Synthesis Design + Architecture
Synthesis Design + Architecture is a privately held LA-based architectural design firm founded in 2010 by Alvin Huang, delivering computational and parametric design services across cultural, commercial, civic, and product commissions globally via competitions and direct enterprise clients.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2010
- HeadquartersLos Angeles, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Synthesis Design + Architecture does
Synthesis Design + Architecture (SDA) is a privately held, progressive architectural design firm founded in London in 2010 and relocated to Los Angeles in 2011, operating from 724 South Spring Street, Suite 1101 under founder and principal Alvin Huang, AIA, NOMA. The firm holds professional architectural licenses in California, Arizona, and Colorado, and delivers full-service architectural design across all typologies — from hi-rise mixed-use towers, cultural institutions, and public art installations to temporary pavilions, furniture and objects, and bespoke interiors — for clients in the US, Canada, UK, Italy, China, and Thailand.
The firm's differentiator is a 'form follows performance' methodology built on computational and parametric design: associative geometric modeling, data-driven generative design (notably via IBM Watson cognitive computing for feature wall installations), mesh relaxation form-finding, gradient/variable parametric facades, and digital fabrication using Stratasys multi-material 3D printing, CNC milling, and plasma cutting. SDA has executed work across enterprise, civic, and cultural verticals including Volvo Car Italia (Pure Tension Pavilion), IBM (Data Moire/Swarm), Stratasys (Durotaxis Chair), Central Pattana (The Groove @ CentralWorld), MOCA Shanghai (Minimal Relaxation), LA Metro (Field Formations), LACMA-affiliated arts programming, and the Hakka Performance Center & Terrace Hotel in China. Signature operational partnerships include Buro Happold (structural engineering across multiple projects), Arup, AC Martin (executive architect on US work), BIAD and SCUT/SADI (local Chinese design institutes enabling international delivery), and Stratasys.
The business model is project-based professional services: design fees from commissioned architectural work supplemented by competition prize value (the firm actively enters and wins both invited and open competitions across multiple countries). Revenue is acquired through invited design competitions (1st-place wins at Guangzhou Nansha, Shanghai Wuzhou, Chengdu WuZhou, Redmond SR 520, LA Metro Slauson, Switch to Pure Volvo), direct enterprise commissions, and referrals generated by the principal's public profile via keynotes (Computational Design NEXT 8.0, Palm Springs Modernism Week, Venice Biennale), academic role (Associate Professor and Director of Graduate Architecture at USC), podcast appearances, and earned media. The firm remains bootstrapped with no disclosed institutional funding, parent company, or external investors.
Synthesis Design + Architecture firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Synthesis Design + Architecture
- Legal name
- Synthesis Design + Architecture, Inc.
- Website
- https://synthesis-dna.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2010
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Synthesis Design + Architecture is a privately held LA-based architectural design firm founded in 2010 by Alvin Huang, delivering computational and parametric design services across cultural, commercial, civic, and product commissions globally via competitions and direct enterprise clients.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Synthesis Design + Architecture industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Architectural Design Services
- NAICS
- Architectural Services (541310), Interior Design Services (541410), Industrial Design Services (541420)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Architectural Design Services (BPAHAKAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Interior Design Services (BPAHAKAB), Industrial/Product & Furniture Design (BPAHAKAM)
Keywords
Where Synthesis Design + Architecture is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Los Angeles
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Synthesis Design + Architecture business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Architectural Design Services: Full-service architectural design firm providing project design from concept through delivery across all typologies. Revenue is generated through design fees for commissioned architectural projects. The firm holds licenses in California, Arizona, and Colorado.
- Competition Winnings and Prize Fees: Firm actively participates in and wins design competitions (1st place in invited competitions such as Guangzhou Nansha International Trade Center, Shanghai Wuzhou International Plaza, Switch to Pure Volvo, Redmond SR 520 Trail Separation, Los Angeles Metro Slauson Station). Some competitions carry prize value.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels7 records
Synthesis Design + Architecture product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Synthesis Design + Architecture is a full-service architectural design firm that delivers project design from concept through delivery across all typologies — including residential, retail, hospitality, civic, cultural, commercial, and mixed-use developments, plus pavilions, public art, facades, interiors, furniture, and objects. The firm specializes in using computational and parametric design tools (associative geometric modeling, mesh-relaxation form-finding, generative design informed by IBM Watson cognitive computing) combined with digital fabrication (multi-material 3D printing, CNC milling, plasma cutting) to produce award-winning architecture for developers, cultural institutions, governments, and brand clients in the US, Canada, UK, Italy, China, and Thailand.
Product overview
Synthesis Design + Architecture is a full-service architectural design firm offering a diverse portfolio of design services. The firm specializes in architectural design across residential, retail, hospitality, civic, cultural, and commercial project typologies, complemented by specialized services in facade design featuring parametric patterning and moiré effects, furniture and objects design including 3D printed pieces, pavilion and public art installations using tensioned membrane structures, and interior design for specialized spaces. The firm's signature projects include the award-winning Pure Tension Pavilion for Volvo, the Durotaxis Chair manufactured by Stratasys, Data Moire installations for IBM Watson, the Uxmal Arts District Center art gallery, and the Hakka Performance Center & Terrace Hotel in China. The practice operates as a progressive design firm that balances experimental and visionary design with practical and pragmatic implementation.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Architectural Design Services Full-service architectural design for residential, retail, hospitality, civic, cultural, and commercial projects across the US, Canada, UK, Italy, China, and Thailand. Delivered concept-to-completion across all typologies.
- Facade Design Specialized facade design services featuring parametric patterning, moire effects, and dynamic louver systems for commercial, retail, and mixed-use developments (e.g., Central Plaza Rayong, Hakka Performance Center).
- Furniture & Objects Design Design of bespoke furniture, lighting, and objects including 3D printed pieces (Durotaxis Chair), CNC milled items, and work in sustainable materials.
- Pavilions & Public Art Design of temporary pavilions and public art installations including tensioned membrane structures, lightweight deployable designs, and fabric-embedded photovoltaic systems (e.g., Pure Tension Pavilion, Tensioned Relaxations, Field Formations).
- Interior Design Interior design services for healthcare facilities, workspaces, and galleries featuring custom millwork, acoustic treatments, and parametric patterning (e.g., YPMD Pediatric Neurology Clinic, Chelsea Workspace).
Quantifiable outcome
- Over 11,000 face shields and 6,500+ face masks produced and donated to medical institutions during COVID-19 via USC Architecture Operation PPE, organized by Alvin Huang.
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Synthesis Design + Architecture
Customer profileNamed customers17 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Synthesis Design + Architecture technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature6 records
Synthesis Design + Architecture partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
17 partnerships are on record, tiered core and secondary.
- AC Martin (Executive Architect)coreAC Martin served as executive architect for the Uxmal Arts District Center project in Los Angeles and the YPMD Pediatric Neurology Clinic. SDA provides design architecture while AC Martin handles executive architect duties on US-based projects requiring local expertise.
- Evoke Studio (Lighting Design)secondaryEvoke Studio provided lighting design for the Uxmal Arts District Center project.
- Lifescapes (Landscape Architect)secondaryLifescapes served as landscape architect for the Uxmal Arts District Center project.
- Parametric Architecture / Design MorphinesecondaryParametric Architecture and Design Morphine hosted the Computational Design NEXT 8.0 conference on March 5, 2022, at which Alvin Huang delivered a keynote speech. Parametric Architecture is described as one of the leading media platforms focusing on computational design.
- LACMA (Los Angeles County Museum of Art)coreLACMA leads the collaborative workshop and residency program for emerging artists and curators at the Uxmal Arts District Center, designed by SDA for the Arts District Center in Los Angeles. The program is designed to empower youth in Downtown Los Angeles.
- SCUT Architectural Design Institute (Executive Architect)coreSCUT served as executive architect for the Guangzhou Nansha International Trade Center project (145,000 sqm, 1st place invited competition 2018), collaborating with SDA as design architect.
- University of Southern California (USC) — Operation PPEcoreAlvin Huang founded and mobilized USC Architecture Operation PPE — a volunteer network of USC Architecture faculty, students, alumni, and friends — that remotely 3D printed PPE for medical professionals during COVID-19. The initiative connected three USC schools (Architecture, Engineering, Medicine) and donated equipment to multiple hospitals and healthcare institutions. Received the 2020 AIA|LA Presidential Community Contribution Award.
- Arup (Structural/MEP/Sustainability Engineering)coreArup provided structural engineering, MEP, and sustainability engineering for the Taichung Cultural Center proposal. Arup engineers (Bruce Danziger, David Lambert for structures; Russell Fortmeyer for environmental engineering) collaborated on the Guggenheim Helsinki competition entry as well, providing structural and environmental engineering expertise.
- BIAD (Beijing Institute for Architectural Design)coreBIAD is the local design institute collaborator for the Hakka Performance Center & Terrace Hotel project in Yongding, Fujian Province, China. SDA provides design architecture while BIAD handles local design institute responsibilities including Chinese regulatory compliance and local design execution.
- Stratasys (Manufacturing Partner)coreStratasys commissioned and manufactured the Durotaxis Chair — a fully 3D printed multi-material dual-position rocking chair — using the Stratasys Objet 500 Connex3. SDA designed the chair; Stratasys provided manufacturing capability and commissioned the piece as a showcase of 3D printing capabilities.
- Fabric Images (Fabrication)coreFabric Images fabricated the Pure Tension Volvo Pavilion, a lightweight rapidly deployable tensioned membrane structure. Collaborated with SDA and Buro Happold to produce the pavilion for the Volvo V60 Hybrid launch in Rome, Italy.
- SA Studios / SA-UP Collective (Artist Collaboration)secondarySDA collaborated with the urban artists at SA Studios / SA-UP Collective to produce bespoke artwork for the Tensioned Relaxations temporary pavilions designed for the Ideas City 2013 street festival in New York.
- Rieder (Concrete Fabricator)secondaryRieder, an Austrian company, manufactured the thin fibre reinforced concrete elements for the DRL10 [C]Space Pavilion. SDA took the material to new technical limits, requiring extensive prototyping and material testing.
- Shenzhen General Institute of Architectural Design and Research (SADI)coreSADI collaborated as the local design institute on the Shanghai Wuzhou International Plaza (180,000 sqm, 1st place) and ChengDu WuZhou International Plaza (290,000 sqm) projects, providing local regulatory and execution support.
- Facade Associates Co. LTDsecondaryFacade Associates Co. LTD served as consultants for the Central Plaza Rayong project in Thailand.
- Buro HappoldcoreBuro Happold provides structural engineering and environmental engineering services on SDA projects. Collaborations include the Field Formations Metro Silver Line staircase installation (structural engineering), the Tensioned Relaxations pavilions (in collaboration with Buro Happold Los Angeles), and the Pure Tension Volvo Pavilion (Structural Engineering: Buro Happold Los Angeles, with engineers Greg Otto, Stephen Lewis, Ron Elad). The firm has been a consistent engineering collaborator across multiple projects.
- Adams Kara Taylor (AKT) (Structural Engineering)secondaryAKT (Adams Kara Taylor) provided structural engineering for the DRL10 [C]Space Pavilion in Bedford Square, London (2008), designed in collaboration with Alan Dempsey and the AADRL.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Synthesis Design + Architecture competitors and assessment
Company assessmentOthers
- Arup: Global engineering and design consultancy that has partnered with SDA on Guggenheim Helsinki and Taichung Cultural Center. Adjacent rather than competing, but representative of the high-end engineering partners SDA collaborates with on signature projects.
- Buro Happold: Engineering firm that has been SDA's most consistent structural collaborator across Pure Tension, Field Formations, and Tensioned Relaxations. Adjacent ecosystem participant rather than direct competitor, but indicative of the partnership-led delivery model.
Direct peers
- UNStudio: Amsterdam-based firm specializing in parametric, performance-driven architecture with global cultural and mixed-use work. Shares SDA's emphasis on data-driven generative design and facade innovation.
- Snøhetta: Multi-disciplinary design practice spanning architecture, interiors, and brand design globally. Comparable in typology breadth, signature cultural projects, and identity-led positioning versus purely commercial work.
- BIG (Bjarke Ingels Group): Computational-design-forward practice with global cultural, civic, and commercial commissions. Comparable to SDA in its use of parametric tools and cross-typology portfolio, though at materially larger scale.
- Heatherwick Studio: London-based studio designing objects, pavilions, public space, and buildings with a focus on materiality and craft. Overlaps directly with SDA's furniture/objects, pavilion, and experiential interior work.
- MAD Architects: Beijing/LA-based practice (Ma Yansong) working globally on parametric, sculptural architecture across cultural, mixed-use, and civic typologies — closely paralleling SDA's typology span, Chinese client base, and signature-form language.
- Studio Gang: Chicago-based practice known for research-driven, materially innovative cultural, civic, and high-rise projects. Comparable typology mix and emphasis on architectural experimentation grounded in performance.
- Reiser + Umemoto: NYC-based practice with deep roots in the AA DRL tradition of computational architecture and structural experimentation. Strong methodological overlap with SDA's parametric and associative modeling approach.
Broad incumbents
- Zaha Hadid Architects: Global computational-architecture pioneer known for parametric forms. SDA's founder trained at ZHA, and both firms share a methodological foundation in parametric and associative modeling applied to large-scale cultural and commercial projects.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Synthesis Design + Architecture social profiles
Digital presenceSynthesis Design + Architecture financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Synthesis Design + Architecture leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Synthesis Design + Architecture funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Synthesis Design + Architecture 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 Synthesis Design + Architecture
What does Synthesis Design + Architecture do?
Synthesis Design + Architecture is a full-service architectural design firm that delivers project design from concept through delivery across all typologies — including residential, retail, hospitality, civic, cultural, commercial, and mixed-use developments, plus pavilions, public art, facades, interiors, furniture, and objects. The firm specializes in using computational and parametric design tools (associative geometric modeling, mesh-relaxation form-finding, generative design informed by IBM Watson cognitive computing) combined with digital fabrication (multi-material 3D printing, CNC milling, plasma cutting) to produce award-winning architecture for developers, cultural institutions, governments, and brand clients in the US, Canada, UK, Italy, China, and Thailand.
Is Synthesis Design + Architecture a public or private company?
Synthesis Design + Architecture is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Synthesis Design + Architecture founded?
Synthesis Design + Architecture was founded in 2010. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Synthesis Design + Architecture based?
Synthesis Design + Architecture is headquartered in Los Angeles, United States, in the North America region.
How does Synthesis Design + Architecture make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Architectural Design Services are the primary driver. The others are competition Winnings and Prize Fees.
Who are Synthesis Design + Architecture's main competitors?
Others on record are Arup and Buro Happold. Direct peers are UNStudio, Snøhetta, BIG (Bjarke Ingels Group), Heatherwick Studio, MAD Architects, Studio Gang and Reiser + Umemoto. Zaha Hadid Architects is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Synthesis Design + Architecture have an API?
No public API is recorded for Synthesis Design + Architecture.
What industry is Synthesis Design + Architecture in?
Synthesis Design + Architecture's product category is Architectural Design Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAHAKAA, Architectural Design Services, with a secondary code of BPAHAKAB, Interior Design Services. Its NAICS code is 541310.