Master Planning

Create Places

with Heart.

Establish a Vision With Collaboration

Your vision is the starting point.

Our master planning services are designed to help you see the full potential of your site and bring it to life with purpose and clarity. We're in charge of the development of a long-term plan that connects every element of your project, such as architecture, landscape, infrastructure, and amenities into one cohesive story.

Our Master Planning Process

Stakeholder
Collaboration

Bringing voices together early such as clients, communities, and collaborators, to build shared understanding and lasting support.

Strategic
Visioning

Aligning big-picture goals with real-world context to create a clear, actionable framework for long-term growth.

Feasibility & Strategic Planning

We create design strategies with a greater purpose: beginning with rigorous feasibility planning and advancing sustainability, resilience, and environments where communities can thrive.

Development & Implementation

Our process connects planning with execution, creating clear pathways for marketing opportunities and moving projects toward vertical development.

Master Planning Core Strategies

Placemaking & Amenities

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Market-Driven Design

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Future-Ready Design

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Placemaking & Amenities

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Enhance Community
& Pride

As part of our master planning services, placemaking and amenities help shape the identity of a development and ensures it serves the people who use it every day.

Through thoughtful layout, materials, and programming, we design public spaces like District 121 or Gates of Prosper. These places are intuitive, safe, and engaging, not just for today, but for the future of your site.

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Master Planning Expertise

Architectural master planning lays the foundation for long-term, meaningful development. It brings together land use, infrastructure, architecture, and open space into a unified vision. It balances ambition with feasibility and provides a structure for phased development that evolves with market demands, institutional goals, or city needs.
The Addison Cotton Belt - Project by O'Brien Architects-

Urban Planning

Planning at the city requires a deep understanding of systems like mobility, infrastructure, open space, and policy.

We shape frameworks that consider long-term growth and layered connectivity.

Real Salt Lake Master Plan - Project by O'Brien Architects

Campus Planning

Academic environments should be intuitive and inspiring.

We craft plans that support evolving programs while reinforcing identity, accessibility, and a strong sense of place.

Presidium Valley View - Project by O'Brien Architects

Mixed Use & Community Development

Community-focused planning brings together housing, commerce, and public space in ways that feel connected and intuitive.

We design flexible development frameworks that balance density, access, and amenities, helping shape environments people want to be part of.

district 121 obrien architects1

Land Use & Site Analysis

Successful development starts with a clear understanding of the land itself, its potential, its limits, and its context.

By conducting detailed site analyses, we can inform smarter decisions, guiding the placement of buildings, circulation, and open space from the very beginning.

Feasibility Study

For Confident, Informed Master Plan Decisions.

NTPGA Frisco Headquarters - Project by O'Brien Architects
vision to reality designing the ntpga frisco headquarters

What is a Feasibility Study?

Feasibility studies are foundational tools within our master planning process, helping developers, planners, and stakeholders assess whether a site is truly ready for development.

Our team brings together expertise across architecture, planning, zoning, and infrastructure, allowing us to see the full picture and anticipate what others might miss.

Every site is unique. Our evaluations are tailored, but key areas in our Feasibility Study typically includes:

  • Zoning and Entitlements to know what’s permitted, what’s possible, and what needs approval.
  • Environmental & Site Condition to figure out floodplains, grading and protected landscapes.
  • Infrastructure Access for utilities, transportation, and stormwater systems.
  • Market Feasibility that understands demand, demographic fit, and absorption potential.

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Our Feasibility Process.

Discovery
and Alignment

Defining the vision and understanding the project's context, site and identifying key constraints.

Research and Data Collection

Gathering the facts that shape the foundation with planning documents, zoning codes, environmental data, utility maps, and market research.

Site and Regulatory Analysis

Uncovering the limits and opportunities of your site by evaluating entitlements, site conditions and overlays.

Feasibility
Modeling

Testing ideas against reality with massing studies, yield scenarios, and infrastructure alignment.

Reporting and Visual Summaries

Delivering our findings into a clear, visual format complete with maps, diagrams, and recommendations to share with stakeholders or investors.

    Market-Driven Design

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    Plans That Work for People and Markets

    Every market sector has unique demands, and our plans are shaped to reflect them. Through market-driven design, we tailor site strategies that respond directly to context, user behavior, and long-term value.

    For retail, that might mean prioritizing street frontage and active amenities that draw people in, extend their stay, and support tenant success.

    We engage subject matter experts early in the process to ensure each plan is not only resilient and responsive but also financially viable.

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    Future Ready Design

    District 121 O'Brien Architects project

    Spaces Built to Adapt, Connect, and Endure

    Future-ready design begins with understanding the land. Every site presents unique constraints and opportunities, shaped by grading, natural features, water flow, flood zones, infrastructure access, and surrounding development patterns.

    Our approach starts with a evaluation of these conditions to anticipate challenges and uncover opportunity. By aligning development strategies with the physical realities of each property, we create plans that are practical and built to perform over time.

    We’ve helped clients shape environments that connect people to place while meeting technical and operational goals, seen in projects like District 121, Cypress Water Campus and 3401 Olympus.

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    Design with Future in Mind

    Health & Wellness

    Natural light, fresh air, and warm materials create
    environments that support well-being and human connection.

    Client Testimonials.

    Charlotte Jones Anderson

    Dallas Cowboys
    "O'Brien is about incredible architecture. They are an amazing team who works tirelessly, who burn the midnight oil. You talk about people with passion, they are a passionate team. O'Brien has lead us on an epic path of greatness. We are excited to continue with our partnership with Sean and his team."

    Shawn Fulham

    Lincoln Property Company
    "O'Brien has been a truly invaluable partner for Lincoln Property Company over the last 30 years. They have a comprehensive understanding of master planning, mixed use, and all the individual uses and components that make complex projects successful from both a design and financial standpoint. They have a long history of success, and always continue to stay on the cutting edge of design and development."

    Lucy Billingsley

    Billingsley Company
    "Sean O’Brien and team have the creativity, alacrity and flexibility to be great design partners. They listen closely and then bring all the historical architectural smarts and a fresh eye to creating places where you’d like to be. They first think through making the public realm inviting and then enrich that with great architecture."

    Kyle Nix

    Pritchard Associates, Inc.
    "I always enjoy working with the O’Brien team. They are very responsive and efficient, and work well with ownership to help keep projects on time and on budget."

    John Griggs

    Presidium Group, LLC
    "O’Brien, some of the most skilled in the country and truly design iconic structures. The team works hard and commits to every detail. You can expect them to drop everything, meet deadlines, work with the budget. They are just the best."

    Josh Eames

    Presidium Group, LLC
    "O’Brien is one of our most trusted partners. O’Brien team, Your efforts are always top notch and you nail every project out of the park. You are key partner for us."
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    Ready To Cast a Vision?

    Partner with an architectural master planning firm that brings vision and performance together.

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