What Barge Design Solutions does

Barge Design Solutions, Inc. is a privately held, employee-owned engineering and architecture firm founded in 1955 and headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee. The firm operates 24 offices across the U.S. Southeast, Florida, Ohio, and South Carolina with a team of 650+ professionals, providing integrated architecture, civil/structural/MEP engineering, environmental consulting, geomatics, BIM/CIM, and information management services across seven primary markets: federal, state DOT and transportation, healthcare, industrial and manufacturing, data centers, water and wastewater, and land development.

The firm has invested in a digital delivery stack built on Autodesk (Revit, Civil 3D, AutoCAD, Autodesk Construction Cloud) and Bentley (ProjectWise), augmented by AI-powered visualization, generative design, reality capture (drone photogrammetry, LiDAR, mobile mapping), and digital twin technology feeding into a Common Data Environment. It holds CMMC Level II certification for defense work and LEED expertise for sustainable projects, and operates a management consulting subsidiary, Thrivence Consulting, focused on data and AI strategy, M&A advisory, and operational improvement.

Revenue is generated through professional services engagements with government agencies, municipal authorities, healthcare systems, industrial manufacturers (BMW, Honda Aircraft, United Launch Alliance, Lifetime Products), and educational institutions, priced on a custom project basis via competitive bidding, RFPs, and long-term client relationships organized through dedicated Federal, State DOT, Public, and Private client centers. The firm has been named to the 2025 Fortune Best Workplaces List, ranked #161 in the ENR Top 500 Design Firms and #32 in the BDC Giants 400, and grew 21.23% year-over-year with 80.03% cumulative growth over three years.

Name

Barge Design Solutions

Legal name

Barge Design Solutions, Inc.

Website

https://bargedesign.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1955

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Barge Design Solutions is an employee-owned, 650-person engineering and architecture firm serving federal, state DOT, healthcare, industrial, data center, transportation, and water clients across 24 U.S. offices through integrated architecture, engineering, environmental, geomatics, and BIM/CIM services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Nashville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices25 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Engineering and Architecture Services: Professional services revenue from architecture, interior design, engineering (civil, structural, mechanical, electrical, plumbing), environmental consulting, geomatics, and information management services delivered to government, institutional, and private sector clients on project basis

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Barge Design Solutions is a full-service engineering and architecture firm delivering architecture/interior design, civil/structural/mechanical/electrical/plumbing engineering, environmental consulting, geomatics/surveying, and information management/BIM services. The firm serves federal/state/local government, healthcare, industrial/manufacturing, data center, transportation, and water/wastewater clients across 24 U.S. offices through project-based professional services contracts.

Product overview

Barge Design Solutions is a full-service engineering and architecture firm offering an integrated portfolio of services across multiple disciplines. The core service offerings include Architecture/Interior Design, Engineering (civil, structural, mechanical, electrical, plumbing), Environmental Services, CAD/BIM, Geomatics, and Information Management. These services are organized by market verticals including Data Centers, Federal, Healthcare, Industrial, Land Development, Transportation, and Water. Under its corporate umbrella, Barge operates Thrivence Consulting as a specialized management consulting division focused on strategy, AI, and operational improvement. The company serves clients coast-to-coast with 24 offices across the United States, providing both standalone services and integrated project delivery.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Architecture / Interior Design
• Engineering Services
• Environmental Services
• CAD/BIM Services
• Geomatics
• Information Management
• Thrivence Consulting
• Chemical Process Engineering

Quantifiable outcome

• I-24 bridge replacement saved $6 million in lane closure costs through CM/GC and ABC methods; reduced lane closures from 510 days to 9 days
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers16 records

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability6 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Genesys Works NashvilleminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 18 June 2026Founding corporate partner for Nashville expansion internship program. Four founding partners including AllianceBernstein, Barge, Gresham Smith, and Smith Seckman Reid will host high school senior interns starting August 2026 after completing eight weeks of training.
• Amazon Web Services (AWS)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 October 2025AWS Skills to Jobs Tech Alliance program expansion to Tennessee, partnering with Nashville Innovation Alliance to create pathways to AI and cloud computing jobs. Program aims to train over 1,000 Tennesseans by 2027.
• Carlisle AssociatescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2025Acquisition of Carlisle Associates, Inc., a Columbia, South Carolina-based firm specializing in architecture, civil, structural, mechanical, and electrical engineering. Founded in 1977, Carlisle brings nearly five decades of industrial design experience and strong client relationships. Operations continue under name 'Carlisle Associates, a division of Barge Design Solutions.'
• Vanderbilt UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 August 2024Strategic research collaborative 'Reimagining the Future of Infrastructure by Leveraging Generative AI' to revolutionize infrastructure sector and address critical infrastructure challenges. Partnership led to creation of 'Generative AI for Leaders,' the first course on Coursera platform for executive audiences on Generative AI.
• Core Engineering GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 June 2024Acquisition of Core Engineering Group (CORE), a fully integrated professional engineering service and management consultation company based in Florida. Expands Barge's capabilities and Florida presence.
• Environmental Consulting & Design, Inc. (EC&D)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 November 2023Acquisition of Florida-based environmental consulting firm EC&D to expand environmental services and presence in Florida. EC&D changed name to Barge Design Solutions and retained its employees, strengthening strategic footprint in Southeast.
• AutodeskcoreTechnology or IntegrationTechnology partner for BIM/CIM implementation. Barge utilizes Autodesk 2026 software suite including Revit, Civil 3D, and AutoCAD, along with Autodesk Construction Cloud (ACC) for project collaboration and management.
• Nelson Byrd Woltz Landscape Architects (NBW)minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerDesign landscape architects on Georgia Tech EcoCommons Living Building Sector project. Barge served as landscape architect of record leading the design team.
• BiohabitatsminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerEcological sciences partner on Georgia Tech EcoCommons Living Building Sector project.
• ECS Southeast, LLCminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerMaterials testing services provider during construction of Murray Lane and Holly Tree Gap Roundabout project.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• AECOM: Global infrastructure consulting firm with design, engineering, and construction management capabilities across transportation, water, federal, and environmental markets; competes in many of the same Barge verticals at significantly larger scale.
• WSP USA: Global professional services firm with extensive transportation, water, and environmental engineering practices; competes with Barge in state DOT, water, and federal markets as a large established player.
• Stantec: Global professional services firm in design and engineering with significant water, environmental, and infrastructure practices; competes with Barge in water/wastewater and environmental services but at much larger scale and broader geographic footprint.
• Jacobs Solutions: Large global professional services firm with major federal, infrastructure, and environmental practices; broad incumbent competing for the same federal, transportation, and water clients as Barge.

Direct peers

• Kimley-Horn: Private, employee-owned engineering, planning, and design firm with comparable multi-discipline services (civil, environmental, transportation, water) and similar cultural model; direct competitor in transportation, water, and land development markets across the Southeast.
• HDR Inc. Employee-owned architecture, engineering, and consulting firm with comparable service breadth across transportation, water, healthcare, and federal markets; similar ranking tier in ENR and direct competitor on DOT and federal infrastructure pursuits.
• Smith Seckman Reid: Tennessee-headquartered engineering and consulting firm referenced alongside Barge as a founding partner in Genesys Works Nashville; directly overlaps in MEP, infrastructure, and Southeast regional markets.
• Burns & McDonnell: 100% employee-owned engineering, architecture, and construction firm with similar full-service AEC capabilities across federal, industrial, and power markets; comparable in culture, ownership structure, and federal/industrial client mix.
• Gresham Smith: Nashville-based, employee-owned architecture and engineering firm explicitly referenced as a peer/founding partner; directly competes with Barge in Tennessee, healthcare, and industrial design markets.

Emerging players

• TRC Companies: Engineering, environmental, and construction management firm with notable overlap in environmental services, water, and energy infrastructure; overlaps with Barge's EC&D-acquired environmental capabilities at a comparable scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/BargeDesignSolutions
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/barge-design-solutions-inc
• Instagraminstagram.com/bargedesignsolutions
• Xx.com/BargeDesign

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles17 records

Subsidiaries4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A3 records

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Barge Design Solutions