JFAK Architects

Name

JFAK Architects

Legal name

John Friedman Alice Kimm Architects

Website

https://jfak.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Architectural Services

NAICS

Architectural Services (54131), Architectural Services (541310)

akta.pro primary industry

Architectural Design Services (BPAHAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Sustainable/Green Building & LEED Consulting (BPAHAKAG)

Keywords

• Architectural design services
• Sustainable building design
• Educational facility architecture
• Civic and institutional architecture
• Residential architecture 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. Architectural Design Services: JFAK generates revenue through professional architecture fees for designing buildings and facilities across education, residential, civic, institutional, wellness, and commercial sectors. Revenue is project-based, sourced from public-sector clients (LAUSD, City of LA, CSU, UC) and private clients (individual homeowners, developers). The firm has completed a wide range of notable public and private projects since its founding in 1996.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

JFAK Architects provides full-service architectural design from concept through construction administration across education, residential, wellness, civic and institutional, and commercial sectors. The firm integrates sustainable design strategies (passive techniques, recycled and smart materials, greywater filtration, bioswales, microgrids, solar PV) targeting LEED (Platinum/Gold/Silver), WELL, and CHPS certifications, with particular expertise in designing for underserved communities and the homeless. Revenue is generated through project-based professional architecture fees for public-sector clients (LAUSD, City of LA, CSU, UC) and private clients (homeowners, developers).

Product overview

JFAK Architects (John Friedman Alice Kimm Architects) is a Los Angeles-based architecture firm founded in 1996 that offers comprehensive architectural design services across multiple sectors including Education, Residential, Wellness, Civic and Institutional, and Commercial. The firm operates as a single unified practice rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture. The primary offerings include architectural design services for buildings and spaces, supplemented by OSHI (Open Source Homelessness Initiative), a nonprofit digital platform that provides open source resources and case studies to accelerate solutions to homelessness. The firm is known for projects ranging from kindergarten classrooms to homeless navigation centers, with a focus on design excellence, sustainability, and social impact.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Educational Architecture Services Design and architecture services for educational facilities including charter schools, elementary schools, colleges, and universities. Projects include Academia Moderna Charter School, Wonderland Elementary School, Caltech GALCIT and Resnick Institute, UCLA Bruin Fitness Center, UCSB Associated Students Bike Shop, CSU Long Beach Anna W Ngai Alumni Center, UCSD Main Gymnasium and Natatorium, Roberts Pavilion at Claremont McKenna College, Westbrook Academy, and the Iovine and Young Center at Audubon Middle School.
• Residential Architecture Services Design services for single-family and multi-family residential projects, including custom homes such as Casa Namorada in Santa Monica, JARZM House, Holleb House, AIRE Santa Monica, and the Peace Creek Villas multi-family development in Chengdu, China.
• Wellness Architecture Services Design services for wellness-focused facilities including homeless navigation centers, recreation centers, and supportive housing. Includes NAVIG8 Council District 8 Homeless Navigation Center for the City of Los Angeles and the Palm Springs Homeless Navigation Center with 80 transitional housing units, as well as UCLA's Kinross Recreation Center.
• Civic and Institutional Architecture Services Design services for civic buildings, alumni centers, government facilities, and public institutions. Projects include the LAPD Motor Transport Division + Main Street Parking, Donald C. Tillman Water Reclamation Plant Maintenance Facility, La Kretz Innovation Campus, and the Koreatown Gateway.
• Commercial Architecture Services Design services for commercial properties including the LA Design Center (2004 AIA National Honor Award), Netflix Animation Hub, Revisioning Beverly Center, retail developments, and mixed-use projects such as Spaulding Condos in West Hollywood and Cumulus at The Sunset.
• Open Source Homelessness Initiative (OSHI) Nonprofit digital platform that serves as a research and development arm of JFAK, providing an open-source platform to tackle homelessness with digital innovation. It centralizes and streamlines resources, case studies, citywide reports on funding, and showcases art by unhoused individuals, with the goal of accelerating innovative solutions to eradicate homelessness.

Quantifiable outcome

• La Kretz Innovation Campus: first US project to achieve both LEED v3 NC Platinum and WELL v1 Gold certifications simultaneously
• +3 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

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Studio-MLAminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 September 2024Studio-MLA (landscape architecture firm) collaborated with JFAK on the Westbrook Academy project in South Gate, assisting JFAK in realizing the facility for the Why Not Foundation and LA Promise Fund.
• Buro HappoldcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMEP engineer and sustainability consultant on multiple JFAK projects including La Kretz Innovation Campus (LKIC) — LEED Platinum and WELL Gold certified — and Donald C. Tillman Water Reclamation Plant. Buro Happold is a global engineering consultancy specializing in sustainable building systems.
• USGBC Los AngelescoreGTM or Marketing PartnerUSGBC-Los Angeles awarded La Kretz Innovation Campus Project of the Year at its annual award gala. The USGBC promotes sustainability in the built environment and administers LEED certification.
• HOPICS (Homeless Outreach Program Integrated Care System)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHOPICS operates the NAVIG8 Council District 8 Homeless Navigation Center, providing homeless outreach, storage, shower/laundry facilities, and job training services at the JFAK-designed facility.
• Martha's Village and KitchencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMartha's Village and Kitchen operates the Palm Springs Homeless Navigation Center — one of the premier providers of services for homeless and impoverished individuals in the Coachella Valley and Riverside County.
• LA Promise FundcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLA Promise Fund operates Westbrook Academy at its South Gate location, supported by the Russell Westbrook Why Not Foundation. JFAK designed the expanded 50,000 SF facility uniting the academy's middle and high school.
• Iovine and Young Academy (USC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJFAK is designing the Iovine and Young Center modeled on USC's Iovine and Young Academy, combining design, arts, engineering, computer science, and business in a project-based high school curriculum at Audubon Middle School in Leimert Park.
• Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLAUSD is the client for multiple JFAK projects including Wonderland Elementary School, Aragon Avenue Elementary School, and Iovine and Young Center. JFAK designs new classroom buildings, additions, and learning environments for the school district.
• Primestor DevelopmentminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPrimestor Development serves as Owner's Representative and Project Manager for the Westbrook Academy project, working collaboratively with JFAK, LAPF, and Russell Westbrook Why Not Academy.
• Open Source Homelessness Initiative (OSHI) — Non-profit Digital PlatformcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOSHI is an R&D arm of JFAK launched as an open source platform to tackle homelessness with digital innovation. It centralizes resources, case studies, citywide reports on funding, and showcases art by unhoused individuals. OSHI is a non-profit organization affiliated with JFAK.
• Foundation for Contemporary Architecture (C-Guide)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerThree JFAK projects (Roberts Pavilion, LAPD MTD + MSP, LA Design Center) are featured in C-Guide, a global guide to contemporary architecture launched by the Foundation for Contemporary Architecture based in Córdoba, Spain.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Frederick Fisher and Partners: LA-based architecture practice focused on cultural, civic, and institutional projects, with comparable scale and an emphasis on thoughtful design within public-sector budgets. Operates in the same Southern California RFP market as JFAK.
• Standard Architecture | Design: Los Angeles architecture firm working across residential, commercial, and civic projects in Southern California with a design-forward sensibility. Comparable to JFAK in geographic focus, project scale, and studio-led model.
• Brooks + Scarpa: Los Angeles architecture firm with a parallel mission of civic, educational, and affordable-housing design combined with sustainability leadership (LEED Platinum track record). Directly comparable in scale (~30-50 staff) and in client base overlap with LAUSD and City of LA civic projects.
• Marmol Radziner: LA-based architecture and design-build firm known for high-design residential and select commercial work in Southern California. Comparable to JFAK's residential portfolio and Southern California geographic concentration, though with a heavier design-build bias.
• Hodgetts + Fung (now HFA Architecture & Design): Long-established LA architecture practice with parallel cultural, educational, and civic work and a strong local reputation. Comparable in studio scale, design philosophy, and Southern California institutional client base.

Broad incumbents

• HOK: Large global architecture firm with deep healthcare, civic, and education practices. Competes for similar California public-sector RFPs and on sustainable-certified institutional buildings at a much larger organizational scale.
• Morphosis (Thom Mayne): Iconic LA-based architecture firm with a broader portfolio spanning civic, cultural, and educational projects globally. Comparable in its award-winning LA identity and willingness to take on civic commissions, though operating at a much larger scale than JFAK.
• Perkins&Will: Global architecture practice with a strong K-12 and higher-education portfolio and active Los Angeles office. Direct competitor for LAUSD, CSU, and UC system commissions, and competes with JFAK on sustainability-certified educational buildings.

Emerging players

• Studio-MLA: LA-based landscape architecture and planning firm that collaborated with JFAK on Westbrook Academy. Overlaps with JFAK in civic/public realm projects and Southern California institutional clients, making it both a partner and a comparable firm for landscape-led design.
• Rios (now RCH Studios): LA-based multidisciplinary design firm working at the intersection of architecture, landscape, and urban design. Comparable in civic and public-sector work and in applying integrated, sustainability-driven design thinking similar to JFAK's approach.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/jfakarchitects
• Facebookfacebook.com/JFAKarchitects

Compliance7 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 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 JFAK Architects