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The Best Office Builders in San Francisco, California

7 Min Read

The Bay Area is renowned for its vibrant and diverse culture, a thriving tech sector, an extraordinary culinary scene, and delightful weather. With numerous major cities in the vicinity, there are abundant opportunities to join well-established companies and industries that offer competitive salaries. Plus, research indicates that San Francisco leads in both worker and employer satisfaction, ranking second in overall happiness.

A well-designed workspace can increase productivity and office morale in general. Therefore, hiring a professional office builder and designer is essential to having a thoughtfully constructed office. This article lists the best office builders in San Francisco, California, all of which have diverse portfolios, positive client testimonials, and projects that come mostly from the referrals of satisfied clients. 


Truebeck Construction

64 Townsend St. San Francisco, CA 94107

As a full-service construction firm, Truebeck Construction focuses on interiors, complex construction projects, and specialized structures. It is currently led by Sean Truesdale and David Becker, who have a combined 55 years of experience in the industry. Truesdale is a US Green Building Council (USGBC) member and a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Accredited Professional (LEED AP), showcasing the firm’s commitment to sustainable building practices. Meanwhile, Becker is a graduate of Colorado State University with a degree in construction management. Under their leadership, Truebeck Construction has been featured in numerous prominent publications, including Global Design News, Engineering News-Record, Bisnow, San Francisco Business Journal, and Building Design + Construction.

Highlighted here is one notable project completed by Truebeck Construction: the Facebook MPK 22 project. A 457,000-square-foot, four-story office structure, and a 570,000-square-foot, eight-story building are the cornerstones of the project.  In addition to four complete cafeterias, several conference rooms, and an office space, the project also features design-build mechanical, electrical, and plumbing (MEP) systems as well as a 1,750-stall parking garage with one level that is partly under grade. The project package covered the stages of site work, landscape design, plumbing, and electrical work, and involved off-site work, the demolishing and removing of five existing structures, and the installation of an open-air park.


Charles Pankow Builders, Ltd.

1 Sutter St. Suite 200, San Francisco, CA 94109

Since 1963, Charles Pankow Builders, Ltd. has offered superior general contracting, design-build, tenant enhancement, and design-assist services. The firm is accredited by the USGBC, LEED, the Design-Build Institute of America (DBIA), and the American Institute of Architects (AIA), reflecting its dedication to sustainable building as well as upholding industry standards. It is also a recipient of prestigious industry recognitions and awards, such as the 2022 International Partnering Institute (IPI) Project of the Year Award and the Metal Architecture Design Award. These and other achievements are a testament to the firm’s commitment to ensuring high-quality projects and satisfied clients.  

Showcased here is one impressive project completed by Charles Pankow Builders, Ltd. This new medical office building, completed for the California Pacific Medical Center (CPMC) and Sutter Van Ness Medical Office Project, accommodates both CPMC departments and unaffiliated physicians. The project was one of the first projects from the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development (OSHPD) 3 to adopt the Lean Construction delivery method. In working on this project, the Charles Pankow Builders, Ltd. team uses 3D construction data modeling software to perfectly synchronize the various design elements for the building’s main structure and exterior. With these modeling tools, the firm was able to ensure the feasibility, reliability, and efficiency of the project’s construction. 


McCarthy Building Companies, Inc.

1265 Battery St. Third Floor, San Francisco, CA 94111

Established in 1864, McCarthy Building Companies, Inc. is one of the earliest American-owned construction companies to have several offices around the country, and this long and widespread legacy has led the firm to be widely recognized in industry award ceremonies. Recent awards received by McCarthy Building Companies, Inc. include recognition as Engineering News-Record (ENR) California’s 2023 Contractor of the Year. DBIA also recognized the firm with the 2023 Award of Excellence for Lean in Design-Build. The firm has been further recognized through features in publications such as Building Design + Construction, Yahoo Finance, San Francisco Business Times, and Bisnow.

Photo by Mikki Piper

McCarthy has completed projects in almost every state, spanning in size from $1 million to well over $500 million. It excels in a wide range of industries, including government, healthcare, commercial office and R&D, life sciences, aviation, K-12 and higher education, and renewable energy. Among McCarthy’s notable projects is a renovation and seismic retrofit of the eight-story Bay Area Regional Headquarters Regional Agency Headquarters Facility in the heart of the Rincon Hill neighborhood in downtown San Francisco. The building owner’s mandate was to preserve the historic exterior, renovate the interior to encourage collaboration, and complete a seismic upgrade while minimizing disruption and maintaining operations for a tenant that remained active on the building’s top floor during construction. McCarthy constructed 180,000 square feet of new office space for multiple government tenants and cut out the core of the concrete structure on all eight floors to create a giant atrium with floating staircases and public spaces, with retail amenities on the ground floor. This project perfectly exemplifies the firm’s dedication to innovative construction and quality craftsmanship.


SC Builders, Inc.

431 Jessie St. San Francisco, CA 94103

Founded in 1999 by Sam Abbey and Chris Smither, SC Builders is a recognized commercial general contractor that has completed around 2,000 diverse projects. Abbey and Smither, still the leaders of SC Builders, have a combined 70 years of industry experience. Abbey’s experience ranges from preconstruction services to project management, while Smither’s experience includes data centers, campus projects, and corporate office headquarters. Under their leadership, SC Builders services clients throughout the Bay Area and its surrounding areas, particularly specializing in projects for the mission-critical, institutional, and life science sectors. It is also renowned for its impressive projects completed for leading technology companies. 

In a 15-month span, SC Builders constructed two brand-new buildings to occupy the final two spaces on the Oracle America’s land plot. This LEED Gold-certified project included a three-story office structure and a highly tailored server-testing facility containing a $10 million-worth soundproof room along with other specialized lab rooms. Featuring curtain walls, masonry and concrete exterior walls, as well as standing seam metal roofs, these structures were meticulously designed to blend with the modern architectural elements of the rest of the campus. The construction project also included site preparation and parking facilities to ensure a seamless integration with the surroundings.


E.A. Davidovits and Co., Inc.

555 Price Ave. Suite 200, Redwood City, CA 94063

Since its inception in 1989, commercial and industrial general developer and design-build company E.A. Davidovits and Co., Inc. has established a solid reputation. Employing a skilled and innovative design process to plan and construct high-quality, budget-conscious projects, the firm’s size and capabilities have continuously grown over the years, allowing it to greatly diversify its experience base. Notably, E.A. Davidovits and Co. has adeptly managed multiple multi-million dollar projects, all the while dedicating an equal level of meticulous attention to smaller-scale tasks.

E.A. Davidovits and Co., Inc. excels in being efficient on its projects throughout the construction process. An impressive statistic reveals that more than 90% of its clients return to engage their services for future projects. These satisfied clients also frequently refer E.A. Davidovits and Co. to prospective customers, leading to a diversification of the firm’s customer base. This has occurred under the leadership of Founder and  CEO Edward Davidovits, who boasts an extensive 34-year career in the industry and holds a degree in Architecture from Universidad de Chile.