What Duncan Wisniewski Architecture does

Duncan Wisniewski Architecture is a privately held architecture firm founded in 1985 in Burlington, Vermont, by Bob Duncan and Michael Wisniewski. The firm provides professional architecture, design, and construction administration services across residential, commercial, healthcare, educational, and public projects, with a primary focus on affordable multi-family housing for non-profit developers. Its portfolio is organized into eight service categories — DWELL, INVIGORATE, WORK, PUBLIC, HEAL, LEARN, QUIRKY, and MASTER PLANNING — and includes signature projects such as Elm Place (the first certified multi-family Passive House in Vermont, PHIUS-certified 2017), Liberty House (historic orphanage adaptive reuse), the multi-phase Cambrian Rise master-planned community, and multiple facilities for the Committee on Temporary Shelter (COTS).

The firm's technical differentiation rests on PHIUS-certified Passive House expertise (Michael Wisniewski, CPHC since 2012; Arthur Chukhman, CPHD since 2016), an integrated carbon calculator within Vectorworks design software verified by BEAM for embodied carbon analysis, and trauma-informed design methodologies applied to healthcare and homeless-services facilities. Certifications held include PHIUS, Enterprise Green Communities, LEED BD&C, and NGBS Gold. The team has completed over 500 units of affordable housing in Vermont and has won recognition from PHIUS, AIA Vermont, Preservation Trust of Vermont, Efficiency Vermont, and the AGC of Vermont.

The business model is professional services fee-based, with project pricing determined by scope, complexity, and scale on a quote basis; no public pricing or recurring SaaS revenue exists. Go-to-market is enterprise field sales through direct engagement with non-profit housing developers, government agencies, and healthcare organizations via RFPs, partnerships, and long-term collaborative relationships. The firm operates exclusively within Vermont, employs 11-50 staff, and is privately held with no external investors. Principals Sam Beall and Taryn Barrett now lead the firm following the retirement of co-founder Bob Duncan, with co-founder Michael Wisniewski continuing as a principal.

Name

Duncan Wisniewski Architecture

Legal name

Duncan Wisniewski Architecture

Website

https://duncanwisniewski.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1985

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Duncan Wisniewski Architecture is a Burlington, Vermont-based architecture firm founded in 1985 that provides sustainable design services, including Passive House-certified affordable housing, to non-profit housing developers, healthcare organizations, and public-sector clients across Vermont.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Architectural Design Services

NAICS

Architectural Services (54131), Architectural Services (541310), Residential Remodelers (236118)

akta.pro primary industry

Architectural Design Services (BPAHAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Residential Green / High-Performance Home Construction (Net-Zero, Passive House) (IMAFABAH), Architectural Reconfiguration & Structural Alterations (HSAPAEAB)

Keywords

• Architectural design services
• Passive house design
• Affordable housing architecture
• Sustainable building design
• Historic renovation services

Headquarters

HQ city

Burlington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Architecture Design Services: Professional architecture and design services for residential, commercial, healthcare, and public projects. Revenue generated through design fees, project management, and construction administration services for projects ranging from small renovations to large-scale multi-family housing developments.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Duncan Wisniewski Architecture is a Vermont-based architecture practice that provides architectural design, renovation, adaptive reuse, master planning, and construction administration services for residential, commercial, healthcare, public, and educational projects. The firm specializes in sustainable and low-carbon design, including PHIUS-certified Passive House consulting, and is best known for work with non-profit housing developers, having completed over 500 units of affordable housing in Vermont. Projects range from small renovations to large multi-family housing developments and trauma-informed community facilities.

Product overview

Duncan Wisniewski Architecture is a Vermont-based architecture firm established in 1985, offering comprehensive architectural services across eight portfolio categories: DWELL (residential/multi-family housing), INVIGORATE (renovations/adaptive reuse), WORK (commercial/office), PUBLIC (community facilities), HEAL (healthcare), LEARN (educational), QUIRKY (creative/design competitions), and MASTER PLANNING (neighborhood development). The firm specializes in sustainable, low-carbon design with Passive House expertise and has completed hundreds of projects including over 500 units of affordable housing. Notable projects include Elm Place (first VT multi-family Passive House), Cambrian Rise master-planned community, Liberty House historic renovation, and various healthcare/educational facilities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• DWELL Portfolio — Residential Architecture Services

Quantifiable outcome

• Elm Place reduces greenhouse gas emissions through Passive House standards - first certified multi-family Passive House in Vermont
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers8 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

Feature3 records

Partnerships

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

• Windham & Windsor Housing TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDevelopment partner for Central & Main affordable housing project in Windsor, VT. DWA designed the 25-unit building that won Best Builders Award for New Green Construction.
• EvernorthcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOngoing partnership with Evernorth (formerly Housing Vermont) on multiple affordable housing developments including New Avenue and Central & Main. Evernorth provides financing and development expertise while DWA provides design services.
• RuralEdgemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner on New Avenue project in St. Johnsbury for rehabilitation of historic hotel building. RuralEdge handled residential floor restoration while DWA provided design guidance.
• Champlain Housing TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-term partner on multiple projects including Harrington Village (42 units), Post Apartments (38 units), and other housing developments. DWA serves as design architect for their affordable housing pipeline.
• Committee on Temporary Shelter (COTS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOngoing partnership on homeless services facilities including COTS North Avenue (offices, daystation, 14 transitional apartments), COTS 58 Pearl Street, and Main Street Family Housing. DWA designs facilities that support COTS mission.
• Cathedral Square CorporationmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership on senior housing projects including Wright House (36 senior apartments with NGBS Gold certification) and Richmond Terrace deep energy retrofit.
• Chittenden Emergency Food ShelfminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDesign partner for food shelf facility expansion including hot meals program, food distribution center, and community kitchen academy.
• Feeding Champlain ValleyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCurrent partnership for renovation and addition project including teaching kitchen and office space for food distribution organization.
• Pittsford Community GroupminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on community center development in Pittsford including childcare center, community spaces, and apartments.
• Efficiency VermontmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership on energy efficiency projects. Richmond Terrace received Efficiency Vermont's Rehab Construction Honor Award. Collaborated on energy modeling and building science.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Bread Loaf Corporation: Vermont-based architecture, planning, and building science firm with comparable size and portfolio breadth across residential, educational, and community projects. Comparable as a regional, mid-sized architecture practice rooted in Vermont serving institutional and non-profit clients.
• TruexCullins: Burlington, Vermont architecture and interior design firm of similar size serving commercial, residential, healthcare, and educational clients. Directly comparable regional peer with overlapping service lines in mid-sized Vermont institutional and private-sector work.
• Vermont Integrated Architecture (VIA): Vermont-based architecture firm offering residential, commercial, and sustainable design services with strong regional focus. Comparable as a small-to-mid Vermont practice emphasizing sustainable design and community-oriented projects.
• Black River Design: Brandon, Vermont architecture firm specializing in educational, residential, and community projects of similar scale. Directly comparable as a Vermont regional peer; additionally connected through former intern employment of a DWA principal.
• LDa Architecture & Interiors: Cambridge, Massachusetts architecture and interiors firm focused on custom residential and boutique commercial projects. Comparable as a similarly-sized, design-led practice; further connected through prior employment of a DWA architect.
• Smith Alvarez Sienkiewycz Architects: Syracuse, New York architecture firm with comparable small-firm profile serving residential, commercial, and community clients. Comparable as a similarly-sized practice; additionally connected through prior employment of a DWA architect.

Broad incumbents

• Bruner/Cott Architects: Cambridge, Massachusetts architecture firm specializing in adaptive reuse, historic preservation, and sustainable design for cultural, educational, and residential clients. Comparable in INVIGORATE-style renovation expertise and sustainability focus, but operates at larger scale and broader geographic reach.
• Ann Beha Architects: Boston-based architecture firm focused on cultural, civic, educational, and residential projects with an emphasis on contextual and sustainable design. Comparable in design quality and institutional project profile, though larger and more nationally oriented.
• Payette: Boston-based architecture firm focused on healthcare, science, and academic facilities with strong sustainable design leadership. Comparable in healthcare/sustainable design expertise, though larger in scale and primarily serving institutional clients.

Emerging players

• TreanorHL: National architecture and engineering firm with recognized practice in justice, civic, and community facility design. Comparable in mission-driven institutional work (DWA partnered with TreanorHL on a juvenile rehabilitation feasibility study) but with much broader scale and reach.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 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 Duncan Wisniewski Architecture