Lerch Bates

What Lerch Bates does

Lerch Bates is a global technical consulting firm providing building performance services across the full lifecycle of structures, from design and construction through management, investigation, and repair/modernization. The company organizes its offering under a Total Building Performance framework that integrates two core specializations: Building Science (envelope, facade, waterproofing, testing, forensics, and enclosure commissioning) and Building Flow (vertical transportation, pedestrian circulation, parking consulting, and building logistics), supported by specialized service modules including Vertical Transportation, Building Enclosures, Building Logistics, Parking Consulting, Pedestrian Circulation, Forensics, Facade Access, Testing & Commissions, and the LB Solutions lifecycle asset management program.

The underlying technology is domain expertise delivered through senior consulting staff averaging 25+ years of industry experience, codified into methodologies, documented across 386 reference projects in 50 countries, and protected as intellectual property in trademarked programs such as Total Building Performance and LB Solutions. Headquartered in Denver, Colorado with roughly 28 disclosed offices across the United States plus the United Kingdom, India, and Turkey, and 100% employee-owned through an ESOP, the firm has expanded capabilities via four acquisitions since 2019 (Pie Consulting & Engineering, AXIS Facades USA, Studio NYL, and BECS Technology).

Revenue is generated on a project-based professional services model, with fees structured as hourly consulting engagements, fixed-price project work, and multi-year retainer arrangements, sold through a sales-led, relationship-based go-to-market motion targeting architects, general contractors, developers, institutional owners, and risk managers.

Name

Lerch Bates

Legal name

Lerch Bates Inc.

Website

https://lerchbates.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1946

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Lerch Bates is a global, ESOP-owned technical consulting firm providing building performance services (Building Science and Building Flow) across design, construction, management, investigation, and modernization for architects, contractors, developers, and institutional owners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Englewood

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices31 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Technical Consulting Services: Project-based professional consulting services across building lifecycle phases including design, construction, management, investigation, and repair/modernization. Revenue generated through hourly consulting fees, fixed-price project engagements, and retainer arrangements for ongoing client relationships.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Lerch Bates provides technical consulting services for buildings across their entire lifecycle, organized under the Total Building Performance™ framework. The firm specializes in two integrated disciplines — Building Science (envelope, facade, waterproofing, testing, forensics) and Building Flow (vertical transportation, pedestrian circulation, parking, logistics) — serving architects, general contractors, developers/owners, institutional owners, and risk managers through project-based engagements delivered by senior consultants with 25+ years of experience.

Product overview

Lerch Bates is a global technical consulting firm offering a comprehensive suite of building performance services under its Total Building Performance™ approach. The company operates two core specializations—Building Science (covering building exterior and structure performance) and Building Flow (covering movement of people and materials)—along with specialized service modules including Vertical Transportation, Building Enclosures, Building Logistics, Parking Consulting, Pedestrian Circulation, Forensics, Facade Access, and Testing & Commissions. The firm also offers LB Solutions™ for lifecycle asset management. Services are delivered across the complete building lifecycle: Design, Construct, Manage, Investigate, and Repair + Modernize. Founded 75 years ago and 100% employee-owned via ESOP, the company serves projects spanning 50 countries with offices worldwide.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• LB Solutions: Lifecycle asset management and capital planning services
• Total Building Performance
• Building Science
• Building Flow

Products and services

• Total Building Performance™ Integrated technical consulting approach combining Building Science and Building Flow disciplines to ensure optimal building performance throughout the entire building lifecycle — Design, Construct, Manage, Investigate, and Repair + Modernize. Sold to architects, developers, contractors, institutional owners, and risk managers as the firm's overarching service framework.
• Building Science Consulting Services covering building exterior and structure performance including window testing, air barrier testing, building envelope commissioning, enclosure design, waterproofing, facade engineering, and structural assessments. Sold to architects, developers, contractors, and institutional owners seeking technical expertise on building envelope performance.
• Building Flow Consulting Services covering the movement of people, materials, and products within and through buildings, including vertical transportation, pedestrian circulation, parking consulting, and building logistics. Sold to architects, developers, owners, and contractors optimizing building flow.
• Vertical Transportation Consulting Elevator and escalator design, construction, modernization, asset management, and capital planning services for vertical transportation systems. Sold to architects, developers, owners, and institutional clients as the firm's signature 75-year discipline.
• Building Enclosures Consulting Building enclosure and structural consulting services including facade design, waterproofing design, third-party peer reviews, and enclosure commissioning. Sold to architects, developers, and contractors requiring enclosure performance expertise.
• Building Logistics Consulting Services for materials management, waste stream management, and loading dock design to optimize the flow of materials within buildings. Sold to developers, owners, and architects designing or operating large buildings.
• Parking Consulting Parking facility design and consulting including concept and functional designs, assessments, parking access and revenue control systems, guidance systems, and prime design. Sold to developers, owners, and architects designing or retrofitting parking facilities.
• Pedestrian Circulation Consulting Pedestrian flow analysis and simulation services including levels of service assessment, real-time simulations, and design validation for efficient movement within buildings. Sold to architects, developers, and transportation hubs needing pedestrian flow optimization.
• Forensics and Expert Witness Services Forensic engineering and diagnostic testing services including property loss investigations, expert witness services, and construction defect expertise. Sold to insurance carriers, risk managers, and legal counsel requiring technical investigations and courtroom testimony.
• Facade Access Consulting Facade access design and operation services including fall protection solutions and creative approaches to meeting modern architecture challenges. Sold to architects, developers, and owners designing or maintaining high-rise buildings.
• Testing and Commissioning Services Building testing and commissioning services including air barrier testing, window testing, roof leak detection, and compliance testing for LEED, Green Globes, and other sustainability requirements. Sold to contractors, developers, and institutional owners.
• LB Solutions™ Lifecycle Asset Management Lifecycle asset management and capital planning services helping clients optimize long-term building value and plan for future needs. Sold to institutional owners, portfolio managers, and developers managing long-term building assets, including vertical transportation capital planning.

Quantifiable outcome

• LB Solutions drove six figure savings for a client

Named customers3 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• AXIS Facades USAcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 July 2021Lerch Bates completed the acquisition of AXIS Facades USA, a façade and curtain wall design specialist based in California. This acquisition enhances Lerch Bates' service offerings and expands its presence with operations in the United States and internationally.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Simpson Gumpertz & Heger (SGH): Waltham, MA-based engineering firm with deep building enclosure, structural, and building science practices, directly competing with Lerch Bates on facade engineering, waterproofing, and forensic consulting for complex building projects.
• Syska Hennessy Group: Engineering consultancy with vertical transportation, MEP, and building technology consulting practices, mirroring Lerch Bates' combination of vertical transportation design and broader building lifecycle services for institutional clients.
• Atelier Ten: Environmental design consulting firm specializing in building performance, energy modeling, and sustainability—highly comparable to Lerch Bates' testing and commissioning, LEED/Green Globes work, and integrated building science approach.
• Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates (WJE): Northbrook, IL-based engineering consultancy specializing in building envelope, structural, and forensic investigations—directly overlapping Lerch Bates' Building Science, forensics, and enclosure commissioning services for similar institutional and developer clients.
• Cosentini Associates: New York-based MEP and vertical transportation engineering consultancy with a long track record on tall-building projects, directly overlapping Lerch Bates' elevator/escalator consulting and large-project portfolio.
• ME Engineers: Building engineering consultancy focused on MEP, acoustics, and technology systems for complex buildings—comparable to Lerch Bates' integrated Building Flow and Building Science services for high-performance facilities.
• Heintges Consulting Engineers & Architects: New York-based building envelope consulting firm specializing in facade engineering, curtain wall design, and enclosure commissioning—directly competing with Lerch Bates' AXIS Facades USA subsidiary services.

Broad incumbents

• Arup: Global engineering and built-environment consultancy offering building services, facade, sustainability, and vertical transportation consulting across the full project lifecycle—a much larger but overlapping peer to Lerch Bates.
• WSP: Global professional services firm with substantial property and buildings business, including MEP, structural, facade, and vertical transportation consulting—a large-scale peer competing with Lerch Bates on enterprise building projects.
• Stantec: Global engineering, architecture, and environmental consultancy with building performance, commissioning, and sustainability practices—an established incumbent serving similar developer, institutional, and architectural clients.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/lerchbates
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@lerchbates
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/lerch-bates-inc.
• Facebookfacebook.com/lerch-bates-inc-106757832685964

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A4 records

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Lerch Bates