About Us.
Daniel Ziese - AIA, NCARB, LEED AP
Principal + Founder
Founded by Daniel Ziese in 2008, Ziese Architecture is a Los Angeles-based firm specializing in innovative, sustainable, and alternative building techniques. Backed by hands-on construction experience, our designs merge creativity, functionality, and environmental responsibility to bring thoughtfully designed spaces to life.
With over a decade of experience, we have successfully completed projects across a variety of sectors, including residential, office spaces, hospitality, restaurants, civic developments, and industrial facilities. Our approach emphasizes sustainable design strategies while celebrating the sensory and aesthetic qualities of materials, creating environments that feel both intuitive and meaningful for their occupants.
Principal Architect, Daniel Ziese, brings a depth of understanding that is invaluable to clients seeking to realize their projects. He has 18+ years of professional practice covering hospitality, multi-family housing, mix-used development, educational facilities, retail centers, and commercial office projects. Prior to starting Ziese Architecture in Los Angeles, Daniel worked with Orange County firms Dougherty + Dougherty, Thomas Cox Architects, KTGY, and Bundy-Finkel Architects on a wide range of project types. Daniel holds a Bachelor of Architecture from the University of Arizona where he graduated with honors and is a recipient of the American Institute of Architects National Scholarship. Daniel is licensed to practice architecture in California and is a member of the American Institute of Architects (AIA), National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB), and the United States Green Building Counsel (USGBC).
“At Ziese, we believe that some level of sustainability in design is now achievable in every project without adversely affecting a client’s budget and more importantly, the vision.”
Our Values.
Exceptional quality doesn’t just come from nowhere - it’s rooted in a strong sense of who we are and how we want to be different from the rest.
Our Vision
Ziese Architecture strives for the betterment of the built environment by shaping meaningful user experiences and delivering innovative architecture and design solutions. Guided by a commitment to sustainability, we aim to create spaces that not only meet our clients’ needs but also contribute to a more environmentally conscious future.
Our Mission
We are dedicated to having our clients actively engage in the design process to create a design solution that will meet and exceed your needs. Through our collaboration we can create opportunities to establish meaningful connections to the built environment with conscientious design that incorporates the project’s specific needs, history, culture, and environment.
Don’t Hear it Just From Us.
“Daniel of Ziese Architecture was our architect for our business Cake Girl. Cake Girl is a shared counter bakery space inside of a pharmacy. Initially, our space did not have the proper permits to run as a bakery and many things needed to be brought up to code.
Daniel drew up the floor plans for our space and strategized ways to bring our space up to code while at the same time keeping the original nostalgic soda fountain feel. It was great to have found an architect that saw our vision and understood what we wanted for our space without wanting to change it. Daniel was such a huge help; he even found time to go to the city department with us on numerous occasions just to make sure we were taken care of. As a small business, we did not have expeditors running our plans and we knew little about the process. Daniel really took care of our project.
Upon being such a helpful architect who went beyond, Daniel had recommended an amazing contractor for us. Initially, we had called over a dozen contractors for quotes. The majority of those did not respond and those who did were no shows when coming down to quote our business. Daniel had recommend Zeledon Design & Development who were quick to respond and understood our concept.
We couldn’t thank Daniel enough for helping us on our small bakery space. We owe Daniel pastries for life (no joke). Thank you for all your help! There would be no Cake Girl without Ziese Architect.”
- Amy T. and Andy F., Cake Girl, Los Angeles, CA
“Daniel was a joy to work with and designed a fantastic, creative space for us in Burbank. Having been in the space he designed for us for over a year, we’ve experienced both the aesthetic and the functionally of what he’s done and we couldn’t be happier. We are constantly getting compliments. The space is fun, energizing and productive. Ziese Architecture gets my full endorsement!”
- C. Williams, CCO Marza Animation Planet, Burbank, CA
“Ziese Architecture is a great firm that I can’t recommend more highly. Our decision to work with Daniel Ziese, their principle architect, is a key reason that our business made it past the permitting phase and is a success today.
Ziese is totally unflappable. He understood the challenges of our commercial project in a 115-year-old historic building. He was able to work within our tight budget to create a 2,000 square foot free-standing structure with a second floor mezzanine within the building on-time and on-budget. Meeting seismic requirements is not easy in large unreinforced masonry buildings in Los Angeles, and he saw us through getting a seismic upgrade for the entire 12,000 square foot plus structure. His mechanical and electrical plans, plans for a beautiful retail entrance, and plans to meet fire and ADA requirements were all top-notch. He was able to work very quickly and make revisions whenever needed on a tight schedule.
In meetings with Plan Check engineers in the City of L.A., Ziese’s competence and professionalism was a great asset. Given the buildings unique and historic nature, getting plans approved was quite complex, but Ziese’s help made everything possible.
I think it is quite rare to find an architect who excels not only creatively, but who also is highly skilled at dealing with the messy realities of construction in Los Angeles. At least in our case, these realities included too little time, too little money, and too many twists and turns in the Building Code to count. Ziese has connections to good engineers, and had the knowledge, patience, and optimism needed to see things through. He shepherded our project from a set of ideas, to a set of plans, to a set of permitted plans, through construction, through inspection, all the way to opening day. His excellent taste meant that despite our budget, our project ended up looking like a billion bucks.
In short, if you can get Ziese Architecture on your side, do it and your project will benefit. He is an amazing ally!”
- Katharine M. and Peter S. - Stronghold Gym, Los Angeles, CA
“Ziese Architecture - BRILLIANT AND AMAZING -THE BEST
Our project was a gut renovation of a residential penthouse loft in the historic Higgins Building-a 1910 steel reinforced, concrete building in downtown LA. As one might imagine, each aspect
presented its own set of problems. A structural engineer was needed to determine issues with new structural steel beams as well as loads for the historic building.
We searched diligently for good Architects. We found a noted couple from Santa Monica-who procrastinated on even getting us a bid. The next couple we contracted was a younger couple from downtown LA who were recommended by a major firm in LA. They took our money and then after 3 months came back with a plan that included a totally unwanted staircase with a bookcase on those stairs. When we objected, he commented that his teacher said “if your client likes what you have done, you have failed”. They decided to quit and take our $4000 retainer with them leaving us no usable plans after 4 months! Needless to say, we were besides ourselves.
This when we met Daniel through a Real Estate Agent friend. The best!
He was not an arrogant jerk, he didn’t try to push his “vision” for our project, on us. He helped us achieve what we had in mind. He was friendly, straightforward and honest as well as reasonably priced. He listened to what we wanted (and didn’t want), and came through with a great plan on the first try, and in a timely fashion. Through the entire process—2 yrs. and 2 months, from start to finish, we found Daniel to be professional, competent and honest. He is kind and fair in his dealings and billings with us, our contractor and subcontractors and other professionals. His brilliance was evident when faced with difficult issues. He made us feel like we had an ally in what is a costly and sometimes stressful venture. One other aspect we especially appreciated, was that when we sent an email or called, he responded in a timely fashion.
If you are looking for an architect, we highly recommend Daniel Ziese, Ziese Architecture, to you. He is the best we have ever met. (Note we are in our 70s and have finished five major building projects including SOHO in NYC).”
- Chery Y. and Allan H., Los Angeles, CA
“Daniel Ziese has a talent for blending strong architectural design, technical know-how, and budget-conscious solutions that demonstrate his depth of experience and range of product types.”
- Tom G., Developer (Westchester Craftsman)
“Working with Ziese Architecture was an incredible experience. After purchasing my Malibu home, it was tragically lost in the Woolsey Fire. Rebuilding felt overwhelming, but their expertise made all the difference.
The original home had an unpermitted basement that couldn’t be included in the original value. I thought it was lost square footage after the fire, but Ziese Architecture secured a variance to include it in the new design, adding value and functionality. They also streamlined the construction timeline by starting work before the basement’s approval, saving us valuable time.
They helped redesign the outdated layout into a modern, practical home perfectly suited to my family’s needs and even advocated for me with the contractor to resolve issues. Their creativity and professionalism turned a challenging situation into a beautifully designed home.”
- Jim T., Malibu, CA