Delawie

What Delawie does

Delawie is a full-service architecture and interior design firm founded in 1961 and headquartered in San Diego, California, with a secondary office in Long Beach. The firm delivers architectural design, interior design, space planning, and project administration across six primary verticals: Corporate, Education, Government, Hospitality + Entertainment, Industrial, and Science + Technology. Its client base consists almost entirely of enterprise and institutional organizations—Qualcomm, BioLegend, Pfizer, NAVFAC Southwest, University of San Diego, J Street Hospitality, The Seabird Resort, Pechanga Resort Casino, TELACU, and Lucky Brand among them—with project scopes ranging from boutique hotels and corporate headquarters to biotech campuses, military training facilities, and tilt-up industrial buildings. Pricing is quote-based and project-specific, determined by scope, complexity, and square footage, with no publicly disclosed pricing tiers or standard rates.

The firm's technical capabilities emphasize sustainable design (LEED Silver and Gold certifications across multiple projects including Maguire Tech Center, San Diego Mesa College Allied Health Center, and Bachelor Enlisted Quarters P-741), domain specialization in life-science and laboratory environments (biosafety level 3 suites, clean rooms, cold storage), and culturally sensitive hospitality design (collaboration with the Pechanga Cultural Center, Japanese wabi-sabi philosophy at The Bower). Distribution is direct enterprise field sales through principal-led business development and RFP responses, supported by membership in industry associations (AIA, DBIA, IIDA, ISPE, I2SL, USGBC, Biocom, NAIOP, CREW). Marketing channels include the project portfolio website, ACE Mentor Program, NAIOP University Challenge, and community service initiatives.

In December 2025, Delawie was acquired by LEO A DALY, an international architecture and engineering firm backed by Hennick & Company. The entire Delawie leadership team, including CEO Frank Ternasky, remained in their roles and became equity shareholders in LEO A DALY. The firm now operates as "Delawie a LEO A DALY Studio," retaining brand identity and operational autonomy while gaining access to expanded geographic reach and capital resources. The firm holds between 101 and 250 employees and operates as a privately held corporation governed under California law.

Name

Delawie

Legal name

Delawie

Website

https://delawie.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1961

Operating status

Acquired

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Delawie is a 1961-founded architecture and interior design firm based in San Diego, serving enterprise clients across corporate, education, government, hospitality, industrial, and life-sciences sectors throughout the Western U.S., now operating as a studio of LEO A DALY.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

San Diego

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Architecture Services: Professional architectural design services for new construction, renovation, and tenant improvement projects across commercial, educational, hospitality, industrial, and government sectors
2. Interior Design Services: Interior design services including space planning, finishes selection, furniture specification, and interior architecture for hospitality, corporate, and residential projects

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Delawie provides comprehensive architecture and interior design services for new construction, renovation, and tenant improvement projects across six vertical markets: Corporate, Education, Government, Hospitality + Entertainment, Industrial, and Science + Technology. The firm delivers projects from concept through construction administration, with specialized expertise in LEED-certified sustainable design, life science and biotech facilities, and culturally integrated hospitality developments.

Product overview

Delawie is a full-service architecture and interior design firm offering comprehensive design capabilities across six primary service verticals: Corporate, Education, Government, Hospitality + Entertainment, Industrial, and Science + Technology. Founded in 1961 and headquartered in San Diego with a second office in Long Beach, the firm provides architectural design, interior design, space planning, and project management services. Delawie operates as a unified service offering rather than a platform-plus-modules structure, delivering projects from concept through construction administration across commercial, institutional, hospitality, and government sectors.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Architecture Services
• Interior Design Services
• Government and Military Facility Design
• Education Facility Design
• Hospitality + Entertainment Design
• Science + Technology Facility Design
• Industrial Facility Design
• Corporate Office and Headquarters Design

Quantifiable outcome

• Most significant oceanfront project in San Diego County in over 50 years (The Seabird Resort)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• LEO A DALYcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 December 2025Delawie has joined LEO A DALY, an international architecture and engineering firm backed by Hennick & Company. The entire Delawie leadership team remains in their existing roles for the long term to ensure continuity for talent, clients and stakeholders, and each become equity shareholders in LEO A DALY. This move expands capabilities, client service, and market reach for both firms while maintaining Delawie's operational independence as a studio.
• Perkins & WillminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDelawie worked in joint venture with national design firm Perkins & Will on the Knauss Center for Business Education project at University of San Diego

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• SmithGroup:
• DLR Group: DLR Group is an integrated design firm providing architecture, engineering, and planning services across education, government, healthcare, and commercial sectors. They are a comparable peer competing for similar enterprise and institutional projects in the Western US.
• Perkins & Will: Perkins & Will is a national architecture firm that partnered with Delawie in joint venture on the USD Knauss Center. They directly compete for higher education, healthcare, and science/technology projects in the same Western US market Delawie serves.

Broad incumbents

• HDR Architects: HDR is an integrated design firm with strong healthcare, education, science/technology, and government architecture practices. They compete for institutional and government design commissions similar to Delawie's NAVFAC and education sector work.
• Gensler: Gensler is a global architecture, design, and planning firm serving corporate, education, hospitality, and science/technology clients. They directly compete with Delawie for enterprise architecture commissions and share similar vertical market focus, though at much larger scale.
• HOK: HOK is a global design, architecture, engineering, and planning firm with overlapping expertise in science/technology, education, healthcare, and government sectors. They compete for the same enterprise and institutional clients Delawie serves, particularly on larger multi-disciplinary projects.
• HKS Architects: HKS is a national architecture firm with strong presence in healthcare, education, hospitality, and government markets. They compete with Delawie for institutional and corporate clients and operate at similar scale with comparable project types.
• NBBJ: NBBJ is a global design and architecture firm specializing in healthcare, science/technology, and corporate workplace. They compete for the same biotech, life science, and corporate campus projects that anchor Delawie's science/technology portfolio.
• LEO A DALY: LEO A DALY is an international architecture and engineering firm that acquired Delawie in December 2025 and now operates Delawie as a studio. They offer the same architecture and interior design services Delawie provides, plus broader engineering and multi-disciplinary capabilities across healthcare, aviation, government, and education sectors.

Regional players

• Steinberg Hart: Steinberg Hart is a California-based architecture firm focused on education, housing, and mixed-use development. They are a regional peer competing in the same Southern California market for institutional and education sector projects.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/delawie
• Instagraminstagram.com/delawie_architecture
• Facebookfacebook.com/delawie

Compliance17 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Delawie