What Belzberg Architects does

Belzberg Architects, now operating as BA Collective, is a privately held architecture and interior design firm headquartered in Santa Monica, California. Founded in 1997 by Hagy Belzberg after his tenure at Frank O. Gehry and Partners, the firm delivers project-based architectural services across five practice areas: residential, commercial, cultural and institutional, hospitality, and interiors. Its portfolio spans high-net-worth private residences (e.g., Lytton Residence in Toronto, Muskoka Cottage in Ontario), mixed-use commercial buildings (1550 Euclid, The Gores Group Headquarters), cultural institutions (Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust / Holocaust Museum LA, LACMA Plaza Café), healthcare (Pavilion at City of Hope), hospitality (XOMA Hotel in Mexico City, Asterid at Walt Disney Concert Hall), and specialty work such as Virgin Galactic's Astronaut Training Facility at Spaceport America.

The firm's technical differentiation rests on sustainable design and custom building-science innovation, including the first mass timber project in Santa Monica (the firm's own studio, completed 2021), a patented-patterned slumped glass facade system at the Gores Group Headquarters, and a seismically engineered breeze block system developed for the XOMA Hotel. The firm has achieved LEED Gold (Holocaust Museum LA) and LEED Platinum (City of Hope Pavilion) certifications and has accumulated multiple AIA Honor Awards, an Architizer A+ Jury Award, and an American Architecture Award from the Chicago Athenaeum. A Rizzoli monograph (2022) codifies its body of work.

Revenue is generated through negotiated professional services fees on a per-project basis across residential, commercial, cultural, institutional, and hospitality engagements; pricing is not publicly disclosed. Client acquisition is reputation-driven — design competitions, referrals, and earned media in Architectural Record, Architectural Digest, Wall Street Journal, and international architecture publications. The firm operates from a single Santa Monica studio with 11-50 employees, a partnership leadership model (Hagy Belzberg, Cory Taylor, Brock DeSmit, Daniel Rentsch, Jennifer Wu), and limited geographic dispersion across the US, Canada, and Mexico. No external funding, acquisitions, or public-market activity are evidenced; the firm is wholly privately held.

Name

Belzberg Architects

Legal name

Belzberg Architects

Website

https://belzbergarchitects.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Belzberg Architects (BA Collective) is a privately held, Santa Monica-based architecture and interior design firm founded in 1997, delivering project-based services in residential, commercial, cultural/institutional, and hospitality sectors across the US, Canada, and Mexico, with recognized expertise in sustainable design and custom facade engineering.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Architectural Services

NAICS

Architectural Services (541310), Architectural Services (54131), Interior Design Services (54141), Interior Design Services (541410)

akta.pro primary industry

Building Information Modeling (BIM) & Digital Design Services (BPAHAKAK)

akta.pro secondary industry

Residential Design-Build & Renovation-Integrated Builders (IMAFABAE)

Keywords

• Architectural design services
• Sustainable building design
• Residential architecture
• Cultural institutional design
• Hospitality interior design

Headquarters

HQ city

Santa Monica

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Architecture and Design Services: Project-based architectural and interior design services for residential, commercial, cultural, institutional, and hospitality projects. Revenue generated through design fees, project management, and construction administration services.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Belzberg Architects (now branded as BA Collective) is an architectural and interior design firm providing project-based design services across residential, commercial, cultural/institutional, and hospitality sectors. Services span concept design, schematic design, construction documentation, and construction administration, with deep expertise in sustainable design, mass timber construction, LEED certification, and proprietary facade systems such as patterned slumped glass and seismically-sound breeze block assemblies.

Product overview

Belzberg Architects (now branded as BA Collective) is an architecture and design firm offering a comprehensive portfolio of architectural services and completed projects across multiple sectors. The firm's services encompass residential architecture (including private residences and cottages), commercial and mixed-use developments, cultural and institutional projects (museums, community centers, educational facilities), hospitality design (restaurants, hotels), and interior architecture/design. Notable projects include the award-winning Holocaust Museum Los Angeles (LEED Gold certified), the XOMA hotel in Mexico City, the Astronaut Training Facility at Spaceport America, and the Gores Group Headquarters renovation. The firm also maintains its own studio workspace built as a mass timber structure in Santa Monica, demonstrating sustainable construction practices. The firm's project categories span Cultural + Institutional, Commercial, Residential, Hospitality, and Interiors, with projects located across the United States and internationally in Canada and Mexico.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Residential Architecture Services Custom residential architecture for high-net-worth clients including single-family luxury residences, cottages, and family homes on challenging sites. Projects include the Lytton Residence in Toronto, the Muskoka Cottage in Ontario, and the Turning Point Residence in Los Angeles.
• Commercial Architecture Services Commercial architecture for corporate, mixed-use, and office developments. Projects include the 135,000 sf Gores Group Headquarters renovation in Beverly Hills and the 36,900 sf 1550 Euclid mixed-use building in Santa Monica.
• https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5babd9cff4755a1f189567a3/1629849182489-1G54U7P5Q3MFPDAPN1GU/belzberg-architects-los-angeles-museum-holocaust-1.jpg Architecture for museums, memorials, educational facilities, and cultural institutions. Notable projects include the Holocaust Museum Los Angeles (LEED Gold certified) and the Learning Center Pavilion expansion, plus Occidental College's McKinnon Center for Global Affairs.
• https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5babd9cff4755a1f189567a3/1657751698384-FMSLFHQCFTM8MYMQUQ31/Website_Xoma+01+%28Bruce+Damonte%29.jpg Architecture and interior design for hotels, restaurants, bars, and hospitality venues. Notable projects include the seven-story XOMA hotel in Mexico City and the Asterid restaurant at Walt Disney Concert Hall.
• Healthcare and Research Facility Design Services Architectural design for healthcare and research facilities, including the LEED Platinum-certified Pavilion at City of Hope cancer and diabetes research center.
• https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5babd9cff4755a1f189567a3/1639686532640-KBB9YQF3VVM267RUT2AP/monograph.jpg Published monograph 'Investigations: Selected Works by Belzberg Architects' through Rizzoli documenting the firm's selected works including the Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust, Skyline Residence, and Apertures project in Mexico City.

Quantifiable outcome

• LEED Gold certification achieved for Holocaust Museum LA
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• USC Shoah FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for 30-person holographic theater within Learning Center Pavilion at Holocaust Museum LA, bringing interactive testimony technology to museum experience.
• Grupo AnimacoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerArchitect of Record for XOMA hotel project in Mexico City. Alberto Djaddah, Carlos Pacheco, Hugo Balas, Jacobo Levy, Daniel Balmori served as local architect of record.
• RMKMminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerArchitect of Record for New Mexico on Astronaut Training Facility project at Spaceport America.
• Mathews Development GroupminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerClient's representative for BAR Intergenerational Community Center project.
• Second Story (division of Sapient)coreTechnology or IntegrationDigital experience designer collaborated on Global Forum - custom web application for multimedia content display at McKinnon Center for Global Affairs.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Gensler: Largest global architecture and design firm with broad commercial, hospitality, cultural, and mixed-use practice. Comparable at the project-category level (e.g., Gores Group HQ commercial work) but vastly larger scale and broader portfolio.
• Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM): Global architecture and engineering practice with deep institutional, healthcare, and cultural credentials (LEED expertise comparable to Belzberg's). Operates at much larger scale across multiple building types.

Direct peers

• KieranTimberlake: Boutique Philadelphia-based architecture firm known for research-driven design, sustainability leadership, and cultural/educational commissions. Comparable scale, sustainability expertise, and institutional client mix.
• Olson Kundig: Boutique architecture practice renowned for custom residential and hospitality work with strong material craft and published monograph. Highly comparable specialty, scale, and brand-led business model to Belzberg.
• Morphosis Architects: LA-based, founder-led architecture firm known for sculptural forms and award-winning cultural, educational, and civic projects. Comparable in size, brand-driven positioning, and design philosophy to Belzberg Architects.
• Gehry Partners (Frank Gehry): LA-based signature architectural practice founded by Frank Gehry. Directly comparable as the firm where founder Hagy Belzberg trained, sharing sculptural design language and high-profile cultural/cultural-institutional client base.
• Studio Gang: Mid-sized architecture practice with award-winning cultural, civic, and residential work emphasizing sustainability and material innovation. Comparable scale, design philosophy, and pursuit of signature institutional commissions.
• Marmol Radziner: LA-based design-build architecture firm focused on high-end custom residences, commercial, and hospitality with strong material and fabrication expertise. Comparable in scale, geography, and design-led residential positioning.
• Rockwell Group: Design-led firm with strong hospitality, cultural, and entertainment interiors and architecture portfolio. Comparable in hospitality project profile (e.g., XOMA, Asterid) and brand-driven positioning.

Regional players

• Brooks + Scarpa: LA-area architecture practice with strong sustainability focus, multifamily residential, and civic/institutional work. Comparable regional presence, mid-size scale, and LEED-driven design philosophy.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 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 Belzberg Architects