Mass Design Group

What Mass Design Group does

MASS Design Group is a nonprofit architecture firm headquartered in Poughkeepsie, New York, founded in 2008 and operating with 11–50 employees. The firm provides architecture and design services focused on humanitarian, social-justice, and community-impact projects, including memorials, healthcare facilities, educational campuses, and cultural spaces. Notable commissioned work spans the National Memorial for Peace and Justice (Alabama), The Embrace on Boston Common, the Butaro District Hospital (Rwanda), the Ellen DeGeneres Campus of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund (Rwanda), the Rwanda Institute for Conservation Agriculture, the African Leadership University (Kigali), the Presidio Tunnel Tops (San Francisco, $98M project value), and the Ellen Johnson Sirleaf Presidential Center (Liberia).

The firm's underlying methodology combines multidisciplinary collaboration, regenerative practices, and community-centered design, with technical specialization in healthcare infection-control design (originating at Butaro) and passive building standards. It extends beyond traditional architecture services into knowledge products — including the book 'Seeking Abundance' by principals Alan Ricks and Sierra Bainbridge (ORO Editions) and the 'Abundant Futures / Live' cultural convening platform, hosted at the Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston, with GBH as media partner.

MASS operates on a nonprofit revenue model combining fee-for-service design commissions with donations and grants (the firm maintains a dedicated donate page) and book/event revenue. Its go-to-market is community-led: projects are secured through competitive design awards, invited competitions, and direct relationships with mission-aligned clients — primarily social-justice nonprofits, healthcare systems, educational institutions, and government/municipal entities — across the United States and sub-Saharan Africa.

Name

Mass Design Group

Legal name

MASS Design Group

Website

https://massdesigngroup.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

MASS Design Group is a nonprofit architecture firm headquartered in Poughkeepsie, NY that designs memorials, healthcare facilities, educational campuses, and cultural spaces for mission-aligned nonprofits, governments, and universities across the U.S. and sub-Saharan Africa.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Architectural Design Services

NAICS

Architectural Services (54131), Commercial and Institutional Building Construction (236220), Landscape Architectural Services (541320)

SIC

General Bldg Contractors - Nonresidential Bldgs (1540), Heavy Construction Other Than Bldg Const - Contractors (1600)

akta.pro primary industry

Architectural Design Services (BPAHAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Landscape Architecture & Site Design (BPAHAKAC)

Keywords

• Architecture design services
• Nonprofit architecture firm
• Social impact design
• Healthcare facility design
• Memorial design services

Headquarters

HQ city

Boston

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Design Services: MASS generates revenue through architecture and design services for commissioned projects including memorials, healthcare facilities, educational campuses, and community spaces. As a nonprofit, they likely combine fee-for-service work with grants and donations.
2. Book Sales: The firm publishes books such as 'Seeking Abundance' by Alan Ricks and Sierra Bainbridge through ORO Editions, generating revenue from book sales.
3. Donations and Grants: As a registered nonprofit organization, MASS accepts donations and applies for grants to support operations and specific projects. The website includes a dedicated donate page.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Mass Design Group is a nonprofit architecture firm providing architectural and design services for humanitarian, social justice, healthcare, educational, and community-impact projects. The firm delivers design work for memorials, hospitals, educational campuses, and cultural spaces for institutional clients including governments, universities, and major nonprofits across the US, Rwanda, Liberia, and other locations.

Product overview

MASS Design Group is a nonprofit architecture firm offering design and architectural services focused on humanitarian and social justice projects. The firm works on memorials, healthcare facilities, educational campuses, and cultural spaces. The portfolio includes projects such as the National Memorial for Peace and Justice, the Ellen DeGeneres Campus of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund, The Embrace monument in Boston, and the Rwanda Institute for Conservation Agriculture. The firm also publishes books (Seeking Abundance) and hosts cultural events (Abundant Futures / Live) to advance its mission of socially conscious architecture.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Architecture and Design Services Architectural and design services focused on humanitarian, social justice, healthcare, educational, and community-impact projects. Delivered for institutional clients including governments, universities, healthcare systems, and major nonprofits across the US and internationally.
• Seeking Abundance (Book) Published book by Alan Ricks and Sierra Bainbridge that articulates the firm's philosophy on architecture as a means to restore balance through multidisciplinary collaboration, regenerative practices, and community engagement.

Quantifiable outcome

• Phius 2025 Passive Projects Design Competition recognition for energy-efficient construction standards

Named customers9 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• GBHminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 10 November 2023GBH served as the exclusive public media partner for MASS's Abundant Futures/Live cultural event held at the Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston. This partnership provided media coverage and promotional support for the event featuring performances, keynote talks, and breakout sessions.
• City of PoughkeepsiecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMASS is working with the City of Poughkeepsie to explore repurposing the decommissioned municipal cistern into a public cultural performance venue. The estimated $6 million project would transform the 36,000-square-foot underground space.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• SHoP Architects: SHoP is a high-profile architecture practice with deep civic, institutional, and large-scale public-sector work (e.g., Barclays Center). Comparable to MASS in pursuit of complex, mission-driven institutional commissions and reputational ambition across mixed-use and civic typologies.
• Snøhetta: Snøhetta is an architecture and design firm with a strong cultural, civic, and social-impact orientation (libraries, memorials, cultural centers). Comparable to MASS in prioritizing cultural and civic projects over pure commercial real estate and in publishing thought leadership as part of its brand.
• Studio Gang: Studio Gang (Jeanne Gang) is an architecture practice emphasizing community-centered civic work (e.g., Writers Theatre, Natural History Museum expansion). Comparable to MASS in targeting culturally significant civic commissions and using community engagement as a differentiator.
• Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG): BIG is a high-profile, brand-led architecture practice delivering civic, cultural, and institutional commissions globally. Comparable to MASS in reputation-driven project selection, celebrity-founder profile, and pursuit of large institutional commissions.
• KieranTimberlake: KieranTimberlake is a research-driven architecture firm with strong work in civic, educational, and sustainable design. Comparable to MASS in emphasizing performance-driven design and thought leadership beyond conventional architectural practice.
• WXY Architecture + Urban Design: WXY is an architecture and urban design practice with strong civic and community-focused work in the Northeast U.S. Comparable to MASS in community-engagement methodology and a focus on civic infrastructure, though smaller in geographic reach.

Broad incumbents

• Perkins&Will: Perkins&Will is a large architecture firm with active healthcare, education, and civic practices. Comparable to MASS as a competitor for healthcare and institutional commissions, though it operates as a broad incumbent for-profit firm rather than a focused nonprofit specialist.
• HOK: HOK is a large, multi-disciplinary design firm with significant healthcare, civic, and institutional practices. Comparable to MASS as a competitor for large nonresidential commissions, with the relative scale to absorb projects MASS cannot due to headcount constraints.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@modelofarchitecture
• Facebookfacebook.com/massdesigngroup
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mass-design-group
• Instagraminstagram.com/massdesigngroup
• Xx.com/massdesignlab

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors1 record

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Mass Design Group