Abramson Architects, a Southern California practice known for its entrepreneurial spirit and hands-on approach to design, has joined global architecture and design firm Perkins&Will. The merger closed August 29.
“Together, we create a rare synthesis of design excellence, research rigor, and cross-sector experience,” says Trevor Abramson, FAIA, who founded his eponymous practice in Los Angeles in 1987 and expanded it into San Diego in 2023. “Our combined strengths and complementary skills empower us to pursue more complex, ambitious projects and positively impact community on both the urban and human scale.”
Abramson Architects’ portfolio spans commercial, cultural, healthcare, and residential work across greater LA and San Diego, as well as internationally. It includes such projects as Platform, a mixed-use art and design quarter in Culver City; Synapse, an immersive creative office space in Culver City’s tech corridor; The Aaron Milken Center, an early childhood educational campus in LA; the Lucy Curci Cancer Center in Rancho Mirage; and Dolphin Marina Apartments in Marina del Rey. The firm has won more than 10 awards from the LA chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA), and one national AIA honor award—for the First Presbyterian Church of Encino.
Two Firms, Shared Mindset
“This is a coming-together of two deeply like-minded firms with complementary skills and experiences, both of whom are committed to making a positive impact on communities through great design,” says Lindsey Peckinpaugh, president of Perkins&Will. “We admire Abramson Architects’ track record for design leadership, excellence in client care, and cultivation of talent—because we share those same values. As one firm, united, we’ll amplify our collective strengths.”
Perkins&Will has had a practice in LA since 1996. Today, the firm’s LA studio is known for award-winning multidisciplinary design across healthcare, higher education, workplace, civic and cultural, and multifamily residential. Its projects include Destination Crenshaw, a 1.3-mile outdoor celebration of Black art, community, and culture in LA; the Kaiser Permanente Watts Counseling and Learning Pavilion in LA; and the Providence Cedars Sinai Friese Family Tower in Tarzana.
The San Diego studio of Perkins&Will, which opened in 2021, is a leader in the sectors of higher education and science/technology. Its projects include APEX, a high-tech research building by BioMed Realty; Franklin Antonio Hall, part of the Jacob School of Engineering at UC San Diego; and the Pepper Canyon West Living Learning Neighborhood, a student housing complex also at UC San Diego. The firm’s legacy projects in San Diego include the i3 Illumina campus and the Center for Novel Therapeutics, both developed by BioMed Realty.
Reciprocal Capabilities
Perkins&Will and Abramson Architects plan to leverage their joint capabilities to serve clients in the healthcare, civic and cultural, corporate and commercial, educational, and residential sectors. In particular, they hope their combined housing experience—from permanent supportive and low-income housing to market-rate multifamily housing—will generate expanded opportunities to meet demand in a city where over 70,000 people experience homelessness and thousands of homes were decimated in recent wildfires. Perkins&Will’s LA studio is behind the design of the new Toyon Gardens, an affordable permanent supportive housing complex in Gardena, California currently being developed by the nonprofit Brilliant Corners; Corazon del Valle, 180 permanent supportive and affordable housing units in Panorama City developed by Holos Communities; and 11010 Santa Monica Boulevard, a multifamily affordable housing modular development by Weingart.
Additionally, Abramson’s expertise in adaptive transformation, together with Perkins&Will’s global expertise in regenerative design, competitively positions the combined practice as a sustainability leader. Abramson’s adaptive reuse portfolio includes the conversion of historic warehouses in LA’s Arts District into vibrant retail and creative offices known as Third and Traction; the renovation of a 1930s auto body shop at 3300 Sunset into a retail and dining destination; and the redesign of restaurants, banks, and other purpose-built spaces across Southern California into Chalk Preschools.
“Merging our firms enhances our capabilities, ushers in more opportunities for collaboration, and expands the reach of our Living Design approach, which is fundamental to our ethos,” says Perkins&Will CEO Phil Harrison. “We believe we’re blending the best of both worlds for our clients across Southern California, and it will result in truly innovative design solutions.”
New Leadership, Expanded Teams
As part of the merger, Trevor Abramson becomes managing director of both the LA and San Diego studios, and Marco Marraccini of Abramson becomes design director. Michael Williams of Perkins&Will becomes operations director. The combined practice will retain the Perkins&Will name and employ over 110 staff.
“For me, this is not about getting bigger. It’s about elevating our potential, expanding our reach, and deepening the impact we have on the people and places we serve,” says Marraccini. “It’s also a chance to continue nurturing an inclusive, supportive, and vibrant design culture. What excites me most is the opportunity to touch more communities across Southern California while staying deeply rooted in the craft of architecture.”
“Together, we create a rare synthesis of design excellence, research rigor, and cross-sector experience,” says Trevor Abramson, FAIA, who founded his eponymous practice in Los Angeles in 1987 and expanded it into San Diego in 2023. “Our combined strengths and complementary skills empower us to pursue more complex, ambitious projects and positively impact community on both the urban and human scale.”
Abramson Architects’ portfolio spans commercial, cultural, healthcare, and residential work across greater LA and San Diego, as well as internationally. It includes such projects as Platform, a mixed-use art and design quarter in Culver City; Synapse, an immersive creative office space in Culver City’s tech corridor; The Aaron Milken Center, an early childhood educational campus in LA; the Lucy Curci Cancer Center in Rancho Mirage; and Dolphin Marina Apartments in Marina del Rey. The firm has won more than 10 awards from the LA chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA), and one national AIA honor award—for the First Presbyterian Church of Encino.
Two Firms, Shared Mindset
“This is a coming-together of two deeply like-minded firms with complementary skills and experiences, both of whom are committed to making a positive impact on communities through great design,” says Lindsey Peckinpaugh, president of Perkins&Will. “We admire Abramson Architects’ track record for design leadership, excellence in client care, and cultivation of talent—because we share those same values. As one firm, united, we’ll amplify our collective strengths.”
Perkins&Will has had a practice in LA since 1996. Today, the firm’s LA studio is known for award-winning multidisciplinary design across healthcare, higher education, workplace, civic and cultural, and multifamily residential. Its projects include Destination Crenshaw, a 1.3-mile outdoor celebration of Black art, community, and culture in LA; the Kaiser Permanente Watts Counseling and Learning Pavilion in LA; and the Providence Cedars Sinai Friese Family Tower in Tarzana.
The San Diego studio of Perkins&Will, which opened in 2021, is a leader in the sectors of higher education and science/technology. Its projects include APEX, a high-tech research building by BioMed Realty; Franklin Antonio Hall, part of the Jacob School of Engineering at UC San Diego; and the Pepper Canyon West Living Learning Neighborhood, a student housing complex also at UC San Diego. The firm’s legacy projects in San Diego include the i3 Illumina campus and the Center for Novel Therapeutics, both developed by BioMed Realty.
Reciprocal Capabilities
Perkins&Will and Abramson Architects plan to leverage their joint capabilities to serve clients in the healthcare, civic and cultural, corporate and commercial, educational, and residential sectors. In particular, they hope their combined housing experience—from permanent supportive and low-income housing to market-rate multifamily housing—will generate expanded opportunities to meet demand in a city where over 70,000 people experience homelessness and thousands of homes were decimated in recent wildfires. Perkins&Will’s LA studio is behind the design of the new Toyon Gardens, an affordable permanent supportive housing complex in Gardena, California currently being developed by the nonprofit Brilliant Corners; Corazon del Valle, 180 permanent supportive and affordable housing units in Panorama City developed by Holos Communities; and 11010 Santa Monica Boulevard, a multifamily affordable housing modular development by Weingart.
Additionally, Abramson’s expertise in adaptive transformation, together with Perkins&Will’s global expertise in regenerative design, competitively positions the combined practice as a sustainability leader. Abramson’s adaptive reuse portfolio includes the conversion of historic warehouses in LA’s Arts District into vibrant retail and creative offices known as Third and Traction; the renovation of a 1930s auto body shop at 3300 Sunset into a retail and dining destination; and the redesign of restaurants, banks, and other purpose-built spaces across Southern California into Chalk Preschools.
“Merging our firms enhances our capabilities, ushers in more opportunities for collaboration, and expands the reach of our Living Design approach, which is fundamental to our ethos,” says Perkins&Will CEO Phil Harrison. “We believe we’re blending the best of both worlds for our clients across Southern California, and it will result in truly innovative design solutions.”
New Leadership, Expanded Teams
As part of the merger, Trevor Abramson becomes managing director of both the LA and San Diego studios, and Marco Marraccini of Abramson becomes design director. Michael Williams of Perkins&Will becomes operations director. The combined practice will retain the Perkins&Will name and employ over 110 staff.
“For me, this is not about getting bigger. It’s about elevating our potential, expanding our reach, and deepening the impact we have on the people and places we serve,” says Marraccini. “It’s also a chance to continue nurturing an inclusive, supportive, and vibrant design culture. What excites me most is the opportunity to touch more communities across Southern California while staying deeply rooted in the craft of architecture.”
Strogoff Consulting worked closely with Abramson Architects throughout the merger process, assisted in negotiating the purchase price and terms, facilitated key meetings, and coordinated input from the firms' respective legal and accounting advisors.