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OpenScope Studio

Full-service San Francisco Architectural Practice Specializing in Smart Solutions to Complex Design Problems

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Los Angeles ADU conversion on a multifamily property with ground-floor residential units

New Los Angeles ADU Ordinance: Height Bonus and Commercial Conversions Explained

Los Angeles has proposed a new ADU ordinance that updates the city's approach to accessory dwelling units, and two changes …

Kitchen and living room of an ADU in Mission co-housing

San Francisco Coliving and Cohousing Code Reform: “Shared Housing for All” Passes the Board of Supervisors

San Francisco coliving just took a major step forward, as The San Francisco Board of Supervisors voted to remove the …

A Shift in the City’s Fabric: Understanding San Francisco’s New Family Zoning Plan

San Francisco’s newly adopted Family Zoning Plan marks a major shift in how the city thinks about growth, equity, and …

Repurposing Chain Stores to housing in California

Repurposing Chain Stores in California: How State Housing Laws and Zoning Reforms Are Rewriting Commercial Land Use

A new wave of California housing laws is turning big-box retail sites into test cases for infill housing and mixed-use redevelopment.

SANDAG Housing Technical Assistance Program Wins APA Award

We’re proud to share that the SANDAG Housing Technical Assistance Program has received the 2025 Best Practice Merit Award from …

SB 684 housing shortage, an image of split lot multifamily

Unlocking Housing Opportunities with SB 684 and SB 1123

California’s housing shortage has been a persistent challenge, with a deficit of nearly 3.5 million homes statewide. This crisis is …

AB 1893: A Strategic Builder’s Remedy Update in California

As California continues to grapple with a severe housing shortage, legislative efforts to boost housing production are important drivers in …

Commercial to residential adaptive reuse low rise building

From Offices to Apartments: How San Francisco’s New Guidelines Simplify Adaptive Reuse

San Francisco’s Department of Building Inspection (DBI) has released a detailed set of adaptive reuse guidelines designed to streamline the conversion of office spaces into multi-family residential buildings.

Multifamily property with potential space for detached ADUs under California's SB 1211, offering opportunities for increased housing density.

Leveraging SB 1211: Adding 8 Detached ADUs to Multifamily Lots

The passage of Senate Bill 1211 (SB 1211) allows multifamily properties to add up to eight detached accessory dwelling unites (ADUs).

San Francisco single stair building designed by OpenScope studio, rendered in the evening

Single Stair Buildings for San Francisco: The Key to Building Small Scale Infill Housing

Single stair buildings are a valuable housing type that is common in cities across the world and they are the best way to add density on small lots

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