What Jensen Architects does

Jensen Architects is a San Francisco-based architecture and interiors practice founded by Mark Jensen, FAIA, with operations spanning approximately three decades. The firm delivers full-service architectural design across five core verticals, residential, workplace, arts and cultural, education facility, and adaptive reuse, and has recently expanded its service taxonomy on its website to include Infrastructure, Mixed-Use, Parks, Planning, and Retail. Clients span technology firms (YouTube/Google, IDEO), universities (Stanford, California College of the Arts), K-12 schools (Children's Day School, College Preparatory School, La Scuola), cultural institutions (SFMOMA, Minnesota Street Project), government agencies (San Francisco Recreation & Parks), commercial operators (SHED), and high-net-worth residential owners. Marquee projects include the SFMOMA Rooftop Garden (2011 AIA National Honor Award for Architecture), SHED in Healdsburg, Minnesota Street Project adaptive reuse of three warehouses into an arts hub, YouTube Office 2 (100,000 sq ft with seismic damper engineering by Degenkolb), and the 10-acre India Basin Waterfront Park in Bayview-Hunters Point.

The firm's technical differentiation centers on a sustainable design methodology that spans zero-net-energy design, LEED certification pursuit (LEED Silver achieved on Cole Valley Residence), and embodied carbon reduction through adaptive reuse. The practice is built around community-centered, collaborative design processes that engage stakeholders throughout the design cycle. Underlying technology is conventional architectural design tooling and engineering partnerships rather than proprietary software or AI systems. Business model is professional services: project-based design fees typically structured as a percentage of construction cost or fixed fee per project, with sales cycles running 12-36 months and contracts often spanning multiple years per project. The firm is a privately held California corporation (Jensen Architects Inc., formerly Jensen & Macy Architects) with no disclosed external funding, parent company, or subsidiaries.

Jensen Architects is led by a four-principal bench (Mark Jensen, FAIA; Steven Huegli, AIA; Dean Orr, AIA; Emily Gosack, AIA, LEED AP) supported by a broader team of senior associates, associates, senior designers, and operations staff in the 11-50 employee range. Project acquisition relies on design competitions, referrals, RFP responses, and direct outreach within a regional (San Francisco Bay Area and broader Northern California) geographic footprint. Marketing and visibility are driven by an extensive award record (multiple AIA national, state, and local awards; Architizer Top 100 US firms in 2025; AIASF 2026 Firm Achievement Award; James Beard, Fast Company Innovation By Design, and Chicago Athenaeum recognitions) and earned media in Architectural Record, Dezeen, the New York Times, Dwell, and Wallpaper*. The firm operates from a single headquarters at 180 Sansome Street, Suite 1500, in San Francisco's Financial District.

Name

Jensen Architects

Legal name

Jensen Architects Inc.

Website

https://jensen-architects.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Jensen Architects is a San Francisco architecture and interiors practice, founded in the mid-1990s, delivering full-service design across residential, workplace, education, arts and cultural, and adaptive reuse sectors for institutional, corporate, government, and high-net-worth clients across the Bay Area.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Architectural Design Services

NAICS

Interior Design Services (54141), Landscape Architectural Services (54132)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Architectural Design Services (BPAHAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

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

Keywords

• Architectural design services
• Adaptive reuse architecture
• Sustainable building design
• Cultural and education facilities
• Residential architecture design

Headquarters

HQ city

San Francisco

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. Architectural Design Services: Full-service architecture firm providing design, planning, and project management for residential, commercial, institutional, and civic projects. Revenue generated through design fees, project management, and consulting services. Projects range from private residences to large public infrastructure.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Jensen Architects is a San Francisco-based architecture and interiors practice providing full-service architectural design, planning, and project management across residential, education, arts/cultural, workplace, adaptive reuse, parks, and infrastructure projects. The firm sells design services on a project-by-project basis, supported by sustainable-design methodology, community-engagement-led design processes, and a network of structural, MEP, and landscape consultants. Revenue is generated through architecture design fees and project management for clients ranging from private homeowners to large institutions and government entities.

Product overview

Jensen Architects is an architecture firm offering a portfolio of architectural design services rather than a unified software product. The firm operates across five core service areas: Residential Architecture, Workplace Design, Arts and Cultural Architecture, Education Facility Design, and Adaptive Reuse Services. Each service area represents a distinct practice specialty, with projects spanning from private residences to public parks, commercial offices to cultural institutions. The firm's work is characterized by sustainability focus, adaptive reuse expertise, and designs that strengthen connections between buildings and their communities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Residential Architecture Services Full-service architectural design for single-family homes and multi-family developments, ranging from remote wildland sites to dense urban environments, with focus on sustainability, connection to context, and creative occupancy. Target customers include high-net-worth homeowners, families, and select multi-family developers.
• Education Facility Design Services Architectural design services for K-12 schools and higher education institutions, creating site-specific, material-rich, flexible learning environments connected to outdoors and suited to creative occupancy. Target customers include K-12 schools, independent schools, and university capital projects teams.
• Arts and Cultural Architecture Services Design services for arts non-profits, museums, galleries, performing arts venues, and artist collaborations, creating flexible spaces with strong character that invite community participation. Target customers include cultural non-profits, museums, galleries, and artist-serving organizations.
• Workplace Design Services Office space design services focused on flexibility, collaboration, acoustic privacy, material character, technology integration, and diverse space types to accommodate changing organizational and hybrid-work needs. Target customers include corporate, technology, and creative organizations redesigning their workplaces.
• Adaptive Reuse Services Transformation of existing buildings for sustainability, embodied-carbon reduction, and unlocking new value from existing assets, including educational campuses, cultural institutions, civic facilities, and historic landmarks. Target customers include institutional owners, cultural organizations, and civic entities seeking sustainable renovation rather than new construction.

Quantifiable outcome

• LEED Silver certification achieved for Cole Valley Residence through high-performance glazing, insulation, and solar energy system
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 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 core and minor.

• Plant Construction CompanycoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 January 2026Long-standing collaboration with Plant Construction Company as general contractor/build partner on multiple projects including Minnesota Street Project, Children's Day School Dolores Park, and upcoming UC Santa Cruz Bay Tree Bookstore renovation in 2026.
• GGN (Landscape Architecture Firm)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLeading landscape architecture firm leading India Basin Waterfront Park project team with Jensen Architects as architecture partner. Collaboration with Trust for Public Land and San Francisco Recreation and Parks.
• Trust for Public LandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNon-profit land conservation organization leading India Basin Waterfront Park development with Jensen Architects providing architectural services.
• San Francisco Recreation and ParkscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCity agency partnering with Jensen on public park projects including India Basin Waterfront Park and Willie Woo Woo Wong Playground.
• A. Philip Randolph InstituteminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partner in India Basin Waterfront Park project representing Bayview-Hunters Point community interests.
• CMG Landscape ArchitecturecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLandscape architecture firm leading Willie Woo Woo Wong Playground project with Jensen Architects. Joint recognition in multiple awards including AIA Regional & Urban Design Award.
• Tipping Structural EngineerscoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerStructural engineering consultant on Minnesota Street Project and other firm projects.
• Integral GroupcoreTechnology or IntegrationMEP engineering and sustainability consultants providing lighting and A/V services on Minnesota Street Project.
• Degenkolb EngineerscoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerStructural engineering partner for YouTube Office 2 project, providing seismic damper design.
• Russian RiverkeeperminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNon-profit conservation organization consulted for SHED project's Creekside garden design, helping protect Russian River watershed.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Aidlin Darling Design: San Francisco architecture studio of comparable size and ethos, focused on residential, cultural, and sustainable design with shared Bay Area client base and similar award trajectory (AIA Honor Awards). Both firms compete for the same institutional and high-end residential commissions in the Bay Area.
• Mark Cavagnero Associates: San Francisco mid-size architecture firm with similar institutional, education, and cultural project portfolio, including comparable Bay Area civic and university clients. Direct competitor for SFMOMA-adjacent cultural and Stanford-area commissions.
• Leddy Maytum Stacy Architects: San Francisco sustainability-focused architecture firm with overlapping adaptive reuse, education, and affordable housing expertise. Comparable mid-size Bay Area practice competing for similar public interest and institutional projects.
• EHDD: Long-established San Francisco architecture firm with strong education, cultural, and civic portfolio including California Academy of Sciences. Comparable scale and direct competitor for Bay Area institutional and education design commissions.
• Bohlin Cywinski Jackson: Acclaimed multi-office architecture firm with comparable design excellence reputation, cultural and civic portfolio (Apple, Brooklyn Museum), and similar award track record. Comparable prestige positioning in the design press.
• Olson Kundig: Seattle-based design-forward architecture firm of similar size with strong residential, cultural, and adaptive reuse portfolio. Comparable approach to material-rich, site-specific design with similar award velocity.
• Studio Gang: Mid-size architecture practice with overlapping sustainability, cultural, and adaptive reuse focus and similar design ethos. Comparable scale and shared pursuit of civic and institutional commissions nationally.

Broad incumbents

• Snøhetta: Global architecture and design firm with strong cultural and public realm portfolio (SFMOMA expansion was a Snøhetta project). Operates at much larger scale and global footprint but competes for the same museum, civic, and cultural commissions.
• Renzo Piano Building Workshop: Global architecture firm renowned for cultural and museum projects (including SFMOMA). Competes for the highest-prestige cultural commissions Jensen targets, though operates at much larger scale internationally.
• Perkins&Will: Large global architecture firm with strong education, workplace, and cultural portfolio. Competes for institutional RFPs Jensen pursues (Stanford, IDEO, university work) but at significantly larger scale and broader service offerings.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/jensen-architects
• Instagraminstagram.com/jensen_architects
• Xx.com/JensenArch
• Facebookfacebook.com/JENSEN.ARCHITECTS.SF

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 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 Jensen Architects