Pooja Bhagat, aia

Pooja Bhagat, AIA, is the founder and principal of Pooja Bhagat Architects + Planners, a Los Angeles-based architecture and design practice creating thoughtful, human-centered places for everyday life. With more than 25 years of experience, her work spans residential, educational, civic, mixed-use, affordable housing and community-focused projects.

Growing up in Delhi, Pooja spent much of her childhood around construction sites with her father, a contractor. Her early fascination with how buildings come together, and with the layered urban fabric of Delhi, shaped an enduring interest in how architecture influences the way people live, gather and experience place. She came to Los Angeles to pursue her Master of Architecture at SCI-Arc and has made the city her home for more than 25 years.

Her approach is grounded in curiosity, rigor and care. Each project begins with listening and evolves through questioning, testing and refining ideas. She sees constraints as opportunities for innovation, creating solutions specific to each project rather than to a predetermined style. Environmental responsibility and resilience are integral to her work, including a growing focus on fire-resilient design and architecture responsive to California’s changing climate.

Before establishing PBA, Pooja served as Associate Principal at Abode Communities Architecture, City Architect for the City of Santa Monica, and Senior Associate at Moore Ruble Yudell Architects & Planners.

Pooja is a registered architect in California, a LEED Accredited Professional, and a member of the American Institute of Architects. She was the founding co-chair of AIA Los Angeles’ Women in Architecture Committee, helped establish the Powerful conference, served on the AIA Los Angeles Board of Directors, and served as President of Architecture for Communities Los Angeles (ACLA) in 2025.

In Conversation
VoyageLA — Community Highlights: Meet Pooja Bhagat of Pooja Bhagat Architects + Planners
September 2026

PRACTICE

PBA is a collaborative design practice built around close principal involvement, thoughtful design and the ability to assemble the right expertise for each project. We work with a trusted network of architects, designers and specialized consultants, allowing each team to be tailored to the specific needs of the work.

Our flexible structure combines the focus and personal relationship of a small studio with the knowledge, tools and organizational capacity of a larger practice. We continually explore new technologies and ways of working that allow us to research, test ideas and coordinate projects more effectively, while keeping design judgment, creativity and human relationships at the center of the process.

This approach allows us to remain agile, bring diverse expertise to complex problems, and maintain continuity of design intent from the first conversation through construction.

SELECTED EXPERIENCE

Pooja’s experience spans residential architecture and interiors, educational and civic environments, affordable and multifamily housing, and large-scale planning.

Palisades Rebuild, Lachman Lane — Residential Architecture + Interiors, Pacific Palisades
Mulholland Hill Oak Tree Courtyard House — Residential Architecture + Interiors, Los Angeles
Pine Avenue Kitchen — Interior Architecture + Design, Manhattan Beach
Ashland ADU — Architecture + Interiors + Landscape, Santa Monica
Echo Horizon School Multipurpose Hall — Architecture + Interior Design, Culver City
SEED LA Public Charter Boarding School — Educational Architecture, Los Angeles
2802 Pico Affordable Housing — Multifamily + Affordable Housing, Santa Monica
Ocean Avenue South / The Village — Multifamily Housing + Master Planning, Santa Monica

Selected experience includes projects by PBA and significant work undertaken in prior professional roles.

EDUCATION

Southern California Institute of Architecture (SCI-Arc)
Master of Architecture, Metropolitan Research and Design, 2001

Sushant School of Art and Architecture — New Delhi, India
Bachelor of Architecture, 1999

PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS + CREDENTIALS

Registered Architect, California
LEED Accredited Professional
American Institute of Architects (AIA), Member
Former Board Member, AIA Los Angeles
Founding Co-Chair, Women in Architecture Committee, AIA Los Angeles
President, Architecture for Communities Los Angeles (ACLA), 2025

SELECTED PROJECT AWARDS

AIA California Council Urban Design Award, 2015 — Ocean Avenue South / The Village
AIA California Council Urban Design Award, 2015 — Providence Saint John’s Health Center Master Plan
AIA California Council Affordable Housing Award, 2014 — 2802 Pico Affordable Housing
Los Angeles Business Council Architectural Award, 2015 — Ocean Avenue South / The Village
Westside Urban Forum Westside Prize, 2015 — Ocean Avenue South / The Village
Westside Urban Forum Westside Prize, 2014 — Ocean Avenue South / The Village
Los Angeles Business Council Architectural Award, 2014 — 2802 Pico Affordable Housing