IA Interior Architects
IA Interior Architects is a privately-held, employee-owned interior architecture firm founded in 1984, serving enterprise clients across Corporate Workplace, Hospitality, Retail, and Government sectors through 19 US studios plus London. The firm delivers integrated design, strategy, sustainability, and extended reality services to Fortune 500 corporations, federal agencies, and global hospitality brands.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1984
- HeadquartersSan Francisco, United States
- Headcount501–1,000
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What IA Interior Architects does
IA Interior Architects is a privately-held, employee-owned interior architecture firm founded in 1984 and headquartered in San Francisco. The firm focuses exclusively on interior architecture across four primary market sectors: Corporate Workplace, Hospitality, Retail, and Government. IA serves enterprise clients including Fortune 500 corporations (United Airlines, McDonald's, GitHub, Snap, NetApp, Yext), financial services firms, luxury hospitality brands (Four Seasons, InterContinental), and federal government agencies (DOJ, DHS, EPA, SSA, Department of Education). Notable long-tenured engagements include a confidential financial services firm with 40+ projects across five cities and 1.75M+ SF delivered since 2019.
The firm's service portfolio spans eight integrated offerings: Design, Design Intelligence (data-driven design), Ecos Studio (sustainability consulting supporting SBTi, CDP, and EcoVadis frameworks), Experiential Design, IAXR (Extended Reality for virtual environment collaboration), Lighting Design, Strategy, and Techni. Proprietary methodologies include the Harmonic Principles framework (integrating neuroscience and biophilic design), an in-house research function led by environmental psychologist Dr. Sally Augustin, and first-mover sustainability commitments—IA was the first A&D firm to commit to SBTi near-term and long-term Net Zero 2050 targets. The firm operates 19 US studio locations plus London (Harella House, BREEAM Excellent-rated), with extended Latin American reach through a 2022 strategic partnership with Athié Wohnrath.
IA's business model is project-based professional services with enterprise field sales. Revenue is generated through fee-for-service design engagements spanning strategy, design, experiential graphics, and technical delivery. GTM is direct-to-client with no channel partner or reseller model, supported by thought leadership content marketing (The Harmony Exchange speaker series, research publications, NeoCon CEU sessions) and the internal IAct Awards program. The firm is led by Co-CEOs David Bourke and Tom Powers and is 100% employee-owned through an ESOP structure.
IA Interior Architects firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- IA Interior Architects
- Legal name
- IA Interior Architects
- Website
- https://interiorarchitects.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1984
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 501–1,000 employees
- Short description
- IA Interior Architects is a privately-held, employee-owned interior architecture firm founded in 1984, serving enterprise clients across Corporate Workplace, Hospitality, Retail, and Government sectors through 19 US studios plus London. The firm delivers integrated design, strategy, sustainability, and extended reality services to Fortune 500 corporations, federal agencies, and global hospitality brands.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
IA Interior Architects industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Interior Architecture Services
- NAICS
- Interior Design Services (54141), Interior Design Services (541410), Architectural Services (54131)
- SIC
- Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Interior Design Services (BPAHAKAB)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Architectural Design Services (BPAHAKAA)
Keywords
Where IA Interior Architects is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- San Francisco
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices19 records
Markets served
IA Interior Architects business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Interior Architecture & Design Services: Professional services revenue from providing interior architecture, design, and strategic consulting services to corporate, hospitality, retail, and government clients. Revenue generated through project-based fees for design engagements spanning workplace, hospitality, retail, and government sectors.
- Strategy Consulting: Workplace strategy, sustainability strategy, and experience design consulting embedded within design engagements. Long-term relationships with national accounts.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels8 records
IA Interior Architects product offering
Product offeringCore offering
IA Interior Architects is a global interior architecture and design firm founded in 1984, providing professional services including interior architecture, design intelligence, strategy, sustainability consulting (Ecos Studio), experiential design, lighting design, extended reality (IAXR), and technical design for workplace, hospitality, retail, and government environments. The firm delivers project-based design engagements for enterprise corporations and government agencies through 19 studio locations across the US plus London, with global reach extending to 6 continents through strategic partnerships.
Product overview
IA Interior Architects is a global architecture and design firm offering a comprehensive suite of services organized around interior architecture. The firm operates as a single integrated platform with distinct service offerings including Design, Design Intelligence, Ecos Studio (sustainability), Experiential Design, IAXR (Extended Reality), Lighting Design, Strategy, and Techni. These services span four primary market sectors: Workplace, Hospitality, Retail, and Government. The firm was founded in 1984 and maintains 20 studio locations across the US plus London, with a global presence through partnership with Athié Wohnrath in Latin America. The firm is 100% employee-owned through an ESOP structure.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- IAXR: Extended Reality division creating virtual environments for collaboration and workplace design.
- Ecos Studio
- Athié Wohnrath Partnership
- IA Reach Foundation
Products and services
- Workplace Design Transformative interior architecture services for corporate workplaces including headquarters, tech campuses, financial services offices, and office restacks. Addresses hybrid work transition, return-to-office, employee experience, and workplace agility needs for enterprise clients.
- Hospitality Design Global hospitality interior design services for hotels, spas, resorts, boutique hotels, and lodging environments. Reflects local culture, brand standards, and authentic guest experiences for luxury and brand-standard hospitality clients.
- Retail Design Experiential retail environment design for powerhouse brands, local icons, and market disruptors. Focuses on storytelling, people-centric experiences, flagship stores, and shopping center environments across luxury, grocery, and multi-brand retail.
- Government Services Comprehensive strategy consulting, interior design, and architectural services for Federal, State, and Municipal government agencies. Addresses accessibility compliance, security requirements, sustainability mandates, and budget constraints.
- Strategy Consulting Human-centered strategic consulting for workplace transformation, change management, and experience-driven design. Includes workplace strategy, sustainability strategy, and experience design consulting embedded within design engagements.
- Sustainability Consulting (Ecos Studio) Sustainability-focused consulting studio providing environmental strategy, ESG reporting, and sustainable design expertise. Supports SBTi, CDP, EcoVadis, and AIA 2030 Commitment compliance frameworks. First A&D firm to commit to both SBTi near-term and long-term Net Zero 2050 targets.
- Experiential Design
- IAXR (Extended Reality) Extended Reality services creating virtual environments for workplace collaboration, allowing teams to work in virtual three-dimensional spaces that support organizational culture and design exploration.
- Lighting Design Specialized lighting design services for interior environments, integrating with broader interior architecture projects.
Quantifiable outcome
- 3,000+ metric tons CO2e reduction achieved through United Airlines headquarters decarbonization
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use IA Interior Architects
Customer profileNamed customers33 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
IA Interior Architects technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature5 records
IA Interior Architects partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.
- Athié WohnrathcoreStrategic partnership between two of the largest interiors and architecture firms in the western hemisphere. Combines 1500 professionals in 37 locations to offer multi-faceted perspective on workspaces. Athié Wohnrath brings design-build expertise extending IA's service offerings in Latin America. Ivo Wohnrath and Sergio Athié (Founding Partners of A|W) noted partnership enables relevant exchange of experiences and projects to streamline delivery methodology.
- Brightworks SustainabilitysupportingStrategic partner in creating and maintaining IA Ecos Studio sustainability practice. One of first science-focused sustainable consulting firms in US. Used advanced technical resources to collect emissions data and review for completeness and quality assurance for IA's SBTi commitment.
Scale indicators9 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights6 records
IA Interior Architects competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Gensler: Global A&D powerhouse with a major workplace and hospitality practice spanning offices, retail, and hospitality interior design. Directly comparable as a multi-sector interior architecture competitor serving enterprise clients at greater scale than IA.
- HOK: Global A&D firm with significant workplace, hospitality, and government practices. Comparable scale, sector breadth, and enterprise client roster to IA's four primary verticals.
- Stantec: Large publicly-traded professional services firm with an active interior architecture practice. Co-presented with IA at industry events and competes for similar enterprise, government, and healthcare design mandates.
- JLL (Interior Design / Design Works): Global commercial real estate services firm with an integrated interior design practice competing for workplace and corporate real estate transformation mandates. Co-presented with IA at industry events.
Direct peers
- Perkins&Will: Large multi-discipline architecture and interior design firm serving workplace, healthcare, and corporate clients. IA hired Tom Kasznia from Perkins&Will's Chicago studio, underscoring direct competitive and talent overlap.
- M Moser Associates: Global workplace design and build firm headquartered in Asia with US presence; closest direct competitor on people-centric workplace interior architecture and design-build delivery at multi-national scale.
- Ware Malcomb: US commercial architecture and interior design firm serving office, hospitality, retail, and industrial clients. Direct overlap in workplace interiors and similar mid-to-large project scale; IA hired Marit Jensen from Ware Malcomb.
- Unispace: Global workplace strategy and interior design firm with comparable studio model and Fortune 500 corporate client base. Closely competitive in enterprise workplace transformation engagements.
- Rockwell Group: Hospitality-led design firm with strong cultural and entertainment portfolio. Directly comparable on the hospitality side and a competitor for senior design talent — IA hired Saerom Moon from Rockwell Group.
Regional players
- HKS Architects: US-headquartered A&D firm named alongside IA at NeoCon events. Competes for similar commercial workplace, healthcare, and corporate campus interior engagements.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
IA Interior Architects social profiles
Digital presenceIA Interior Architects compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance7 records
IA Interior Architects financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
IA Interior Architects leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles21 records
IA Interior Architects funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
IA Interior Architects M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about IA Interior Architects
What does IA Interior Architects do?
IA Interior Architects is a global interior architecture and design firm founded in 1984, providing professional services including interior architecture, design intelligence, strategy, sustainability consulting (Ecos Studio), experiential design, lighting design, extended reality (IAXR), and technical design for workplace, hospitality, retail, and government environments. The firm delivers project-based design engagements for enterprise corporations and government agencies through 19 studio locations across the US plus London, with global reach extending to 6 continents through strategic partnerships.
Is IA Interior Architects a public or private company?
IA Interior Architects is a private company. It is classified as management employee owned and is currently operating.
When was IA Interior Architects founded?
IA Interior Architects was founded in 1984. It employs 501 to 1,000 people.
Where is IA Interior Architects based?
IA Interior Architects is headquartered in San Francisco, United States, in the North America region.
How does IA Interior Architects make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Interior Architecture & Design Services are the primary driver. The others are strategy Consulting.
Who are IA Interior Architects's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Gensler, HOK, Stantec and JLL (Interior Design / Design Works). Direct peers are Perkins&Will, M Moser Associates, Ware Malcomb, Unispace and Rockwell Group. HKS Architects is listed as a regional player.
Does IA Interior Architects have an API?
No public API is recorded for IA Interior Architects.
What industry is IA Interior Architects in?
IA Interior Architects's product category is Interior Architecture Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAHAKAB, Interior Design Services, with a secondary code of BPAHAKAA, Architectural Design Services. Its NAICS code is 54141 and its SIC code is 8700.