Verse Design

What Verse Design does

Verse Design LA (VDLA) is a full-service architectural and planning studio headquartered at 834 S. Broadway, Suite 1200, in the historic Platt Building in Downtown Los Angeles, with a team of 15 employees led by Principal Paul Tang. The firm delivers projects from inception through completion across feasibility studies, entitlements, concept design, design development, construction documents, and construction administration, serving private developers, institutional clients, and government entities. Built work spans commercial offices and tech campuses, residential developments (from micro-units to 100-meter high-rise towers), hospitality renovations, institutional and cultural facilities, and large-scale urban master planning, with projects in the United States (primarily California including Los Angeles, Santa Clara, San Jose, Ventura, Chatsworth, and Garden Grove) and internationally across China (Beijing, Shanghai, Hainan, Qingdao, Ningbo, Bengbu, Zhangye, Qinhuangdao, Zhongmou, Sanya), Taiwan (Taipei), and through publication in Japan.

The studio's core offerings are organized into seven service categories: commercial architecture, residential architecture, hospitality design, institutional architecture, feasibility studies, and urban planning, supported by a research-based design process intended to generate spatially innovative solutions. Notable projects include the Thirty75 Tech 238,400 sf Class A office building in Santa Clara (for MDY Properties), the Ventura Beach Marriott renovation (for Obest LP, 2019 Marriott Renovation Excellence Award winner), the 952-unit Serenity Coast Apartments in Sanya (for Forte Real Estate), and the 323,599 sq.m Qingdao Expo City master plan (for China Railway Group Limited). The firm operates on a project-based professional services revenue model with custom-quoted pricing tied to scope and complexity, and has no publicly disclosed revenue, no external funding rounds, and no institutional investors. Distribution is through direct enterprise engagement and portfolio-driven word-of-mouth, with the firm's website (vdla.co) as the primary marketing channel. Strategic collaborations with engineering partners (Buro Happold) and design partners (Chang-jo, LID) enable the boutique studio to bid on larger institutional commissions than its headcount alone would support.

Name

Verse Design

Legal name

Verse Design (VDLA)

Website

https://vdla.co

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Verse Design LA is a 15-person, principal-led architectural and planning studio in Los Angeles delivering commercial, residential, hospitality, institutional, and urban master-planning projects across California, China, and Taiwan for private developers, government entities, and institutional clients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Architectural Services

NAICS

Architectural Services (541310), Architectural Services (54131), Interior Design Services (541410), Landscape Architectural Services (54132)

SIC

Services-Engineering Services (8711)

akta.pro primary industry

Architectural Design Services (BPAHAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Interior Design Services (BPAHAKAB), Landscape Architecture & Site Design (BPAHAKAC), Office & Corporate Building Construction (IMAFACAA), Residential Design-Build & Renovation-Integrated Builders (IMAFABAE)

Keywords

• Architectural design services
• Urban planning
• Master planning
• Commercial architecture
• Residential architecture

Headquarters

HQ city

Los Angeles

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 Services: Full-service architectural and planning services taking complex projects from inception to completion, including concept design, entitlements, design development, construction documents, and construction administration phases.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Verse Design LA is a full-service architectural and planning studio that delivers projects from inception through completion, including feasibility studies, concept design, entitlements, design development, construction documents, and construction administration. The firm works on commercial, residential, hospitality, institutional, and mixed-use developments across the United States and China.

Product overview

Verse Design LA operates as a full-service architectural and planning studio with a broad portfolio of built work spanning commercial, residential, hospitality, institutional, and mixed-use sectors. The studio's core offering combines architectural design services with planning capabilities, taking projects from inception through completion. Key service areas include commercial office buildings and tech campuses (such as Thirty75 Tech), residential developments from micro-units to high-rise towers (Serenity Coast Apartments), hospitality renovation (Ventura Beach Marriott), institutional and cultural facilities (Taipei Performing Arts Center), and urban planning for large-scale developments. The firm also provides specialized feasibility study services to evaluate project potential before design phases. Projects span both the United States (primarily California) and international markets, particularly China.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Commercial Architecture Design of Class A office buildings, tech campuses, high-tech parks, and commercial mixed-use developments including state-of-the-art office core and shell buildings with sustainable design strategies, delivered to private developers and corporate clients.
• Residential Architecture Design of residential developments including high-rise towers, micro-unit housing, live-work units, duplexes, and single-family residences with focus on communal living and modern living spaces, delivered to residential developers and private clients.
• Hospitality Design Renovation and design services for hotels, restaurants, and hospitality compounds including guestroom redesign, amenity space transformation, and award-winning renovation excellence work, delivered to hotel operators and hospitality groups.
• Institutional Architecture Design of cultural centers, performing arts centers, theaters, schools, and community facilities with emphasis on public realm and civic spaces, delivered to government entities and cultural institutions.
• Feasibility Studies Preliminary project evaluation analyzing client requirements, physical site conditions, zoning regulations, building codes, contextual factors, and financial proforma to inform development decisions, delivered to developers and property owners before design phases.
• Urban Planning Master planning services for large-scale developments including mixed-use properties, transit-oriented developments, and urban districts with focus on sustainable and community-oriented design, delivered to government entities, institutional clients, and large developers.

Quantifiable outcome

• Multiple 2023 awards for Thirty75 Tech project including A+D Museum, Architecture & Design Community Award, Metal Construction Association Best Building of the Year
• +1 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

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Chang-jo (Seoul)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated on Taipei Performing Arts Center competition entry, bringing additional design expertise to the project team.
• Buro Happold (Los Angeles)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEngineering consultancy collaborator on Taipei Performing Arts Center project, providing structural and engineering expertise.
• LIDminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated on Serenity Coast Apartments project, contributing landscape and design expertise.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights8 records

Broad incumbents

• Perkins&Will: Perkins&Will is an international architecture and design firm with strong institutional, healthcare, and commercial practices. Comparable to Verse Design in offering full lifecycle architectural services across commercial, residential, healthcare, and institutional typologies.
• Gensler: Gensler is the largest global architecture and design firm, delivering commercial office, mixed-use, hospitality, and urban planning services to enterprise developers. It overlaps with Verse Design across commercial Class A office, hospitality, and large-scale mixed-use work but operates at vastly greater scale with a much broader service portfolio.
• AECOM: AECOM is a global infrastructure consulting and design firm covering architecture, engineering, urban planning, and construction services at massive scale. Comparable to Verse Design's commercial, institutional, and urban planning work but as a public broad incumbent.
• HKS Architects: HKS is a large US architecture firm with strong commercial, hospitality, and healthcare practices. Comparable to Verse Design's portfolio across Class A office, hospitality renovation, and healthcare facility design.
• HOK: HOK is a global design, architecture, engineering, and planning firm covering commercial, healthcare, institutional, and mixed-use sectors. It is comparable to Verse Design's full-service model spanning feasibility through construction administration across multiple building typologies.
• Kohn Pedersen Fox (KPF): KPF is a global architecture firm renowned for high-rise commercial towers and large-scale mixed-use developments, including significant China practice. Overlaps directly with Verse Design on Class A office, high-rise residential, and China-based mixed-use commissions.
• Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM): SOM is a global architecture, engineering, and urban planning firm known for large-scale commercial towers, mixed-use developments, and master planning worldwide. It competes directly with Verse Design in commercial Class A office, high-rise residential, and large-scale mixed-use master planning.

Direct peers

• Snøhetta: Snøhetta is a globally recognized, design-led architecture and landscape studio with major cultural, commercial, and master planning commissions. Comparable to Verse Design as a design-boutique competing for cultural (Taipei Performing Arts Center-class), commercial, and large-scale mixed-use master plans.
• Morphosis: Morphosis is a Los Angeles-headquartered, design-led architecture studio known for award-winning cultural, institutional, and commercial work. Directly comparable to Verse Design as a Los Angeles boutique with comparable typology mix (commercial, cultural, residential) and award-driven positioning.
• Gehry Partners: Gehry Partners is a Los Angeles-based, design-led architectural practice delivering award-winning cultural, commercial, and residential projects globally. Comparable to Verse Design as a Los Angeles boutique with international reach and a brand-led business model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/versedesign

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 Verse Design