When it comes to commercial design, branding can make or break a business. In order to stay on top, the best businesses rely on the best architects to come up with both new designs and fresh takes for established brands.

If you are looking to redesign your business or you’re starting from scratch, we’ve compiled a list of the best commercial architects in Burbank, California. These are the architects who can help business owners come up with great design ideas for their brands and locations. Our editorial team selected these architects based on their background, experience, and ability to create designs that truly fit the brands they represent. 

Gensler 

500 South Figueroa Street, Los Angeles, CA 90071

Gensler is a global architectural practice spread out across 48 offices around the world, serving clients in more than 120 countries. The firm is considered the world’s largest architectural firm, and its reach can be attributed to the firm’s exemplary leaders Diane Hoskins and Andy Cohen as well as their hardworking employees who are more than 6,000 strong. 

One example of the firm’s work is the KCET Studios in Burbank. When Southern and Central California’s community television station KCET Studios moved from its Hollywood campus to a multi-tenant 14-story office building in Burbank, the studio hired Gensler to renovate the new site. To accommodate the recording studio, the firm had to cut through the 6th floor to enable an “acoustical box within a box” to penetrate from the 5th-floor plate to the bottom of the 7th-floor slab. A “ribbon liner” connects production studios with public areas, which includes the visitor reception area, a donor gallery, and a community/screening room.

Studio/RCL

1257 Vista Court, Glendale, CA 91205

Founded in 1990, Studio/RCL is an architectural firm whose portfolio comprises acclaimed residential and commercial projects. The firm has completed several well-known clothing stores, a highly popular and successful restaurant in L.A.’s Koreatown, and a fifty-room hotel tower in British Columbia. Led by Richard Cutts Lundquist, the firm is a believer in close collaboration with clients and considers such partnerships to be necessary for the creation of good architecture. The firm has also completed residential projects, everything from remodels to major additions, for homes in Santa Monica, Brentwood, Hancock Park, Los Angeles, and Glendale.

One example of the firm’s work is the Clearwater-Live Work Loft. The firm was commissioned by Julia Meltzer and David Thorne to remodel their live-work industrial loft in L.A.’s FrogTown area. One part of the remodel was the construction of a screen wall, made of black steel, translucent plastic, and wool felt, to separate the work studios from the living space. Shortly after completion, the building became David Thorne’s Clearwater restaurant. Currently, the space functions as the office and event space for the organization Clockshop run by Julia Meltzer.

Ziese Architecture

612 Moulton Avenue, Ste 7, Los Angeles, CA 90031

Ziese Architecture is Los Angeles’s premier architectural firm for adaptive reuse, commercial tenant improvement, and urban renewal. The firm has completed work for restaurants, cafés, gyms, offices, retail, and commercial warehouses, as well as for high-end residential design. The firm is led by principal architect Daniel Ziese, a member of the American Institute of Architects (AIA), an architect certified by the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB), and a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Accredited Professional (LEED AP). Daniel has more than 18 years of professional experience in markets such as hospitality, multi-family housing, mixed-use development, educational facilities, retail centers, and commercial office projects. 

One example of the firm’s work on a commercial project is the Marza Animation Planet in Burbank. The facility is a 7,000-square-foot professional office that doubles as a digital production studio for Sega’s movie design division. The office has cubicles, a kitchen, public rooms for craft and printing, and more private conference and story rooms. Overall, the design is both functional and creative, allowing the occupants to comfortably perform their own creative duties and projects. 

CWA AIA Inc.

320 Arden Avenue, Ste 210, Glendale, CA 91203

CWA AIA, Inc. is a multi-disciplinary firm offering architectural, engineering, interior design, and planning services throughout California. The firm focuses on government and civic projects and has designed and completed over $500,000,000 worth of civic architecture. The firm has also built libraries. CWA is proud to say that 85% of its business is generated from repeat clients and referrals.

One example of the firm’s work on a commercial project is the Surfas location in Culver City. The culinary district is home to a wide array of specialty food, small culinary wares, and larger kitchen and dining equipment. The location also has a café and deli, where customers can dine in or take out, as they please. With wide parking lots and an even wider interior, the CWA-designed project is a huge draw for culinary lovers and casual cooks alike. 

Herman Architects Inc.

1725 Gardena Avenue, 2nd Floor, Glendale, CA 91204

Herman Architects Inc. is a design firm dedicated to providing architecture services that enhance clients’ lives while not breaking their budgets. The firm is led by founder Richard Herman and operations head John Herman. Richard has over forty years of expertise, which he combines with his vision to develop a diverse client and project base. John, meanwhile, oversees all operations of Herman Architects. He leads the firm and its consultants from schematic design through to the construction phase, overseeing budgets and schedules. John also uses his knowledge and relationships with state and local review agencies to expedite the approval process for on-time and on-budget project delivery.

An example of the firm’s work on a commercial project is the Imperial Western Brewery & The Streamliner. As the executive architect, Herman Architects completed the tenant improvement project in collaboration with architectural designer Janel Wright Design. Historical details were highlighted, including the beautifully restored patina leather walls and wood-trimmed booths. The main bar was newly constructed in the footprint of the original. It features brass, walnut, and fluted glass, functioning to provide service for eighteen custom beer taps. It also supports the 20-foot long cantilevered light and digital menu boards. Lastly, the historic ceilings and light fixtures were restored in order to showcase their original colors of deep greens and south-western tones of mustard and rust which are also featured in the wall tiles and floor throughout.