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AXIS Architecture + Design

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AXIS Architecture + Design

Iconic design for real world challenges. Our Vision: Shape the best in humans to shape the best human experiences.

At AXIS/GFA Architecture + Design, our position as one of America’s leading hospitality, multi-family residential, and affordable housing architectural design firms stems directly from our people-first culture. By fostering an environment where every team member is empowered to fearlessly approach their work with passion, we can design the unforgettable human experiences we’ve come to be renown for. Our Mission: To collaboratively deliver unforgettable architectural design and innovative technical solutions for America’s intrepid multifamily residential, hospitality, and affordable housing development leaders.

10/18/2026

Earlier this summer, AXIS Architecture + Design joined project partners to celebrate the soft grand opening of the Element San Diego Chula Vista. The milestone marks the latest addition to AXIS’ Southern California new-build hotel portfolio.

Located in Chula Vista’s Otay Ranch community, and commissioned on behalf of clients Baldwin & Sons, AXIS’ design for the 100,000 square foot new-build extended stay hotel includes 156 guestrooms, meeting facilities, Element’s signature Studio Commons Suites, and outdoor amenities including a pool and spa. The project forms part of a larger approved master plan and is situated alongside an existing Residence Inn.

Serving as AOR, and working in collaboration with the interior design team at AC Martin, the design brings Element by Westin’s wellness-oriented and environmentally conscious hospitality experience to a growing area of Chula Vista.

Watch AXIS’ blog and social feeds for our formal announcement featuring official project imagery in the coming weeks.

10/01/2026

Today, AXIS Architecture + Design proudly celebrates our 25th anniversary. Marking a quarter century of architectural practice, creative collaboration, lasting client relationships, and the creation of spaces and places that have come to define the communities they were built in, our team could not be prouder.

Founded in 2001, AXIS has evolved from a modest San Francisco studio into a multidisciplinary West Coast practice with offices in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Seattle. Along the way, we’ve proudly expanded both our geographic reach and the breadth of our expertise, becoming nationally recognized experts in hospitality design, hotel renovation, adaptive reuse, multifamily residential design, affordable housing community design, and mixed-use architectural design.

At the heart of that growth has remained a consistent commitment to AXIS’ people-first culture and a mission to design places that create meaningful human experiences. Every project, milestone, and new chapter has been made possible by the talented team members, clients, consultants, and industry partners who have contributed to AXIS’ story.

Over the coming months, AXIS looks forward to reflecting on 25 years of defining moments, and to sharing the milestones from our history that highlight the people, ideas, and projects that have shaped the firm’s quarter-century of success. Watch our blog and social channels for vignettes from our past 25 years, and visions of what we hope the next 25 years will bring.

09/12/2026

AXIS Architecture + Design is pleased to announce that the firm has been commissioned to provide architectural design services for a new Moxy Hotel in downtown Tucson, Arizona.

Proposed for a half-acre site bordering Tucson’s Central Business District, the six-story hotel will introduce 137 guestrooms to a prominent location near the city’s historic Fourth Avenue neighborhood and destination Congress Street entertainment district. The development will be constructed above an existing below-grade parking garage originally designed to accommodate a future hotel.

AXIS’ architectural design draws upon downtown Tucson’s early industrial brick vernacular while incorporating complementary elements of Pueblo Revival architecture. A warm brick façade, articulated pilasters and corbelling, expansive street-level glazing, recessed windows, flat rooflines, and earthen-toned plaster will connect the contemporary hotel to the material character and architectural history of its surroundings.

At street level, the lobby and lounge will open visually onto Fifth Avenue through tall storefront glazing, strengthening the relationship between the hotel and the surrounding pedestrian environment. Above, the guestroom levels step back from the street, differentiating the hotel’s private accommodations from its public-facing podium while responding to the scale of neighboring buildings.

Watch for updates across our social channels as our vision for this new boutique lifestyle hotel takes shape.

08/29/2026

Construction is nearing completion at AXIS Architecture + Design’s Fairfield Inglewood new-build hotel project.

Designed by AXIS’ Los Angeles studio, the six-story Fairfield by Marriott will introduce 150 guestrooms along Century Boulevard, near SoFi Stadium, Intuit Dome, and the Kia Forum. The architectural design pairs a welcoming ground-floor bar and lounge with an outdoor amenity space, while a sixth-floor wraparound deck will offer expansive views toward SoFi Stadium, the Santa Monica Mountains, and the Hollywood Hills.

Watch our social feeds for our official announcement as this project nears its grand opening.

08/15/2026

Earlier this summer, AXIS Architecture + Design was proud to announce the completion of our comprehensive renovation of Hotel Viking, a hospitality transformation that reimagines one of Newport, Rhode Island’s most iconic and historic boutique hotels as it enters its second century.

To add to that announcement, we’re proud to share additional project photography showcasing the renewed Hotel Viking. Completed on behalf of KHP Capital Partners in collaboration with interior design firm Beleco Design, the renovation preserves the architectural character and coastal heritage of the original 1926 landmark while introducing a sophisticated modern classicism for today’s hospitality experience.

Visit our online project portfolio for an overview of the architectural design vision behind Hotel Viking’s centennial transformation, and for even more project photography: https://axisarchitecture.com/our-projects/hotel-viking-historic-boutique-hotel-renovation/

07/31/2026

As we announced in the summer edition of our Praxis newsletter earlier this year, AXIS Architecture + Design is proud to mark the recent completion of the comprehensive renovation of Hotel Viking, one of New England's most iconic boutique hospitality destinations. Completed on behalf of KHP Capital Partners in collaboration with Los Angeles-based interior design firm Beleco Design ( ), the centennial transformation carefully balances the property's historic Gilded Age character with a contemporary vision for residential-style luxury hospitality.

From reimagined public spaces and guestrooms to renewed arrival experiences and outdoor gathering areas, the renovation positions Hotel Viking for its next century while honoring the legacy that has defined the property for generations.

The project also represents another significant milestone for AXIS as we continue to expand our hospitality architectural design practice along the East Coast. Building upon our previous work at The Press Hotel in Portland, Maine, Hotel Viking reflects our growing national expertise in boutique hotel design, hospitality renovation, and the thoughtful transformation of landmark hospitality destinations.

Read the full press release to learn more about the design vision, architectural approach, and collaboration behind this remarkable centennial renovation: https://axisarchitecture.com/news/axis-completes-the-hilton-arcadia-los-angeles-a-landmark-adaptive-reuse-and-new-build-hotel-development/

07/29/2026

Earlier this month AXIS Architecture + Design was proud to announce the completion of our Hilton Arcadia project, a significant development combining the expertise of both our new-build ground-up and adaptive reuse practices.

To add to that announcement, we’re proud to share some additional and new photography of the project.

Visit our blog for our full press release and an abstract of our design vision for this stunning Art Deco and Streamline Moderne architectural design project: https://axisarchitecture.com/news/axis-completes-the-hilton-arcadia-los-angeles-a-landmark-adaptive-reuse-and-new-build-hotel-development/

07/11/2026

AXIS Architecture + Design is proud to announce the completion of the Hilton Arcadia Los Angeles, a landmark hospitality project that combines the adaptive reuse and conversion of an existing three-story office building with the architectural design of a ground-up six-story hotel tower. Together, the two structures form a unified 173-room full-service hotel destination, blending contemporary hospitality standards with architectural influences drawn from the neighboring Santa Anita Park and the region's rich Art Deco heritage.

Serving as both Design Architect and Architect of Record, AXIS Architecture + Design guided the project's architectural design from concept through completion, helping transform a complex development opportunity into a distinctive hospitality environment. Developed by VG Properties and constructed by R.D. Olson Construction, Inc., the project further demonstrates AXIS' expertise in hospitality architecture, adaptive reuse, hotel repositioning, and complex redevelopment projects throughout the Western United States.

Read our full press release on our blog (https://axisarchitecture.com/our-projects/hilton-arcadia-los-angeles-new-build-hotel-adaptive-reuse/), and visit our online project portfolio for a fulsome design narrative and additional project photography (https://axisarchitecture.com/our-projects/hilton-arcadia-los-angeles-new-build-hotel-adaptive-reuse/).

06/20/2026

Recently, AXIS Architecture + Design welcomed Megan Kim to the firm’s Seattle studio as its newest Senior Project Architect. Bringing nearly two decades of experience in market-rate housing, affordable housing, senior living, and mixed-use developments across the Pacific Northwest, Megan joins the firm with a design-oriented approach focused on translating client vision into thoughtful, context-sensitive architectural solutions.

Prior to joining AXIS, Megan spent nearly ten years designing complex Pacific Northwest housing projects through entitlement and permitting. From compact urban housing in Seattle’s Ballard neighborhood to amenity-driven senior living communities throughout the region, Megan’s experience reflects a strong understanding of how architecture can respond to both market demands and community context by balancing density, livability, neighborhood integration, and evolving municipal design requirements.

Already collaborating with Principal Architect Rory Carroll on a hotel renovation project in San Francisco, Megan’s arrival underscores AXIS’ continued investment in multidisciplinary design leadership across hospitality and housing.

Welcome Megan!

06/13/2026

Seattle’s response to Washington State House Bill 1110 has now moved from interim compliance to adopted code. Through the One Seattle Plan and permanent legislation approved under Ordinance Nos. 127375 and 127376 late last year, the City has established a new Middle Housing framework intended to expand residential capacity in zones that historically allowed predominantly detached homes.

For Seattle and Pacific Northwest multi-family residential developers, the significance of these changes is not simply regulatory; the practical implications are architectural, financial, and site-specific. Revised standards for density, FAR, lot coverage, setbacks, height, amenity area, parking, stacked units, ADUs, low-income housing, and limited ground-floor commercial uses all influence what can be designed, entitled, financed, and built on a given parcel.

To help developers and project teams understand these changes, AXIS Architecture + Design has prepared a concise technical summary of Seattle’s updated Middle Housing standards. The summary includes code highlights and yield studies illustrating how the new framework may affect typical Neighborhood Residential lots, including detached, attached, semi-detached, and stacked-unit configurations.

As Seattle’s housing policy continues to evolve, early technical analysis will be essential to identifying development opportunities and minimizing planning risk. As an experienced Seattle-based multi-family residential architectural design firm, AXIS’ summary is intended as a practical starting point for owners, developers, and project teams evaluating sites under the City’s adopted HB 1110 implementation framework.

Download AXIS Architecture + Design’s Seattle Middle Housing white paper on our blog: https://axisarchitecture.com/news/seattle-middle-housing-a-technical-guide-to-the-adopted-hb-1110-middle-housing-code-changes/

Address

1000 Brannan Street, Ste 404
San Francisco, CA
94103

Opening Hours

Monday	8:30am - 5:30pm
Tuesday	8:30am - 5:30pm
Wednesday	8:30am - 5:30pm
Thursday	8:30am - 5:30pm
Friday	8:30am - 5:30pm

Telephone

+14153711400

Website

http://www.axisarchitecture.com/

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