What Franklin Architects does

Franklin Architects (franklin|architects) is a privately held, family-owned architectural and interior design firm founded in 1933 in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and now operating under third-generation principal and president Robert A. Franklin. The firm provides planning, architectural, and interior design services across multiple verticals including healthcare, K-12 and higher education, workplace and corporate, religious, residential, mixed-use, and technical or public facilities. Projects range from small renovations to large-scale new construction (e.g., a 150,000 SF rehabilitation hospital and a 126,500 SF university hall renovation), with services tailored to each client's goals, site constraints, and budget. The practice is delivered by a small team (11-50 employees) that holds industry credentials including AIA, NCARB, NCIDQ, LEED AP BD+C, CPHC, WELL AP, and CDT.

The firm's core technology stack centers on BIM software, with Revit proficiency required for project architects. The stated differentiator is a sustainable design philosophy emphasizing enduring community impact, rather than proprietary technology or platform products. Service delivery follows a traditional professional services model: project-based engagements with fees quoted per project rather than through published rate cards or subscription pricing. The go-to-market motion is enterprise direct sales, primarily via referrals, repeat institutional clients, and visible project portfolio work concentrated in the greater Chattanooga region with selective reach across Tennessee, Georgia, and select national projects.

Revenue is not publicly disclosed, and the firm is not externally funded. Ownership remains concentrated within the founding Franklin family. Operations are run from a single headquarters at 142 N. Market Street, Chattanooga, TN, and supported by dedicated business development and business operations functions. Notable enterprise clients include Erlanger Health System, Parkridge Medical Center, Siskin Hospital, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, Baylor School, McCallie School, Covenant College, Tennessee Aquarium, Chambliss Law, Conversant Group, and Lodge Cast Iron.

Name

Franklin Architects

Legal name

franklin|architects

Website

https://franklinarch.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1933

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Franklin Architects is a family-owned architecture and interior design firm founded in 1933 in Chattanooga, TN, providing planning, architectural, and interior design services across healthcare, education, workplace, religious, residential, mixed-use, and technical sectors for institutional and corporate clients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Architectural Services

NAICS

Architectural Services (541310), Interior Design Services (541410)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Architectural Design Services (BPAHAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Interior Design Services (BPAHAKAB), Urban Planning & Master Planning (BPAHAKAD)

Keywords

• Architectural design services
• Interior design services
• Master planning services
• Healthcare facility design
• Educational facility design

Headquarters

HQ city

Chattanooga

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Architectural Design Services: Professional fees for architectural planning, design, and interior design services on projects of all sizes across multiple market sectors including healthcare, education, workplace, religious, residential, and mixed-use.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Franklin Architects provides planning, architectural, and interior design services for new construction and renovation projects. The firm serves healthcare, education, workplace, religious, residential, mixed-use, and technical market sectors, delivering project-specific design solutions from master planning through construction administration.

Product overview

Franklin Architects is an architectural and interior design services firm offering a comprehensive portfolio of design services across multiple sectors. The firm provides workplace, mixed-use, K-12 education, higher education, healthcare, religious, residential, and technical building design services. The company also offers master planning and conceptual exploration services. The portfolio is organized as a unified service offering with specialized expertise across these distinct market sectors rather than as a platform-plus-modules software architecture.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Workplace Design Services Architectural and interior design services for commercial workplace environments, including office interiors, corporate headquarters, and professional firm spaces.
• Mixed Use Design Services

Quantifiable outcome

• 90 years of continuous operation since 1933, representing three generations of family leadership

Named customers14 records

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Lyle Cook Martin ArchitectsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with Lyle Cook Martin Architects on Clarksville Commons master planning project in Clarksville, TN. This appears to be a project-specific partnership rather than an ongoing alliance.
• Hodgson DouglasminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with Hodgson Douglas on Clarksville Commons master planning project in Clarksville, TN. This appears to be a project-specific partnership for this development project.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Cooper Carry: Atlanta-based architecture and interior design firm serving workplace, healthcare, education, and mixed-use clients. Comparable because of its Southeast regional base and similar multi-sector practice model serving institutional clients, though at a larger headcount.
• tvsdesign: Atlanta-headquartered architecture firm with practice areas spanning workplace, healthcare, education, and aviation. Directly comparable as a Southeast-based multi-sector practice serving institutional clients with bundled architecture and interiors.
• Rule Joy Trammell + Rubio: Atlanta-based architecture firm with strong K-12, higher education, and civic portfolios. Comparable as a Southeast regional practice of similar relative scale targeting many of the same institutional client types (schools, universities, public agencies).

Broad incumbents

• HKS: Dallas-headquartered national architecture firm with one of the largest US healthcare and education practices. Overlaps directly with Franklin's healthcare and higher-education verticals but operates at substantially greater scale and geographic reach.
• Perkins&Will: Global architecture practice with deep healthcare, education, and workplace expertise. Comparable sector mix to Franklin but at materially larger scale, with a research-driven design approach that increasingly competes for the same institutional clients in mid-sized markets.
• HOK: Large global architecture practice with dedicated healthcare, education, and workplace studios. Comparable multi-sector service profile to Franklin but operating at a vastly larger headcount and project scale across geographies.
• CannonDesign: National integrated design firm covering healthcare, education, workplace, and mixed-use sectors. Comparable vertical mix and integrated architecture-plus-interiors delivery model that competes for the same institutional clients Franklin serves.
• LEO A DALY: Privately held national architecture, engineering, and planning firm with significant healthcare, education, and workplace practices. Comparable multi-sector scope, though at a substantially larger scale and broader geographic footprint.
• SmithGroup: National integrated design firm with strong healthcare, higher education, and workplace studios. Comparable institutional-client focus and integrated design services, but operating with significantly larger headcount and geographic reach than Franklin.

Emerging players

• Shepley Bulfinch: Architecture and planning firm specializing in healthcare, higher education, and science & technology clients. Comparable vertical specialization and relative scale to Franklin, with overlapping pursuit of university and healthcare-system projects in regional markets.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

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 Franklin Architects