Garcia Tamjidi: Two Architects Transforming California Design
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3 min read
A Look Inside San Francisco based award-winning architecture firm Garcia Tamjidi and the professional journey of two of California’s staple architects.
In the mid-1980s, before Silicon Valley became the world’s tech epicenter, Michael Garcia and Farid Tamjidi were just two ambitious architecture students at UC Berkeley with dreams of making their mark. Although they often toyed with the idea of starting a firm together, their early conversations were more aspirational than serious. Yet, as time would tell, their vision wasn’t just idle talk.
“There were 20-30 of us,” recalls Tamjidi of their student days. “We became a sea of desks.” Pushed together, those desks served as their workstations throughout each term. But by the time they graduated, their dream of launching a firm had to be put on hold as they ventured into the workforce, seeking experience and credibility within California’s prestigious design firms.
Both landed at Kaplan McLaughlin Diaz Architects, a renowned San Francisco firm with global projects. Though grateful for the opportunity, they felt constrained by the corporate structure. Eventually, Tamjidi moved to Los Angeles while Garcia remained in San Francisco, but their bond stayed intact.
“We would talk by phone a lot,” says Garcia. “Farid would tell me what was happening in LA, and I’d do the same for San Francisco.”
As their careers progressed, that familiar pull—one that kept them side by side at Berkeley—resurfaced. By 1997, Garcia and Tamjidi decided to act on their earlier plans and launched Farid Tamjidi Architects, which later evolved into Garcia Tamjidi. While today they operate from a robust San Francisco office, their beginnings were humble.
“We started in a small garage,” Tamjidi says, evoking parallels with other Silicon Valley legends. “We relied on our own money and the relationships we’d built. The biggest leap was hiring our first employee.”
What began as a modest venture soon turned into one of San Francisco’s most sought-after design firms. Breaking away from their corporate roots, Garcia Tamjidi has produced some of the most impactful and thoughtful modern designs in the city. Their work is defined by a simple aesthetic but delivers bold and meticulously focused results.
“Problem-solving—that’s the exciting part,” says Garcia of their approach. “We design with a sense of permanence.” This thoughtful philosophy is evident in their wide-ranging projects, from residential homes to large-scale landmarks like Apple Park in Cupertino and Kendo’s corporate headquarters. No matter the scope, one constant remains—satisfied clients.
“Michael and Farid took the time to help us articulate our priorities and designed a home that exceeded our wildest imaginations,” says Erin Hunter, whose San Francisco home the firm completed in 2012. “They transformed ‘storage and an open floor plan’ into what is now our incredible jewel box in the sky.”
Their excellence extends into the corporate world as well. “Working with Garcia Tamjidi, we received an attention to detail not usually found,” says Dan Whisenhunt, former Senior Director of Real Estate at Apple. “Their approach consistently delivers high-quality results.”
While each Garcia Tamjidi project is unique, there’s a cohesive thread that ties their work together—a minimal yet distinctive style rooted in California’s architectural tradition. Despite their acclaim, the firm remains grounded, fostering an environment where every employee becomes a “generalist,” as Tamjidi puts it, encouraging versatility and expertise across the board.
Their portfolio now spans two decades, leaving an indelible mark not just on California, but on the broader architectural community. In keeping with their understated ethos, the pair celebrated their achievements quietly, with the release of Garcia Tamjidi Monograph in 2018. The book, written by Eva Hagberg Fisher, offers a visually rich exploration of their work, highlighting the thoughtful balance between form and function that has defined their practice.
Far from simply business partners, Garcia and Tamjidi’s relationship is more like yin and yang—perfectly complementary in their approach to every project. And while their work is often labeled minimalist, Tamjidi clarifies, “It’s a reductive, utilitarian approach to problem-solving.”
When asked to name a standout project, Garcia doesn’t hesitate: “Our signature project is always the next one.”
With new challenges and creative opportunities on the horizon, Garcia Tamjidi remains a dynamic force in architecture. Reflecting on their journey, they offer one piece of advice to aspiring architects: “We would’ve started sooner.”
With a shared vision and over 20 years of collaboration behind them, it’s clear that the duo’s success wasn’t just chance—it was inevitable.
