Site Design

What Site Design does

Site Design Group Ltd. is a Chicago-based professional services firm founded in 1990 that provides landscape architecture, urban design, and architecture services. Its client base spans government and municipal agencies (notably the Chicago Park District and City of Chicago Department of Planning and Development), commercial and residential real estate developers (Broder Properties, Wood Partners, Sterling Bay/SOM, C.H. Robinson), educational institutions (University of Chicago, Academy for Global Citizenship, Mansueto High School), healthcare providers (University of Chicago Medicine / Comer Children's Hospital), and hospitality operators (The Hoxton Chicago). Service offerings include parks and open space design, urban park master planning, waterfronts and riverwalks, streetscape and transit-oriented design, nature play and healing gardens, residential amenity decks, and large-scale framework plans such as the Chicago River Design Guidelines and the Positioning Pullman master plan.

The firm operates on a project-by-project professional services model; pricing is not publicly disclosed and is typically structured around scope, complexity, and client requirements. Its go-to-market is sales-led and relationship-driven, relying on direct engagement, RFP responses, and design competition entries, supported by a professional portfolio website, multiple social media channels, and active participation in industry organizations (notably ILASLA). The firm has established long-running collaborations with tier-1 architecture and engineering partners including AECOM, SOM, Studio Gang, Gensler, Farr Associates, and GREC Architects, which serve as both delivery partners and distribution channels.

The business is geographically concentrated in the Chicago metropolitan area and broader Midwest, with a selective presence in Kansas City, Omaha, and Philadelphia, and brand-building forays into international design competitions in Winnipeg, Canada and Jukkasjärvi, Sweden. The firm is independently owned (no parent company or institutional investor disclosed) and has accumulated 30+ years of project history and a significant portfolio of industry recognition, including ASLA National and Illinois Chapter honors, AIA/HUD recognition, FIABCI, and ULI Vision Awards.

Name

Site Design

Legal name

site design group ltd.

Website

https://site-design.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Site Design Group Ltd. is a Chicago-based landscape architecture and urban design firm founded in 1990, serving government, commercial developers, educational institutions, healthcare providers, and hospitality clients across the Midwest with parks, waterfronts, streetscapes, healing gardens, and master planning services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Landscape Architecture Services

NAICS

Landscape Architectural Services (54132), Architectural Services (541310)

SIC

Services-Engineering Services (8711)

akta.pro primary industry

Landscape Architecture & Site Design (BPAHAKAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Residential Landscape Design (HSAIABAA), Commercial Landscape Design & Installation (HSAIABAJ), Landscape Lighting Design & Layout (HSAIAHAA)

Keywords

• Landscape architecture services
• Urban design planning
• Park design services
• Streetscape design
• Healing garden design

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Landscape Architecture Services: Professional landscape architecture and urban design services provided on a project-by-project basis for clients including government agencies, commercial developers, residential developers, educational institutions, and healthcare facilities.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Site Design Group is a Chicago-based landscape architecture and urban design firm delivering project-based professional services across parks, playgrounds, streetscapes, waterfronts, institutional campuses, residential amenity spaces, and citywide framework plans. Engagements encompass site analysis, design development, construction documentation, and project management for public-sector, commercial, residential, educational, healthcare, and hospitality clients. Work is acquired through direct client relationships, RFPs, and design competitions, primarily in the Chicago metropolitan area and broader Midwest.

Product overview

Site Design Group Ltd. is a Chicago-based landscape architecture and urban design firm offering integrated design services across three core areas: landscape architecture, urban design, and architecture. The firm operates as a service-based practice rather than a software product company, providing design services for parks and playgrounds, residential developments, commercial and hospitality projects, civic and institutional facilities, and streetscape/transit improvements. Their portfolio includes specialized services for healing gardens, sustainable schoolyards, waterfront design, and community development projects. The firm collaborates with architects, engineers, and developers on projects ranging from urban parks to luxury residential amenity decks, with notable expertise in Chicago River design guidelines and sustainable landscape practices.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Landscape Architecture Services
• Urban Design Services
• Architecture Services
• Playground and Play Space Design
• Parks and Open Space Design
• Residential Landscape Design
• Educational Facility Landscapes
• Cultural and Institutional Landscape Design
• Streetscape and Transit Design
• Community Development Landscapes

Named customers9 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered minor, core and major.

• SMP Group Design AssociatesminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerProject-specific collaboration as part of the team for Comer Children's Hospital Play Garden project. SMP Group Design Associates served as design collaborator on the playground design.
• Muller + Muller ArchitectscoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPrimary architecture collaborator on Chicago Riverwalk East project. Worked jointly with site design group and City of Chicago on design and implementation of the East End of Chicago's Riverwalk.
• Broder PropertiescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary developer client for Norweta residential project. Landscape architecture services provided as central component to the development's concept and success.
• AECOMmajorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerLong-standing engineering and design consultant partner on multiple large-scale projects including Ping Tom Memorial Park, 31st Street Harbor, and Jane Byrne Circle Interchange.
• Studio Gang ArchitectscoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerLead architect on Academy for Global Citizenship net-zero school campus. Site design group provided landscape architecture services as part of the collaborative team.
• Farr AssociatescoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerArchitecture collaborator on University of Chicago Keller Center sustainable rehabilitation project, which achieved LEED Platinum and Living Building Challenge certifications.
• GREC ArchitectscoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerArchitecture partner on The Hoxton Hotel Chicago project, a boutique hotel in Fulton Market neighborhood featuring first rooftop pool deck for the hotel brand.
• SOM (Skidmore, Owings & Merrill)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerArchitecture partner on C.H. Robinson headquarters at 1515 W Webster, featuring riverfront development with nearly 1,000 linear feet of river frontage.
• Chicago Park DistrictcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor public sector client for parks and public space projects including Henry Palmisano Park, Ping Tom Memorial Park, and numerous other parks throughout Chicago.
• City of Chicago Department of Planning and DevelopmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKey municipal partner for urban design guidelines, planning frameworks, and public space projects including Chicago River Design Guidelines and North Branch Chicago River Design Guidelines.
• Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture LLPmajorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerArchitecture partner on North Branch Chicago River Framework Plan and Positioning Pullman project, a 203-acre national monument planning initiative.
• Pappageorge Haymes PartnerscoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerArchitecture partner on Norweta residential development, working on green living focused residential community in Chicago.
• GenslercoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerArchitecture partner on Fulton West LEED Gold commercial development in Chicago's Innovation District.
• Burns & McDonnellminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPrime consultant on Argyle Streetscape project where site design group served as subconsultant providing landscape architecture and urban design services.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• SWA Group: Internationally recognized landscape architecture, urban design, and planning firm with comparable scope (parks, waterfronts, urban regeneration, mixed-use developments). Closest direct peer in service offering and project type, though SWA operates at significantly larger national/international scale.
• OLIN: Landscape architecture, urban design, and planning firm with strong portfolio in urban parks, waterfronts, and institutional campuses. Direct peer in design philosophy, project types (Philadelphia parks work comparable to Chicago Riverwalk), and high-profile public realm commissions.
• James Corner Field Operations: Landscape architecture and urban design practice specializing in large-scale public parks, waterfronts, and master planning (e.g., High Line, Freshkills Park). Direct peer on signature urban landscape commissions of comparable scale and ambition to Site Design's Chicago Riverwalk and Park at Lakeshore East projects.
• Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates (MVVA): Landscape architecture and urban design firm with comparable park, waterfront, and urban regeneration portfolio. Direct peer in nature-based play design, environmental restoration, and high-prestige public commissions (Brooklyn Bridge Park, Maggie Daley Park in Chicago).
• Sasaki Associates: Planning, urban design, landscape architecture, and architecture firm with deep institutional and municipal practice. Direct peer across university campus planning, waterfront regeneration, and framework/master planning work.
• W Architecture & Landscape Architecture: New York-based landscape architecture firm with comparable portfolio in urban parks, playgrounds, and waterfront design. Direct peer in playground/nature play specialization and urban public realm commissions.
• Site Workshop: Seattle-based landscape architecture, urban design, and planning firm with comparable scope in urban parks, mixed-use developments, and institutional campuses. Direct peer in design philosophy and project typology.

Broad incumbents

• AECOM: Global infrastructure consulting firm offering landscape architecture as part of integrated engineering/design services. Currently a partner on multiple Site Design projects but represents a competitive threat as a broader incumbent bundling landscape into multidisciplinary contracts.
• Stantec: Global design and engineering firm with significant landscape architecture practice serving municipal, commercial, and institutional clients. Broad incumbent competitor offering integrated services that can displace specialist landscape firms in one-stop procurement scenarios.

Regional players

• Hoerr Schaudt Landscape Architects: Chicago-based landscape architecture firm with comparable urban design, parks, and institutional portfolio. Regional peer competing for the same Chicago municipal and developer clients.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

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Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Site Design