SPF:architects Named to Forbes' Top Residential Architects Lists
News related to:SPF:architects · 2 min read
LOS ANGELES, Sept. 23, 2026 /CourierPR/ -- SPF:architects, an award-winning architecture firm known for its work in both private and public realms, has been named to Forbes' 2026 America's Top Residential Architects and America's Best-in-State Residential Architects lists. This recognition highlights the firm's standing among the nation's leading residential architecture practices.
The selection process for these prestigious lists was highly competitive, with only 200 firms ultimately chosen from an initial pool of over 18,000 candidates. SPF:architects was recognized for its exceptional architectural design, deep mastery of residential practice, and meaningful contributions to the communities and landscapes in which it works.
Zoltan E. Pali, co-founder and design principal of SPF:architects, expressed his delight at the firm's recognition.
Recent projects by SPF:architects exemplify the firm's approach to residential design. The Bronze and Black House, a 10,000-square-foot Los Angeles residence completed in 2025, is organized around a central spine that connects a two-story main residence with a single-story studio and guest house. The configuration provides access from both ends of the property, supporting everyday convenience, emergency access, and evacuation. An anodized bronze aluminum rainscreen helps mitigate heat and water intrusion and can be removed, recycled, or reused. Expansive terraces and patios open the home to 360-degree views.
The House on Siena Way, a 14,000-square-foot Bel Air residence, was shaped by the constraints of a steep hillside site. SPF:architects followed the site's natural contours, stepping the home into the topography to maximize space while responding to height limitations and difficult access. Two large light wells bring daylight and ventilation into the lower levels, while the home's organization supports both intimate family life and large-scale entertaining.
The Anderson Residence, a 3,000-square-foot Pacific Palisades home currently under construction, was designed following the loss of the owner's longtime family home to the Palisades Fire in January 2025. The project uses simplified geometry, clear structural organization, greater separation from neighboring structures, and carefully selected materials to create a home designed for safety, longevity, and connection to place.
A Bronze House on Nightingale, a 13,000-square-foot residence completed in 2021 in the Bird Streets above Los Angeles, extends into the sloping site rather than upward. A central atrium with a 100-foot operable skylight and additional light wells draw daylight into the lower level, while a glass façade and 22-foot cantilevered trellis strengthen the home's relationship to the landscape and panoramic city views.
The evaluation process for the 2026 lists involved a team of Forbes editors and an advisory board of architecture, design, history, and sustainability experts. The review considered professional presentation, quality of work, environmental and cultural responsiveness, sustainability, and principles including sensitivity to site and context, architectural form, materials and craft, spatial organization, natural light, indoor-outdoor relationships, flexibility, and resilience to extreme climate conditions.
SPF:architects continues to explore how structure, material, light, and site can shape homes that are both visually distinctive and deeply responsive to the people who inhabit them. The firm's selection for the Forbes lists reflects the strength of its broader body of work and its ongoing commitment to creating homes that balance form and function, beauty and utility.