Alamo Architects

What Alamo Architects does

Alamo Architects is a privately held, multidisciplinary architecture, planning, and interior design firm founded in San Antonio, Texas in 1984 by Irby Hightower, Mike Lanford, and Billy Lawrence. The firm operates as a unified professional services practice organized around eleven service lines — PreK-12 Schools, Higher Education, Multifamily Housing, Healthcare + Research, Civic + Cultural, Animal Care, Retail + Placemaking, Adaptive Reuse, Interior Design, Planning + Urban Design, and Parking Structures — and is led by three founding principals alongside additional principals and senior associates, with a total staff of approximately 70.

The firm serves institutional and public-sector clients across Texas, anchored by long-tenured relationships with Northside ISD, UT Health San Antonio, UTSA, Alamo Colleges, the City of San Antonio, and the San Antonio Humane Society. Revenue is generated through project-based professional services fees (no public pricing), with contract durations typically spanning multi-year design and construction administration cycles. Notable projects include the UT Health Multispecialty and Research Hospital, UT Health Center for Brain Health, UTSA Science & Engineering Building, John Jay High School Fine Arts Facility, Four25 San Pedro, and the adaptive reuse of the Fairmount Hotel. The firm operates from a single headquarters in San Antonio, with one remote employee in Memphis, and engages in strategic joint ventures with Page (healthcare) and Treanor (higher education) on flagship projects.

The firm's market position rests on four decades of brand equity (named TxA Firm of the Year in 2014), deep civic ties to San Antonio, and an unusually credentialed leadership bench that includes multiple FAIA Fellows and past presidents of AIA San Antonio and the Texas Society of Architects. There are no indications of private equity or outside institutional ownership, and the firm does not disclose revenue.

Name

Alamo Architects

Legal name

Alamo Architects, Inc.

Website

https://alamoarchitects.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1984

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Alamo Architects is a privately held, multidisciplinary architecture, planning, and interior design firm founded in 1984 in San Antonio, Texas, serving institutional and public-sector clients — school districts, universities, healthcare systems, and municipal agencies — across Texas through project-based professional services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Architectural Services

NAICS

Architectural Services (54131), Interior Design Services (54141)

SIC

Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

Architectural Design Services (BPAHAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Interior Design Services (BPAHAKAB), Landscape Architecture & Site Design (BPAHAKAC)

Keywords

• Architectural design services
• Planning and urban design
• Interior design services
• Adaptive reuse architecture
• Educational facility design

Headquarters

HQ city

San Antonio

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, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Architectural Design Services: Fee-for-service professional services model providing architecture, planning, interior design, and landscape architecture services to institutional clients including school districts, healthcare systems, universities, developers, and government agencies. Projects range from small-scale renovations to large-scale new construction.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Alamo Architects is a multidisciplinary design firm providing architecture, planning, interior design, and landscape architecture services for institutional clients. Its practice spans PreK-12 schools, higher education, multifamily housing, healthcare and research facilities, civic and cultural buildings, retail and placemaking, adaptive reuse, and parking structures. The firm delivers projects ranging from small-scale renovations to large-scale new construction, operating on a fee-for-service professional services model.

Product overview

Alamo Architects is an award-winning, multidisciplinary architecture, planning, and interior design firm founded in 1984. The firm operates as a unified service-based practice offering distinct but interconnected service lines rather than a software platform. Core offerings include PreK-12 School Architecture, Higher Education Architecture, Multifamily Housing Design, Healthcare + Research Facilities, Civic + Cultural Buildings, Retail + Placemaking, Adaptive Reuse, Interior Design, Planning + Urban Design, Animal Care Facilities, and Parking Structures. The firm employs approximately 70 professionals and serves clients throughout Texas with particular focus on San Antonio and surrounding regions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• PreK-12 School Architecture Comprehensive architectural design services for pre-kindergarten through 12th grade educational facilities, including elementary schools, middle schools, and high schools with specialized spaces such as fine arts facilities, auditoriums, and science labs. Clients include school districts such as Northside ISD, North East ISD, Judson ISD, and charter schools.
• Higher Education Architecture Design services for colleges and universities encompassing classroom buildings, specialized laboratories, makerspaces, residence halls, and campus parking structures, with specialized expertise in technical systems for academic buildings.
• Multifamily Housing Design Residential design services including market-rate and affordable multifamily communities, row houses, and adaptive reuse for housing conversions, with expertise in affordable housing financing structures including LIHTC and HUD programs. Clients include housing developers, the San Antonio Housing Authority, Opportunity Home of San Antonio, and private developers.
• Healthcare and Research Facilities Architectural design for healthcare facilities including hospitals, medical offices, research centers, and specialized treatment facilities, addressing technical medical requirements, healing environments, and specialized equipment integration for clients such as UT Health San Antonio.
• Civic and Cultural Buildings Design services for public buildings including fire stations, libraries, animal care facilities, parking structures, and amenity buildings that serve community needs. Clients include the City of San Antonio, municipal agencies, and nonprofit organizations.
• Retail and Placemaking Commercial retail design and placemaking services including shopping centers, mixed-use developments, and transformation of underutilized spaces into vibrant public realms. Clients include major retail developers such as Hines, Simon Properties, Brookfield Properties, and Neiman Marcus.
• Adaptive Reuse

Quantifiable outcome

• Multiple projects exceeding adoption rate goals and reducing return rates at animal care facilities
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• TreanorcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAssociate architect partnership for UTSA Science & Engineering Building project. Collaborative design relationship bringing specialized expertise to higher education projects.
• OCO Architects (now LPA San Antonio)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint venture partner for SoFlo Office Campus adaptive reuse project. Alamo Architects and OCO developed separate headquarters connected by courtyards, earning LEED Silver certification and multiple awards including AIA San Antonio Commendation for Sustainability.
• InSitu (El Paso)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAssociate firm for Blue Flame Building high-rise retrofit in El Paso, working with Alamo Architects on the adaptive reuse of the historic 18-story office building.
• Page (Healthcare)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative project partnership for UT Health Multispecialty and Research Hospital, highlighting growing portfolio of healthcare facilities.
• ActivateSAminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNonprofit working group founded by Principal Jim Bailey focused on walkable/bikeable neighborhoods and trail systems. Recognized with 2025 San Antonio Business Journal Impact Award.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• LPA Design Studios: National integrated design firm with a San Antonio office (formerly OCO Architects, Alamo's joint venture partner on SoFlo). Broader portfolio across education, healthcare, and civic sectors; competes for similar Texas institutional work at greater scale.
• SmithGroup: National architecture, engineering, and planning firm with significant healthcare, higher education, and science & technology practices. Competes for the same institutional client segments at greater scale and geographic reach.
• Perkins&Will: Global architecture and design firm with major healthcare and education practices. Competes for marquee hospital and university commissions; relevant as a scaled competitor for the same institutional clients Alamo serves.
• Gensler: Largest global architecture and design firm with significant Texas presence and broad institutional, healthcare, and commercial practice. Indirect competitor for large-scale institutional commissions and workplace interiors projects.
• HKS Architects: Large national architecture firm with deep healthcare and education practice. Competes for major Texas hospital and university commissions where Alamo currently partners with Page to compete.

Direct peers

• Treanor: Regional architecture and engineering firm with higher education and civic expertise; partnered with Alamo on UTSA Science & Engineering Building. Comparable in practice mix and Texas regional focus.
• Overland Partners: San Antonio-based architecture firm with comparable scale and a portfolio spanning higher education, healthcare, and civic projects. Direct regional peer competing for similar Texas institutional clients.
• Marmon Mok Architecture: San Antonio-based architecture firm of similar size serving education, civic, and commercial clients. Direct regional competitor for institutional and civic commissions in the San Antonio/South Texas market.
• Lake|Flato Architects: San Antonio-based architecture firm of comparable size and reputation, also award-winning with sustainability focus. Directly comparable as fellow high-end San Antonio practice competing for similar institutional and civic clients in the same regional market.
• Page (formerly PageSoutherlandPage): Texas-headquartered architecture/engineering firm with strong healthcare, higher education, and civic portfolios. Active collaborator with Alamo on UT Health Multispecialty Hospital; directly comparable institutional client base and Texas geographic footprint.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/architectsalamo
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC8Y1ctlbFDO7dg5zbtUECLw
• Facebookfacebook.com/alamoarch
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/alamo-architects
• Instagraminstagram.com/alamo_architects

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 Alamo Architects