SSHAPE

What SSHAPE does

SSHAPE is a privately held, minority- and women-owned interior architecture and design firm specializing in workplace design. The firm delivers professional services across the full project lifecycle, including workplace design strategy and analytics, secure and SCIF-certified environments, code and ADA compliance assessment, branding and environmental graphics, 3D scanning and visualization, site analysis, change management, and furniture selection and coordination. SSHAPE combines a handcrafted design methodology, centered on hand sketching and iterative ideation, with conventional digital tools including 3D interior scanning, 3D modeling, and data-driven workplace analytics. The firm is licensed in nine US jurisdictions (District of Columbia, Virginia, Maryland, North Carolina, Florida, Georgia, Texas, Alabama, and New York) and operates from a Washington, DC headquarters and a Seville, Spain office.

The firm serves three primary customer segments: non-profit and for-profit organizations seeking workplace relocations or redesigns, property owners and investors seeking building repositioning and amenity space development, and educational institutions pursuing best-in-class learning and administrative facilities. The customer base is diverse, with named engagements spanning trade associations (American Clean Power Association, Consumer Healthcare Products Association, Auto Care Association, U.S. Travel Association, Association of American Railroads, International Franchise Association), government contractors, commercial real estate landlords (Washington Harbour, 950 N Glebe Road, Inventa Towers), education (KIPP DC, Teaching Strategies), consulting firms (Cadmus, Locust Street Group, Quadrant Strategies), and consumer brands (JOOLA, K. Hovnanian Homes). Project sizes range from approximately 7,000 SF to 80,000 SF.

SSHAPE is structured as a partnership with five founding partners and approximately 40 total employees, including designers, project managers, strategists, and administrative staff. The firm generates revenue through project-based professional services engagements with customized scoping and multi-year contract cadences, priced through consultation rather than published rates. GTM is sales-led and direct, with new business driven by portfolio reputation, peer recognition (CREBA Architecture Firm of the Year, awarded consecutively in 2024), and industry relationships within the DC metro commercial real estate and association communities. No external funding rounds, parent company, or institutional investors are disclosed.

Name

SSHAPE

Legal name

sshape, inc.

Website

https://sshapedc.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

SSHAPE is a minority- and women-owned interior architecture and design firm specializing in workplace design, serving non-profits, associations, government contractors, commercial real estate owners, and enterprises across nine US states with a handcrafted methodology and 3D visualization capabilities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Interior Architecture & Workplace Design

NAICS

Computer Systems Design and Related Services (54151)

SIC

Services-Computer Integrated Systems Design (7373)

akta.pro primary industry

Internal Office Moves (Restacks/Churn) (HSAKAKAC)

Keywords

• Interior architecture services
• Commercial workplace design
• SCIF secure facility design
• Office relocation design
• Environmental graphic design

Headquarters

HQ city

Seattle

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Architecture and Interior Design Services: Professional services revenue from providing full-range architecture and interior design services for workplace design projects. Projects range from small relocations to large-scale headquarters redesigns.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

sshape delivers interior architecture and workplace design services for commercial clients, including office relocations, headquarters redesigns, amenity space development, building repositioning, and secure/SCIF environments. Engagements combine a handcrafted design process (sketching, iterative ideation) with advanced digital tools such as 3D building scans, full-scale visualizations, workplace analytics, and code compliance assessment, serving projects ranging from 7,000 to 80,000 square feet for associations, government contractors, non-profits, and commercial real estate developers.

Product overview

SSHAPE is a minority and women-owned interior architecture and design firm specializing in workplace design. The company offers a comprehensive suite of services organized around core workplace design capabilities, including Workplace Design, Workplace Design Strategy and Analytics, Secure & SCIF Spaces, Code and ADA Compliance Assessment, Branding and Environmental Graphics, Visualization Services, Site Analysis, Change Management, Furniture Selection and Coordination, and 3D Scanning Services. These services are delivered through a handcrafted approach that combines artisanal design with advanced digital tools including 3D building scans and digital renderings.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Workplace Design Core interior architecture and workplace design service delivering accessible, understandable designs that provide clients with a competitive advantage in employee recruitment and retention while supporting day-to-day workplace functions. Intended for organizations seeking office relocations, headquarters redesigns, and amenity space development.
• Workplace Design Strategy and Analytics Data-driven strategy offering applying rigorous quantitative and qualitative analysis to explore clients' office cultures, missions, and needs, delivering tailored workplace designs grounded in workplace analytics and human-centered research.
• Secure and SCIF Spaces Specialized service for secure and mission-critical environments including SCIFs, high-security workplaces, and federal spaces, with technical expertise in ICD-705 standards, acoustic protections, TEMPEST and RF shielding, and advanced access control systems such as biometric authentication.
• Code and ADA Compliance Assessment Building and space assessment service evaluating environments against current jurisdictional codes, ADA accessibility guidelines, life safety, and plumbing codes to ensure the safest and most accessible environments for clients and patrons.
• Branding and Environmental Graphics Integration of architecture and environmental graphics to uniquely reflect clients' brands throughout their spaces, conveying organizations' mission and culture through layout, design, furniture, and finishes.
• Visualization Services Advanced visualization service providing clients with full-scale, three-dimensional spatial visualizations that allow virtual walkthroughs of proposed designs before construction begins.
• Site Analysis and 3D Scanning Combined site analysis and 3D scanning service using advanced scanning equipment to examine existing spaces, identify concerns impacting design and construction, and provide effortless site review for brokers, landlords, or prospective tenants, including compliance reviews for life safety, ADA, and plumbing codes.
• Change Management Consulting service developing communication plans that outline opportunities for employee engagement throughout the design process to ensure staff involvement, adoption, and excitement about workplace change.
• Furniture Selection and Coordination Procurement coordination service assisting clients with furniture selection and fitting to ensure comfortable and productive workspaces, leveraging sshape's established vendor and manufacturer network for favorable pricing.

Quantifiable outcome

• Portfolio of 35+ completed projects including large-scale headquarters redesigns
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers20 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• JLLcoreStrategic or Co-development Partnersshape partnered with JLL and AREP to re-design Inventa Towers in downtown Silver Spring, MD, revitalizing the building to attract new tenants. JLL served as a partner in this commercial real estate development project.
• AREPcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAREP partnered with sshape on the Inventa Towers project in Silver Spring, MD, working together on the building revitalization and tenant attraction design.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• HOK: HOK is a global architecture, design, and engineering firm with significant workplace, commercial, and government practices. Comparable to sshape in workplace interiors and government contractor work, but as a much larger diversified incumbent with broader sector coverage.
• Gensler: Gensler is the largest global architecture and design firm, with a broad practice spanning workplace, commercial, healthcare, and hospitality design. Overlaps with sshape in workplace design and enterprise client base, but operates as a much larger diversified incumbent with global delivery and mega-project capabilities.
• SmithGroup: SmithGroup is an integrated architecture and design firm with workplace, higher education, healthcare, and science & technology practices. Overlaps with sshape in workplace interior design and DC presence, but as a larger diversified firm with broader sector and service offerings.
• Perkins&Will: Perkins&Will is a global architecture and design firm with strong workplace, healthcare, and education practices. Comparable to sshape in commercial interior design and association/government client work, but as a much larger diversified incumbent firm.

Direct peers

• Ware Malcomb: Ware Malcomb is an architecture and interior design firm with strong commercial real estate and workplace practices serving both building owners and tenants. Comparable to sshape in commercial workplace design, building repositioning work, and direct engagement with both corporate tenants and property developers.
• M Moser Associates: M Moser is a global workplace design and build firm specializing in workplace strategy, interior design, and architecture for enterprise clients. Highly comparable to sshape in workplace-only focus, integrated design-and-execution services, and emphasis on data-driven workplace strategy.
• IA Interior Architects: IA Interior Architects is one of the largest workplace-focused interior design firms in North America, delivering commercial interior architecture and design services for corporate, financial, and technology clients. Directly comparable to sshape in workplace interior design focus, project-based professional services model, and enterprise client base.
• HLW International: HLW is an integrated architecture, interior design, and planning firm with a strong workplace practice serving corporate, financial, and institutional clients. Directly comparable to sshape in workplace design services, enterprise client base, and project-based professional services delivery.
• Studio O+A: Studio O+A is a workplace strategy and interior architecture firm focused on tech-forward office design for major corporate and tech clients. Directly comparable to sshape in workplace-only specialization, design-strategy integration, and emphasis on culture-driven design outcomes.
• Fox Architects: Fox Architects is a Washington DC-based commercial interior design and architecture firm specializing in workplace design for associations, government contractors, and corporate clients. Highly comparable to sshape in DC Metro market focus, association and government contractor client mix, and boutique project-based delivery model.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sshape
• Instagraminstagram.com/_sshape_

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 SSHAPE