Design Collaborative
Design Collaborative is a privately-held, multi-disciplinary architecture, engineering, and interior design firm serving institutional clients across education, healthcare, financial, industrial, and workplace verticals from offices in Fort Wayne, Indiana and Charlotte, North Carolina.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1992
- HeadquartersFort Wayne, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Design Collaborative does
Design Collaborative is a privately-held, multi-disciplinary architecture, engineering, and interior design firm headquartered in Fort Wayne, Indiana with a regional office in Charlotte, North Carolina. Founded in 1992, the firm employs 51-100 professionals organized around six primary vertical markets — Education, Healthcare, Financial, Industrial, Workplace, and Community — plus emerging segments in mixed-use, multifamily, retail & restaurants, athletics & wellness, and religious. It delivers an integrated portfolio of 18 services spanning Architecture, Interior Design, Master Planning, Mechanical, Electrical, and Plumbing Engineering, plus specialized practices in Roofing & Building Envelope, Lighting Design, Cost Estimating, Environmental Graphics, WELL Building Design, Energy, Building Climate, Facility Assessments, Feasibility Studies, Visioning & Discovery, and Furniture Specification. The firm unifies delivery through a proprietary "Fingerprint" process that moves projects from discovery to design to delivery via collaborative stakeholder engagement.
The firm operates as a professional services business funded entirely by project-based fees from clients secured through direct engagement, RFP processes, industry events, and thought-leadership content. There is no venture capital or private equity involvement. Customer concentration is anchored by institutional clients across higher education (University of Notre Dame, Heidelberg University, Manchester University, Trine University, Huntington University, University of Saint Francis, Taylor University), healthcare systems (Parkview Physicians Group, Rush Memorial Hospital, L3Harris industrial facility), and financial institutions (SAFE Federal Credit Union, Pioneer Federal Credit Union, Sweetwater Sound). The firm is ranked in the BD+C Giants Top 115-120 Architecture Engineering Firms and holds recurring Best Places to Work in Indiana recognition. Under new CEO Adam James (effective early 2025), the firm is investing in headquarters renovation, Charlotte regional presence, and recognition programs including industry trade awards (ENR, AIA, SHOP!, PSMJ).
Operationally, the firm relies on standard A/E technology stack (BIM, Revit) and is currently renovating its Fort Wayne headquarters while sustaining a Charlotte regional presence. Its differentiators are integrated multidisciplinary delivery under a single firm, specialized healthcare credentials (board-certified architects), credibility in higher-education campus work, and a long award track record. No AI/ML capabilities, API products, M&A activity, or external funding are present in the available data.
Design Collaborative firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Design Collaborative
- Legal name
- Design Collaborative
- Website
- https://designcollaborative.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1992
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Design Collaborative is a privately-held, multi-disciplinary architecture, engineering, and interior design firm serving institutional clients across education, healthcare, financial, industrial, and workplace verticals from offices in Fort Wayne, Indiana and Charlotte, North Carolina.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Design Collaborative industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Architectural and Engineering Services
- NAICS
- Architectural Services (54131), Interior Design Services (54141), Drafting Services (541340)
- SIC
- Services-Engineering Services (8711), Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Architectural Design Services (BPAHAKAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Interior Design Services (BPAHAKAB), Construction Engineering & Constructability Consulting (BPAHAIAN)
Keywords
Where Design Collaborative is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Fort Wayne
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Design Collaborative business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Professional Services - Architecture: Full-service architectural design services for commercial, institutional, and industrial projects including new construction, renovation, and adaptive reuse across markets including education, healthcare, financial, and workplace.
- Engineering Services: Mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and building envelope engineering services provided as integrated multidisciplinary offerings or standalone consulting.
- Interior Design Services: Interior design services including space planning, furniture specification, environmental graphics, and lighting design.
- Consulting and Advisory Services: Cost estimating, facility assessments, feasibility studies, and visioning/planning services.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
Design Collaborative product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Design Collaborative is a multi-disciplinary architecture, engineering, and interior design firm providing integrated design services across the full project lifecycle, from discovery through design to delivery. The firm delivers architectural design, mechanical/electrical/plumbing engineering, interior design, master planning, facility assessments, and specialized consulting services to institutional and commercial clients across markets including education, healthcare, financial, industrial, workplace, and community sectors. All services are unified through the firm's proprietary Fingerprint process emphasizing collaborative stakeholder discovery.
Product overview
Design Collaborative is a multi-disciplinary architecture and engineering firm offering an integrated suite of 18 design services. The firm operates as a unified service portfolio rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture. Core services span Architecture, Interior Design, and multiple engineering disciplines (Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing) supplemented by specialized services including Master Planning, Facility Assessments, Feasibility Studies, Environmental Graphics, Lighting Design, Furniture Specification, Building Climate, Energy, WELL Building Design, Visioning & Discovery, Cost Estimating, and Roofing & Building Envelope. The Fingerprint process unifies all services through discovery, design, and delivery phases. Projects span markets including Education, Healthcare, Financial, Industrial, Workplace, Athletics & Wellness, Community, Mixed-use, Multifamily, and Retail & Restaurants. The firm maintains offices in Fort Wayne, Indiana and Charlotte, North Carolina.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Architecture Comprehensive architectural design services covering the full project lifecycle from discovery through delivery, serving markets including education, healthcare, financial, industrial, workplace, athletics, community, mixed-use, multifamily, and retail.
- Master Planning Strategic planning services for campus and site development, helping organizations envision and sequence long-term growth and development.
- Mechanical Engineering HVAC, heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system design for buildings of all types and sizes.
- Electrical Engineering Power distribution, lighting, and electrical systems design for commercial and institutional buildings.
- Interior Design Interior design services including space planning, finish selection, furniture specification, and branding integration.
- Roofing & Building Envelope Roofing system design, waterproofing, and building envelope consulting including green roof design.
- Cost Estimating Construction cost estimation and budgeting services for design projects.
- Environmental Graphics Wayfinding, signage, and branded environmental graphic design for interior and exterior spaces.
- Building Climate Building climate and thermal comfort design services for optimal indoor environmental quality.
- Energy Energy modeling, analysis, and sustainable design services including LEED certification support.
- Facility Assessments Comprehensive facility condition assessments to evaluate building systems, deferred maintenance, and capital renewal needs.
- Feasibility Studies Pre-design feasibility analysis and market studies to evaluate project viability and options.
- Visioning & Discovery Collaborative discovery process engaging stakeholders to define project goals, user needs, and design direction.
- Furniture Specification Custom furniture selection, specification, and procurement services for interior projects.
- Lighting Design Architectural lighting design including interior, exterior, and decorative lighting solutions.
- Plumbing Design Plumbing system design for commercial and institutional buildings including medical gas systems.
- Technology Design IT infrastructure, audio-visual systems, and security technology design services for buildings.
- WELL Building Design WELL Building Standard certification support focusing on human health and wellness in the built environment.
Quantifiable outcome
- Manchester University College of Pharmacy achieved LEED Gold certification
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Design Collaborative
Customer profileNamed customers10 records
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles6 records
Design Collaborative technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
Design Collaborative partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Design Collaborative competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- SmithGroup: SmithGroup is a large integrated AE firm with significant healthcare, education, and workplace practices. Larger scale and broader geographic footprint position it as a broad incumbent offering overlapping capabilities across Design Collaborative's verticals.
- HOK: HOK is a global architecture, engineering, and planning firm with notable higher education and healthcare practices. Operates at substantially larger scale than Design Collaborative and competes for marquee institutional projects with deeper bench and global delivery capabilities.
- Perkins&Will: Perkins&Will is a global architecture and design firm with strong higher education and healthcare practices. Operates at significantly larger scale, competing for marquee institutional projects that overlap with Design Collaborative's vertical mix.
- Stantec: Stantec is a global professional services firm offering architecture, engineering, and environmental services with strong institutional client penetration. As a broad incumbent, it competes for the same higher education and healthcare mandates as Design Collaborative but with greater scale and capital base.
Direct peers
- ratio: ratio is an Indianapolis-based architecture, interior design, and planning firm serving education, healthcare, and community clients. Closest geographic peer with similar mid-size structure and overlapping higher education and community verticals.
- EwingCole: EwingCole is an integrated architecture, engineering, and interior design firm with deep healthcare and education expertise. Similar mid-size firm structure and integrated AE model directly comparable to Design Collaborative's positioning.
- CannonDesign: CannonDesign is a multi-disciplinary design firm with deep healthcare and education practices, providing integrated architecture, engineering, and interior design services. Strong alignment with Design Collaborative's vertical focus and integrated delivery model.
- DLR Group: DLR Group is an integrated architecture, engineering, and planning firm with comparable multi-disciplinary delivery and strong higher education and healthcare practices. Operates at similar scale with regional offices, making it one of the closest comparable peer firms.
- HGA (Hammel, Green and Abrahamson): HGA is a multi-disciplinary AE firm serving healthcare, education, corporate, and cultural clients with integrated design services. Similar mid-size structure and vertical mix make it a closely comparable peer to Design Collaborative.
- Legat Architects: Legat Architects is a Midwest-based architecture and planning firm with strong higher education and PK-12 practices. Comparable in size and regional concentration, with overlapping education vertical focus.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Design Collaborative social profiles
Digital presenceDesign Collaborative financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Design Collaborative leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles13 records
Design Collaborative funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Design Collaborative M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Design Collaborative
What does Design Collaborative do?
Design Collaborative is a multi-disciplinary architecture, engineering, and interior design firm providing integrated design services across the full project lifecycle, from discovery through design to delivery. The firm delivers architectural design, mechanical/electrical/plumbing engineering, interior design, master planning, facility assessments, and specialized consulting services to institutional and commercial clients across markets including education, healthcare, financial, industrial, workplace, and community sectors. All services are unified through the firm's proprietary Fingerprint process emphasizing collaborative stakeholder discovery.
Is Design Collaborative a public or private company?
Design Collaborative is a private company. It is classified as management employee owned and is currently operating.
When was Design Collaborative founded?
Design Collaborative was founded in 1992. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Design Collaborative based?
Design Collaborative is headquartered in Fort Wayne, United States, in the North America region.
How does Design Collaborative make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Professional Services - Architecture is the primary driver. The others are engineering Services, interior Design Services and consulting and Advisory Services.
Who are Design Collaborative's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are SmithGroup, HOK, Perkins&Will and Stantec. Direct peers are ratio, EwingCole, CannonDesign, DLR Group, HGA (Hammel, Green and Abrahamson) and Legat Architects.
Does Design Collaborative have an API?
No public API is recorded for Design Collaborative.
What industry is Design Collaborative in?
Design Collaborative's product category is Architectural and Engineering Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAHAKAA, Architectural Design Services, with a secondary code of BPAHAKAB, Interior Design Services. Its NAICS code is 54131 and its SIC code is 8711.