What Samaha Associates does

Samaha Associates, PC is a privately held professional architecture and design firm headquartered in Fairfax, Virginia, serving the Washington DC metropolitan area since 1955. The firm offers architecture, interior design, and planning services across eight verticals — education, public safety and government, commercial and mixed-use, industrial and utilities, recreation and performing arts, healthcare, historic preservation, and federal/military projects. Its portfolio includes large-scale public-sector commissions such as the Walter Johnson High School renovation (216,000 SF renovation, 110,000 SF addition with a 1,200-seat performing arts center), the LEED Platinum-certified DC Water Headquarters interior (145,766 SF), the University Mall renovation (LEED Silver, 206,000 SF), and ongoing work for the U.S. Naval Academy, INOVA Fairfax Hospital, and the National Naval Medical Center over a 20-year relationship.

The firm operates a project-based professional services model under direct contracting and government procurement, with no publicly disclosed pricing structure. Fee structures follow the industry convention of per-project quotes based on scope and complexity. Samaha maintains BIM standardization through a dedicated coordinator and emphasizes LEED-certified sustainable design, ADA accessibility, occupied phased renovations, and CPTED (Crime Prevention through Environmental Design) — capabilities aligned with public-sector compliance requirements. There is no proprietary technology stack, software product, or AI/ML capability indicated; the practice is built on licensed human expertise (AIA, LEED AP, CPTED credentials).

The firm is independently owned with F. Thomas Lee, AIA, LEED AP serving as Principal since joining in 1987. Leadership includes six Senior Project Managers, Director of Operations Ken Cahoon, Controller Angy Andia, and Marketing Manager Jessica Duffy, totaling approximately 16 staff. The firm has no parent company, external investors, subsidiaries, partnerships, patents, funding rounds, or M&A history, and its digital presence is anchored by a portfolio website and a periodic newsletter 'Sketch' (last published Spring 2020). It holds no disclosed revenue or financial metrics.

Name

Samaha Associates

Legal name

Samaha Associates, PC

Website

https://samaha-arch.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1955

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Samaha Associates, PC is a Fairfax, Virginia-based architecture, interior design, and planning firm founded in 1955, serving public-sector and institutional clients across education, government, healthcare, and federal sectors in the Washington DC metropolitan area.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Architectural and Design Services

akta.pro primary industry

Sustainable/Green Building & LEED Consulting (BPAHAKAG)

Keywords

• Architectural design services
• Interior design services
• Master planning services
• Educational facility design
• Public sector architecture

Headquarters

HQ city

Fairfax

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Samaha Associates, PC provides architecture, interior design, and planning services to public and institutional clients in the Washington DC metropolitan area. Their work spans educational facilities, public safety buildings, government facilities, healthcare environments, recreation and performing arts venues, commercial buildings, and historic preservation projects, with emphasis on LEED-certified sustainable design and occupied phased renovations.

Product overview

Samaha Associates, PC is an architecture, interior design, and planning firm serving the Washington DC metropolitan area for over 70 years. The firm offers a unified suite of professional services centered on architecture, interior design, and planning. Their portfolio spans multiple building types including educational facilities, public safety buildings, government facilities, commercial developments, industrial/utilities projects, recreation and performing arts venues, healthcare facilities, and historic preservation projects. The firm operates as a professional services practice rather than a software product company.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Architecture Services Comprehensive architectural design services for commercial, institutional, educational, healthcare, public safety, and government projects, including new construction, renovations, and historic preservation. Services are provided to public-sector clients in the Washington DC metropolitan area.
• Interior Design Services Interior design services including space planning, finishes selection, furniture specification, and FF&E (furniture, fixtures, and equipment) packages for educational, government, healthcare, and commercial projects.
• Planning Services Master planning, programming, and feasibility studies for educational, healthcare, government, and commercial facilities, providing pre-design analysis and long-range facility planning support.

Quantifiable outcome

• DC Water Headquarters achieved 2020 LEED Platinum Certification
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Quinn Evans: Mid-Atlantic architecture and planning firm with a similar mission-driven, public-sector focus on cultural, educational, and civic buildings. Closely comparable in scale, regional footprint, and client mix to Samaha Associates.
• Grimm + Parker: DC-area architecture firm with strong K-12 and public-sector portfolio comparable to Samaha's education and government segments. Similar size and project-type focus make it a directly comparable competitor for regional institutional commissions.
• MTFA Architecture: DC-based architecture firm specializing in K-12 schools, public safety, and civic projects in the Washington metro area. Closely aligned with Samaha's primary customer segments and project types.
• Ayers Saint Gross: Baltimore/Mid-Atlantic architecture and planning firm with deep K-12 and higher education focus. Similar scale and sector specialization make it a directly comparable regional peer.
• EwingCole: Philadelphia/Mid-Atlantic architecture, engineering, and planning firm with strong education, healthcare, and public-sector practice. Overlaps Samaha's verticals at a slightly larger scale.
• Hord Coplan Macht: DC-area architecture firm with comparable mix of K-12, higher education, civic, and healthcare projects. Similar size and regional focus position it as a direct peer for institutional commissions.
• Bonstra | Haresign Architects: Washington DC architecture firm focused on civic, educational, and adaptive reuse projects in the Mid-Atlantic region. Comparable in scale and project-type emphasis to Samaha.
• WDG Architecture: DC-based architecture and planning firm with established K-12 and public-sector practice. Directly comparable in geographic footprint and segment focus.

Broad incumbents

• CannonDesign: National architecture, engineering, and planning firm with significant DC metro presence in education and healthcare sectors. Larger and broader than Samaha but a frequent competitor on regional institutional commissions.
• SmithGroupJJR: Large national architecture and engineering firm that has partnered with Samaha on the LEED Platinum DC Water HQ project. Represents the larger incumbent tier that frequently competes for or partners with Samaha on major DC-area commissions.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 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 Samaha Associates