Nia Architects
Nia Architects is a Chicago-based, MBE-certified architecture firm founded in 1996 that provides full-service architectural design, interior design, and construction management across housing, education, healthcare, community, and transit-oriented development projects for developers, public agencies, and nonprofits.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1996
- HeadquartersChicago, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Nia Architects does
Nia Architects is a privately held, founder-owned architectural design firm headquartered in Chicago with a secondary office in Washington DC, founded in 1996 by Anthony Akindele, a Nigerian immigrant. The firm provides full-service architectural services from initial programming and schematic design through design development, construction documents, and construction administration, complemented by interior design, construction management, and urban planning. The practice is organized around five core service areas: multi-family housing (market-rate, affordable, mixed-income, and mixed-use), community and neighborhood design (parks, recreation centers, theaters, churches), educational facilities (K-12 and higher education), healthcare architecture, and commercial/workplace design, with a particular specialization in transit-oriented development.
The firm operates as a professional services business with project-based revenue earned through architectural service fees on completed engagements. Pricing is project-specific based on scope, complexity, and service requirements and is not publicly disclosed. The go-to-market motion is enterprise field sales, acquiring work through direct relationships with developers, government agencies, nonprofits, and institutions rather than self-serve or product-led channels. The firm maintains multi-state architectural licensure (Illinois, Virginia, Maryland, Washington DC) and Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) certification, both of which serve as competitive positioning tools for public and institutional procurement.
Nia's underlying technology stack is limited to industry-standard tools including Revit for construction documents and 3D rendering software; no proprietary platforms, APIs, or AI/ML capabilities are disclosed. The team ranges from 11-50 employees, including architects, designers, and urbanists, with a composition explicitly centered on diversity of background. Notable client engagements span affordable housing developers (POAH, CPAH), major healthcare systems (Rush University), public agencies (CTA, WMATA, City Colleges of Chicago, Chicago Park District), and design-build collaborations with prime architects including Perkins+Will, SOM, Gensler, HDR, and Studios Architecture on award-winning projects such as the C40 Cities-recognized Garfield Green development and LEED Platinum-certified CTA Headquarters.
Nia Architects firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Nia Architects
- Legal name
- Nia Architects, Inc
- Website
- https://niaarch.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1996
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Nia Architects is a Chicago-based, MBE-certified architecture firm founded in 1996 that provides full-service architectural design, interior design, and construction management across housing, education, healthcare, community, and transit-oriented development projects for developers, public agencies, and nonprofits.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Nia Architects industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Architectural Services
- NAICS
- Architectural Services (54131), Architectural Services (541310), Interior Design Services (54141), Interior Design Services (541410)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Architectural Design Services (BPAHAKAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Interior Design Services (BPAHAKAB), Design-Build / EPC General Contracting (IMAFAAAD)
Keywords
Where Nia Architects is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Chicago
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Nia Architects business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Architectural Services: Full range of architectural services from initial programming through construction administration, plus construction management, interior design, and other design services. Revenue is project-based and earned through professional service fees on completed architectural engagements.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels4 records
Nia Architects product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Nia Architects is a purpose-driven design firm that provides full-service architectural design from initial programming through construction administration. The firm delivers architectural, interior design, construction management, and urban planning services across multi-family housing, education, healthcare, community, mixed-use, commercial, and transit-oriented development projects primarily in the Chicago metropolitan area and Washington DC.
Product overview
Nia Architects is a purpose-driven architectural design firm offering a comprehensive suite of services centered around its core architectural design practice. The firm provides full-service architectural design from initial programming through construction administration, complemented by interior design, construction management, and urban planning services. The portfolio spans multiple specialized service areas including multi-family housing (market-rate, affordable, and mixed-income), community and neighborhood design, healthcare architecture, educational facility design, transit-oriented development, workplace/commercial architecture, and retail design. Founded in 1996 and operating from offices in Chicago and Washington DC, the firm has developed particular expertise in underserved communities, affordable housing, and mixed-use developments.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Architectural Design Services
Quantifiable outcome
- Ellis Park Arts and Recreation Center delivered on time and on budget while meeting numerous requirements of Federal, City, and State funders
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Nia Architects
Customer profileNamed customers10 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Nia Architects technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Nia Architects partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.
- Booth HansencoreCollaborated with Booth Hansen on the Ellis Park Arts and Recreation Center project, a 33,000 SF community center in Chicago's Quad Communities.
- Perkins + WillflagshipCollaborated on Garfield Green, a C40 Cities Reinventing Cities winning project featuring sustainable affordable and market-rate housing.
- Antunovich AssociatescoreCollaborated on 508 Pershing mixed-use development and Southbridge Development transit-oriented project.
- Studios ArchitecturecoreCollaborated on WMATA DC Headquarters design-build project, 230,000 SF mixed-use office renovation near L'Enfant Plaza Metro.
- FGM ArchitectscoreCollaborated on Olive Harvey TDL Center, the first comprehensive transportation, distribution and logistics education center in Illinois.
- STR PartnerscoreCollaborated on Sarah E Goode STEM Academy, achieving LEED Platinum certification.
- OWP/P (now Cannon Design)corePartnered on CTA Headquarters project achieving LEED Platinum certification for 300,000+ SF office building.
- HDRflagshipCollaborating on $450 million Joan and Paul Rubschlager Building for Rush University ambulatory care facility.
- SOM (Skidmore, Owings & Merrill)coreCollaborated on Little Italy Branch Library and Taylor Street Apartments mixed-use project combining public library with affordable housing.
- GenslercorePartnered on Woodlawn Station transit-oriented development with 55 residential units and commercial space.
- UJAMAA ConstructioncoreConstruction partner on Eve B Lee Place 34-unit senior housing development in Libertyville.
Scale indicators5 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Nia Architects competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Perkins&Will: A global architecture firm partnering with Nia on the C40-winning Garfield Green project; competes for and delivers on the same institutional, healthcare, and sustainable-design commissions, but at a much broader scale.
- CannonDesign (formerly OWP/P): A large national architecture firm that has partnered with Nia on the LEED Platinum CTA Headquarters; serves many of the same institutional, healthcare, and education clients at significantly greater scale.
Direct peers
- Wight & Company: A Midwest architecture and engineering firm with similar full-service design-build capabilities and comparable project focus on education, community, and transit-oriented work in the Illinois market.
- Moody Nolan: The largest African-American-owned architecture firm in the U.S., Moody Nolan shares Nia's mission-driven, diversity-led positioning and operates across similar institutional and community-focused project types including housing, education, and healthcare.
- Booth Hansen: A Chicago-based architecture firm of similar scale that has partnered with Nia on the Ellis Park Arts and Recreation Center; serves comparable institutional, community, and mixed-use clients in the same Chicago market.
- Legat Architects: A Midwest-rooted architecture firm of similar scale serving education, community, and institutional clients — closely comparable in size, geography, and project-type mix.
- FGM Architects: A Midwest architecture firm partnering with Nia on the Olive Harvey TDL Center; comparable in size, with shared expertise in educational and institutional facility design.
- Antunovich Associates: A Chicago architecture firm collaborating with Nia on mixed-use and transit-oriented developments (508 Pershing, Southbridge), serving the same developer and institutional client base in the Chicago market.
- Landon Bone Baker Architects: A Chicago architecture firm of similar size with a comparable focus on multifamily, mixed-use, and community-oriented projects in the Chicago metropolitan area, often serving nonprofit and affordable-housing developers.
- KAI Design & Build: An MBE-certified architecture and engineering firm with comparable size and a comparable focus on community-impact projects, education, and transit-oriented development — a direct Midwest peer.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Nia Architects social profiles
Digital presenceNia Architects financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Nia Architects leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
Nia Architects funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Nia Architects M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Nia Architects
What does Nia Architects do?
Nia Architects is a purpose-driven design firm that provides full-service architectural design from initial programming through construction administration. The firm delivers architectural, interior design, construction management, and urban planning services across multi-family housing, education, healthcare, community, mixed-use, commercial, and transit-oriented development projects primarily in the Chicago metropolitan area and Washington DC.
Is Nia Architects a public or private company?
Nia Architects is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Nia Architects founded?
Nia Architects was founded in 1996. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Nia Architects based?
Nia Architects is headquartered in Chicago, United States, in the North America region.
How does Nia Architects make money?
One revenue line is on record: architectural Services.
Who are Nia Architects's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Perkins&Will and CannonDesign (formerly OWP/P). Direct peers are Wight & Company, Moody Nolan, Booth Hansen, Legat Architects, FGM Architects, Antunovich Associates, Landon Bone Baker Architects and KAI Design & Build.
Does Nia Architects have an API?
No public API is recorded for Nia Architects.
What industry is Nia Architects in?
Nia Architects's product category is Architectural Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAHAKAA, Architectural Design Services, with a secondary code of BPAHAKAB, Interior Design Services. Its NAICS code is 54131.