McCullough Landscape Architecture

What McCullough Landscape Architecture does

McCullough Landscape Architecture, Inc. is a California-based professional services firm founded in 1999 that delivers landscape architecture, environmental planning, and urban design services. The firm operates from three offices — San Diego (headquarters), Los Angeles, and Oakland — covering Southern and Northern California markets. Its practice is organized around three core service areas: landscape architecture (site analysis, conceptual design, construction documentation, construction administration), environmental planning (sustainable design, CEQA/NEPA documentation, water conservation, regenerative systems), and urban design (streetscapes, transit corridors, public plazas, mixed-use developments).

The firm serves five primary customer segments: educational institutions (universities, community colleges, and K–12 districts such as San Diego Unified School District, UC San Diego, and San Diego State University), residential and mixed-use developers (with particular depth in student housing), hospitality clients (Park Hyatt Aviara, Holiday Inn La Jolla), urban design and civic clients (public agencies, urban greening initiatives), and commercial and corporate clients (Swinerton Corporate Headquarters). Named anchor relationships include The Michaels Organization, Pierce Education Properties, CalWest, and a network of architectural partners (KTGY, HPI Architecture, Carrier Johnson + Culture, Architects Mosher Drew).

Revenue is generated through project-based professional services fees determined by scope, complexity, and scale, with proposals directed through a dedicated proposals inbox. The go-to-market motion is sales-led and event-driven, built on direct client relationships, industry conference participation (Bisnow, InterFace, ALIS, Housing California), and thought leadership content. The firm is independently and privately held, led by President/CEO/CMO Catherine McCullough and Principal Landscape Architect David McCullough, with no disclosed institutional investment, parent entity, or acquisition history. In 2026, the firm received the Student Housing Business Award for Best Implementation of Mixed-Use for the Topaz Mixed-Use Student Housing project.

Name

McCullough Landscape Architecture

Legal name

McCullough Landscape Architecture, Inc.

Website

https://mcculloughla.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

McCullough Landscape Architecture is a privately held California professional services firm founded in 1999 that delivers landscape architecture, environmental planning, and urban design from offices in San Diego, Los Angeles, and Oakland for educational, residential developer, hospitality, civic, and commercial clients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Landscape Architecture Services

NAICS

Landscape Architectural Services (541320), Architectural Services (541310)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAHAKAC

Landscape Architecture & Site Design

Business & Public Services/Professional Services (Legal, Accounting, Consulting)/Architecture, Design & Planning Services

SECONDARYBPAHAKAD

Urban Planning & Master Planning

Business & Public Services/Professional Services (Legal, Accounting, Consulting)/Architecture, Design & Planning Services

Keywords

• Landscape architecture
• Site planning
• Urban design
• Master planning
• Placemaking

Headquarters

HQ city

San Diego

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Landscape Architecture Design Services: Professional design services for landscape architecture projects including master planning, site design, construction documentation, and project implementation across commercial, educational, hospitality, housing, institutional, and mixed-use sectors.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

McCullough Landscape Architecture is a landscape architecture and planning practice that designs outdoor environments for educational institutions, residential and mixed-use developments, hospitality properties, civic and urban spaces, and commercial or corporate campuses. The firm provides master planning, site design, planting and irrigation design, and construction administration services through offices in San Diego, Los Angeles, and Oakland, serving public and private sector clients primarily across the U.S. West Coast.

Product overview

McCullough Landscape Architecture is a landscape architecture, environmental planning, and urban design firm operating from San Diego (headquarters), Los Angeles, and Oakland (Northern California) offices. The firm offers a unified suite of design services organized around three core practice areas: landscape architecture, environmental planning, and urban design. Projects span commercial, education, hospitality, housing, institutional, mixed-use, urban design, and urban planning categories, serving clients throughout California and internationally.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Educational Landscape Architecture
• Residential and Mixed-Use Landscape Architecture Landscape architecture for residential developments, multifamily communities, and mixed-use projects, including amenity design, streetscapes, and open space planning for developers and property owners.
• Hospitality Landscape Architecture Landscape architecture and amenity design for hotels, resorts, and hospitality properties, including guest arrival sequences, pool and outdoor dining areas, and integrated brand-driven outdoor environments.
• Urban Design and Civic Landscape Architecture Urban design, civic plazas, parks, streetscapes, and public realm landscape architecture services for municipalities, public agencies, and private developers undertaking civic and urban projects.
• Commercial and Corporate Landscape Architecture Landscape architecture for corporate campuses, office parks, and commercial properties, including brand-driven site design, amenity spaces, and sustainable landscape solutions for corporate real estate clients.

Named customers10 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Architects Mosher DrewcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrime consultant partner for San Diego High School whole-site modernization project, facilitating the first major phases of extensive campus modernization including parking, athletics, and central quad spaces.
• HPI ArchitecturecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing partnership on educational projects including Rocky Young Park at Los Angeles Pierce College and College of San Mateo student housing development.
• The Michaels OrganizationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOngoing partnership on student housing projects including City Village (SDCCD) and Presidio Terrace Apartments at University of San Diego.
• Carrier Johnson + CulturecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProject team partner for Presidio Terrace Apartments, a 320-unit graduate student housing community at University of San Diego.
• KTGYcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerArchitectural partner on multiple Millenia master-planned community projects including Axis at Millenia, Pinnacle at Millenia, and Genesis at Millenia.
• Pierce Education PropertiescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDevelopment partner for Topaz Mixed-Use Student Housing near San Diego State University, which won the 2026 Student Housing Business Award for Best Implementation of Mixed-Use.
• Urban Collaborative ProjectminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerClient partner for TCC Urban Greening Plan, envisioning green space networks connecting three neighborhoods in Southeast San Diego.
• GafconminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSan Diego-based corporation engaged by Glendale Community College for development of police and fire training facility. McCullough assisted with planning services.
• JCJ ArchitectureminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborator on hospitality projects including ALIS Design+ conference panel on sustainability in hospitality design.
• CalWestcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDevelopment partner for Millenia master-planned community projects including Axis at Millenia.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• OLIN: OLIN is a Philadelphia-based landscape architecture, urban design, and planning firm with studios in LA, New York, and London. Comparable to McCullough in practice mix (landscape architecture + urban design + planning) and in serving education, hospitality, and mixed-use clients at a similar scale of brand recognition.
• WRT Design: WRT (formerly Wallace Roberts & Todd) is a Philadelphia-based landscape architecture, urban design, and planning firm. Directly comparable to McCullough on practice mix (landscape architecture + urban design + planning) and on campus, civic, and mixed-use project types.
• SWA Group: SWA Group is a large landscape architecture, urban design, and planning firm headquartered in Sausalito with offices across the U.S. and internationally. It is the most direct comparable to McCullough in terms of practice areas (landscape architecture, urban design, environmental planning), West Coast presence, and multi-sector portfolio including education, hospitality, and mixed-use.
• Studio-MLA: Studio-MLA (formerly Mia Lehrer + Associates) is a Los Angeles-based landscape architecture and urban design firm with strong higher-education, mixed-use, and civic practice. Directly comparable to McCullough on geography (Southern California), practice mix (landscape architecture + urban design), and California institutional client base.
• James Corner Field Operations: James Corner Field Operations is a leading New York-based landscape architecture and urban design practice with offices in San Francisco and Shanghai. Comparable to McCullough on the integrated landscape architecture + urban design service offering and on multi-sector campus and public-realm work.
• Sasaki: Sasaki is a Boston-based interdisciplinary design practice spanning landscape architecture, urban planning, and architecture with strong higher-education and campus planning work. Comparable to McCullough as a multi-disciplinary A&E design firm with significant campus, mixed-use, and urban design portfolios.
• RIOS: RIOS is a Los Angeles-based interdisciplinary design firm with landscape architecture, urban design, and architecture practices. Comparable to McCullough on Southern California base, multi-disciplinary A&E delivery, and mixed-use/hospitality/institutional work.

Broad incumbents

• Carrier Johnson + Culture: Carrier Johnson + Culture is a San Diego-based architecture firm with strong student housing, mixed-use, and urban infill work, and a documented partner on the Presidio Terrace Apartments project with McCullough. Adjacent incumbent serving the same regional developer and education clients.
• KTGY Architecture: KTGY is a national architecture, planning, and interiors firm with deep student housing and master-planned community expertise and is a documented McCullough development partner on the Millenia project. Comparable as a strategic collaborator and broader incumbent in the same student housing / mixed-use space.

Emerging players

• HPI Architecture: HPI Architecture is a Southern California architecture firm specializing in education, civic, and student housing projects, and a documented long-standing partner with McCullough on projects including Pierce College and College of San Mateo. Comparable as a peer collaborator inside the same higher-education design ecosystem.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/mlasd
• Facebookfacebook.com/McCulloughLandArch
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mcculloughlandarch

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 McCullough Landscape Architecture