BKV Group

What BKV Group does

BKV Group is a privately held, multi-disciplinary architectural design and engineering firm founded in 1978 and headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The firm combines architecture, interiors, landscape architecture, and branding under one roof to deliver integrated design services across a broad portfolio that includes government and civic facilities, market-rate and affordable multifamily housing, student and senior living, hospitality, corporate/commercial interiors, mixed-use developments, and building conversions/adaptive reuse of historic structures. BKV's most differentiated capabilities are concentrated in public-safety facility design — with 150+ completed law-enforcement projects and 150+ fire stations/EMS facilities — including co-location design, trauma-informed planning, and NetZero/sustainable systems such as the Montgomery County District 6 Police Station (the first public safety NetZero facility in Maryland) and 96-well geothermal installations at historic adaptive-reuse projects such as Millworks Lofts.

The firm operates a project-based professional services model, earning design fees across all phases from feasibility studies through construction administration, with pricing quoted per engagement and contract terms typically spanning multiple years for major developments. Go-to-market is relationship-driven and segmented: government work is acquired through public procurement (qualifications-based selection, term contracts such as Montgomery County's Public Safety Term Contract) while private developer work is acquired through direct relationships with national sponsors — including Greystar, Landmark Properties, Dominium, Trinitas, BAI Capital, Artspace, and Woda Cooper — and through referral networks with non-profit mission-driven clients such as 180 Degrees, 360 Communities, Lutheran Social Services of Minnesota, and Project for Pride in Living. The firm maintains an active thought-leadership platform (justice/courthouse design, public-safety design, boutique hospitality, adaptive reuse) and pursues industry recognition including a Firehouse Magazine Gold Award (2018) and AIA Minnesota Preservation Award (2019).

BKV operates seven studios — four in the United States (Minneapolis, Chicago, Washington D.C., Dallas) and three in Vietnam (Hanoi, Da Nang, Ho Chi Minh City) — giving it both national reach for government and developer clients and an offshore design-capacity extension in Southeast Asia. Ownership is partnership-structured with no disclosed parent company, private equity backing, or institutional investors; leadership is led by CEO Jack Boarman with senior practice leaders in Government (Paul Michell), Public Safety (Michael Healy), Civic (Mitch Cook), Hospitality (Jonathan Cakert), and Government/Chicago (Kyle Yardley). Revenue is not publicly disclosed.

Name

BKV Group

Legal name

BKV Group

Website

https://bkvgroup.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1978

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

BKV Group is a Minneapolis-based, private multi-disciplinary architecture and engineering firm, founded in 1978, that delivers integrated design services spanning government, housing, hospitality, and adaptive reuse across seven studios in the United States and Vietnam.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Architectural Design Services

NAICS

Landscape Architectural Services (54132), Interior Design Services (54141)

akta.pro primary industry

Architecture, Construction & Building Codes Reference (Design, BIM, Safety Codes) (EDAGAGAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

Affordable Housing & Community Development (Housing, Community Land Trusts) (BPAGALAC)

Keywords

• Architectural design services
• Multidisciplinary design firm
• Public safety facility design
• Affordable housing architecture
• Adaptive reuse design

Headquarters

HQ city

Minneapolis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Architectural and Engineering Design Services: BKV Group generates revenue through providing comprehensive architectural design, engineering, landscape architecture, and interior design services across multiple project sectors including multifamily housing, student housing, public/government facilities, hospitality, and adaptive reuse. Revenue is project-based, earned through design fees across all phases from feasibility studies through construction administration.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

BKV Group is a multidisciplinary architectural design firm providing architecture, interior design, landscape architecture, and branding services for government, residential, hospitality, and commercial clients. The firm delivers integrated design services spanning feasibility studies through construction administration across multiple project sectors including multifamily housing, student housing, public safety facilities, justice complexes, and historic adaptive reuse projects.

Product overview

BKV Group is a holistic, multi-disciplinary architectural design and engineering firm established in 1978. The firm offers an integrated suite of design services combining architecture, interiors, landscape, and branding under one roof. Core offerings include Government & Public Sector Design (city halls, law enforcement, fire stations, justice complexes), Housing Design (market-rate, student, senior, affordable), Hospitality Design, Corporate & Commercial Design, Mixed-Use Development, Building Conversions & Repositioning, and specialized services for Education, Library, and Non-Profit facilities. The firm's multidisciplinary approach enables innovative, one-of-a-kind solutions delivered through comprehensive project services from feasibility studies through construction administration.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Government and Public Sector Design
• Market-Rate and Multifamily Housing Design
• Student Living Design
• Affordable Housing Design
• Senior Living Design
• Hospitality Design
• Corporate and Commercial Design
• Mixed-Use Development Design
• Building Conversions and Repositioning
• Law Enforcement Facility Design
• Fire Station and EMS Design
• Justice and Courthouse Design
• Education Facility Design
• Library Design
• Non-Profit and Mission-Driven Design
• Site Feasibility Studies

Quantifiable outcome

• First public safety NetZero facility in Maryland (Montgomery County District 6 Police Station) — projected to produce 584,000 kWh of electricity per year, more than the site uses
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers19 records

Segments11 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• BAI CapitalflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026BAI Capital is the developer and client for ALMA Miami — a flagship 26-story, 565-unit, $1B+ student housing project near Florida International University. BKV Group serves as the architecture firm for this major mixed-use student living development, which also includes strategic partnerships with HITT Contracting for construction and Asset Living for property management.
• HITT Contracting Inc.coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 January 2026HITT Contracting Inc. serves as the general contractor for the ALMA Miami project. Partnered with BKV Group (architect) and BAI Capital (developer) as one of three strategic allies on this major student housing development.
• Asset LivingcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Asset Living, a property management firm with 40 years of experience, serves as the property management partner for the ALMA Miami project, bringing long-term operational expertise to the student housing development.
• Montgomery County Department of General Services — Division of Energy and SustainabilitycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Partnership with Montgomery County's Division of Energy and Sustainability to design and construct the first public safety NetZero facility in Maryland. The county-wide carbon-neutral goals drove the fully electrified building design and microgrid infrastructure.
• Montgomery County Department of Police (MCPD)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2023BKV Group was commissioned under Montgomery County's Public Safety Term Contract to provide full program validation, design, and construction administration services for the new MCPD District 6 Police Station — the first public safety NetZero facility in Maryland.
• Montgomery Housing PartnershipcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Montgomery Housing Partnership collaborated with BKV Group, Artspace, and Montgomery County to develop the Artspace Silver Spring Arts Campus — converting a former 1962 police station into working artist studios, 68 affordable live/work units, and 11 townhouses.
• 360 CommunitiescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021360 Communities is a non-profit providing domestic violence services in Minnesota. BKV Group is designing a new 50-person shelter in Eagan, MN that combines two existing shelters at one location with additional programming including administrative space for 20 employees and volunteers.
• ArtspacecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Artspace is a non-profit creating affordable artist housing nationwide. BKV Group has partnered on multiple projects including Elgin Artspace Lofts (55 units in Elgin, IL) and Artspace Silver Spring (68 affordable live/work units plus 11 townhouses converting a former 1962 police station in Silver Spring, MD).
• Woda Cooper CompaniescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Woda Cooper Companies is an affordable housing developer. BKV Group partnered with Woda Cooper and Project for Pride in Living on Shelby Commons — a 46-unit affordable housing development in Minneapolis near light rail transit, with 7 units for homeless residents and 5 units for people with disabilities.
• Project for Pride in Living (PPL)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Project for Pride in Living is a non-profit affordable housing developer focused on building hope, assets, and self-reliance. Partnered with BKV Group and Woda Cooper on the Shelby Commons affordable housing project serving Minneapolis residents at 30-80% area median income.
• Lutheran Social Services of MinnesotacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Lutheran Social Services of Minnesota (LSS), founded in 1864, is the largest private non-profit in Minnesota serving 100,000+ Minnesotans annually. BKV Group designed the Lutheran Social Service Center for Changing Lives — 48 units of affordable housing plus employment services, financial counseling, family counseling, and refugee resettlement in Minneapolis.
• CRW Architecture + Design Group, Inc.minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018CRW Architecture + Design Group, Inc. collaborated with BKV Group, Woda Cooper Companies, and Project for Pride in Living on the Shelby Commons affordable housing project in Minneapolis using a 9% tax credit.
• CorrectionalNewsminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2018Justice Practice Leader Henry Pittner participated in a CorrectionalNews roundtable discussing justice and correctional design trends, positioning BKV as a thought leader in the justice/correctional design space.
• 180 DegreescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016180 Degrees is a Minnesota-based non-profit providing supportive housing for victims of sex trafficking, youth in crisis, and men re-entering society. BKV Group has an ongoing multi-project relationship designing Brittany's Place (St. Paul, shelter for girls victims of trafficking), Von Wald Youth Shelter (Rochester, MN), and Clifton Place (transitional housing for men with incarceration records in Minneapolis).

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• DLR Group: Integrated architecture, engineering, and consulting firm of similar size with multidisciplinary practice spanning civic, housing, and commercial sectors — direct structural analog to BKV's integrated model.
• Perkins&Will: Global architecture firm with deep civic, justice, healthcare, and housing practices; competes with BKV on public-sector RFPs and large developer-led multifamily and student-housing commissions.
• SmithGroup: Integrated design firm combining architecture, engineering, interiors, and planning with strong civic, higher-education, and housing portfolios — comparable in multidisciplinary structure and project typologies.
• CannonDesign: Integrated architecture, engineering, and interior design firm with comparable practice mix in civic, healthcare, education, and housing markets; same multidisciplinary positioning as BKV.
• Cuningham Group: Minneapolis-based architecture and design-build firm with combined architecture and interior design practice serving multifamily, hospitality, and commercial markets — direct local peer in BKV's home market.
• LHB: Minneapolis-headquartered integrated design firm offering architecture, engineering, and planning with strong civic, housing, and public-safety portfolios; competes with BKV in Minnesota and Midwest markets.

Broad incumbents

• HDR: Global architecture and engineering firm with substantial civic, justice, and healthcare practices — much larger than BKV but competes on the same public-sector RFPs and infrastructure programs.
• HOK: Global architecture and engineering practice with leading civic, justice, sports, and healthcare practices; competes with BKV for marquee county justice complexes and large institutional commissions.
• Gensler: Largest global design firm with extensive civic, hospitality, mixed-use, and residential practices; competes with BKV on the largest developer-led and corporate commissions.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/111826
• Instagraminstagram.com/bkv_group
• Xx.com/bkvgroup
• Facebookfacebook.com/bkvgroup

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 BKV Group