Inspired by his father who was a bricklayer, Francisco Garcia grew up smelling sawdust and playing at mixing grout, and later graduated from Cornell University's architecture program in 1998. He studied architecture abroad in Rome, and returned to San Diego to spend 7 years as an Associate and Project Designer for the architecture firm PUBLIC. In 2005 he started his own design-build company called The Building Workshop which sought to bridge the gap between the pragmatic construction-worker and the artsy intellectual architect.

The Building Workshop Inc. is a modern design-build company that encompasses the best of both worlds: artistic vision and functional construction. Owner Francisco Garcia succeeds both as a hands-on-builder as well as an educated creative designer. In his own words, “I love to be able to complete an idea that is abstract but also be sweating for it.” This combined expertise allows him to express innovation without compromising the budget, timeline, or the artistic vision of the project.

Today, Garcia's work is notable for its simple modern style, recycled materials, and innovative solutions for custom building challenges, as recognized in Atomic Ranch Magazine. He also teaches as an Adjunct Faculty at the NewSchool of Architecture and Design.