Anaheim is a city full of shopping centers, retail stores, modern restaurants, and recreational parks, catering to the necessities of the residents’ daily lives. Many know Anaheim as the home of the Disneyland Resort, attracting numerous tourists from across the country. The city promotes outdoor activities, inviting people to experience all the sights and the scenery the city has to offer. Anaheim is a diverse city with various amenities for indoor and outdoor activities that many can enjoy.
Setting up a business may be a challenge with so many establishments already present within the city. You want a commercial architect to be able to provide you with a wide range of services that will assist you in creating a business that will stand out from the rest. The best commercial architects offer a full range of services tailored to each client. Those services include tangibles and intangibles, including a deep attention to detail and proper quality checks to ensure an accurate rendition of the project. Our editors curated this list of the top five best commercial architects after looking into each firm’s experience, portfolio, and approach.
KTGY
17911 Von Karman Avenue, Suite 200 Irvine, CA 92614
Pictured below is the Rouzan Shop Building featuring various restaurants. The building itself has a compact structure, pitting the establishments beside each other, maximizing the space for each restaurant. This requires efficient design and furnishing to provide an equal amount of space for these establishments to operate appropriately. Parking spaces are located throughout the building, providing easy access and accessibility for customers. KTGY caters to various clientele including retail, mixed-use, and hospitality thanks to its diverse range of services.
Expand Magazine has featured the firm a number of times. It’s also won the Gold Award | Best Development up to 3 Stories, Built for Sale. Aside from these commercial projects, it is also worth noting that the team offers residential work, including multi-family development projects.
AO
144 N Orange St, Orange CA 92866
Architects Orange is an established commercial architectural firm in Orange County, taking on various projects in the retail, hospitality, and mixed-use sectors. The team’s collaborative approach focuses on minimizing risks and creating engaging, functional spaces. Numerous developers, brands, and retail partners have collaborated with Architects Orange, resulting in the portfolio it showcases today. An example of the firm’s process is the project below, the Veranda in Concord. This Mission Revival-style complex replaces the former Chevron campus, offering various amenities including a gourmet grocery, a 10-screen movie theater, high-end restaurants, a health club, and boutique retail stores. Aside from indoor activities, it offers people large open outdoor spaces, allowing the public to have a change of scenery from the interior amenities.
Westgroup Designs
19520 Jamboree Road, Suite 100, Irvine, CA 92612
One great example of the firm’s work is the Google Orange County Headquarters. As a company well-known for unconventional workspaces, Google’s HQ in Orange County was no different: they wanted it to be a sustainable, progressive, and contemporary environment. As a result, the HQ features a central public green space that energizes the entire campus. In addition, the new building and radically designed plaza created a pedestrian-focused environment that engages the business community and increases the social interactivity of the space. For achieving exemplary performance through water efficiency and maximizing open space, the resulting structure received a LEED Platinum certification.
The firm has completed several other large-scale projects through its comprehensive approach. That process involves providing detailed, intricate services that fulfill the needs of the client. Meticulous planning, designing, and construction follow a high standard of quality in order to ensure a safe, functional space. This has resulted in the Westgroup team being one of the top commercial architects in the area.
Withee Malcolm Architects
2251 W. 190th Street, Torrance, CA 90504
A team of over 40 well-experienced professionals, Withee Malcolm Architects continuously provides personalized services through proper design solutions and responsive architectural methods. The team is able to multi-task throughout many projects, showcasing its ability to be flexible enough to cater to a range of clients. The firm has fostered numerous relationships during its tenure, currently having partnerships with clients across the urban infill housing, commercial, industrial, and food and hospitality-focused markets.
Pictured below is one of the firm’s projects for Porsche: the firm completed numerous dealerships across Southern California. These dealerships include intricate architectural services and interior design, offering a refined atmosphere that matches the brand’s appeal. The firm built an efficient workspace while incorporating the latest technology to represent the brand’s innovative, forward-thinking approach. And, of course, the building frames the famous brand’s luxury vehicles in a befitting manner.
SMS Architects
18004 Sky Park Circle, Suite 200 Irvine, CA 92614
Positioned in the heart of Huntington Beach, CA, Pacific City is a 217,000 square foot two-story open mall containing retail and restaurant spaces over two levels of underground parking. The design features nine bungalows connected by an open deck on the second level overlooking the Huntington Beach Pier. Views out to the water are present in the interstitial spaces between bungalows framed by colors and materials that are reminiscent of wood and sand. The immediate context of the scenery, observation decks, and world-class surfing competitions inspired our design at multiple scales. On a human scale, the use of reclaimed wood, wood shingles, board and batten, limestone, and Corten finishes reflect the characteristics of Huntington Beach
Greg Simonoff & Joseph Smart started SMS Architects after ten years of working together as a senior leadership team for a Southern California firm. Since establishing SMS Architects, the pair have established the firm as a reliable, trustworthy firm, focusing on architectural quality and technical expertise. The principals carefully monitor the work completed by the team to ensure consistent quality in all its projects. Today, SMS Architects is a certified architectural firm in California, Arizona, Georgia, and Hawaii.
