A new partnership with the Oakland-based architecture firm will broaden HGA’s portfolio in the region, bringing in additional design expertise in urban infill projects across a variety of sectors
OAKLAND, Calif.—Oct. 2, 2023—Acclaimed interdisciplinary design firm HGA today announced its acquisition of brick., a 25-person architecture firm based in Oakland, California. brick.—now HGA Oakland—will remain in its downtown office located at 405 14th Street and will maintain a continued focus on designing complex urban infill, mixed-use, community and other developer-led projects in regional urban cores. The acquisition further strengthens HGA’s established Bay Area practice that includes offices in both San Francisco and San Jose, and expands HGA’s overall California presence with robust teams in Los Angeles, Sacramento and San Diego.
“We’ve long been seeking the right partner in the Bay Area to grow HGA’s depth and capacity to undertake an aspirational mix of project types in Northern California, and we are excited to have found that and more in brick.,” said Tim Carl, FAIA, LEED AP, design principal and CEO of HGA. “It’s been a pleasure getting to know their team and confirm that not only does their diverse expertise complement the project types and capabilities HGA is planning to pursue in the coming years, but also their progressive design ethos, collaborative firm culture, strong market position and impactful design solutions strongly align with HGA’s approach and national reputation.”
Firmwide, all 25 employees are now part of HGA. brick.’s founding principal, Rob Zirkle, AIA, LEED AP, will become the Public/Corporate Practice Group Leader of HGA Oakland, and his co-founding partner, Matt Combrink, AIA, LEED AP, will serve as the HGA Oakland Office Director. brick.’s second, growing Boston office—where the firm was building a burgeoning corporate life sciences presence—will join HGA Boston.
“The brick. team has been laser-focused on creating tangible value for our clients and the communities we work in since day one. There is no better feeling as an architect and urban designer than creating enduring, positive impact through our work,” said Zirkle. “After 13 years developing design solutions that have helped evolve the face of our Bay Area communities, we are beyond excited to help propel HGA’s vast network of interdisciplinary expertise and research, to leverage the firm’s scale, and to further optimize value we help create for our trusted clients. We are honored to partner with a firm that will expand and nourish the collaborative and equitable culture we have built at brick. and take all of us to the next level in our journey as practitioners.”
brick.’s projects have played a substantial role in revitalizing the Bay Area’s metro downtowns and central business districts, creating value through sometimes unconventional designs that prioritize functionality, access to nature and community connection. Notable projects include:
- 1180 Main | Redwood City, California – A centrally located commercial building and surrounding public park that create a point of convergence between four Redwood City neighborhoods for developer Premia Capital
- 385 Sherman | Palo Alto, California – A mixed-use, urban infill project including the juxtaposition of office space for Visa’s R&D group—interiors designed by HGA—with right-sized residential townhomes as well as outdoor spaces on every level
- 650 Live Oak | Menlo Park, California – An urban infill project integrating two separate lots to deliver Class A office space and four different types of residential units—single-family, townhomes, garden apartments and lofts— with compatible circulation on a compact site that includes a community plaza
- Exelixis Headquarters | Alameda, California – The new Exelixis headquarters maximizing San Francisco Bay views and utilizing structural beams on the interior to divide and connect workspaces for both focus and collaboration, all within the context of a sustainable, zero net energy building
- Bill and Adele Jonas Center | Novato, California – An event center, centrally located on the College of Marin’s Indian Valley campus, that provides new capabilities for college and broader community gatherings on a variety of scales within a site sensitive, indoor-outdoor design
Since 1953, HGA has been bringing architectural and engineering experts together to devise solutions that make positive, lasting impacts to support thriving communities throughout the United States. HGA employs a research-based approach to design across the building types that shape how people live for clients in arts and culture, community, corporate, education, healthcare, government, science, technology and more. With incredible talent across now 13 offices from coast to coast, HGA’s strength is in its multidisciplinary model, whereby its unique, nationwide collective of in-house specialists—process engineers, design thinking specialists, evidence-based researchers, anthropologists, and others—work together cross-functionally to achieve the highest and best design solutions.
ABOUT HGA
HGA is an acclaimed interdisciplinary design firm committed to making a positive, lasting impact for our clients and communities through research-based, holistic solutions. We believe that great design requires a sense of curiosity—forming deep insight into our clients, their contexts, and the human condition. We are a collective of over 1,000 architects, engineers, interior designers, planners, researchers, and strategists, with 13 offices. Our national practice spans multiple markets, including corporate, cultural, education, local and federal government, healthcare, and science and technology.
