James Hakes AIA

Principal

Jim Hakes is a Principal at Handel Architects with 25 years of experience in the design and management of a variety of project types including mixed-use, hospitality, high-end residential, office, retail, museum, and university buildings.

Mr. Hakes is currently Project Manager for 1554 Market Street, 2465 Van Ness, and 950 Tennessee in San Francisco, as well as Angels Landing in Los Angeles.

Recently completed work includes serving as Project Manager for The Pacific, Handel Architects’ conversion of an existing building into luxury residences in Pacific Heights. The building was honored in 2017 with an Award of Merit by the National Committee of the Society of American Registered Architects. Mr. Hakes was also Project Manager for Ten Thousand, Handel Architects’ luxury residential tower in Los Angeles. Opened in 2016, the project includes 283 units in a 40-story tower; the project was honored with an Award of Excellence from Los Angeles Business Council’s Architectural Awards. Other completed work includes Rowan, an exoskeleton residential building in San Francisco’s Potrero neighborhood, and 450 Hayes, a new through-block residential building in the Hayes Valley neighborhood; the project was a 2017 AIACC Residential Award winner.

Mr. Hakes was Project Manager of the Rosewood Abu Dhabi, a mixed-use high-rise on Sowwah Island of 1.1 million square feet with a five-star hotel as its anchor, plus 139 residential units. In this role, which he held for nearly six years, Mr. Hakes served as a primary client contact, and from concept design to the building opening, led a team of up to 25 architects in Handel’s San Francisco, New York, and Abu Dhabi offices plus a consultant team of over 15 firms who supported the project from offices throughout the Middle East, North America, Europe, and Asia. Other completed work includes Blu Residences at 631 Folsom Street in San Francisco; Nove, a LEED Platinum townhouse development in San Francisco’s Mission District; and Alto El Golf, a new office tower in Santiago, Chile.

Prior to joining Handel Architects, Mr. Hakes was a Project Manager at GBQC Architects in Philadelphia where he worked on university, hospitality, office, museum, and federal government projects.

Mr. Hakes is a licensed architect in California and Pennsylvania. He received his Bachelor of Science in Architecture from the University of Michigan and Master of Architecture from the University of Pennsylvania.