A well-designed retail, office, or mixed-use development provides businesses with the best possible setting to serve their customers. It offers a welcoming environment for returning and new customers as well as for employees and staff and represents every aspect of the brand. Such a project requires careful planning by a skilled architect with hands-on design experience in commercial building.
To help meet that demand, we’ve found the best commercial architects in Placentia, California. These firms were selected for their accreditations, certifications, and professional affiliations. Industry awards, client reviews, and press features have been taken into account as well. Below we discuss the range of services these firms offer, their specializations, and the length of time they have been in the industry.
MVE + Partners
1900 Main Street, Suite 800, Irvine, CA 92614
Founded in 1974, MVE + Partners believes in a simple, proven approach to completing projects. Mixed with artistry and the latest technology, the approach has proven effective through several projects and recognitions the firm has achieved over the years. The firm has been featured in publications such as Building Design + Construction, Architect Magazine, ReBusinessOnline, and The Real Deal. They have earned numerous awards including the AIA Orange County 25-Year Design Award.
One of MVE + Partners’ finest projects is Wilshire Courtyard in Los Angeles. MVE designed the office campus with two buildings over a three-level subterranean parking structure. The two buildings are internally facing U-shapes, nearly symmetrical but off-center, with an entry drive and visitor drop-off that divides the ground level into two distinct outdoor spaces. The project is distinguished by the company’s signature courtyard, landscaped and accented by various water features and koi ponds.
Aside from multifamily builds, the firm’s exceptional designs are exhibited in its mixed-use, commercial, resort, retail, institutional, hospitality and recreational communities and master plan projects. commercial, institutional, and resort projects. These designs are generated by dedicated team members—true innovators and professionals. MVE is led by an accomplished and experienced team of architects, designers, planners, and business professionals. They represent the greatest talent our industry has to offer and reflect the quality, leadership, success, and high standards of their clients.
TCA Architects
18821 Bardeen Ave, Irvine, CA 92612
Inspired by cultural narrative and evolutionary design, TCA Architects is dedicated to creating experiences that champion community and promote forward-thinking change. After a complete evaluation of the opportunities and constraints of each site, TCA explores various ideas through design illustrations to generate something exceptional. The overall fabric of a project and its spatial relationship—including façades and a range of construction materials—are then identified. Then clients can experience the resulting architecture through sketches, 3D models, and photorealistic renderings.
Aram Chahbazian, AIA, is the President and CEO of TCA. He draws from thirty-two years of experience in multifamily design and mixed-use properties. Under his leadership, TCA Architects has completed landmark mixed-use and high-density housing projects, such as G-12 and Olive in downtown LA and the Camden in Hollywood. A Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Accredited Professional, his work has been recognized by the AIA, the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), and the Pacific Coast Builders Conference (PCBC).
The Placentia Veterans Village, an apartment community with one- and two-bedroom residences, is one of TCA Architects’ finest pieces of work. The development is designed in a traditional Craftsman style using simple expressive forms and articulated massing to create an environment that is both comfortable and familiar. Residents have access to indoor and outdoor community spaces, elevators, private terraces, and laundry rooms.
SVA Architects
6 Hutton Centre Drive, Suite 1150, Santa Ana, CA 92707
SVA Architects has specialized in architectural design and planning for over 18 years, partnering with public and private clients in California and across the western United States. It has worked on a number of high-profile civic, cultural, educational, mixed-use, residential, military, and commercial projects that enhance wellness for both users and the larger community.
Partner and President Robert M. Simons has 30 years of experience: he has designed and planned multi-use institutional facilities, hospitality, design-build developments, and projects born from public-private partnerships. The AIA member is responsible for the nationally-lauded Celadon at 9th & Broadway which received a Global Award for Excellence and Healthy Places Award from the Urban Land Institute (ULI). Robert’s designs have also received recognition from the Coalition for Adequate School Housing (CASH) and the AIA California Council (AIACC). Meanwhile, Partner and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Ernesto Vasquez incorporates smart-growth principles in creating socially and environmentally responsible living spaces. The community advocate is a Fellow of the AIA and serves on the boards of BRIDGE Housing and the National Parks Foundation.
The two partners have instilled the value of collaboration and sustainability in SVA, resulting in their participation in the visionary design of Jordan Downs. The redevelopment will transform the distressed public housing community, Jordan Downs, into a vibrant urban village of mixed-uses and mixed-incomes. When all phases are complete, the project will create hundreds of jobs, approximately 1,500 affordable and market-rate homes, numerous public amenities, abundant retail space, nine acres of green space, and new neighborhood programs and services to enrich the lives of current and future generations.
Moule & Polyzoides Architects & Urbanists
180 E California Boulevard, Pasadena, CA 91105
For over thirty-nine years, Moule & Polyzoides has delivered exceptional architecture, master planning, and urban design that has reinvigorated towns and cities. The firm is accustomed to facilitating public meetings and it is a skilled communicator capable of bridging people with opposing viewpoints in resolving complicated urban and building design issues. A leader of urbanism and housing, Moule & Polyzoides has collaborated with clients and consultants in completing over 300 projects certified by the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards.
Elizabeth Moule is an expert in architecture, urbanism, real estate development, and education, having co-founded the Congress for the New Urbanism (CNU) with Stefanos Polyzoides. As an advocate for sustainability, Elizabeth designed one of the greenest buildings in the world: the Robert Redford Building for the Natural Resources Defense Council in Santa Monica, California.
Stefanos has worked on the design of educational, institutional, commercial, and civic buildings. It also provides historic rehabilitation, housing, and the urban design of university campuses and neighborhoods on a global scale. Elizabeth and Stefanos steered Moule & Polyzoides toward winning nine Congress for the New Urbanism Charter Design Awards and the Institute of Art & Architecture 2015 Arthur Ross Award for Community and Civic Design.
Moule & Polyzoides reintroduced the courtyard housing typology to Pasadena’s Playhouse District with the design of Granada Court. Arranged in flats and townhouses, the units are oriented around three distinct courtyards: two internal pedestrian courts and one external auto court. Each unit features a separate space for a private office, private balconies, and decks overlooking the courtyards.
Urban Dwell Architects
43180 Business Park Drive, Suite 203, Temecula, CA 92590
Urban Dwell Architects (UDA) is a leading architecture firm that offers commercial retail design, power center planning, mixed-use, and retailer consulting services. In developing designs, the UDA design team explores various materials, finishes, volumes, and textures and works closely with the firm’s structural engineering and production teams to provide a well-integrated design solution that responds well to the program requirements, the end user, the site, and the community.
As Managing Director of UDA, Maikel Faragalla ensures all aspects of the building process are carefully evaluated and the project scope, budget, and schedule remain in balance. His experience with design and engineering enables him to develop creative solutions that best fit the needs of the community. He has authored and developed many of the strategies through which UDA has fulfilled the specific demands of clients while staying on top of the current trends. Faragalla led his team in building commercial developments such as Placentia Village Plaza.
Clay tile, smooth stucco finishes, and decorative metal-work along each of the building’s façades come together to form a piece of Spanish-style architecture. Enhanced pedestrian paths provide direct access from the public sidewalk to the building’s storefronts and large outdoor passive seating areas. The alfresco areas are characterized by decorative fencing/walls, metal shade structures, landscaping, and an elegant water feature within the main patio area.
