Founded in 2019 by John Kleman and Mark Hoffman, Light Space Architecture Office is based in downtown San Francisco and serves all of Northern California. Our projects range from small residential renovations to large ground-up construction.

LSAO’s design process is intimate, direct, and personal, informed by the belief that thoughtful architecture can support individual well-being, strengthen communities, and enhance both the built and natural environments. Through careful listening and engaged collaboration, we develop designs that strike a balance - being at once timeless and contemporary, familiar and innovative, practical and inspiring, exacting in detail, yet guided by a comprehensive vision. LSAO leverages decades of real-world experience in design & construction and greatly values the beauty found in both the process and outcome of making unique places.

People

John Kleman

John Kleman

Partner

Mark Hoffman

Mark Hoffman

Partner

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John Kleman, Partner

Born and raised in St. Louis, MO, John is one of four architects in his immediate family, and has contributed to projects receiving over 60 awards and publications. After graduating with honors from Drury University in 2000, John co-founded a design-build firm with two classmates, where they experimented with reclaimed and alternative materials. In 2001, John moved to New Haven, CT, to join Gray Organschi Architecture, an award-winning firm known for its integrated approach to design and fabrication. At GOA, John helped establish their in-house metal fabrication shop and collaborated closely with the principals on a variety of remarkable buildings as both a designer and builder. Admiration for the groundbreaking Sea Ranch Condominium 1 by Moore, Lyndon, Turnbull, Whitaker led John to the Bay Area in 2005, where he joined MLTW’s successor firm, Turnbull Griffin Haesloop Architects (TGH). John spent over a decade at TGH, rising to the level of Associate, thoroughly embracing their enduring commitment to architectural quality and meticulous care. In 2015, John established Kleman Design as a sole proprietorship, and in 2019, he partnered with Mark Hoffman to form Light Space Architecture Office. John is a licensed architect in California and a member of the American Institute of Architects and a member of the design committee at The Sea Ranch.

Mark Hoffman, Partner

Mark, a licensed architect in California, was born in San Francisco and raised in Mill Valley, CA. He began his architectural studies at the College of Marin and later graduated from UC Berkeley in 2001. After gaining hands-on experience building houses for a small design-build firm in Berkeley, CA, Mark continued his education at Yale, earning a Master’s in Architecture in 2008. During his time at Yale, Mark completed advanced studio work under professors Tod Williams/Billie Tsien and Brigitte Shim and contributed to the construction of two houses with the Yale Building Project, first as a student and then as a teaching assistant. After working briefly in New York City, Mark returned to San Francisco in 2011 to start a family, joining Turnbull Griffin Haesloop Architects (TGH). Over seven years at TGH, first as a Project Architect and later as an Associate, Mark played a key role in several award-winning projects, including the Hupomone Ranch, Cloverdale, Sonoma, and South Bay houses. In early 2019, Mark co-founded Light Space Architecture Office with his friend and former TGH colleague, John Kleman.

Site Credits

Site design by Ivan Iannoli

Site development by Josh Dreier

All project photography (except "Dipsea I") by Mathew Millman

"Dipsea I" photography by Jonathan Mitchell