About
CAC Architects

When Albert Chiang founded CAC Architects in 2007, it was his mission to design buildings and interior spaces that were not just programmatically suitable, but that would contribute to fulfilling each client’s business and humanitarian goals.

History of Purpose-Driven Architecture

Albert began his career in the 1980s, with an emphasis on campus construction. In the late 1990s, a natural evolution toward life science projects began to unfold. Albert’s former co-worker, Ted Mahl, with whom he worked at two of the largest architecture firms in California, joined forces with Albert at CAC in 2013. In addition to their individual work histories, Albert and Ted have a large combined portfolio of multi-building campus construction and master planning projects.

Leadership

Albert ChIang

Albert Chiang is Managing Principal and founder of CAC Architects, with over 28 years of experience in the profession. His background includes management of multi-disciplined teams for a variety of project types and sizes, focusing on building shell, complex laboratories, corporate offices, and mission critical facilities. Albert also has significant experience with spaces for highly technical R+D labs and pharmaceutical manufacturing facilities. As Managing Principal, Albert is focused on all aspects of a project, from design through construction completion. He maintains a hands-on approach to ensure quality and client satisfaction. He has designed over 9-million square feet of space. Albert has also worked on a variety of public and private laboratories, and stays at the forefront of lab design, lab equipment, as well as associated building codes and construction.

Ted Mahl

Ted Mahl is the Design Principal at CAC, with four decades of experience designing for corporate and institutional clients in the high-technology, mission critical, and life sciences fields. Focused on front-end project leadership, including site evaluation, entitlements, schematic design, and the integration of sustainable building strategies, Ted has designed over 18-million square feet of space.

San Francisco Bay Area Architects with High-Tech Portfolio

CAC Architects works with all of the large biotech laboratory developers in the San Francisco Bay Area, and has projects from Southern California to Seattle, and as far as India, as a result of following their clients abroad. Other areas of focus for CAC include healthcare laboratories, pharmaceutical cGMP plants, vivariums, commercialization scaled-up lab facilities, and data centers. By 2017, CAC had achieved an annual aggregate construction project valuation of over $100 million, a number that continues to increase.

Virtual Reality and BIM Experts

CAC Architects is one of the first design firms in California to use virtual reality as part of its standard tools of services to help its clients better understand the design process. After programming and interviews, CAC will develop white massing models in virtual reality to help the stakeholders better understand spatial relationships and volumes. As the program develops during Design Development and finish selection, CAC will create virtual reality presentations with colors and finishes.

CAC also utilizes BIM software to improve the quality of projects and construction, leading to more accurate and thorough drawing packages, better cost overrun control, and clash detection before construction commences.

Staff Recruitment and Retention

CAC Architects has roots in traditional architecture, but is practicing architecture of the future. Think innovation, collaboration, and advanced technology. Our sights are set on finding new ways to solve both old and new issues. We build upon lessons learned, but are not interested in getting stuck in a “this is how we’ve always done it” mentality. We are known for striking a balance between support and independence, and are always looking for talent who share our approach.