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An infinity-edge pool runs out from a terrace toward dark canyon ridgelines at sunset, under a wood-lined roof overhang
Mulholland · Beverly Hills Photograph
Doran Luxury Residences in Glendale at dusk: a four-story apartment building with warm-lit windows and young olive trees along the street
Doran Luxury Residences · Glendale Photograph

From the canyon edge to the city block.

Urban Design Specialists is an architecture studio in Marina Del Rey, founded in 2003 by Ron Mandalian. Custom homes on hillside and coastal lots; apartment and condominium buildings across Southern California.

5.0 on Google · Best of Houzz 2023 · 40 projects since 2003

Rebuilding after the January 2025 fires
Stradella in Bel Air at dusk, seen from the street: a white stone-and-glass house lit from within, above a planted slope with stepped retaining walls and a lit stair The same view of Stradella by day: the white stone-and-glass house above its planted slope, stepped retaining walls and stair, under a pale blue sky
Stradella · Bel Air Photograph
Show the house at

IHomes

Start with the slope.

Bel Air, Beverly Hills, Pacific Palisades, Malibu, Montecito: steep grades, tight setbacks, hillside ordinances. We resolve the site before the house, then stay with it through permits and construction.

A floating wood stair on a steel stringer climbs along a natural stone wall, with an indoor planted garden beneath it
3rd Street · Manhattan Beach Photograph

From feasibility to the finishes.

Five services under one roof, in the order a project needs them. Most projects should begin with the first.

How a project runs

  1. Feasibility StudyStart here
  2. Planning & Schematic Design
  3. Construction Documents & Permits
  4. Construction Administration
  5. Interior Design
The Vivere Lofts in Anaheim at twilight: four- and five-story buildings with lit windows around a pool courtyard
The Vivere Lofts · Anaheim Photograph

IIMulti-family

Start with the yield.

Density Bonus and TOC apartments, mixed-use buildings and condominiums in Glendale, Pasadena and Los Angeles. We test what the zoning allows before we design, then draw the set for plan check.

  • Doran Luxury ResidencesGlendale · 33 units, 4 storiesDensity Bonus · Built
  • Central LoftsGlendale · 105 units, 8 storiesRendering
  • Mentor ApartmentsPasadena · 42 unitsDensity Bonus
  • The Vivere LoftsAnaheim · 92 condominiumsBuilt

13 residential communities, from a 3-unit infill to a 224-unit senior community. Urbanize LA named UDS as the architect three times in 2024.

Preliminary lot check

What can I build on my lot?

Send an address. The studio replies with a first read: zone, lot area, units by right and which incentives may apply. If the site is worth pursuing, a Feasibility Study takes it further.

The studio will review your address before replying.

Prototype — nothing was sent. On the live site this goes straight to the studio. The sheet shows a sample reply.

Preliminary lot checkSample

1200 Example Avenue, Los Angeles

Illustrative result for a fictional parcel

Sample site capacity drawing Plan of a fictional 50 by 160 foot lot beside a street, with dashed setback lines of 15 feet front and rear and 5 feet at each side, leaving a buildable envelope of 130 by 40 feet. Below, a section shows four floors under the base zone and two more floors that housing incentives may allow, to be confirmed in a Feasibility Study. PLAN STREET BUILDABLE ENVELOPE 130' × 40' 160' 50' 15' 15' 5' SECTION BASE ZONE WITH INCENTIVES · TBD IN STUDY STREET REAR
Lot
50 × 160 ft · 8,000 SF
Base zone
R3-1 · FAR 3 : 1

By right10 units

R3-1 · 1 unit per 800 SF of lot

With State Density Bonusup to 15

+50%, sample. TOC and other incentives are checked in the study.

A first read, not a zoning determination. Sample figures for a fictional parcel.

Book a Feasibility Study

IIIRebuild

Starting again on the same lot.

After the January 2025 fires, many families in Pacific Palisades and Malibu are deciding what to rebuild, and how. We have designed homes in Pacific Palisades and Malibu.

A first conversation covers the lot, the permit path and what to decide first.

Talk to us about rebuilding Call (310) 301-1810
Schematic map of the coast from Malibu to Pacific Palisades MALIBU PACIFIC PALISADES Pacific Ocean
Schematic, not to scale.
Aerial view at dusk of a hilltop above Malibu, with a long drive up the ridge and the Pacific beyond
Malibu Photograph

Designing for — the slope, the yield, the rebuild and the finishes.

Poster frame of the studio film: an aerial view over the Marina del Rey harbor toward the Pacific, where the studio is based
Watch the studio filmStudio film · 84 s · VH Studios (opens on Vimeo) Plays on vimeo.com

IVStudio

Since 2003, from Marina Del Rey.

Ron Mandalian founded Urban Design Specialists in 2003 and leads the studio as principal. Projects run from the feasibility study through construction administration and interiors: 40 so far, across Southern California.

About the studio

At a desk in the studio, printed drawings of a multi-story building are marked up with a pen
At the drawing table

  • 5.0

    on Google

  • 5.0

    on Houzz

  • 2023

    Best of Houzz, Service

  • 3×

    Named as architect by Urbanize LA in 2024

VStart

Start with an address.

Four fields to start a conversation with the studio. Budget, timing and drawings can wait for the first call.

Project

Choose the kind of project.

Add your name.

Add your email.

Prefer more detail? Use the full enquiry form.

Prototype — nothing was sent. On the live site this goes straight to the studio.

Call(310) 301-1810 Emailinfo@udspec.com Studio4519 Admiralty Way, Suite A, Marina Del Rey, CA 90292 Instagram@urbandesignspecialists

Project preview

Project photograph

Full project pages will be developed after the concept is selected.