Hood Design Studio
Hood Design Studio is a privately held Oakland-based landscape architecture and social art practice that designs public spaces, commemorative landscapes, and art installations for government agencies, museums, universities, and select corporate clients across the United States.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded-
- HeadquartersOakland, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Hood Design Studio does
Hood Design Studio is a privately held landscape architecture and social art practice founded by Walter Hood and headquartered in Oakland, California. The firm operates across four service lines—Landscape Architecture, Social Art Practice, Urbanism/Research, and Exhibitions—and serves government agencies, museums, cultural institutions, universities, and select corporate clients in the United States. Its design methodology is organized around a proprietary "Three-Lens Cultural Practice Framework" (Everyday, Lifeways, Commemoration) that emphasizes place-specific work rooted in community history and ecology.
The studio's portfolio spans more than 100 completed projects across at least 15 U.S. cities, including the International African American Museum landscape in Charleston, NVIDIA's Santa Clara campus, the Intuit Dome landscape for the LA Clippers, McColl Park in Charlotte, the Migrations sculpture at San Diego International Airport, and the ongoing $335 million Lincoln Center West Side redesign. Revenue is generated through project-based professional services fees; project budgets disclosed in the data range from approximately $300,000 for smaller public art installations (e.g., Witness Walls) to $30 million for large corporate campus commissions, with museum landscapes typically $3-14 million. Auxiliary revenue derives from publications including "Black Landscapes Matter" and "The African Ancestors Garden."
The firm is led by Walter Hood (Creative Director and founder) with a bench of principals including Alma Du Solier (Partner), Paul Peters (Principal), Michael DeGregorio (Principal), and Sarita Schreiber (Social Art Director), supported by approximately 20+ design professionals. Hood Design Studio's go-to-market relies on competitive design competitions, direct institutional commissions, and reputational pull generated by award recognition (MacArthur Fellowship, Gish Prize, Vincent Scully Prize, 2025 Thomas Jefferson Foundation Medal) and media presence. The firm is actively expanding into new geographies (Detroit via Kresge Foundation partnership) and verticals (sports/entertainment, corporate campuses) while deepening delivery partnerships with fabricators and structural engineers to support larger technical installations.
Hood Design Studio firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Hood Design Studio
- Legal name
- Hood Design Studio Inc.
- Website
- https://hooddesignstudio.com
- Company type
- Private
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Hood Design Studio is a privately held Oakland-based landscape architecture and social art practice that designs public spaces, commemorative landscapes, and art installations for government agencies, museums, universities, and select corporate clients across the United States.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Hood Design Studio industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Landscape Architecture Services
- NAICS
- Landscape Architectural Services (541320)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Landscape Architecture & Site Design (BPAHAKAC)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Space Planning & Workplace Design (BPAHAKAI)
Keywords
Where Hood Design Studio is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Oakland
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Hood Design Studio business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Landscape Architecture Services: Project-based fees for landscape architecture design services on public and institutional projects including parks, museums, campuses, and public spaces.
- Social Art Practice: Public art installations and commemorative works commissioned by government agencies, museums, and cultural institutions.
- Publications: Studio produces books, essays, and publications including 'Black Landscapes Matter', 'Architectures of Spatial Justice', and 'The African Ancestors Garden'.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | — | Custom project-based pricing |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels7 records
Hood Design Studio product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Hood Design Studio is a landscape architecture and social art practice that delivers site planning, environmental design, public space design, commemorative works, sculptural installations, urban master plans, and exhibition design for civic, cultural, and institutional clients. The studio's practice is organized around three cultural lenses—Everyday, Lifeways, and Commemoration—that guide the creation of place-specific landscapes rooted in local history, ecology, and cultural memory. Projects span large-scale civic landscapes, museum gardens, corporate campuses, airport public art, and commemorative installations across the United States.
Product overview
Hood Design Studio is a landscape architecture and social art practice offering three interconnected service lines: Landscape Architecture (site planning, environmental design, public space design), Social Art Practice (public art installations, commemorative works, sculptural elements), Urbanism/Research (urban planning, master planning, community engagement), and Exhibitions (design and installation for cultural institutions). The studio's work spans from large-scale civic landscapes like the International African American Museum and Oakland Waterfront to signature art installations including The Nest in Charlotte and Migrations at San Diego Airport. Publications including 'The African Ancestors Garden' book document their design methodology. Their practice philosophy centers on three lenses—Everyday, Lifeways, and Commemoration—to create landscapes that strengthen endemic ecological and cultural patterns.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Landscape Architecture Services Site planning, environmental design, and public space design services for civic, institutional, and commercial clients, covering parks, plazas, campus landscapes, waterfronts, and streetscapes.
- Social Art Practice Creation of public art installations, commemorative works, and sculptural elements that engage communities and reflect cultural narratives for government, museum, and institutional clients.
- Urbanism / Research Urban planning research and master planning services for neighborhoods, campuses, and waterfronts, including the Oakland Waterfront Master Plan.
- Exhibitions Exhibition design and installation services for museums and cultural institutions, including participation in Venice Biennale, MoMA exhibitions, and Chicago Architecture Biennial.
- The African Ancestors Garden Book Monacelli Press publication by Hood Design Studio documenting the landscape design for the International African American Museum in Charleston, SC; available for sale through book retailers.
Quantifiable outcome
- 100+ completed projects across the United States
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Hood Design Studio
Customer profileNamed customers14 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Hood Design Studio technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
Hood Design Studio partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Marygrove ConservancycoreAs part of The Kresge Foundation's multi-million dollar investment in Detroit neighborhoods, Hood Design Studio will partner with Marygrove Conservancy to develop a campus plan for the institution's headquarters.
- The Kresge FoundationcoreMulti-million dollar investment in Detroit neighborhoods with Hood Design Studio developing projects in partnership with community organizations including Marygrove Conservancy.
- Ignition ArtscoreFabrication partner for Migrations sculpture at San Diego Airport and other art installations. Worked with studio on modular design challenges.
- Tipping StructuralcoreStructural engineering partner for Migrations sculpture, addressing technical requirements for 40-foot public art installation.
- Bolton and MenkminorEngineering/landscape architecture collaboration on McColl Park project in Charlotte, NC.
- Looney Ricks KissminorCollaboration on Crosstown Concourse project in Memphis, TN with DIALOG and Spatial Affairs Bureau. The project received AIA Award and Congress for New Urbanism Charter Award.
- DIALOGminorCollaboration on Crosstown Concourse project in Memphis, TN with Looney Ricks Kiss and Spatial Affairs Bureau.
- Spatial Affairs BureauminorCollaboration on Crosstown Concourse project in Memphis, TN with Looney Ricks Kiss and DIALOG.
- CultureLab, NADAA, and Alibi StudiosminorFinalist team for Detroit Institute of Arts Museum Plaza Design Competition.
- MASS Design GroupminorFinalist team for MLK Jr. Branch Design Competition with Cleveland Public Library.
- Thomas Phifer & PartnersminorFinalist team for Jones Plaza Redesign Competition with Houston F1rst.
- Huff Good ArchitectsminorPartnership on Virginia Key Beach Museum Competition winner.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Hood Design Studio competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Andrea Cochran Landscape Architecture: San Francisco-based landscape architecture firm with an award-winning portfolio of gardens, museums, and corporate campuses. Comparable in size, prestige, and project types (museum landscapes, campus design) to Hood's practice.
- Land Morphology: Seattle-based landscape architecture practice recognized for high-design public and cultural projects. Overlaps with Hood on the museum and civic landscape side of the practice at a similar boutique firm scale.
- James Corner Field Operations: New York-based landscape architecture and urban design firm behind the High Line, Fresh Kills Park, and major public realm projects. Comparable to Hood in pursuit of large-scale, culturally significant civic landscapes and in competing for the same institutional and municipal clients.
- OLIN: Philadelphia- and LA-based landscape architecture and urban design practice known for high-profile cultural, civic, and campus projects of comparable scale and prestige to Hood's work (e.g., the Barnes Foundation, Washington Monument grounds). OLIN is the most directly comparable US firm in scope, client mix, and award profile.
- SWA Group: Large, multi-office landscape architecture, urban design, and planning firm with a comparable portfolio of urban parks, waterfronts, and campus work. Overlaps with Hood on civic, cultural, and corporate campus commissions at similar budget tiers.
- MASS Design Group: Architecture and design practice focused on social justice, health, and equity-driven built work. A past collaboration partner of Hood (Cleveland Public Library MLK Jr. Branch competition), and closely comparable in mission-driven, community-engaged design.
- SCAPE Landscape Architecture: New York-based landscape architecture and urban design practice focused on civic and waterfront projects with a strong social and ecological agenda. Closely comparable to Hood's tripartite cultural-ecological methodology and public-realm focus.
- Sasaki: Boston-based interdisciplinary design practice with a large landscape architecture and urban planning studio. Competes with Hood for campus master plans, cultural institution landscapes, and waterfront civic projects.
- Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates (MVVA): Brooklyn-based landscape architecture practice with an award-winning portfolio of parks and public spaces (Brooklyn Bridge Park, Maggie Daley Park). Closely matches Hood's mix of signature civic commissions, master planning, and design competition wins.
Broad incumbents
- Snøhetta: Internationally recognized architecture, landscape, and design practice with a strong cultural-civic and public realm portfolio (SFMOMA expansion, Times Square, libraries). Competes with Hood for the same high-prestige cultural and public commissions, with a much larger multidisciplinary footprint.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Hood Design Studio social profiles
Digital presenceHood Design Studio financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Hood Design Studio leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
Hood Design Studio funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Hood Design Studio M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Hood Design Studio
What does Hood Design Studio do?
Hood Design Studio is a landscape architecture and social art practice that delivers site planning, environmental design, public space design, commemorative works, sculptural installations, urban master plans, and exhibition design for civic, cultural, and institutional clients. The studio's practice is organized around three cultural lenses—Everyday, Lifeways, and Commemoration—that guide the creation of place-specific landscapes rooted in local history, ecology, and cultural memory. Projects span large-scale civic landscapes, museum gardens, corporate campuses, airport public art, and commemorative installations across the United States.
Is Hood Design Studio a public or private company?
Hood Design Studio is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Hood Design Studio founded?
Hood Design Studio was founded in -1. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Hood Design Studio based?
Hood Design Studio is headquartered in Oakland, United States, in the North America region.
How does Hood Design Studio make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Landscape Architecture Services are the primary driver. The others are social Art Practice and publications.
Who are Hood Design Studio's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Andrea Cochran Landscape Architecture, Land Morphology, James Corner Field Operations, OLIN, SWA Group, MASS Design Group, SCAPE Landscape Architecture, Sasaki and Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates (MVVA). Snøhetta is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Hood Design Studio have an API?
No public API is recorded for Hood Design Studio.
What industry is Hood Design Studio in?
Hood Design Studio's product category is Landscape Architecture Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAHAKAC, Landscape Architecture & Site Design, with a secondary code of BPAHAKAI, Space Planning & Workplace Design. Its NAICS code is 541320.