Since 1991, our innovative, sustainable, and creative approach has resulted in award-winning work throughout Northern California and beyond. We have extensive experience with San Francisco’s rigorous building review process, as well as numerous approval agencies in Sonoma County, the East Bay, and on the Peninsula. Additionally, we have completed out-of-state work in New York, Wyoming, and Oregon. Whether we are working with new or repeat clients, we are passionate about architectural design that fulfills their hopes and exceeds their expectations.
Our firm’s design philosophy is rooted in context – site specific, classic forms, with strong interior/exterior connections. The play of natural light is of paramount importance in our work, as are the unique challenges of urban infill, historic buildings, and green building strategies. Whether we begin with bare land or existing structures, our projects develop their character through careful interpretation and sensitivity to each client’s program, site orientation, context, and climate. MDa’s design process for both renovation and new construction is comprehensive, nuanced and collaborative. Our goal with every project is to bring warmth to modern design.
“MDA blends clean simple lines with an overall warmth. Too often, modern seems to equal cold, but Malcolm manages to make modern warm without compromising the aesthetic in any way.“
Malcolm Davis is a Bay Area native with an intimate understanding of regional building styles and climates. Educated at UC Berkeley, his strong appreciation for the craft of building goes hand in hand with thoughtful stewardship of resources. He takes pride in creative problem solving through simple, elegant solutions. Employing a timeless vocabulary and a curated palette, Malcolm’s work over the last 25 years has earned multiple awards from The American Institute of Architects, and has been recognized in Dwell, Elle Décor, Sunset, California Home + Design, San Francisco Chronicle, and Wall Street Journal.
MArch in Architecture, University of California, Berkeley
BA in Architecture, University of California, Berkeley
Licensed Architect, California
Pat moved to San Francisco two weeks after completing his Bachelor of Architecture at the University of Southern California in 2009. Since, he has obtained his license and settled in the foggy Outer Sunset District with his wife. His attention to detail, appreciation of building materials and natural light compliment his ability to coordinate and collaborate with clients, contractors, consultants and Malcolm. When he’s not working on additions to his own home, Pat enjoys spending his free time with his family, woodworking or surfing the frigid waters of Ocean Beach.
Pat joined MDa in 2013.
BArch, University of Southern California
Licensed Architect, California
Elsa, a Bay Area Native, has been deeply interested in studying the manner in which people live her whole life. She enjoys iterative design, collaborating with both Malcolm and the clients to produce a beautiful home that both mirrors and enhances their lifestyle. An avid lover of spending time outside, she strives to bring the outdoors in by employing natural materials, strategic exterior fenestrations, and program organization that encourages indoor/outdoor circulation. In her free time, she enjoys trekking across San Francisco with her dog, playing soccer, and planning her next travel adventure.
Elsa joined MDa in 2015.
BArch, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo
Amir moved to the Bay Area in 2014 to study for his Bachelor of Arts in Architecture at UC Berkeley. He has since fallen in love with the charming architectural character of San Francisco and has made it his mission to add to the beauty of the foggy city by the bay. Born and raised in Iran, a country with a rich architectural history, he is passionate about finding the right balance between traditional and modern styles. Amir enjoys working on small artistic projects and travels near and far with his camera on his back, to capture what he finds inspiring.
Amir joined MDa in 2018.
BA in Architecture, University of California, Berkeley
Julia is originally from islands outside Seattle, Washington. Since moving to San Francisco, she has been admiring the daily rhythm of the fog, the predictability of the plan, and the surprise of the section. She is interested in how architecture can layer the natural and the constructed to materialize the forces of its environment and remind us of the larger systems in which we are embedded. She appreciates the challenge of bringing light into the slim spaces of the San Francisco block and aims to engage with the specific circumstances of each project to make it distinct.
Julia joined MDa in 2021.
BS in Civil Engineering, Stanford University
MArch I, Harvard Graduate School of Design
Licensed Architect, California
Lindsey is a California native. She moved to San Francisco in 2010 and started working for Malcolm in 2013. She has a visual arts degree from UCSD and has run a successful bookkeeping business for the last 10 years. Lindsey loves being creative, solving problems, and learning new things. She also enjoys working closely with Apollo in HR.
Lindsey joined MDa in 2013.
Apollo is relatively new to the office, but takes his job very seriously and is sure to see to the happiness of all MDa team members. In his free time, he enjoys roaming the Mission District and spending long weekends in Healdsburg with Malcolm.
Apollo joined MDa in 2020.
