Ae Works
Ae Works is a Pittsburgh-based architecture and engineering firm delivering integrated building design and consulting services — architecture, engineering, planning, project services, and security risk management — to federal agencies, healthcare systems, universities, and commercial clients across the United States.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2007
- HeadquartersSewickley, United States
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Ae Works does
AE Works is a privately held architecture and engineering firm founded in 2007 by Michael Cherock, PE, headquartered in Sewickley (Pittsburgh metropolitan area), Pennsylvania, with a regional office in Arlington, Virginia serving federal government clients. The firm delivers integrated building design and consulting services — spanning architecture, interior design, mechanical/electrical/plumbing engineering, planning, project services, security risk management, and owner's representation — through a single multidisciplinary team model. Its core customer base is concentrated in federal government (notably the Department of Veterans Affairs, with VHA projects executed in all 50 states totaling over $500 million in construction), healthcare systems (Allegheny Health Network, UPMC), and higher education institutions (Penn State, SUNY, University of Vermont, Duquesne, Bowie State, among 140+ campuses served via the WTW Architects acquisition). The firm has delivered more than $3 billion in building projects spanning 100 million square feet across its 18-year history.
The business operates on a project-based professional services model with custom scoping, qualifications-based selection for public sector work, and multi-year contract cadences. Revenue is generated through fee-for-service architecture and engineering engagements plus ancillary owners-representation and security risk management services; pricing is not publicly disclosed. Go-to-market is exclusively direct enterprise sales targeting federal agencies, healthcare systems, universities, and commercial clients — with no channel partner or reseller model. In March 2024, AE Works acquired WTW Architects (a 65-year-old higher education design firm), making it the largest Pittsburgh-headquartered A/E firm with over 100 professionals. The firm is recognized across 18 industry lists in the 2025 BD+C Giants 400 Report, has appeared on the Architectural Record Top 300 for seven consecutive years, and has been named to the Inc. 5000 list seven times. Marketing is driven primarily by CEO thought leadership, project case studies, award recognition, and earned media rather than paid acquisition channels.
Ae Works firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Ae Works
- Legal name
- AE Works Ltd.
- Website
- https://aeworks.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2007
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Ae Works is a Pittsburgh-based architecture and engineering firm delivering integrated building design and consulting services — architecture, engineering, planning, project services, and security risk management — to federal agencies, healthcare systems, universities, and commercial clients across the United States.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Ae Works industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Architecture and Engineering Services
- NAICS
- Architectural Services (54131), Engineering Services (541330), Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services (5413)
- SIC
- Services-Engineering Services (8711)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Systems Engineering & Technical Program Management (BPAHAIAI)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- EHS Management Systems & ISO Consulting (ISO 14001/45001) (BPAHAJAF)
Keywords
Where Ae Works is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Sewickley
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Ae Works business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Architecture and Engineering Professional Services: Full-service building design and consulting including architecture, interior design, engineering, planning, project services, and security risk management for projects spanning from concept through construction documentation and oversight.
- Owners Representation: Construction professionals provide estimating, scheduling, and oversight services as owners representation on building projects.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Project-based professional services with custom scoping |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels7 records
Ae Works product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Ae Works is an integrated architecture and engineering firm that designs and manages building projects from concept through construction documentation and oversight for healthcare, federal/state/local government, higher education, mission critical, commercial, science and technology, recreation and wellness, and energy and infrastructure clients. The firm delivers architecture and interior design, M/E/P building systems engineering, planning, security risk management, and owners representation as a single unified team. Following the March 2024 acquisition of WTW Architects, the firm employs more than 100 professionals.
Product overview
AE Works is a building design and consulting firm that offers integrated architecture and engineering services through a unified team approach. The core offerings include Architecture and Interior Design Services, Building Systems Engineering, Planning + Project Services, Security Risk Management, and Owners Representation. These services are organized around specialized project categories: Mission Critical (data centers), Commercial and Workplace, Healthcare, Government (federal, state, local), Science and Technology (research labs), Recreation and Wellness, Higher Education (student unions, housing, dining, academic facilities), and Energy and Infrastructure. In March 2024, AE Works acquired WTW Architects, a Pittsburgh-based national leader in higher education design, significantly expanding the firm's capabilities and professional count to over 100 professionals.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- WTW Architects: A national leader in higher education design with a 65-year legacy of notable Pittsburgh projects. WTW Architects joined AE Works as an acquired brand in March 2024.
Products and services
- Architecture and Interior Design Services Comprehensive architectural and interior design services from concept through construction documentation, covering creative visioning, space planning, stakeholder communication materials, and interior design for healthcare, higher education, government, mission critical, commercial, and science and technology buildings.
- Building Systems Engineering Mechanical, electrical, plumbing and structural engineering services solving building systems problems and designing for sustainable performance across buildings and infrastructure projects, delivered by the same integrated team as the architectural practice.
- Planning + Project Services Analysis, consulting, management, and execution solutions that wrap around architecture and engineering to deliver better value on clients' critical building projects; led by a Principal-level practice and used for projects spanning more than 5 million square feet.
- Security Risk Management Security risk evaluation services in which occupational health and safety professionals assess projects for workplace safety and mitigation of potential hazards, including VA Physical Security Design requirements for federal healthcare facilities.
- Owners Representation Construction professionals providing estimating, scheduling oversight, and construction administration services on behalf of project owners throughout design and delivery.
- Healthcare Facility Design Architecture, engineering, and consulting for in-patient, outpatient, and senior care facilities, including surgical suites, pediatric specialty centers, and primary health buildings; supported by the firm's track record of 200+ healthcare projects across all 50 states.
- Higher Education Facility Design Design of student unions, student housing, dining facilities, libraries, and academic buildings for universities; enhanced by the March 2024 acquisition of WTW Architects and the firm's history on more than 140 college and university campuses.
- Government and Federal Facility Design Architecture and engineering for federal, state, and local government projects including VA healthcare facilities, federal research campuses, public safety buildings, and toll-road maintenance facilities; pursued through Qualifications-Based Selection procurement.
- Mission Critical Facility Design Specialized architecture and engineering for data centers, data and telecom upgrades, and mission critical infrastructure systems requiring high availability, security, and infrastructure reliability; ranked among the top Data Center Architecture firms by BD+C.
- Commercial and Workplace Facility Design Architecture, engineering, and interior design for office, multi-family housing, parking garages, retail, and hospitality projects, including post-pandemic workplace reimagining.
- WTW Architects (acquired brand) Higher education design, commercial architecture, and healthcare architecture delivered under the WTW Architects brand, retained as a wholly owned subsidiary following AE Works' March 2024 acquisition, with a 65-year legacy including notable Pittsburgh projects.
Quantifiable outcome
- Over $3 billion in building projects spanning 100 million square feet delivered
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Ae Works
Customer profileNamed customers18 records
Segments8 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Ae Works technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Ae Works partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- WTW ArchitectsflagshipAE Works acquired WTW Architects, a national leader in higher education design with 65-year legacy, effective March 15, 2024. The acquisition combines over 100 professionals, making AE Works one of the largest architectural firms in the Pittsburgh region. WTW Architects brings expertise in higher education projects spanning over 140 campuses, including work on Acrisure Stadium, Fifth Avenue Place, and University of Pittsburgh William Pitt Union.
Scale indicators9 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Ae Works competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- HDR: Employee-owned A/E firm with healthcare, higher education, government and infrastructure design practices; a broader incumbent competing with AE Works on federal and institutional capital programs.
- Perkins&Will: Much larger global architecture practice with deep healthcare, higher education and government portfolios that competes head-to-head with AE Works for marquee federal, university and health-system commissions.
- HOK: Global A/E practice with strong healthcare, higher education, science and government design practices, competing against AE Works for the same tier of institutional clients at a much larger scale.
- Stantec: Large global engineering, architecture and environmental services firm that competes with AE Works on energy/infrastructure, healthcare and government work and has the scale to underbid mid-sized peers on large programs.
Direct peers
- Ballinger: Architecture and engineering practice with deep healthcare, higher education and science/research experience, comparable in size and project types to AE Works' integrated-delivery model.
- DLR Group: Employee-owned integrated design firm delivering architecture and engineering for civic, higher education, healthcare and government clients across the U.S., comparable to AE Works in scale and segment breadth.
- CannonDesign: Mid-to-large integrated A/E design firm with overlapping healthcare, higher education, science and government verticals and similar multidisciplinary delivery model — the closest comparable in size and vertical mix to AE Works.
- SmithGroup: Integrated architecture and engineering firm with deep healthcare, higher education, science & technology and government practices — a strong size and segment analogue to AE Works.
- Flad Architects: Design firm specializing in healthcare, higher education and science facilities, similar in scale and integrated-services approach to AE Works and overlapping on many of the same institutional client types.
- EwingCole: Mid-size architecture and engineering firm headquartered in the Mid-Atlantic with a heavy healthcare and higher education portfolio, closely comparable to AE Works on geography and verticals served.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Ae Works social profiles
Digital presenceAe Works financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Ae Works leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles9 records
Ae Works subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Ae Works funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Ae Works M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A1 record
Investments1 record
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Ae Works
What does Ae Works do?
Ae Works is an integrated architecture and engineering firm that designs and manages building projects from concept through construction documentation and oversight for healthcare, federal/state/local government, higher education, mission critical, commercial, science and technology, recreation and wellness, and energy and infrastructure clients. The firm delivers architecture and interior design, M/E/P building systems engineering, planning, security risk management, and owners representation as a single unified team. Following the March 2024 acquisition of WTW Architects, the firm employs more than 100 professionals.
Is Ae Works a public or private company?
Ae Works is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Ae Works founded?
Ae Works was founded in 2007. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Ae Works based?
Ae Works is headquartered in Sewickley, United States, in the North America region.
How does Ae Works make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Architecture and Engineering Professional Services are the primary driver. The others are owners Representation.
Who are Ae Works's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are HDR, Perkins&Will, HOK and Stantec. Direct peers are Ballinger, DLR Group, CannonDesign, SmithGroup, Flad Architects and EwingCole.
Does Ae Works have an API?
No public API is recorded for Ae Works.
What industry is Ae Works in?
Ae Works's product category is Architecture and Engineering Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAHAIAI, Systems Engineering & Technical Program Management, with a secondary code of BPAHAJAF, EHS Management Systems & ISO Consulting (ISO 14001/45001). Its NAICS code is 54131 and its SIC code is 8711.