What Kevin Daly Architects does

Kevin Daly Architects (kdA) is a privately held architectural practice founded in 1990 by Kevin Daly, FAIA, and headquartered at 3617 Exposition Blvd, Los Angeles, California. The firm provides comprehensive architectural design services across residential, civic, educational, cultural, and commercial building types, with named projects spanning the UCLA Mo Ostin Basketball Center (LEED Platinum), Houston Endowment Headquarters (Net Zero, Houston's first mass timber building of its kind), UCSB San Joaquin Village Housing (1,000+ beds, LEED Platinum), and the BI(h)OME modular accessory dwelling unit. kdA serves institutional clients (UCLA, UCSB, Harvard Art Museum), community development organizations (Community Corporation of Santa Monica, Pueblo Nuevo Development), technology firms (50 Hudson Yards Tech Campus, BMW Designworks, Ardenwood Tech Offices), and private residential clients in California and beyond. The firm maintains offices in Los Angeles, New York, and Miami, holds architectural licenses in nine U.S. states, and pursues work through competitive bidding, design competitions, and direct institutional commissions.

The firm's core technical differentiation is advanced building technology and material research, with proprietary expertise in mass timber construction (cross-laminated timber and similar engineered wood systems), ETFE (ethylene tetrafluoroethylene) glazing systems including vacuum-sealed ETFE skins over paper honeycomb for translucent lightweight structures, terra cotta rainscreens, precast GFRE (glass fiber reinforced concrete) building envelopes, and Ductal concrete facades. Digital production and fabrication capabilities support complex geometries, exemplified by the saddle-shaped roof of the Galisteo House and the comprehensive Houston Endowment Façade Development process spanning study models to full-scale mockups. The BI(h)OME ADU integrates ETFE translucent skin with photovoltaic cells and LED lighting into a recyclable, foundation-free modular system demonstrated to have 10-100x lower environmental impact than conventional auxiliary dwellings.

kdA operates a project-based professional services revenue model with fees negotiated individually per commission, pursuing work through competitive bidding for institutional and civic clients, international design competitions (e.g., Houston Endowment, Dulwich College UAE), and direct private residential commissions. The firm is certified as a California Small/Micro Business (#1534440), City of LA Local Business Enterprise, LA County Small Business Enterprise (#094804), and Federally Qualified Small Business, supporting eligibility for public-sector set-asides. Marketing is conducted primarily through earned media—over 100 design awards including 30+ national awards—and thought leadership via Kevin Daly's UCLA design faculty position and international jury service. The firm operates independently with no parent company, no external investment, and no disclosed funding rounds.

Name

Kevin Daly Architects

Legal name

kevin daly Architects

Website

https://kevindalyarchitects.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Kevin Daly Architects is a Los Angeles-based architectural practice founded in 1990 that designs residential, civic, educational, and commercial buildings with expertise in mass timber, ETFE glazing, and advanced facade systems for institutional and private clients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Los Angeles

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. Architectural Design Services: Full-service architectural design including master planning, schematic design, design development, construction documents, and construction administration for residential, civic, educational, and commercial projects

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Kevin Daly Architects (kdA) is an architectural practice providing full-service design — including master planning, schematic design, design development, construction documents, and construction administration — for residential, civic, educational, and commercial projects. The firm is differentiated by deep expertise in advanced building technologies (mass timber, ETFE glazing, terra cotta rainscreens, precast GFRE facades) and material research, delivering award-winning sustainable, often net-zero, design across building programs.

Product overview

Kevin Daly Architects (kdA) is an architectural firm and design studio offering comprehensive architectural design services as a single unified practice rather than a platform-plus-modules structure. The firm operates across multiple service categories including housing design (affordable, workforce, senior, and transitional housing), workplace and commercial design, educational facilities, cultural and public buildings, master planning, and custom residential design. The portfolio is unified by the firm's commitment to advanced building technology, sustainable design practices, and material innovation. Notable specialized offerings include the BI(h)OME accessory dwelling unit system developed with UCLA CityLAB, and material innovation services incorporating technologies such as ETFE glazing, mass timber construction, and high-performance facade systems. The firm serves clients throughout the United States and internationally from offices in Los Angeles and New York.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Architectural Design Services

Quantifiable outcome

• Houston Endowment achieved Net Zero certification - Houston's first mass timber building of its kind
• +3 more outcomes

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

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• PRODUCTORAcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 November 2019Mexico City-based design firm collaborated with kdA on the Houston Endowment Headquarters project. The partnership combined kdA's design expertise with PRODUCTORA's architectural approach for the net-zero mass timber headquarters building in Houston.
• TLS Landscape ArchitecturecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 November 2019Landscape architecture firm collaborated on the Houston Endowment Headquarters competition-winning team with kdA and PRODUCTORA for the design of Houston's first mass timber net-zero building.
• SOM (Skidmore, Owings & Merrill)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2018Collaborated with SOM and LOHA on UCSB San Joaquin Village Housing project. The design team created architectural diversity through a series of neighborhoods for over 1,000 students, with SOM leading the overall design.
• LOHA (Lorcan O'Herlihy Architects)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2018Collaborated with SOM and kdA on UCSB San Joaquin Village Housing project bringing diverse housing types and architectural variety to the student housing development.
• Greg Lynn FORMmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015Collaborated with kdA and Tom Leader Studio on the Berkeley Global Campus master plan, one of five firms selected to design concepts for the UC Berkeley satellite campus in Richmond.
• Tom Leader StudiomajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015Landscape architecture firm collaborated with kdA and Greg Lynn FORM on the Berkeley Global Campus master plan, conducting extensive studies on long-term water level change.
• LafargeholcimminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGlobal Swiss-based building material manufacturer provided design assist with Ductal concrete for the Miami Facade project in the Miami Design District.
• Fay Jones School of Architecture and DesignminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity of Arkansas architecture school hosted the Housing Northwest Arkansas Professional Design Competition. kdA was selected as a winner in this competition for affordable housing design.
• UCLA CityLABcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUCLA science education program initiated the BI(h)OME project with kdA as design partner. The ultra-modern, lightweight accessory dwelling unit addresses LA housing demand.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Johnston Marklee: LA and New York architecture practice with a comparable footprint to kdA (LA HQ with NYC presence), working across cultural, educational, and residential commissions. Similar scale, brand-driven positioning, and award profile (Hollyhock House restoration, UCLA projects).
• Marmol Radziner: LA-based architecture and construction practice with a parallel portfolio spanning high-end residential, commercial, and select civic work. Comparable to kdA in scale, geography, and brand-driven boutique positioning, though more oriented toward private luxury residential.
• Ehrlich Yanai Rhee Chaney Architects: Los Angeles and San Francisco architecture firm of similar size with comparable portfolio breadth across education, civic, residential, and cultural institutions. Overlapping client base with California universities and a similar award-collecting boutique profile.
• Selldorf Architects: New York-based boutique architecture firm with a similar focus on cultural, educational, and residential work and parallel reputation for refined contemporary design. Directly comparable by firm scale and project typology; director Gretchen Stoecker previously worked at Selldorf, underscoring the cultural fit.
• Brooks + Scarpa: Los Angeles-headquartered architecture studio with comparable scale and a similar emphasis on affordable housing, civic facilities, and award-winning sustainable design (multiple AIA Housing Awards). Directly competitive for the same nonprofit, institutional, and civic clients in Southern California.
• Frederick Fisher and Partners: Long-established Los Angeles architecture practice with comparable scale and a portfolio spanning cultural, educational, and civic buildings. Similar boutique positioning with a multi-decade track record in Southern California institutional work.
• Lorcan O'Herlihy Architects (LOHA): LA-based boutique architecture practice with a parallel focus on affordable and market-rate housing, civic buildings, and sustainability. Directly comparable to kdA by size, segment, and LA geography; the two firms have collaborated on UCSB San Joaquin Village Housing as design partners.

Broad incumbents

• Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM): Global architecture and engineering incumbent with deep institutional, university, and large-scale housing experience. kdA has partnered with SOM on UCSB San Joaquin Village Housing, illustrating both the design overlap and the scale gap — SOM captures lead-designer commissions while kdA contributes specialized expertise.

Others

• Tom Leader Studio: Bay Area landscape architecture firm collaborating with kdA on multiple master-planning and campus projects (Berkeley Global Campus, Houston Endowment HQ). Listed as a peer because landscape integration is integral to kdA's campus and civic commissions and the firms co-bid on competitions.

Emerging players

• PRODUCTORA: Mexico City-based emerging design practice with strong sustainability and material-research credentials, similar to kdA's research-driven approach. Co-winner with kdA on the Houston Endowment HQ competition, indicating overlapping design philosophy and bid pool for similar commissions.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/kevindalyarchitects
• Xx.com/kda_studio
• Facebookfacebook.com/KevinDalyArchitects
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kevin-daly-architects

Compliance4 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 Kevin Daly Architects