Top 15 Architecture and Design Firms in the United States

ANALYSIS, May 9, 2025 — Design isn’t always about spectacle. Often, it’s about restraint, repetition, and deep listening. Amid today’s visual noise, these 15 U.S.-based architecture and design firms shape the country’s built environment with substance over style. Each brings a grounded approach to form-making—rooted in context, history, and social responsibility.

Gensler — San Francisco, CA

Gensler doesn’t design for architects—it designs for people. As the largest architecture firm in the world, it’s easy to overlook how considered its work can be. But walk into one of its corporate offices, airports, or learning spaces, and you’ll notice an effort to balance efficiency with experience. What it builds may not win purist accolades, but it works—and works well.

Diller Scofidio + Renfro — New York, NY

DS+R operates at the edge of architecture and performance. Their designs speak the language of culture, often amplifying voices rather than overpowering them. From the High Line to the Lincoln Center renovation, their projects treat the city as a stage—sometimes literal, always layered.

Studio Gang — Chicago, IL

Led by Jeanne Gang, this firm doesn't draw attention to itself—it draws attention to systems: of ecology, of structure, of human connection. Studio Gang designs buildings like Aqua Tower and the Arkansas Arts Center with curiosity and conscience, stitching together communities while respecting nature’s complexity.

Skidmore, Owings & Merrill — Chicago, IL

SOM designs like an engineer writes poetry. Its buildings are ambitious but grounded, experimental but rational. The firm helped invent the American skyscraper and has since evolved into a global player that still takes detailing and proportion seriously.

Olson Kundig — Seattle, WA

Olson Kundig’s architecture is tactile. Steel meets reclaimed wood; concrete slabs slide open to forests. Whether designing cabins or cultural institutions, the firm treats buildings as living objects, not static forms. Their approach is both humble and highly tuned.

KieranTimberlake — Philadelphia, PA

Known for its research-heavy practice, this firm takes nothing for granted—not even the wall. KieranTimberlake builds with curiosity and precision, often using its own headquarters as a testbed. It’s the kind of practice that quietly pushes the profession forward without fanfare.

SHoP Architects — New York, NY

SHoP embraces the complexities of real estate, digital fabrication, and construction logistics—without giving up on design. Its projects, such as Brooklyn’s Barclays Center and 111 West 57th Street, reflect a pragmatic optimism: that beautiful buildings can be economically viable and structurally daring.

Lake|Flato Architects — San Antonio, TX

Rooted in the American South, Lake|Flato builds in conversation with its climate. Its architecture doesn’t impose—it listens. Porches, breezeways, and locally sourced materials mark its projects. The result is design that feels inevitable, not imposed.

MASS Design Group — Boston, MA

This is not a firm concerned with image. MASS designs hospitals, schools, and memorials in underserved communities, treating architecture as a public service. Their projects are driven by deep research and humility, proving that design can serve justice.

Morphosis — Los Angeles, CA

Led by Pritzker Prize-winner Thom Mayne, Morphosis is restless by nature. It doesn’t seek approval—it seeks friction. Though often provocative, the work is grounded in advanced technology and deep skepticism of architectural complacency.

Perkins & Will — Chicago, IL

Perkins & Will has been around since the Great Depression, but it never fell behind. Its projects—spanning healthcare, education, and corporate headquarters—are marked by a steady hand and ethical clarity. The firm isn’t trying to be trendy; it’s trying to be right.

NADAAA — Boston, MA

NADAAA designs like a teaching studio. Led by Nader Tehrani, the firm treats every project as an investigation—into context, material, and typology. Its academic buildings and housing developments are intellectual without being inaccessible.

Brooks + Scarpa — Los Angeles, CA

This firm designs housing for the public, not the glossy page. Focused on sustainability and equity, Brooks + Scarpa’s work has texture, integrity, and a conscience. Their buildings remind us that architecture can be both beautiful and just.

Bohlin Cywinski Jackson — Wilkes-Barre, PA

BCJ is perhaps best known for designing Apple Stores, but its real strength lies in nuance. The firm treats light as a building material and user experience as its guiding metric. Its residential and institutional work is quietly influential.

Ennead Architects — New York, NY

Ennead builds for institutions that educate, reflect, and heal. Their projects—like university science centers or public memorials—show a deep respect for their purpose. They aren’t showpieces; they are thoughtful places that invite use.

Great architecture doesn’t demand attention. It earns it over time.