Latent Design

What Latent Design does

Latent Design is a privately held, Chicago-based architecture and urban design firm founded in 2010 by Katherine Darnstadt and registered as an Illinois Benefit Corporation. The firm specializes in community-engaged, participatory design for public sector, nonprofit, and mission-driven private clients, with a portfolio spanning new construction community facilities (Boys & Girls Clubs Rusu-McCartin Club, Reichardt Community Recreation Center), adaptive reuse (Forty Acres Fresh Market, Lathrop Advancement Center), transit-oriented multifamily housing (The Rise, Austin United), and urban design/public realm projects (Heart of the City, Discovery Walk, Morgan Shoal Revetment).

The firm operates an interdisciplinary team of architects, planners, data analysts, landscape architects, and arborists, supplemented by a network of strategic partners including AECOM, Kimley-Horn, Coen + Partners, SOM, and MA Architecture for engineering, landscape, and large-firm collaboration. Its proprietary methodology emphasizes 10–20+ community meetings and prototyping events before formal design, and its proprietary Boombox product (a prefabricated retail kiosk co-developed with Chicago DOT) represents the firm's one scaled physical product offering. Selected projects embed sensor-actuated and data-driven installations (e.g., Heart of the City's color-changing art responding to Mayo Clinic events).

The business model is project-based professional services revenue, with fees negotiated through competitive government bidding, invited design competitions, and direct contracts with private developers and nonprofits. The firm holds MBE, WBE, and DBE certifications providing preferential access to diversity-mandated public procurement, and is licensed via NCARB across Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin. Geographic focus is concentrated in the Midwest (Chicago metropolitan area, Des Moines, Rochester MN, Detroit, Gary IN), with no external institutional funding or ownership beyond the founders and principals.

Name

Latent Design

Legal name

Latent Design

Website

https://latentdesign.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Latent Design is a Chicago-based Benefit Corporation architecture firm that uses participatory, community-engaged design to deliver civic buildings, adaptive reuse, affordable housing, and public realm projects primarily for government, nonprofit, and mission-driven developer clients across the Midwest.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Architectural Services

NAICS

Architectural Services (54131), Interior Design Services (54141)

akta.pro primary industry

Architectural Design Services (BPAHAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Urban Planning & Master Planning (BPAHAKAD), Interior Design Services (BPAHAKAB)

Keywords

• Community architecture services
• Urban design planning
• Adaptive reuse design
• Participatory community design
• Transit-oriented development

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Architecture and Design Services: Professional architecture and design services for community buildings, urban design, adaptive reuse, and public space projects. Revenue generated through design fees, consulting fees, and project-based engagements with government agencies, developers, and community organizations.
2. Boombox Prefabricated Kiosk Product: Prefabricated retail kiosks (Boombox) providing affordable short-term retail opportunities for local entrepreneurs. Developed concept, corresponding municipal policy, and constructed final product. Up to 10 structures created between 2016-2018.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Latent Design is an architecture and urban design firm that provides professional design services for community buildings, public spaces, adaptive reuse projects, and transit-oriented developments through a participatory, community-engaged design process. Its core work spans architecture, urban design, interiors, master planning, and community engagement, serving government agencies, nonprofit organizations, healthcare institutions, and private developers, with the proprietary Boombox prefabricated retail kiosk as a distinct product offering.

Product overview

Latent Design is a progressive Chicago-based architecture firm offering a comprehensive portfolio of design services spanning architecture, urban design, placemaking, interiors, and planning. Their core offerings include new construction community buildings (such as the Boys and Girls Clubs Rusu-McCartin Club and Reichardt Community Recreation Center), adaptive reuse projects (Forty Acres Fresh Market, Lathrop Homes), mixed-use developments (The Rise, Austin United), and public space/urban design initiatives (Heart of the City, Discovery Walk). The firm also offers proprietary products like Boombox prefabricated retail kiosks. Their approach emphasizes participatory community engagement and sustainable design with LEED certification. Services include master planning, feasibility studies, and concept design through construction administration.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Boombox: Prefabricated retail kiosk for affordable short-term retail opportunities or offices for local entrepreneurs

Products and services

• Architecture Services Full-scope architectural design services including new construction, adaptive reuse, and interior design for community buildings, civic facilities, recreation centers, housing, and mixed-use developments, delivered for government, nonprofit, and private developer clients across the Midwest.
• Urban Design Services Urban design and public realm services for plazas, parkways, corridor studies, and transit-oriented developments, integrating data-driven art, sustainable landscape architecture, and community-led placemaking for public, nonprofit, and private clients.
• Community Engagement Services Participatory community engagement services that engage neighborhoods through 10-20+ community meetings, prototyping events, and co-design workshops to shape project visions and inform architectural and planning decisions.
• Master Planning and Feasibility Studies Master planning, feasibility studies, and concept design through construction administration services for civic, community, and developer clients, supporting corridor studies, transit-oriented development plans, and large-scale community master plans.
• Boombox Prefabricated Retail Kiosk Proprietary prefabricated retail kiosk designed for high-volume public spaces, providing affordable short-term retail opportunities and offices for local entrepreneurs, developed alongside corresponding municipal policy.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over $3 billion in construction delivered across portfolio
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers12 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

AI capability3 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

23 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Coen + PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProject Lead and Landscape Architecture for Heart of the City project in Rochester, MN. Latent Design worked with Coen + Partners team to design unique benches and movable platforms for public plaza spaces.
• Kimley-HornmajorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerCivil Engineering partner for Heart of the City project. Also partnered on 95th St Corridor Plan and Hazel Crest Creative Arts Center implementation.
• Omni EcosystemsmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLandscape Architecture partner for Boys and Girls Clubs Rusu-McCartin Club. Also partnered on Homan Gateway and Joint Public Safety Training Campus projects.
• BEAR ConstructionmajorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerGeneral Contractor for Boys and Girls Clubs of Chicago Rusu-McCartin Club project. Also partnered on Delta Tau Delta renovation.
• MA ArchitecturecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-Design partner for Reichardt Community Recreation Center in Des Moines, with emphasis on Building Interiors & Community Engagement. Also partnered on North Side Community Recreation Center feasibility study.
• Chicago Architecture CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered on 50 Designers, 50 Ideas, 50 Wards exhibition project. Also partnered on Come Home Chicago missing middle housing initiative.
• Chicago Department of TransportationmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDevelopment partner for Boombox prefabricated retail kiosks. Latent developed the concept, corresponding municipal policy, and constructed the final product.
• Wight & CompanymajorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerArchitect of Record for Alfresco South Chicago placemaking project.
• VDTA (Valerio Dewalt Train Associates)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCompetition winning development partner for Laramie State Bank and Austin United Affordable Housing projects under INVEST South/West initiative.
• McGaw YMCAmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerClient and partner for YMCA Meta Media digital media lab adaptive reuse project in Evanston, IL.
• Smith GroupmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerArchitect of Record for Morgan Shoal Lakefront Revetment project. Multi-agency partnership including Chicago Park District and US Army Corps of Engineers.
• AECOMcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerLead infrastructure consulting firm for 95th St Corridor Plan. Latent supports AECOM in conceptualization of potential development at key opportunity sites.
• SOM (Skidmore, Owings & Merrill)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner on Altenheim Line Framework Plan for rails and trails greenway along CSX corridor through North Lawndale.
• FGMAmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerArchitect of Record for Joint Public Safety Training Campus Masterplan, working with Latent on Phase 1A development.
• Steans Family FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFunding and strategic partner for BLK+BRWN Market co-working and co-retail project supporting Black and Brown-owned businesses.
• Valerio Dewalt Train AssociatescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerArchitect of Record for Austin United Affordable Housing project. Latent co-designed with emphasis on Public Interiors & Community Engagement.
• Milhouse Engineering and ConstructionmajorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerContractor for Forty Acres Fresh Market $5 million adaptive reuse project. Also partnered on Chicago Community Justice Foundation project.
• Related MidwestcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDeveloper partner for Lathrop Homes revitalization, one of Chicago's largest New Deal-era housing projects being redeveloped as mixed-income community.
• Cook County Public DefendercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerClient partner for Roseland Freedom Defense Center, first-of-its-kind community defense center designed with input from residents and formerly incarcerated individuals.
• Hartshorne Plunkard ArchitecturemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLead architecture firm for North Union adaptive reuse project. Asked Latent to re-design 3-story warehouse from 1920s.
• Michigan Central (Ford Motor Company)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDesigned The Shop retail container for Michigan Central Station reopening celebrations in Detroit, serving crowds of 60,000+ visitors.
• Chicago Architecture BiennialmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for Crossing Lines exhibition exploring how lines impact people of Chicago, hosted at historic Sears Roebuck Complex.
• Mayo Clinic - Destination Medical CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-term client partner for Heart of the City and Discovery Walk projects in Rochester, MN, supporting healthcare destination development.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Studio Gang: Chicago-based architecture and urban design practice led by Jeanne Gang, with a similar mission-driven approach combining civic engagement, sustainability, and research-led design. Both firms are Chicago-headquartered, women-led, and recognized for socially impactful built work at multiple scales.
• Hartshorne Plunkard Architecture: Chicago architecture firm of comparable size and typology, with deep practice in adaptive reuse, mixed-use, and community-oriented residential work. Latent is a documented project partner (lead architecture on North Union adaptive reuse), making the comparison direct on scale, geography, and project type.
• Valerio Dewalt Train Associates: Chicago architecture firm of similar scale with strong community and civic portfolio including affordable housing and urban design. Partnered with Latent on INVEST South/West winning Austin United Affordable Housing, suggesting highly overlapping client base and typology.
• Wight & Company: Midwest-based architecture and planning firm with placemaking and civic project experience. Architect of Record on Latent's Alfresco South Chicago project, indicating directly overlapping capabilities and client base.
• Carol Ross Barney Architects: Chicago small architecture firm with strong civic and transit-oriented work, also led by a recognized female architect. Comparable in scale, mission orientation, and track record of community-centered design.
• Landon Bone Baker Architects: Chicago small architecture firm focused on community-based, mixed-use, and multifamily residential projects. Similar practice size, geographic focus, and social-mission orientation to Latent.

Broad incumbents

• Perkins&Will: Global architecture firm with a strong Chicago presence and meaningful healthcare, civic, and community practice. Competes for the same large public sector commissions but with significantly broader capabilities and a much larger bench.
• Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM): Global architecture and urban design firm with established Chicago presence. Partnered with Latent on the Altenheim Line Framework Plan, demonstrating overlap at the urban design and master planning scale.
• Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture: Chicago-based global architecture firm with practice in public realm, urban design, and large-scale civic projects. Comparable in geographic base and urban design footprint, but competes in much larger project typologies.

Emerging players

• Site Design Group: Chicago landscape architecture firm with strong practice in public realm, urban design, and community-engaged projects. Overlaps with Latent on Heart of the City-style urban design commissions and shares a similar Chicago-community focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/latent_design
• Facebookfacebook.com/latentdesign
• Instagraminstagram.com/latent_design
• TikToktiktok.com/@latent_design
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/latent-design

Compliance6 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 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 Latent Design