Design Draw Build Architects & Builders

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Design Draw Build Architects & Builders

Architect-led design-build firm delivering warm, modern architecture from concept to construction.

San Francisco | Oakland | Silicon Valley | Northern California Master Planning
Building Architecture
Interior Design
Strategy
Programming
Graphic and Environmental Design
Interactive Technology Design
Exhibit Design
Set Design
Custom Furniture/Fixture Design
Product Design
Web Design
Construction Services
General Contracting Services

Project Support:
Photorealistic Rendering
Drawing Coordinatio

n
Conceptual Modeling
Code Analysis
Project Estimating
Master Planning
Construction Documents

Fabrication:
Custom Interior Fit Up
Furniture
Fabrication
Custom Built Elements
Shop Built Prefabrication
Interactive Art Installations
Unique Built-In Components

05/21/2026

Sonoma Commons transforms a series of unpermitted agricultural and storage structures into a vibrant mixed-use development that brings 177 units of affordable multifamily housing and retail spaces to the community.
Design Draw Build led the master planning and served as Architect for the full-scale redevelopment of the site and its adjacent structures—converting simple wood-frame agricultural shells into fully code-compliant buildings with comprehensive structural retrofits, new roofing, HVAC systems, fire safety, and accessibility upgrades throughout.
The project pairs modern design with a regional sensibility through the use of locally sourced wood, creating a warm and inviting character while helping reduce the embodied carbon impacts of construction. Solar-ready roof surfaces were carefully integrated into the building form to remain concealed from street level.
As part of the redevelopment, DDB also designed new parking, outdoor gathering spaces with wood trellises, accessible restrooms, and tenant improvements for the primary retail space.

05/14/2026

Garden View ADU is designed to nestle modestly into the client’s abundant permaculture garden while feeling spacious with framed views and abundant natural light. The award-winning ADU is thoughtfully positioned in the client’s backyard to preserve the existing redwood trees and privacy for the neighbors. Built to celebrate the permaculture garden’s natural beauty, the ADU’s design prioritizes indoor-outdoor living. A grand accordion glass door opens onto the wooden deck and the spacious kitchen houses a service counter that allows you to sit indoors or outdoors on either side. Rooted in its natural surroundings, this curated addition to a generational home supports the family’s future while celebrating the site’s ecological values. The synergies between the ADU, existing home, garden, communal neighborhood and landscape underscore how architecture can nurture both people and the planet.

05/08/2026

We are thrilled to share that Step-Up Housing was recognized with an Award in the Multi-Family category at the 2026 AIASF Design Awards last night!

Step-Up Housing redefines classic SRO housing via micro-units that prioritize dignity—creating an affordable housing model for the 50x100 Californian lot. One that can be repeated across the state. The building provides 39 units of supportive housing for people experiencing homelessness along a centrally-located stretch of downtown Berkeley.

We’re grateful to our collaborators, clients, and project partners who helped bring this vision to life. Thank you AIA San Francisco - AIASF for recognizing housing that aims to be both deeply practical and profoundly humane.

Read more about our awards and recognition here: https://www.designdrawbuild.com/recognition

05/05/2026

The Lightwell House’s layout is organized around a two-bar scheme that divides active and private zones. A central hallway acts as the connective tissue for each space and brings in abundant natural light. Its corners are shaped into intimate alcoves perfect for curling up with a book or tranquil gazing at the stars. One of the home’s defining architectural features is a cast-in-place concrete wall that runs the length of the home, providing both structure and a visual anchor. The floating staircase, cantilevered from the wall, adds a sculptural element that casts geometric shadows across the core of the house.

04/30/2026

Perched along the rugged bluffs of the Mendocino Coast, The Inn at Newport Ranch is a 2,200-acre hospitality retreat where architecture is inseparable from the landscape—merging redwood forest, pasture, and Pacific coastline into a singular spatial experience. Set above the historic logging town of Newport, this 10-suite, 16,000-square-foot compound reimagines the site as a contemporary coastal retreat.

Our role in the project extended beyond conventional construction, embedding the team deeply within the cultural identity of the ranch. Some of the DDB crew lived in the owner’s home for a year during construction. This allowed real-time decision-making, continuous coordination, and a deeply personal understanding of the project’s ambitions. In parallel, our team led a branding initiative for the Inn as well. Developing the logo that continues to represent the property today. This effort extended the architectural narrative into a visual identity, aligning the brand with the Inn’s ethos of bespoke craft and connection to place. Having previously worked for over a decade with Dave Sellars, the project architect, our team brought an intimate understanding of the design intent, material language, and site-driven ethos that define the property.

The Inn reflects and utilizes locally sourced stone, wood, and glass. The project’s goal was to make guests feel like they are a part of the rich landscape, even when inside the hand crafted buildings. Much of the material used were reclaimed from the property, including old-growth redwoods and one-ton boulders that create warm and inviting spaces. The result is a truly singular destination that celebrates California’s North Coast.

04/22/2026

Building on a ridge requires a deep understanding of site-specific engineering. For this 6,135-square-foot residence in Oakland’s Montclair neighborhood, the challenge was to anchor a large-scale structure to a steep incline while maintaining a sense of lightness. By utilizing a stepped foundation and orienting the primary volumes toward the canopy, we achieved a seamless transition from the hillside to the interior, effectively blurring the threshold between the built and natural environments.

A newly built 458-square-foot pool house extends this dialogue between architecture and landscape. It creates a sheltered moment defined by an indoor-outdoor roof with an outdoor kitchen, shower, and bathroom that anchors the residence more fully into its surroundings.

04/17/2026

Architectural longevity is found in materials that age with grace. In our warm modern approach, we often utilize reclaimed copper and natural cedar. Unlike synthetic materials that degrade, copper develops a protective patina over time. These choices are not merely aesthetic; they are selected for their durability and their ability to ground a modern form in its physical context.

This philosophy extends to the new addition on this property. One of our coolest office spaces—a treehouse nestled among oak trees. It’s more than a workspace; it’s a direct dialogue with the landscape, where structure and canopy coexist. Like the oaks themselves, this office is designed to endure, adapt, and grow more compelling with time.

02/26/2026

Designed for Alameda County’s Scalable Housing Infill Funding Toolkit, GRIDhaus is a modular infill system that starts with the smallest possible footprint and grows from there.
A standardized system of seismic grids and panelized walls allow units under 800 SF to expand over time, while a 4x4 site grid organizes shared courtyards, pathways, and community greens.
GRIDhaus’ design hybridizes implementation of SB 35 and SB 1123 to create a scalable, replicable model for faster, small-footprint housing that builds density and community.

01/31/2026

We’re excited to soon welcome folks to the new Children’s Storytime Room at the Berkeley Public Library – Main Branch. Even in construction mode, the space is already alive: our Ram Board protection is now completely covered in artwork by talented kids and library staff.
Building spaces for community, creativity, and the next generation of readers feels especially meaningful when surrounded by tiny artists, big imagination, and serious joy. Stay tuned for more as the build unfolds.

01/12/2026

We’re honored to announce that Retrofit Home Magazine recognized the Radiant Hills House with a Publisher’s Choice Award today.

"The Radiant Hills House celebrates the histories of its materials, the memory of its original home, and the evolving life of its inhabitants. The house proves that modern architecture can be both deeply personal and environmentally attuned—revival can emerge not from replacement but from reverence. Clothed in its blue-green copper quilt, the Radiant Hills House honors the balance between continuity and change."

Read the full article on Retrofit Home Magazine: https://retrofithomemagazine.com/2026/01/the-radiant-hills-house-celebrates-its-materials-histories-the-memory-of-the-original-home-and-the-evolving-lives-of-its-inhabitants/

Address

2866 Webster Street
Oakland, CA
94609

Website

http://www.designdrawbuild.com/

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