Komorous-Towey Architects

What Komorous-Towey Architects does

Komorous-Towey Architects (KTA) is a 7-employee, woman-owned, full-service architectural firm founded in 1989 and headquartered in Berkeley, California. The firm delivers architecture, programming, sustainable design, historic preservation, interior design, and façade design services across five project categories: commercial and civic, residential, parking structures, retail, and adaptive reuse/renovation. KTA serves public-sector clients (City of Oakland, City of Livermore, Alameda County), nonprofits (StopWaste.org, United Cerebral Palsy of the Golden Gate), and a long tail of SMB retail, restaurant, and commercial tenants across the San Francisco Bay Area, with select projects in California, Oregon, and Nevada.

The firm's technical stack is conventional for a small architecture practice: AutoCAD for graphic and drawing production, hardware and software for design, drawing preparation, and document production, and high-speed Internet for client and consultant file exchange. Differentiating technical capabilities are concentrated in the principals — Thomas J. Towey's structural design background (previously VP of Architecture at Watry Design Group) gives KTA in-house structural integration, while Klara Komorous-Towey's USGBC membership and LEED training underpins a sustainable-design practice that delivered the first LEED-registered commercial office in San Francisco, the first LEED Platinum renovation in the U.S. under LEED-NC v2.2, and the world's highest LEED-CI score to date. Historic preservation is anchored by the award-winning San Francisco City Hall restoration and Art Deco and adaptive reuse work.

KTA's business model is fee-for-service professional services, with projects sourced through direct principal-led engagement, public-sector bidding (on-call contracts with the City of Oakland), and referrals/repeat clients. Revenue is not publicly disclosed; pricing is custom-quoted per project. The firm relies on a reputation-based marketing channel — portfolio website, industry awards (AIA, National Trust for Historic Preservation, USGBC, Houzz), and professional publications — rather than paid acquisition or outbound sales. Three principals (Klara Komorous-Towey as President/CFO, Thomas J. Towey as CEO, Wyman Yee as Partner) drive client relationships and project delivery personally on every engagement, with no institutional investors, parent company, or subsidiaries.

Name

Komorous-Towey Architects

Legal name

Komorous-Towey Architects

Website

https://ktarch.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Komorous-Towey Architects is a 7-employee, woman-owned, full-service architectural firm in Berkeley, CA, founded in 1989. It delivers commercial, civic, residential, parking, retail, and adaptive-reuse projects across the Bay Area, California, Oregon, and Nevada, with deep LEED and historic-preservation expertise.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Architectural Services

NAICS

Architectural Services (54131), Architectural Services (541310)

akta.pro primary industry

Architectural Design Services (BPAHAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Construction Engineering & Constructability Consulting (BPAHAIAN), Civil & Structural Engineering Consulting (BPAHAIAA)

Keywords

• Architectural design services
• Historic preservation architecture
• Sustainable building design
• Adaptive reuse architecture
• Commercial building design

Headquarters

HQ city

Berkeley

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. Architectural Design Services: Professional architectural services including project management, design, construction document preparation, and construction administration. Projects range from new construction to adaptive reuse, tenant improvements, and historic preservation.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Komorous-Towey Architects is a full-service architectural design firm providing programming, schematic design, construction documents, and construction administration across commercial, civic, residential, retail, parking structure, and adaptive reuse/renovation project categories. The firm also delivers specialized practice areas in historic preservation (including seismic restoration work such as San Francisco City Hall) and sustainable design pursuing LEED certification. Each project is delivered with direct principal involvement from concept through construction.

Product overview

Komorous-Towey Architects (KTA) is a full-service architectural firm founded in 1989, offering a unified architectural service platform rather than discrete software products. The firm's core offering is comprehensive architectural design spanning six integrated service modules: Architecture Services (covering new construction and renovations), Programming (space planning), Sustainable Design (LEED-focused green building), Historical Preservation, Interior Design, and Façade Design. These services are applied across five primary project type categories: Commercial/Civic, Residential, Parking Structures, Retail, and Adaptive Reuse/Renovation, with projects ranging from single-family homes to large-scale municipal parking structures and historic restorations. KTA is a certified woman-owned firm with LEED expertise and has completed projects throughout the Bay Area, California, Oregon, and Nevada.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Architecture Services Full-service architectural design covering new construction, renovations, tenant improvements, and adaptive reuse for commercial, civic, residential, and mixed-use projects, delivered with principal involvement across programming, design, construction documents, and construction administration.
• Historic Preservation Specialized restoration, rehabilitation, and adaptive reuse of landmark and historic buildings, including seismic strengthening and accessibility upgrades, with nationally recognized work such as the San Francisco City Hall restoration.
• Sustainable Design (LEED) Green building and LEED-focused design services for clients pursuing certification, supported by USGBC membership and LEED training of staff; covers commercial interiors and full building projects.
• Parking Structure Design Design of above-grade, structured, and mixed-use parking facilities for municipal and private clients, including standalone garages and integrated parking/retail structures.
• Commercial and Civic Architecture Design of commercial office, civic, institutional, and government buildings including corporate headquarters, tenant improvements, and public facilities such as the Alameda County ITD Headquarters.
• Residential Architecture Custom home design, additions, renovations, and high-rise residential projects tailored to homeowner needs, surroundings, and context; spans single-family residences to condominium developments.
• Adaptive Reuse and Renovation Conversion and renovation of existing buildings for new uses, including historic restorations, seismic upgrades, accessibility enhancements, and functional transformations such as the adaptive reuse of a 1930s icehouse into the H&L Partners headquarters.
• Retail and Storefront Design Specialized retail space and storefront design for restaurants, cafes, retail outlets, and small business tenant improvements, often delivered through city facade improvement programs.
• Interior Design Interior design services including space planning, finish selection, furniture specification, and collaborative design with clients, integrated within architecture engagements.

Quantifiable outcome

• First commercial office building to be LEED registered in San Francisco
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers14 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKTA is a member of the U.S. Green Building Council and has undergone LEED training. This membership supports their sustainable building design practice and LEED certification expertise.
• Watry Design GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKTA worked in collaboration with Watry Design Group as design architect for the Marshall Street Parking Structure project in Redwood City. Watry Design Group is an architectural/structural engineering firm. Thomas Towey was previously VP of Architecture at Watry Design before joining KTA full-time in 1996, creating ongoing professional collaboration.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Leddy Maytum Stacy Architects: San Francisco architecture firm focused on sustainable design, civic buildings, and adaptive reuse. Directly comparable to KTA in mission, Bay Area focus, and ESG-oriented portfolio including education and civic clients.
• Siegel & Strain Architects: Emeryville-based architecture firm specializing in sustainable, net-zero, and LEED-certified design with civic and education clients. Comparable to KTA in sustainability positioning and Bay Area public-sector work.
• Page & Turnbull: San Francisco-based architecture firm specializing in historic preservation, adaptive reuse, and sustainable design. Closely comparable to KTA in mission, geographic market, and preservation-led portfolio (e.g., work on San Francisco Civic Center and similar civic landmarks).
• BAR Architects: Bay Area architecture firm with strong civic, education, and historic preservation portfolio. Comparable to KTA in California public-sector focus and adaptive reuse expertise.
• Mark Cavagnero Associates: San Francisco architecture firm with extensive civic, institutional, and commercial portfolio. Comparable to KTA in California public-sector work and award-winning design execution.
• EHDD Architecture: San Francisco architecture firm with deep experience in civic, education, and sustainable design across the Bay Area. Comparable to KTA in civic client roster and LEED-oriented practice.
• Pyatok Architects: Oakland-based architecture firm focused on housing, community, and urban infill projects. Comparable to KTA in Bay Area geography and public/private mixed-use residential expertise.

Broad incumbents

• HOK: Global architecture and engineering firm with extensive civic, commercial, and sustainable design practice. Comparable to KTA in commercial and civic project types, but offers full multi-disciplinary capabilities at significantly larger scale.
• Perkins&Will: Large global architecture firm with deep sustainability practice (LEED, net-zero) and civic/institutional portfolio. Comparable to KTA in LEED expertise and civic client work, but operates at much larger scale and broader geography.

Emerging players

• WRNS Studio: California-based architecture firm with strong sustainability and civic focus. Compares to KTA in climate-positive design philosophy though typically operating at larger scale and broader geography.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/komorous-towey-architects

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 Komorous-Towey Architects