About

OUR MISSION

KFA reshapes LA by designing great places where people flourish

We know and love Los Angeles like no other place.

We are proud to have contributed to the fabric of this beautiful city.

KFA provides architecture, design, and master planning services for projects throughout the greater Los Angeles metropolitan area using a collaborative approach tailored to each project. The firm’s expertise encompasses transit-oriented developments; campuses; mixed-use housing, retail, and office projects; affordable, senior, family, and special-needs housing; hotels and restaurants; educational facilities; and adaptive reuse projects.

We believe architecture should be purposeful and inspirational. We achieve this when our buildings actively engage our clients and our communities.

We listen to our clients. From listening comes the understanding that instructs and guides design. Our process is collaborative, informal and evolutionary. We celebrate fresh thinking and we value opinion and instigation.

We want our architecture to respect and better the communities we work in. For us, design begins by immersing ourselves in a site and its surroundings and responding to it with careful consideration.

Last, we get it done. We’re experts in project management, entitlements, and permits. Our diverse teams work together harmoniously to produce great design, meet deadlines and stay on budget.

KFA was founded in 1975 by Wade Killefer, FAIA, who was joined by Barbara Flammang, FAIA, in 1980. Originally a design-build construction company, the firm designed its first library in 1983, first school in 1985, first affordable housing project in 1988, and first mixed-use residential project in 1990. In the 1999, KFA helped spark the resurgence of the historic core in downtown Los Angeles by spearheading the city’s Adaptive Reuse Ordinance. Since then, the firm has completed the conversion of over 50 existing buildings throughout the City into housing, hotels, and commercial space.

Since 2016, the firm has been led by the partnership of Jonathan Watts, AIA, Lise Bornstein, AIA and John Arnold, AIA. Building on its early experience, the firm has dedicated itself to the reshaping of Los Angeles by “designing great places where people flourish,” focusing on multi-family housing, adaptive reuse, hotels, and mixed-use buildings and campuses. The firm has received numerous awards and recognition for its urban, forward-thinking architecture, and in 2016, KFA was honored with the prestigious AIA California Council Firm Award for its portfolio and diverse, culture-rich workplace. Women hold well over half of the management positions at KFA, and in 2020 the firm renewed its commitment to equity by taking the SoCal NOMA DEI Challenge.

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VISION STATEMENTS

We see every project enhancing its community, contributing to a healthy, dignified, connected, and beautiful Los Angeles.

We see exceptional design as a synthesis of our thoughtfulness, experience, and skill.

We see staff who are actively encouraged to grow professionally while maintaining a work/life balance.

We see existing buildings with revitalized usefulness and beauty.

We see teams supported by robust training, mentorship, standards, and tools.

We see our clients’ goals realized through listening and collaboration.

We see equity in our profession.

We see solutions to the affordable housing crisis in Southern California.

We see a diverse firm that resembles our city and that attracts talented, energetic, and open-minded people.

We see a profitable, efficient, and agile firm with abundant work.

CLICK ABOVE TO REVEAL OUR TEN VISION STATEMENTS

KFA BY THE NUMBERS

  1. Founded in 0
  2. 0 Employees
  3. 0% of Eligible architectural staff is licensed
  4. Firm management is 0% Female
  5. Architectural staff is 0% Female
  6. Over 0 Housing Projects
  7. 0 Adaptive reuse projects
  8. 0 Residential Units
  9. 0 Affordable Housing Units
  10. 0 Affordable Housing Unit in DTLA
  11. 0 Adaptive Reuse Units
  12. 0 Hotel rooms
  13. 0 Education Buildings and Learning Centers
  14. 0 Recreation Projects
  15. 0 Libraries
  16. 0 Fire stations
  17. 0 Buildings listed on the National Register of Historic Places
  18. 0 Current projects
  19. 0 Square feet of current projects
  20. 0 Units currently in the pipeline
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KFA CULTURE

With 46 years of sustained, visionary leadership, KFA has developed a culture that is inclusive and employee driven.

We value open communication and collaboration. Everyone has a voice at the table. We value individuality and mutual respect.

We encourage each other to be brave and take chances, especially in taking on responsibilities beyond comfort zones. There is mutual respect and a desire to see everyone succeed at whatever they are challenged to do. We learn as we go, unafraid to ask for help along the way, and we take responsibility for sharing our acquired knowledge with others.

We value the responsibility to serve our communities. Our partners devote significant time and energy on the boards of local and industry organizations such as HPOZ Boards, Boys and Girls Clubs, SCANPH, Step Up on Second, and ULI, and encourage the firm to champion the causes that are important to us.

KFA believes that what fuels our enthusiasm outside the office enhances our understanding of the world and informs our architectural work. Our office is a diverse group of artists, chefs, athletes, travelers, and musicians whose passions and accomplishments are shared with the office on a weekly basis.

Many of our staff have been on board 10 years or more.  We feel that this high retention rate not only helps sustain our culture, but helps our clients by giving them consistent service and productivity.

KFA has been recognized as one of LA’s best places to work by the Los Angeles Business Journal, and we are proud to have been named the 2016 Firm of the Year by the AIA California Council.