Santos Prescott and Associates

What Santos Prescott and Associates does

Santos Prescott and Associates is a private architecture and urban design practice founded in 1991 by Adèle Naudé Santos and Bruce Prescott, with offices in San Francisco, California and Somerville, Massachusetts. The firm provides professional architecture, master planning, urban design, interior design, and construction administration services across four service categories: Houses and Lofts (single-family and live-work residential), Housing and Mixed Use (multi-family residential and mixed-use developments, with a strong emphasis on affordable housing), Community and Institutional (cultural, educational, and civic facilities), and Urban Design and Research (large-scale planning and competition work). Its clients include private developers, non-profit affordable housing developers such as Mercy Housing, municipal governments, and educational institutions. The firm is recognized for spatial inventiveness combined with social responsibility, evidenced by features at the 2014 Venice Biennale US Pavilion, multiple AIA awards, and a track record of invited design competition wins dating back to 1986.

The firm's technical practice emphasizes sustainable design and construction innovation, including prefabricated steel frame construction systems that reduce construction time by approximately one month and cost by about 5% compared to conventional building, all-electric building systems with heat pump hot water, and projects achieving GreenPoint Rated Platinum and Silver certifications. The firm engages a global partner network for executing large and complex projects, working with firms such as WRNS Studio, Solomon Cordwell Buenz, HKIT Architects, Carde Ten Architects, and others on affordable housing, civic, and cultural projects. Santos Prescott and Associates generates revenue through project-based professional service fees negotiated on a per-project basis, with no publicly disclosed pricing. The firm sells primarily through direct client commissions, design competitions, and repeat institutional relationships, with no explicit digital marketing channels identified. The practice has completed projects internationally across South Africa, China, Taiwan, Japan, Singapore, Chile, Finland, Guatemala, and Hawaii, in addition to projects throughout the United States.

The firm remains actively operating, with notable 2025 project completions including 600 7th Street Affordable Housing (221 units) and The Kelsey Civic Center (112 units), both in San Francisco. As a privately held firm with no disclosed institutional investment, revenue figures, or headcount, Santos Prescott and Associates is a small, founder-led practice that competes on design quality, sustainable construction expertise, and a specialized focus on affordable housing and civic projects with social impact.

Name

Santos Prescott and Associates

Legal name

Santos Prescott and Associates

Website

https://santosprescott.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1991

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Santos Prescott and Associates is a private architecture and urban design practice founded in 1991, serving developers, government entities, and institutional clients with residential, mixed-use, cultural, educational, and urban design projects across the US and internationally, with a focus on affordable housing and sustainable construction.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Architectural Services

NAICS

Architectural Services (541310)

SIC

Services-Engineering Services (8711)

akta.pro primary industry

Architectural Design Services (BPAHAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Interior Design Services (BPAHAKAB), Community Engagement & Participatory Planning (BPAHAKAO)

Keywords

• Architecture design services
• Urban design planning
• Affordable housing design
• Mixed-use development
• Master planning services

Headquarters

HQ city

South San Francisco

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Architecture and Design Services: Professional architecture and urban design services billed through project-based fees. Services include architectural design, master planning, programming, interior design, and construction administration for residential, commercial, institutional, and urban design projects.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Santos Prescott and Associates is an architecture and urban design practice providing professional design services including architectural design, master planning, programming, interior design, and construction administration. The firm delivers projects across four service categories: Houses and Lofts (custom residential), Housing and Mixed Use (multi-family and mixed-use developments, with emphasis on affordable housing), Community and Institutional (cultural, civic, and educational facilities), and Urban Design and Research (large-scale master planning and competition work). Services are commissioned by private developers, non-profit housing developers, government entities, and educational institutions.

Product overview

Santos Prescott and Associates is an architecture and urban design practice that offers four distinct service categories: Houses and Lofts (residential architecture including custom homes and live-work spaces), Housing and Mixed Use (multi-family residential and mixed-use developments), Community and Institutional (cultural, civic, and educational facilities), and Urban Design and Research (large-scale planning and urban design). The firm is acclaimed for spatial inventiveness and social responsibility, with projects spanning affordable housing, cultural centers, educational facilities, and urban master plans across the United States and internationally.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Houses and Lofts (Residential Architecture) Residential architecture services for private clients including single-family custom homes, townhouses, and live-work loft conversions, often featuring innovative spatial designs, cantilevered structures, and integration with existing urban fabric.
• Housing and Mixed Use Multi-family residential architecture services ranging from affordable housing developments to market-rate apartments, often incorporating mixed-use components with retail and community spaces, for developers and non-profit housing providers.
• Community and Institutional Architecture Architectural design services for cultural, educational, and civic facilities including community centers, libraries, theaters, schools, and recreation centers, serving government agencies, municipalities, and educational institutions.
• Urban Design and Research Large-scale urban planning, master planning, and urban design competition services including mixed-use developments and public realm projects, frequently delivered through invited and open design competitions.

Quantifiable outcome

• Prefabricated steel frame construction completed projects approximately 1 month sooner than conventional building and at about 5% lower cost
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered supporting and core.

• Carde Ten ArchitectssupportingImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerServed as Executive Architect for Franklin/La Brea Housing (40 units in Los Angeles) and Working Artists Ventura (82 units in Ventura, CA).
• HKIT ArchitectssupportingImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerServed as Executive Architect for Mission Creek Senior Community (141 units) in San Francisco's Mission Bay district.
• Solomon Cordwell Buenz (SCB)supportingImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerServed as Executive Architect for 280 Beale Street Affordable Housing project in San Francisco.
• Mercy HousingcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOngoing collaboration with Mercy Housing on multiple affordable housing projects including 280 Beale Street (70 units), Natalie Gubb Commons (120 units), and 600 7th Street (221 units).
• Suning Real Estate Co.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing relationship including Suning IT Headquarters Park in Nanjing and Foshou Lake Clubhouse projects.
• LDA ArchitectssupportingImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerServed as Executive Architect for Yerba Buena Gardens project in San Francisco.
• Jacobs Wyper ArchitectssupportingImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerServed as Executive Architect for Albright Center for the Arts at Albright College in Reading, PA.
• Dreyfuss and Blackford ArchitectssupportingImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerCollaborated on Futureplex project (750,000 SF) for FuturePlex LLC.
• Landworks StudiosupportingTechnology or IntegrationCollaborated on Suning IT Headquarters Park project in Nanjing, China, with Landworks Studio handling landscape architecture.
• WRNS StudiosupportingImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerServed as Design Architect collaborating with Santos Prescott on The Kelsey Civic Center (112 units) in San Francisco.
• BensonwoodsupportingTechnology or IntegrationProvided pre-fabricated panels for 25 Village Street project in Somerville, MA, enabling highly energy-efficient enclosure constructed in 3 days on site.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Handel Architects: Architecture firm with significant affordable and mixed-income housing practice alongside market-rate work, including major Bay Area projects. Comparable in typology (multi-family residential, mixed-use, civic) and competes for similar affordable housing developer clients.
• Lake|Flato Architects: Award-winning architecture firm similar in scale with strong sustainability, civic, and residential portfolio. Comparable in design-competition wins (AIA, Rudy Brunner) and small-firm-plus-strong-brand positioning.
• Safdie Architects: Design-led architecture firm with comparable cultural, civic, and large-scale residential portfolio. Both firms share a research-driven, competition-winning, internationally published profile with strong academic leadership ties.
• Studio Gang (Jeanne Gang): Design-led architecture practice known for sustainability, civic/cultural projects, and high-rise residential innovation. Both firms share the design-competition pedigree, international cultural project portfolio, and publication-driven brand.
• KieranTimberlake: Boutique architecture practice with comparable size, design-driven identity, academic leadership ties, and deep sustainability/research credentials. Both firms pair strong institutional/cultural portfolios with rigorous sustainable design methodologies.
• Bohlin Cywinski Jackson: Boutique architecture firm of similar size and reputation with comparable high-end residential, institutional, and civic portfolios. Frequent collaborator on East Coast projects near Santos Prescott's Somerville office.
• PYATOK Architecture + Urban Design: Bay Area architecture practice with an almost identical focus on affordable, supportive, and mixed-income housing design. Frequently collaborates on the same Mercy Housing and related affordable housing RFPs, and shares Santos Prescott's design-competition-led business model and social-responsibility positioning.
• David Baker Architects: Bay Area architecture practice specializing in multifamily, affordable, and mixed-use housing — a near-direct competitor for Mercy Housing and similar nonprofit developer commissions in San Francisco.
• Brooks + Scarpa: Design-forward, award-winning architecture firm specializing in affordable housing, sustainable design, and community-focused projects. Both firms share the 'small firm, socially responsible, sustainability-leading' positioning and routinely compete for AIA awards in affordable housing categories.
• Leddy Maytum Stacy Architects: San Francisco-based architecture firm of comparable scale with deep affordable housing, sustainability, and civic/community work. Both firms win similar AIA SF Small Firm awards and pursue comparable project typologies (multi-family affordable, community facilities, urban infill).

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/santos-prescott-and-associates

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Santos Prescott and Associates