Hollis + Miller Architects

What Hollis + Miller Architects does

Hollis + Miller Architects is a Kansas City, Missouri-headquartered architecture firm founded in 1950, with a second office in Castle Rock, Colorado, and 101-250 employees. Since 2013 the firm has operated as a 100% education-only practice, serving K-12 districts, charter schools, community colleges, and universities across Missouri, Kansas, Colorado and adjacent states. Engagements range from $7M to $95M in construction value, with recent higher-education work at Lincoln University (Missouri), Black Hills State University, and Metropolitan Community College, alongside long-running K-12 relationships such as the multi-decade engagement with Grain Valley Schools.

The firm's core services include architecture, interior design, environmental graphics, master planning, furniture integration, community engagement, and an in-house educational research function that produces whitepapers on learning environments. Delivery is conventional architectural services: schematic design through construction administration, typically engaged via district bond-funded capital programs or institutional capital plans. The firm holds recognitions including AIA Kansas City Firm of the Year (2017), and staff carry LEED, NCIDQ and other credentials.

The business model is fee-for-service architecture revenue tied to public bond cycles and institutional capital plans, with no institutional capital raised and the firm remaining privately held. Revenue mechanics are project-based, with the firm typically engaged on a multi-phase basis (planning, design, construction administration) by individual districts and universities. The 2023 leadership transition installed the firm's first female president, and 2025 marks 75 years of continuous operation.

Name

Hollis + Miller Architects

Legal name

Hollis + Miller Architects

Website

https://hollisandmiller.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1950

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Hollis + Miller Architects is a 75-year-old Kansas City-based architecture firm specializing exclusively in PK-16 educational facility design, serving school districts and universities with architecture, interior design, master planning, and educational research services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Educational Architecture Services

NAICS

Architectural Services (541310), Interior Design Services (54141)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Architectural Design Services (BPAHAKAA)

Keywords

• Educational architecture services
• K-12 school design
• Higher education facilities
• Master planning services
• Interior design services

Headquarters

HQ city

Kansas City

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

Revenue model

1. Architectural Design Services: Project-based fees for designing educational facilities including architecture, interior design, master planning, environmental graphics, and furniture integration services across K-12, higher education, and charter school projects.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Hollis + Miller Architects is an architecture firm that provides integrated architectural, interior design, environmental graphic design, master planning, furniture integration, community engagement, and educational research services exclusively for learning environments (PK-16). The firm delivers new construction, renovation, addition, and master planning projects for K-12 public school districts, charter schools, and higher education institutions, employing a co-creation design process that engages clients and communities from the earliest visioning stages.

Product overview

Hollis + Miller Architects is a services-based architecture firm offering a comprehensive suite of integrated design services exclusively for educational environments. The firm operates as a unified service offering rather than a software platform, combining Architecture, Interior Design, Environmental Graphics, Master Planning, Furniture Integration, and Community Engagement services within integrated studios. The firm also provides proprietary Educational Research services to inform design decisions. All services are focused 100% on educational facilities including K-12 schools, higher education, early childhood centers, and career/technical education spaces across school districts and universities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Architecture Services Full-service architectural design for educational facilities including K-12 schools, higher education institutions, early childhood centers, and specialty educational spaces. Employs a co-creation approach engaging clients and communities in the design process.
• Interior Design Integrated interior design services for learning environments, focusing on material selection, color psychology, and spatial design that supports cognitive development, comfort, and mental health of learners.
• Environmental Graphics Wayfinding signage and environmental graphics services that activate brand identity, create mood, connect people to place, and integrate graphics with curriculum to transform buildings into learning tools.
• Master Planning District-wide and campus master planning services that create roadmaps for future readiness and flexibility, incorporating qualitative and quantitative data to align institutions with educational goals.
• Furniture Integration Furniture, fixtures, and equipment (FF&E) integration services incorporated from day one of design to ensure cohesive, flexible, and comfortable learning environments that support differentiated learning.
• Community Engagement + Capital Planning Community engagement and capital campaign support services, including developing campaign collateral, planning community forums, and providing advocacy support for bond issues and capital campaigns.
• Educational Research Services In-house research services providing academic rigor and real-world impact, including whitepapers, post-occupancy evaluations, and studies on learning environment design, teacher retention, and student engagement.

Quantifiable outcome

• Post-occupancy surveys show 41% of educators report collaborating with colleagues more often in new facilities with dedicated teacher workrooms.
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered supporting.

• Confluence (Landscape Architecture)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerConfluence served as the landscape architecture partner for the Lincoln University campus master plan and right-sizing project. Confluence was instrumental in developing solutions for integrating active green spaces with student quad opportunities and reallocating parking to the campus edge.
• TSP (Architecture and Engineering)supportingImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerTSP served as the local architecture and engineering partner for the Black Hills State University Donald E. Young Center feasibility assessment and first-phase locker room renovations, providing local expertise alongside Hollis + Miller's design leadership.
• McCownGordon ConstructionsupportingImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerMcCownGordon Construction worked closely with Hollis + Miller Architects and NKC Schools to design and build the Future Ready Lab at the Northland Innovation Center, crafting a space integrating technology, engineering, and the arts.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• DLR Group: National integrated design firm with a large and well-known K-12 and higher education practice; competes for the same district master plan and bond-funded projects as Hollis + Miller, with much broader geographic reach.
• CannonDesign: Large multi-disciplinary design practice with a dedicated education sector serving K-12 and higher education clients nationwide; directly comparable in research-driven learning environment design.
• LPA Design Studios: Large integrated design firm with significant K-12 and higher education sector presence; comparable in evidence-based design methodology and integrated services.
• Stantec (formerly SHW Group): Global design and engineering firm whose education practice (rooted in acquired SHW Group) directly serves K-12 districts and universities nationwide with comparable integrated services.

Direct peers

• Legat Architects: Mid-size architecture firm specialized in PK-12 educational environments with integrated studio practices; closest direct competitor in segment focus and service mix.
• Wight & Company: Architecture and engineering firm with a long-standing education-focused practice serving school districts and higher education; comparable in scale and integrated design-build orientation.
• WLC Architects: Architecture firm primarily serving K-12 public schools and community colleges with integrated planning and design services; directly comparable niche focus.
• TMP Architecture: Education-focused architecture firm serving Michigan and Midwest K-12 districts; competes in the same specialty K-12 design space with similar studio structure.
• Integrus Architecture: Architecture and interiors firm with strong K-12 focus across Pacific Northwest and Mountain West; comparable specialty positioning and integrated interiors practice.

Others

• McCownGordon Construction: KC-based construction manager that has co-delivered Hollis + Miller projects (Future Ready Lab); a key general contractor partner and ecosystem peer in the regional education construction value chain.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@HollisandMiller
• Facebookfacebook.com/hollismillerarchitects
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hollis---miller-architects
• Instagraminstagram.com/hollisandmiller
• Xx.com/hollisandmiller

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 Hollis + Miller Architects