What SALA Architects does

SALA Architects, Inc. is a privately held, full-service architecture firm headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota, founded in 1982 by Dale Mulfinger and Sarah Susanka. The firm provides residential and commercial architectural design services, with a primary focus on custom single-family homes, remodels, additions, and cabin/lake-home design for Midwestern homeowners and select commercial and institutional clients (e.g., North St. Paul Public Works). The firm has established a domain-specialized practice in high-performance sustainable design, including Passive House-certified construction (surpassing international airtightness standards), net-zero energy homes (integrating passive solar, geothermal, and on-site solar PV), and multiple green building certifications (LEED for Homes v4 Platinum on the Ohm Sweet Ohm project, Minnesota GreenStar Silver on Mighty Miss, Living Building Challenge Zero Energy). Notable works include Metal Lark, a Wisconsin cabin with 100% net-metered solar PV, and Kohlstedt Keep at Kennedy Creek, a Passive House lake home on Lake Superior.

The firm operates on a traditional fee-for-service professional services model, pricing by project scope and complexity through direct client consultation. Its go-to-market motion is sales-led, centered on portfolio reputation, industry awards (AIA Minnesota, Mpls.St.Paul Magazine RAVE Awards, national AIA Small Project Awards), and recurring press coverage (Dwell, The New York Times, Star Tribune, Residential Design Magazine). Architects are licensed across multiple states, supporting projects beyond Minnesota including Wisconsin, Washington, and internationally in France, Argentina, and Nova Scotia. Founders and senior partners have authored six published books on residential and cabin architecture, reinforcing thought leadership. Multiple licensed principals (Wagner, Anderson, Hannan, Odor) and a Senior Associate bench lead operations alongside the founders as Principal Emeritus. As a privately held corporation with no external investment, parent company, or disclosed financial information, SALA has operated independently for over 40 years, building a lifetime project base of more than 6,000 clients and a cumulative staff body exceeding 250.

Name

SALA Architects

Legal name

SALA Architects, Inc.

Website

https://salaarc.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1982

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

SALA Architects is a Minneapolis-based, privately held architecture firm founded in 1982 that designs custom residential and commercial projects with domain specialization in Passive House and net-zero energy sustainable design. It serves Midwestern homeowners and select institutional clients through fee-for-service project commissions spanning more than 6,000 lifetime clients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Architectural Services

NAICS

Architectural Services (541310)

SIC

Services-To Dwellings & Other Buildings (7340)

akta.pro primary industry

Landscape Architecture & Site Design (BPAHAKAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Architectural Reconfiguration & Structural Alterations (HSAPAEAB)

Keywords

• Residential architecture services
• Sustainable building design
• Passive house design
• Net-zero home design
• Commercial architecture planning

Headquarters

HQ city

Minneapolis

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Architectural Design Services: Traditional fee-for-service architecture model where clients commission residential and commercial architectural services. Projects range from modest remodels and additions to large estate homes and commercial projects. Revenue generated through design fees based on project scope, complexity, and market rates.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

SALA Architects is a full-service architecture and planning firm that provides custom residential and commercial architectural design services. Offerings include new home design, remodels, additions, cabin and lake home design, urban infill, historic preservation, and commercial/municipal projects, with a deep specialization in sustainable design (Passive House, net-zero energy, LEED, GreenStar). The firm operates primarily in Minnesota and the Midwest, with national and international project reach.

Product overview

SALA Architects is a full-service residential and commercial architecture firm based in Minnesota, founded in 1983. The firm offers a comprehensive range of architectural services including new home design, remodels, additions, cabin design, and commercial projects. Their portfolio includes featured projects such as Metal Lark (a sustainable cabin retreat), Ohm Sweet Ohm (a net-zero energy home with LEED Platinum certification), Blue Note (a multi-phased home renovation), Kohlstedt Keep at Kennedy Creek (a Passive House-certified lake home), and Mighty Miss (a GreenStar Silver-rated riverside residence). The firm emphasizes sustainable and contextually sensitive design across residential and commercial sectors.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Residential Architecture Full-service residential architectural design including new home design, remodels, additions, renovations, cabin and lake home design, urban infill, and historic preservation for homeowners and multi-generational families throughout Minnesota and the Midwest.
• Commercial Architecture Commercial architectural services including public works facilities (e.g., North St Paul Public Works), retail spaces, and commercial tenant improvements for commercial and institutional clients.

Quantifiable outcome

• Net-zero energy achievement for homes and automobiles
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Olson Kundig: Spokane/Pacific Northwest-based architecture firm renowned for sustainable, craft-driven residential and small commercial work, with a similar philosophy of contextual, materially-rich design led by named principals. Closely comparable to SALA on project type (custom homes, lake/cabin projects), client profile (high-net-worth residential), and emphasis on sustainability/passing-the-bar certifications.
• Lake|Flato Architects: San Antonio-based architecture firm best known for sustainable residential and small-scale commercial projects that engage climate and place — directly mirroring SALA's Passive House, LEED, and net-zero ethos. Comparable on project typology (custom homes, adaptive reuse), fee model, and national award profile (AIA Committee on the Environment Honors).
• Carney Logan Burke Architects: Jackson Hole / Park City-based firm specializing in high-end residential and mountain/cabin architecture with a strong sustainability bent. Closely comparable to SALA on residential-only mix, regional vernacular sensitivity, premium fee positioning, and cabin/retreat project focus.

Regional players

• LHB: Minneapolis-based architecture, engineering, and planning firm operating across the Upper Midwest. A direct regional peer sharing the same Twin Cities talent pool and project pipeline, with stronger industrial and infrastructure exposure but overlapping residential and municipal work that competes with SALA.

Broad incumbents

• Hammel, Green and Abrahamson (HGA): Minneapolis-headquartered national architecture and engineering firm with deep healthcare, cultural, and civic practice alongside a residential group. Competes with SALA in Twin Cities residential commissions while operating at a much larger scale and broader typology mix.
• Perkins&Will: Global architecture firm with a strong sustainability and living-design practice that frequently overlaps with SALA's high-performance residential approach, particularly in institutional and multi-family categories where SALA could potentially expand. Operates at vastly greater scale but represents a credible competitor on sustainability credentials for premium clients.
• Mithun: Seattle-based national architecture, interiors, and landscape practice with a well-known commitment to integrated, sustainable, place-based design across residential, civic, and educational typologies. Comparable to SALA on design philosophy and sustainability posture, but a broader, larger-scale incumbent that may draw away larger commissions.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/salaarchitects
• Facebookfacebook.com/sala.page
• Instagraminstagram.com/salaarchitects
• Pinterestpinterest.com/salaarchitects
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sala-architects

Compliance7 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 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 SALA Architects