DiMella Shaffer

Name

DiMella Shaffer

Legal name

DiMella Shaffer

Website

https://dimellashaffer.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1965

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Architectural and Interior Design Services

NAICS

Architectural Services (541310), Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services (5413)

SIC

Services-Engineering Services (8711)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Engagement & Participatory Planning (BPAHAKAO)

Keywords

• Architectural design services
• Sustainable building design
• Senior living architecture
• Academic campus planning
• Interior design services

Headquarters

HQ city

Boston

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

Revenue model

1. Architecture and Interior Design Services: Professional architecture, interior design, and planning services for building projects across multiple sectors including academic, senior living, residential, science+tech, workplace, and interiors. Revenue generated through design fees for new construction, renovation, and adaptive reuse projects.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

DiMella Shaffer is a full-service architecture, interior design, and planning firm delivering new construction, renovation, and adaptive reuse projects across academic, senior living, residential, science+tech, and workplace sectors. Services are integrated with deep expertise in sustainable, high-performance building design, including passive house certification (Phius CORE 2021), LEED-certified design, mass timber structural systems, Massachusetts energy code compliance, and early-stage energy modeling. The firm is engaged directly by institutional owners and developers on a project-by-project basis through negotiated professional services contracts.

Product overview

DiMella Shaffer is a full-service architecture, interior design, and planning firm based in Boston, MA. Their core offerings span architecture design services and interior design across five market sectors: Academic, Science + Tech, Senior Living, Residential, and Workplace. The firm's service architecture combines core design services with specialized modules including Passive House design consulting (via Phius CORE 2021), energy code compliance services (with energy code maps and decision trees), mass timber design (participating in BPDA/BSA Mass Timber Accelerator Program), and early-stage energy modeling using Sefaira. Projects range from new construction to adaptive reuse, with notable focus on sustainable, high-performance buildings targeting LEED certification and passive house standards.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Architecture Design Services Full-service architecture design for new construction, renovation, and adaptive reuse projects across academic, science+tech, senior living, residential, and workplace market sectors.
• Interior Design Services Interior design services integrated with architectural projects, covering space planning, finishes, furnishings, and tenant fit-outs for institutional and workplace clients.
• Planning Services Precinct planning and campus master planning for academic and residential communities, supporting long-horizon capital plans and multiphase developments.

Quantifiable outcome

• Crimson Hall uses 23% less energy and 30% less water than similar residence halls
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers15 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered core, supporting and flagship.

• WSPcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMechanical engineering partner for the first Passive House certified medical office building project in the U.S. WSP collaborated with DiMella Shaffer to determine building ventilation requirements and compliance pathways for the 4-story, 110,000 SF ambulatory care center in Quincy Center.
• Steven Winter AssociatescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSustainability consultant guiding the core and shell and tenant fit-out for the Passive House certified medical office building. Partnered with DiMella Shaffer to navigate Phius CORE 2021 certification pathway.
• SwegonsupportingTechnology or IntegrationProvider of React Dampers for the Passive House medical office building project. These dampers reduce ventilation by 50% during unoccupied hours, contributing to energy efficiency goals.
• Boston Planning & Development Agency (BPDA)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-creator of the Mass Timber Accelerator Program with Boston Society of Architects. BPDA provided grant funding and technical feedback for seven selected Boston-area projects including DiMella Shaffer's Project Q.
• Boston Society of Architects (BSA)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-creator of the Mass Timber Accelerator Program with BPDA. Facilitated weekly group meetings, midpoint and final pin-up presentations, and final report development for participating architects, engineers, and contractors.
• Project Q CommunitiescoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerDeveloper partner for Project Q mass timber LGBTQ-friendly senior housing at Suffolk Downs in East Boston. Project Q Communities partnered with OnePoint Partners and HYM Investment Group on this 205-unit development.
• OnePoint PartnerscoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerDeveloper partner for Project Q mass timber senior housing development at Suffolk Downs, East Boston. One of three development partners including Project Q Communities and HYM Investment Group.
• HYM Investment GroupcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerDeveloper partner for Project Q mass timber senior housing at Suffolk Downs, East Boston. Part of the development consortium with Project Q Communities and OnePoint Partners.
• L.A. FuesssupportingTechnology or IntegrationStructural engineers for Project Q mass timber project who collaborated with DiMella Shaffer to develop typical bay spacing of 25', 16', 25' across the building width.
• Andropogon (Philadelphia)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLandscape architecture partner for Phoebe Ministries 254-acre campus project in Wernersville, PA. Andropogon worked with DiMella Shaffer on design inspired by agricultural and spiritual history of the site.
• Holst ArchitecturesupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerArchitecture partner for Olympia Place project in Amherst, MA. DiMella Shaffer collaborated with Holst Architecture of Portland, OR on this 98,000 SF wood construction student housing building.
• Walsh BrotherscoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerConstruction management partner for Marsh Hall project at Salem State University. Teamed with DiMella Shaffer to meet delivery, schedule, and budget requirements for the 535-bed residence hall.
• Cutler AssociatescoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerConstruction management partner for Hawk Hall project at University of Hartford. DiMella Shaffer worked in association with Cutler Associates on the 210-bed undergraduate residence hall.
• MacRostie Historic AdvisorssupportingImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerHistoric preservation consultants for Mystic Waterworks Pumping Station adaptive reuse project. MHA helped navigate Secretary of Interior's Standards and coordinated with Massachusetts Historical Commission and National Park Service for historic tax credit compliance.
• Pennrose CompaniescoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerNational housing developer and repeat client on multiple projects including The Pryde (LGBTQ-affirming senior housing), Mary D. Stone Senior Apartments, and other affordable and market-rate housing developments.
• LGBTQ Senior Housing InccoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerNon-profit partner founded in 2018 focused on providing safe and affirming housing for LGBTQ older adults. Co-developer with Pennrose on The Pryde, New England's first LGBTQ-affirming affordable senior housing.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• NBBJ: National architecture firm with significant higher education and healthcare/senior living practices. Competes for institutional mandates with broader geographic footprint and larger scale.
• CannonDesign: National architecture firm with deep senior living, healthcare, and academic expertise. Directly competes in senior living design with greater geographic reach and consolidated service offerings.
• Perkins&Will: Large global architecture firm with a strong Boston presence serving academic, healthcare, and senior living clients. Competes on sustainability credentials but offers broader geographic reach and service lines.
• HGA (Hammel, Green and Abrahamson): National architecture and engineering firm with deep senior living, healthcare, and academic practices. Comparable in scale and serves similar institutional client base across multiple geographies.

Direct peers

• Sasaki Associates: Boston-based planning, architecture, and landscape design firm with significant higher education and urban planning practices. Comparable in size and scope, serving academic and institutional clients in New England.
• EwingCole: Mid-sized architecture firm with comparable senior living, healthcare, and academic practices. Similar scale and direct competition in institutional design markets, including senior living.
• Payette: Boston-based architecture firm specializing in academic, healthcare, and science+tech facilities with strong sustainability credentials. Directly competes with DiMella Shaffer in the same New England higher education and institutional markets.
• Stevens & Wilkinson: Architecture and engineering firm with academic and senior living practices. Comparable mid-size firm competing for institutional projects with similar service offerings.
• SMMA (Symmes Maini & McKee Associates): Cambridge, MA-based architecture, engineering, and interiors firm with comparable academic and institutional client base. Similar employee scale and regional New England focus as DiMella Shaffer.

Regional players

• LLB Architects: Pacific Northwest architecture firm specializing in senior living, multifamily, and academic projects. Comparable in scale and senior living focus but operates in different regional geography.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/dimella-shaffer
• Instagraminstagram.com/dimellashaffer
• Facebookfacebook.com/dimella-shaffer-307472640888

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 DiMella Shaffer