What Urban Architecture Lab does

Urban Architecture Lab is a privately held, full-service architecture design firm headquartered in Los Angeles, California, founded by Richard Solares circa 1998. The firm specializes in urban infill multi-family residential and mixed-use projects across Southern California, with a portfolio spanning mixed-use/multi-family residential, affordable housing (including senior and supportive housing), single-family custom residences, and civic/cultural/commercial work. Core capabilities include master planning, adaptive-reuse, transit-oriented development, and entitlement navigation with the City of Los Angeles and surrounding municipalities. The firm maintains a portfolio of 50+ completed projects with notable scale (The Louise Los Feliz at 289,800 GSF, Elden Elms at 157,600 GSF) and has earned multiple LEED Platinum and Gold certifications, AIA Citation Awards (2019, 2022, 2024, 2025), Gold Nugget Awards, and the 2010 AIA/HUD Secretary's Award.

The firm is led by two principals — founder Richard Solares and Neil Silberstein, who brings LEED AP BD+C credentials, prior senior experience at JERDE, Hodgetts+Fung, and Marmol Radziner, and active AIA San Fernando Valley Executive Council leadership. Business model is project-based professional services fees, delivered through direct enterprise engagement with property developers (Path Ventures, La Terra Development, Grubb Properties, Astani + Wood Partners, Aragon Properties, Ensemble Real Estate, Kimpton/KHP), nonprofit housing providers (West Hollywood Community Housing Corporation, Century Villages at Cabrillo), and government clients (City of Lancaster). Geographic scope is concentrated in Los Angeles County with extensions into Burbank, Long Beach, Pasadena, West Hollywood, and Lancaster.

The firm has no disclosed institutional investment, no parent company, and no funding events; it operates independently under founder and principal ownership. There is no evidence of AI/ML tooling, proprietary technology platforms, or software products — the offering is design and consulting services rather than technology-enabled. Marketing is driven by a portfolio website, industry press coverage (Urbanize LA, Curbed, Bisnow, The Real Deal, Architectural Magazine), and a steady cadence of LEED and AIA recognitions.

Name

Urban Architecture Lab

Legal name

Urban Architecture Lab

Website

https://u-a-lab.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Urban Architecture Lab is a Los Angeles-based, privately held architecture design firm founded in 1998 that provides master planning, adaptive-reuse, and mixed-use design services for property developers, nonprofit housing providers, and government clients across Southern California.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Architectural Design Services

NAICS

Architectural Services (541310), Architectural Services (54131)

akta.pro primary industry

Urban Planning & Master Planning (BPAHAKAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Multi-Family Residential Construction (Apartments, Condos, Townhomes) (IMAFABAB), Residential Affordable Housing Development & Construction (IMAFABAI)

Keywords

• Architectural design services
• Multi-family residential design
• Mixed-use development design
• Affordable housing architecture
• Urban infill planning

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Architecture and Design Services: Project-based fees for architecture design services including master planning, entitlements, development entitlement and approval process, covering urban infill multi-family residential apartments and mixed-use projects.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Urban Architecture Lab is a full-service architecture design firm that provides architectural, master planning, and design services for urban infill multi-family residential, mixed-use, affordable housing, single-family residential, and civic/cultural/commercial projects. The firm delivers services from entitlements through completion, with a particular focus on navigating the development entitlement and approval process in the Southern California region, especially within the City of Los Angeles.

Product overview

Urban Architecture Lab is a full-service architecture design firm offering a comprehensive portfolio of architectural and design services. The firm specializes in urban infill multi-family residential apartments and mixed-use projects, providing master planning, adaptive-reuse, transit-oriented development, multi-family apartments, and commercial retail design. The firm's service offerings span four primary categories: Mixed-Use | Multi-Family Residential (including projects like The Louise Los Feliz, The Magnolia, VERT, Select Burbank, Link NOHO, 3rd & Pacific, and others), Affordable Housing (including PATH Villas, Berendo Sage, Elden Elms, Westmore Linden, and senior housing developments), Single-Family Residential (custom residences including Loma Vista, Linnington Residence, and others), and Civic | Cultural | Commercial (including La Peer Hotel, MOAH Museum, and various lofts projects). The firm also provides specialized services in master planning, adaptive reuse, and transit-oriented development. With 25+ years of experience, Urban Architecture Lab integrates design, development, entitlement, and approval processes to deliver environmentally conscious design solutions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Mixed-Use | Multi-Family Residential Architecture
• Affordable Housing Architecture
• Single-Family Residential Architecture
• Civic | Cultural | Commercial Architecture
• Master Planning
• Adaptive Reuse Architecture
• Transit-Oriented Development Architecture

Named customers10 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Steinberg Hart: Steinberg Hart is a Los Angeles-headquartered architecture firm with significant multi-family residential, mixed-use, affordable housing, and civic/cultural practices - comparable in core services and SoCal footprint.
• Togawa Smith Martin Renewed by Design (AO): AO (which absorbed Togawa Smith Martin) is a Los Angeles architecture firm with strong multi-family residential, mixed-use, and urban infill design practices - serving the same Southern California developer and housing authority clients as Urban Architecture Lab.
• TCA Architects: TCA Architects is a Long Beach-based architecture firm specializing in multi-family residential, mixed-use, and affordable housing across the Western U.S. with a similar project profile, public sector client mix, and SoCal operating base as Urban Architecture Lab.
• MVE + Partners: MVE + Partners is an Irvine-based architecture firm serving residential developers and housing authorities across California with strong multi-family and affordable housing portfolios, directly comparable to Urban Architecture Lab's developer/nonprofit client base and project mix.
• Withee Malcolm Architects: Withee Malcolm Architects is a Torrance, California architecture firm with deep experience in urban infill multi-family residential, mixed-use, and master planning in the Southern California market - highly comparable in niche and regional footprint.
• BHKM Architects: BHKM Architects is a Southern California (Long Beach) firm with substantial multi-family residential and affordable housing portfolios serving developer and housing authority clients - directly comparable in segment and region.
• FSY Architects: FSY Architects is a Southern California firm specializing in multi-family residential and mixed-use urban infill projects. Comparable in scale, niche, and SoCal geographic focus to Urban Architecture Lab.
• KFA Architecture: KFA Architecture (formerly Killefer Flammang Architects) is a Los Angeles architecture firm focused on urban infill multi-family residential, mixed-use, and civic projects - highly comparable in project type, client base, and geographic market to Urban Architecture Lab.

Broad incumbents

• KTGY Group: KTGY Group is a much larger national architecture, planning, and branding firm with a deep multi-family and mixed-use specialty - overlapping with Urban Architecture Lab in core project types but operating at substantially greater scale and geographic reach.
• EYRC Architects (Ehrlich Yaneck): EYRC is a Los Angeles architecture firm with award-winning residential, multi-family, and adaptive reuse practices; serves an overlapping high-end developer client base and operates in the same SoCal market, though at greater scale and breadth than Urban Architecture Lab.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/urban-architecture-lab
• Instagraminstagram.com/urbanarchitecturelab
• Xx.com/urbanarchlab
• Facebookfacebook.com/100052405993995

Compliance8 records

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 Urban Architecture Lab