic wall with Golden Gate Bridge motif. Opened 2024. Awarded ENR West Regional Best Projects 2025, USGBC California Green Building Award 2024, SF Design Week 2025 Winner, and Interior Design Best of Year 2025 Honoree.

Quantifiable outcome

• Less than 3% of AIA members achieve FAIA designation
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Page & Turnbull: San Francisco architecture and preservation firm with deep adaptive reuse and historic preservation expertise. Directly comparable to WDA's adaptive reuse specialization (Isabel Marant Hotaling Building, 69 Maiden Lane).
• Studio Becker: Bay Area luxury residential architecture and interiors firm serving a similar high-net-worth clientele with a comparable custom-design, detail-driven approach. Strong overlap with WDA's residential and luxury retail positioning.
• Feldman Architecture: San Francisco residential and commercial architecture firm of comparable size, specializing in custom homes and high-end residential commissions. Closely comparable to WDA's residential practice in client profile and project scale.
• Meyer Davis Studio: Boutique design studio with strong hospitality, residential, and retail interiors practice. Comparable to WDA in luxury hospitality and high-end residential project mix and client tier.
• Aidlin Darling Design: San Francisco-based boutique architecture and design studio with comparable size and scope across residential, hospitality, and adaptive reuse projects. Direct peer to WDA in craft-driven Bay Area architecture with similar award-driven positioning.
• Rapt Studio: Boutique commercial interiors and brand-experience design firm serving enterprise clients with workplace and retail projects. Comparable to WDA's commercial practice in client profile and project typology.

Broad incumbents

• Gensler: Global architecture and design firm with substantial aviation, hospitality, retail, and workplace practices. Large incumbent that competes for the same enterprise and airport clients as WDA but operates at significantly greater scale and geographic breadth.
• Snøhetta: Internationally recognized architecture and design practice with strong hospitality, cultural, and adaptive reuse work. Broader incumbent peer comparable in design philosophy and award-driven positioning, with much larger geographic reach.
• Yabu Pushelberg: Internationally recognized hospitality and retail interiors firm with broad luxury brand portfolio. Broader incumbent peer to WDA's aviation hospitality and luxury retail interiors practice, with deeper global delivery capacity.
• WATG: Global hospitality architecture firm where WDA's newly hired Hospitality Practice Leader (Patrick Kruger) previously worked. Larger incumbent with broader hospitality footprint; directly comparable in hospitality vertical, though WDA is more aviation-specialized.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/williamduffarchitects
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/william-duff-architects-inc-
• Instagraminstagram.com/wdarch_inc
• Xx.com/wdarch

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 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 William Duff Architects