About Our Firm

Robert Hayes founded his architecture firm in 1999, and takes pride in his “start-to-finish” personal approach to working with homeowners, businesses, universities and public projects. A native of California, he worked summers as a carpenter while attaining his degree in architecture from Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo. He cites California: the landscape, weather patterns, historical context and cultural zeitgeists, like technology and green building, as his main influence.

When starting out, he worked with Sim Van der Ryn, a leader in sustainable architecture and environmental design. This philosophy and the emphasis on
sustainability deeply impacted Robert Hayes. Robert believes a project should grow from the intrinsic characteristics of the site, client needs and sustainable
building systems and practices. He also believes it is important to to be respectful of what has come before. “Design, done right, is in harmony with and respectful of, the nature of the site”.

Robert worked as a Project Director for over fifteen years at Anshen+Allen Architects in SF. Robert managed, designed and directed projects such as Kaiser’s new Santa Clara Medical Campus, and many other complex laboratory and medical. Robert Hayes Architects was founded on the principle that good technical solutions are as important as good design and in order to make both happen, thorough construction documents should be the norm.

For the firms Residential, Multi-Family, and Institutional projects, Hayes brings together a team of experts, including engineers, biologists, sustainability consultants and interior designers. Together, they work with clients to organize spaces to create a flow between expansive and intimate, interior and outdoors, and the past and future. Whether designing a renovation for the UC Berkeley College of Chemistry, a senior center in Santa Rosa, or a cabin on Mt. Tam, stories-of the people and place- drive the design, and a seasoned team of professionals executes the product.