What FBT Architects does

FBT Architects is a privately held, full-service architecture and planning firm founded in 1973 in Albuquerque, New Mexico, with a current estimated headcount of 40–50 across four offices in New Mexico, Texas, and Colorado. The firm delivers programming, architecture, interior design, planning, and urban design services through a vertically integrated ecosystem that includes core architecture plus four affiliated operating subsidiaries: Studio M (interior design), Groundwork Studio (landscape architecture), Walla Engineering (mechanical, electrical, and plumbing engineering), and Soteria Group (safety and security consulting). A client-facing project collaboration portal, FBT Cloud, extends the firm's deliverables to ongoing document and drawing access.

The firm is project-based, earning architectural fees typically quoted as a percentage of construction cost or hourly rates, with most work procured through competitive RFQs and design competitions rather than direct sales. Customer mix is dominated by public-sector and institutional clients: K-12 school districts (Farmington Municipal Schools, Clovis Municipal Schools, Navajo Preparatory School), higher education institutions (University of New Mexico, Central New Mexico Community College, Pikes Peak State College), hospital systems (UNM Hospitals, Valencia County Hospital), and tribal and government entities (Jicarilla Apache Nation, Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque International Sunport). The vertical segmentation is unusually concentrated in education (K-12 plus higher education) and healthcare, with secondary practice areas in commercial hospitality, civic, and science/research facilities.

Technical execution relies on Building Information Modeling for complex phased construction coordination, full-scale physical mockups (operating rooms, ICUs, emergency exam rooms) for healthcare pre-design evaluation, and QR-code-linked virtual reality for stakeholder walkthroughs. Notable flagship projects include the UNM Hospital Critical Care Tower (a 96-bed replacement hospital co-designed with HDR), the UNM McKinnon Center for Management at Anderson School ($24.4M, 63,445 sf, designed with BORA Architects), and the Farmington High School replacement (208,000 sf new construction plus 60,000 sf phased renovation). The firm is relationship-led, deploying senior principals to client stewardship and using award recognition, community engagement, and earned media (ArchDaily, ENR Southwest, NAIOP, AIA New Mexico, ABC, AGC) for top-of-funnel visibility rather than paid advertising.

Name

FBT Architects

Legal name

FBT Architects

Website

https://fbtarch.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1973

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

FBT Architects is a privately held, full-service architecture and design firm founded in 1973 in Albuquerque, NM, delivering programming, architecture, interior design, planning, and urban design services across education, healthcare, civic, and commercial sectors via offices in New Mexico, Texas, and Colorado.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Albuquerque

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Architecture and Design Professional Services: FBT Architects generates revenue through fees for architectural and design services on construction projects. Revenue is project-based, with fees typically tied to a percentage of construction cost or hourly rates for specific services such as master planning, facility assessment, and construction administration. The firm works with institutional clients (public school districts, universities, government) and some private sector clients. The UNM McKinnon Center project was funded via institutional bonds ($18 million from student fees) and nearly $8 million in donations including a $5 million lead gift from Ian and Sonnet McKinnon.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

FBT Architects is a full-service architecture and design firm providing programming, architecture, interior, planning, and urban design services across K-12 education, higher education, healthcare, commercial, civic and municipal, and science and research sectors. Service delivery is organized around a multi-disciplinary ecosystem, including wholly owned associated firms Studio M (interior design), Groundwork Studio (landscape architecture), Walla Engineering (civil/structural engineering), and Soteria Group (safety/security consulting), with a proprietary pre-design methodology that integrates full-scale physical mockups with virtual reality visualization and QR-code virtual exploration for complex healthcare and institutional projects.

Product overview

FBT Architects is a full-service architecture and design firm offering comprehensive architectural services through multiple specialized divisions. The firm operates a core architecture practice complemented by subsidiary firms: Studio M (interior design), Groundwork Studio (landscape architecture), Walla Engineering (MEP engineering), and Soteria Group (safety/security consulting). The firm also provides clients with a project collaboration portal called FBT Cloud. The company serves markets including K-12 education, higher education, healthcare, commercial, civic/municipal, and science/research facilities across New Mexico, Texas, and Colorado.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Architecture and Design Services Full-service architecture, design, planning, and urban design services for institutional and commercial clients across K-12 education, higher education, healthcare, commercial, civic and municipal, and science and research sectors in New Mexico, Texas, and Colorado. The practice encompasses programming, master planning, schematic design, construction documentation, and construction administration.
• Studio M Wholly owned associated firm of FBT Architects providing interior design services for commercial, educational, and hospitality environments, including FBT's own corporate office buildout at 500 Marquette.
• Groundwork Studio Wholly owned associated firm of FBT Architects providing sustainable landscape architecture, urban agriculture planning, and green infrastructure design for parks, streetscapes, and community outdoor spaces.
• Walla Engineering Wholly owned associated firm of FBT Architects providing civil and structural engineering services, including mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems engineering to complement architectural design work.
• Soteria Group Wholly owned associated firm of FBT Architects providing safety and security consulting for schools, workplaces, and public facilities, complementing architectural design with threat and vulnerability advisory services.
• FBT Cloud Client access and project collaboration portal at fbtcloud.com providing secure login access to view project documentation, drawings, and progress updates throughout the project lifecycle.

Quantifiable outcome

• Tibbetts Middle School completed ahead of schedule and $6M under budget
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers10 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

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and notable.

• Bradbury StammcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024FBT Architects and Bradbury Stamm formed a design-build partnership selected for the Valencia County Hospital project (40,000 sf, 15-bed hospital in Los Lunas, NM). This partnership combines architectural design with construction delivery.
• Hastings+ChivettanotableStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021FBT Architects partnered with Hastings+Chivetta to transform the University of New Mexico's Johnson Center Recreation facility into a 21st-century student-focused hub of campus activity and health. The project received the NAIOP Eagle Award of Excellence.
• HDR, Inc.coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020FBT Architects teamed with HDR, Inc. to design the new 96-bed UNM adult acute care replacement hospital. FBT led the mockup process while HDR served as the primary architecture partner on this major healthcare project.
• BORA ArchitectscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018FBT Architects teamed with BORA Architects out of Portland, OR to design the UNM McKinnon Center for Management (63,445 sf, $24.4M). FBT served as the local partner while BORA contributed design expertise for this signature business school building.
• McCarthy Companies (The McCarthy Co.)notableImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 January 2018The McCarthy Companies served as the general contractor for the UNM McKinnon Center for Management project. The project was delivered on time and under budget with strong collaboration between FBT, BORA, and McCarthy.
• Perkins+WillnotableStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2009FBT Architects collaborated with Perkins+Will on the Atrisco Heritage Academy High School (473,000 sf, 2,250-student facility in Bernalillo County). This collaboration brought together FBT's local expertise with Perkins+Will's national platform.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Perkins&Will (Perkins + Will): National architecture firm that previously collaborated with FBT on Atrisco Heritage Academy High School. Operates at significantly larger scale but in overlapping K-12, higher education, and healthcare segments where FBT competes and partners.
• HDR Architecture: Global architecture and engineering firm that partnered with FBT on the UNM 96-bed Critical Care Tower. Directly comparable in healthcare design capacity but with far broader geographic reach and integrated engineering.
• SmithGroup: National integrated design firm covering architecture, interiors, landscape, and engineering — competing with FBT's full-service studio model across higher education, healthcare, and workplace.

Direct peers

• Dekker/Perich+Potter: Albuquerque-based architecture firm of comparable size serving education, healthcare, civic, and commercial clients in New Mexico and the Southwest. Closest geographic and segment peer to FBT.
• Page (Page Southerland Page): Architecture and engineering firm with deep Southwest presence (Texas offices) competing for higher education, healthcare, and civic projects. Similar integrated design-service model.
• Lake|Flato Architects: San Antonio-based architecture firm renowned for Southwest regional design across education, hospitality, and civic work. Comparable in scale, region, and design-led positioning.
• Hastings+Chivetta Architects: Higher-education and student-life architecture firm that partnered with FBT on the UNM Johnson Center. Direct peer in the recreation/Student Union building category.
• Bohannon Huston, Inc. Albuquerque-based architecture, engineering, and planning firm with overlapping K-12, healthcare, and public-sector client roster in New Mexico. Closest local competitor.
• BORA Architects: Portland-based architecture firm that partnered with FBT on the UNM McKinnon Center. Comparable higher-education design orientation and project-scale capability.

Regional players

• Mosaic Architecture Collective: New Mexico-focused architecture collective working on civic, cultural, and indigenous community projects in the Southwest. Smaller than FBT but adjacent on tribal-nation and civic work.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/fbt-architects-120802717946804
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/fbt-architects

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Subsidiaries4 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 FBT Architects