Mark Cavagnero Associates (Cavagnero) is a San Francisco, California-based architecture firm founded by American architect Mark Cavagnero.
The firm was founded in 1988 as Barnes and Cavagnero with John Barnes (son of Edward Larrabee Barnes), and in 1993 became Mark Cavagnero Associates. The firm's portfolio encompasses cultural, commercial, education, and civic projects. Cavagnero provides a full range of architectural design services, from programming, master planning, site planning, and conceptual design, through construction documents and administration.
In 2026, the firm published its first monograph, Mark Cavagnero Architect. The publication surveys fifteen of the firm's projects, ranging from cultural and civic buildings to recreational and educational facilities.
Notable Projects
California Palace of the Legion of Honor Museum, San Francisco, California, 1995 San Francisco Civic Center Courthouse, San Francisco, California, 1998 Rafael Film Center, San Rafael, California, 1999 Community School of Music and Arts at Finn Center, Mountain View, California, 2004 Sava Pool, San Francisco, California, 2008 ODC Theater Center, San Francisco, California, 2010 Mammoth Lakes Courthouse, Mammoth Lakes, California, 2011 San Francisco Public Safety Campus, San Francisco, California, 2015 SFJAZZ Center, San Francisco, California, 2013 Diane B. Wilsey Center for Opera, San Francisco, California, 2016 Saint Mary's College High School Student Chapel, Albany, California, 2018 Moscone Center Expansion, San Francisco, California, 2019 Salesforce Tower Ohana Floor, San Francisco, California, 2019 San Francisco State University George and Judy Marcus Hall for the Creative Arts, San Francisco, California, 2021 University of California, San Francisco, Joan and Sanford I. Weill Neurosciences Building, San Francisco, California, 2021 Oakland Museum of California, Oakland, California, 2021 San Francisco Conservatory of Music, Ute and William K. Bowes, Jr. Center for Performing Arts, San Francisco, California, 2021 The Hamlin School, San Francisco, California, 2022 Arc Institute, Palo Alto, California, 2023 Salesforce Dublin Historic Building and Hospitality Floors, Dublin, Ireland, 2023 Salesforce Chicago Hospitality Floors, Chicago, Illinois, 2023 Congregation Emanu-El, San Francisco, California, 2025
Awards and Recognition The firm was recognized by AIA California with the Distinguished Practice Award in 2010 and the Firm of the Year Award in 2012. In 2015, Mark Cavagnero received the Maybeck Award, the highest honor given to an individual architect by AIA California. The firm’s transformation of the Oakland Museum of California was presented as part of “PORCH: An Architecture of Generosity,” the 2025 U.S. Pavilion at the 19th International Architecture Biennale in Venice.
List of Project Awards Chicago Athenaeum Museum International Architecture Award, Oakland Museum of California, 2011 Chicago Athenaeum Museum International Architecture Award, Community Foundation Santa Cruz County, 2011 AIA San Francisco Excellence in Architecture Honor Award, SFJAZZ Center, 2013 United States Institute for Theatre Technology Merit Award, SF JAZZ Center, 2014 AIA San Francisco Honor Award, Palega Recreation Center, 2015 AIA San Francisco Excellence in Architecture Honor Award, College of Marin Academic Center, 2016 AIA San Francisco Excellence in Architecture Citation Award, San Francisco Public Safety Campus, 2016 Chicago Athenaeum Museum International Architecture Award, College of Marin Academic Center, 2017 Chicago Athenaeum Museum International Architecture Award, San Francisco Public Safety Campus, 2017 Faith & Form/Interfaith Design, Saint Mary's College High School Student Chapel, 2018 AIA San Francisco Architecture Citation Award, San Francisco State University George and Judy Marcus Hall for the Liberal and Creative Arts, 2021 AIA San Francisco Architecture Merit Award + Public Design Commendation, Oakland Museum of California, 2021 Chicago Athenaeum International Architecture Award, SF Conservatory of Music, Ute and William K. Bowes, Jr. Center for Performing Arts, 2022 Chicago Athenaeum International Architecture Award, SF State University, George and Judy Marcus Hall for the Creative Arts, 2022 Chicago Athenaeum American Architecture Award, UCSF, Joan and Sanford I. Weill Neurosciences Building, 2023 Chicago Athenaeum American Architecture Award 2023, The Hamlin School, 2023 AIA California Design Merit Award, SF Conservatory of Music, Ute and William K. Bowes, Jr. Center for Performing Arts, 2024 International Design Awards, SILVER in Commercial Interior Design – Creative Space Design, Salesforce Tokyo Ohana Floor, 2024 International Design Awards, SILVER in Commercial Architecture – Culture & Education, West Valley College Visual Arts Building, 2024 Architizer A+Awards Popular Choice Winner, Commercial Interiors (<25,000SF), Salesforce Tokyo Hospitality Floors, 2025 AIA California Citation Award, Institutional/Education, SF State University, George and Judy Marcus Hall for the Creative Arts, 2025 AIA San Francisco Architecture Citation Award, UCSF Joan and Sanford I. Weill Neurosciences Building, 2025 Chicago Athenaeum American Architecture Award, Arc Institute, 2025 Chicago Athenaeum 2026 Green Good Design Award, Congregation Emanu-El, 2026 Chicago Athenaeum 2026 Green Good Design Award, Hawkins Treasure Island, 2026 AIA California Design Merit Award, Congregation Emanu-El, 2026 AIA Healthcare Design Award, UCSF Joan and Sanford I. Weill Neurosciences Building, 2026
References
External links Mark Cavagnero Associates website