What William McDonough + Partners does

William McDonough + Partners (WM+P) is a privately held, founder-led architecture, community design, and consulting firm established in 1981 and headquartered in Charlottesville, Virginia, with 11-50 employees. The firm's central intellectual asset is the Cradle to Cradle Design™ framework — a proprietary, trademarked methodology co-developed by founder William McDonough (and Dr. Michael Braungart) that designs buildings, products, and communities around circular-economy principles: eliminating the concept of waste, using natural energy flows, and producing buildings that generate more energy than they consume (e.g., Adam Joseph Lewis Center, NASA Sustainability Base). Beyond the methodology, the firm holds trademarks on deployable systems including WonderFrame (a perpetually reusable structural shade system) and ICEhouse (a circular-economy demonstration structure used at World Economic Forum events).

WM+P generates revenue exclusively through project-based professional services fees for master planning, architectural design, and sustainability consulting. Engagements are direct, enterprise-scale contracts won through the founder's reputation and the firm's first-mover track record in sustainable, net-zero, mass-timber, and carbon-positive design. The client base is concentrated in large corporations (NASA, Walmart, Google/YouTube, Ford, Hero MotoCorp, Dropbox, Method), institutional/educational clients (Oberlin College, Universidad EAN, American University, UCSF), and select European developers (Delta Development Group on Park 20|20, Fonds Kirchberg in Luxembourg). The firm operates globally across the Americas, Europe, and Asia, partnering with general contractors (HITT Contracting), certified suppliers (Nordic Structures), and global platforms (Amazon's Climate Pledge Friendly) to extend the Cradle to Cradle ecosystem. Pricing is quote-based and project-specific, with no public disclosure.

Name

William McDonough + Partners

Legal name

William McDonough + Partners

Website

https://mcdonoughpartners.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1981

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

William McDonough + Partners is a privately held, founder-led architecture and consulting firm (est. 1981, Charlottesville, VA) that designs commercial, institutional, and master-plan projects around its trademarked Cradle to Cradle circular-economy methodology for global enterprise, government, and educational clients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sustainable Architecture Services

NAICS

Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services (5413), Environmental Consulting Services (541620)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Sustainable/Green Building & LEED Consulting (BPAHAKAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Urban Planning & Master Planning (BPAHAKAD), Circularity Consulting & Program Management (EPR, Design-for-Circularity, LCA) (EUAIANAH)

Keywords

• Sustainable architecture services
• Cradle to cradle design
• Green building design
• Master planning services
• Sustainability consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Charlottesville

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, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Architecture and Design Services: Professional architecture and design services including master planning, building design, and sustainability consulting. Revenue is generated through project-based fees for design services on commercial, institutional, industrial, and residential projects.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

William McDonough + Partners is an architecture, community design, and consulting firm that provides sustainable architectural services globally. The firm delivers master planning, building design, and sustainability consulting for commercial, institutional, industrial, and residential projects, all informed by its proprietary Cradle to Cradle Design Framework centered on circular economy principles.

Product overview

William McDonough + Partners is an architecture, community design, and consulting firm that operates internationally. The firm's core offering is the Cradle to Cradle Design™ Framework, a design philosophy centered on circular economy principles, which informs all their architectural services across commercial, institutional, industrial, and residential project types. They provide master planning, sustainable building design, and consulting services for clients seeking to achieve positive environmental outcomes through design.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Cradle to Cradle Design Framework Proprietary design philosophy and methodology based on circular economy principles, providing a positive vision for designing buildings and spaces that create more good for the world. Licensed globally through MBDC for certified products, buildings, and cities.
• Architectural Design and Master Planning Services Professional architecture and design services including master planning, building design, and sustainability consulting for commercial, institutional, industrial, and residential projects globally. Revenue generated through project-based fees.
• Sustainability Consulting Services Advisory and consulting services helping clients apply Cradle to Cradle principles to construction projects, with engagements as design architect or sustainability advisor on major construction projects globally.
• WonderFrame Structural Shade System A perpetually reusable/recyclable structural shade system designed by William McDonough, trademarked by McDonough Innovation, LLC. Can be disassembled for continuous use across different locations.

Quantifiable outcome

• First Net Zero Energy Verified building by New Buildings Institute
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core, preferred supplier, supporting and flagship.

• Delta Development GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing partnership as master architect for Park 20|20 development, the world's first circular economy development near Schiphol Trade Park in The Netherlands. Also collaborated on The Valley at Schiphol Trade Park, Netherlands' national hotspot for circular economy.
• Nordic Structurespreferred supplierTechnology or IntegrationProvides FSC Certified Cross-Laminated Timber (CLT) for WM+P projects. Nordic Structures achieved Cradle to Cradle Certified Silver for Nordic X-Lam and Bronze for Nordic Lam and Lam+ products.
• HITT ContractingcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated on Co|Lab building, first commercial Mass Timber building in D.C. metro area. HITT is a leading general contractor committed to sustainable construction.
• GenslersupportingImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPartnered as Architect of Record or Design Architects on various projects including VMware Corporate Campus, Walmart Home Office, and Plantronics experience center design.
• Hub CultureflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerInvited William McDonough to create ICEhouse structure at World Economic Forum annual meeting in Davos. Hub Culture is a global collaboration network.
• SABICsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupported creation of ICEhouse structure at Davos using SABIC's LEXAN polycarbonate sheet and systems.
• SAPsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvided support for ICEhouse structure at World Economic Forum demonstrating circular economy principles.
• Fonds Kirchberg (Kirchberg Fund)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEngaged WM+P to develop a Positively Defined Co-Creation Process for the Kirchberg Plateau in Luxembourg, including master plan for Grünewald Mixed Use district.
• +ImpaKTsupportingImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerLuxembourg-based consultant collaborating with WM+P on the Kirchberg Co-Creation Process framework.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• KieranTimberlake: Boutique architecture firm of comparable size with a strong sustainable-design practice. Like WM+P, KieranTimberlake pioneered research-driven sustainability (e.g., mass timber pilot projects, Loblolly House, Cellophane House) and targets similar values-driven institutional and corporate clients.
• Snøhetta: Architecture, landscape, and design firm of similar scale and global footprint with strong sustainability and circular-design credentials. Comparable in delivering culturally significant sustainable buildings and master plans across multiple continents.
• Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG): Innovative architecture practice of similar prestige and global profile, delivering landmark sustainable buildings (e.g., The Spiral, Amager Bakke power plant). Comparable in design-forward brand positioning and corporate/institutional client base.
• Studio Gang: Boutique-to-mid-sized architecture and urban design practice of similar profile, with a sustainability-forward portfolio (e.g., Aqua Tower, Writers Theatre). Comparable in mission-driven culture and selective institutional/cultural client base.

Broad incumbents

• Perkins&Will: Major global architecture firm widely regarded as a sustainability leader (LEED platinum track record, Living Building Challenge projects). Competes for the same institutional, healthcare, and corporate sustainable-design commissions that WM+P targets.
• Foster + Partners: Internationally acclaimed architecture firm with comparable global reach and brand recognition, working on landmark corporate headquarters and master plans. Comparable on prestige projects and sustainability ambition though with a much broader design vocabulary.
• Gensler: Global architecture and design firm that has partnered with WM+P as Architect of Record on multiple projects (VMware, Walmart, Plantronics). Comparable in serving corporate and institutional clients but at vastly larger scale and broader service portfolio, including workplace strategy and interiors.
• Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM): Global architecture, engineering, and urban design firm with deep sustainability practice (e.g., Timber Tower Research). Competes for corporate headquarters, master plans, and large-scale sustainable developments.
• HOK: Large global design, architecture, and engineering firm with established sustainability and net-zero practices. Comparable in serving Fortune 500 enterprise clients and institutional master-planning work, though at significantly larger scale.

Others

• Arup: Global engineering and sustainability consultancy often engaged alongside architects on sustainable and net-zero projects. Comparable on the consulting and sustainability advisory side, frequently co-delivering high-performance buildings alongside firms like WM+P.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/william-mcdonough---partners
• Xx.com/billmcdonough
• Facebookfacebook.com/179439382097162

Compliance18 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 William McDonough + Partners