Ziegler Cooper Architects
Ziegler Cooper Architects is a privately held Houston-based architecture firm founded in 1977 that designs high-rise residential, mixed-use, hospitality, worship, and workplace projects across Sun Belt markets, serving institutional developers, hospitality brands, and corporations through senior-principal-led enterprise engagements.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1977
- HeadquartersHouston, United States
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Ziegler Cooper Architects does
Ziegler Cooper Architects (ZCA) is a privately held architecture firm headquartered at 700 Louisiana St in Houston, Texas, founded in 1977 by R. Scott Ziegler, who continues to serve as Founding Senior Principal. The firm organizes its practice into specialized internal Studios covering Multi-Family / Urban Architecture / High-Rise Residential / Mixed-Use / Master Planning, Workplace Interiors, Worship + Community, Health + Wellness, and Hospitality Architecture, guided by the firm's belief that 'beautiful architecture enriches people's lives.' Its core technical competency is vertical urbanism — the design of tall, mixed-use, high-density buildings in Sun Belt urban cores — with a documented portfolio of 45+ high-rise urban residential buildings spanning Super High-Rise, mid-rise, and Point Tower Wrap typologies, plus 5+ million square feet of hotel and mixed-use hospitality projects.
The firm derives revenue from professional services fees on a project-by-project basis, priced through scope-specific quotes rather than disclosed public pricing. Its go-to-market is enterprise field sales: senior principals engage directly with C-suite and senior leadership at institutional developers, hospitality brands, corporations, religious institutions, and government entities. The firm has developed sticky repeat-client relationships with developers including Greystar, High Street Residential, Hanover Company, Stonelake Capital Partners, Weingarten Realty, Marquette, and Interfin, complemented by long-running collaborations with specialty partners Pickard Chilton (design architect), Rottet Studio (interiors), Hoar Construction (GC), and Kudela & Weinheimer (landscape architecture). Distribution is concentrated in Sun Belt markets — Houston, Austin, Dallas, Denver, Atlanta, Phoenix, Tempe, San Antonio — with selected international reach via completed hospitality commissions.
Ziegler Cooper has earned more than 125 design awards across HBJ Landmark, CoStar Impact, ENR Best Projects, IIDA Pinnacle, AMCH Golden Trowel, Texas Masonry Council, and AIA Sandcastle competitions, and pursues LEED Silver and LEED Gold certifications on select developments. The firm operates with 101-250 employees, takes no external funding, and is led under a founder-plus-principals ownership structure with no disclosed parent company, private equity sponsor, or institutional investment.
Ziegler Cooper Architects firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Ziegler Cooper Architects
- Legal name
- Ziegler Cooper Architects
- Website
- https://zieglercooper.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1977
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Ziegler Cooper Architects is a privately held Houston-based architecture firm founded in 1977 that designs high-rise residential, mixed-use, hospitality, worship, and workplace projects across Sun Belt markets, serving institutional developers, hospitality brands, and corporations through senior-principal-led enterprise engagements.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Ziegler Cooper Architects industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Architectural Services
- NAICS
- Architectural Services (54131), Interior Design Services (54141), Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services (5413)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Architectural Design Services (BPAHAKAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Interior Design Services (BPAHAKAB), Sustainable/Green Building & LEED Consulting (BPAHAKAG)
Keywords
Where Ziegler Cooper Architects is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Houston
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Ziegler Cooper Architects business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Architecture and Design Services: Professional fees for architectural design, master planning, interior design, and design consultation services on a per-project basis. Revenue is earned through project-based engagements with developers, hospitality brands, corporations, and institutions.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels5 records
Ziegler Cooper Architects product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Ziegler Cooper Architects is a Houston-based professional architecture firm that provides architectural design, master planning, interior design, and design consultation services through five specialized practice studios: Multi-Family/Urban Architecture/High-Rise Residential/Mixed-Use/Master Planning; Workplace Interiors/Commercial Interiors; Worship + Community; Health + Wellness; and Hospitality Architecture. The firm has designed more than 45 high-rise urban residential buildings and over 5 million square feet of hotel and mixed-use hospitality projects, primarily serving institutional developers, hospitality brands, corporations, and religious/educational institutions across the Sun Belt.
Product overview
Ziegler Cooper Architects is a Houston-based architecture firm founded in 1977, structured into five specialized internal Studios serving mankind's basic needs to live, learn, work, and worship. The Multi-Family/Urban Architecture/High-Rise Residential/Mixed-Use/Master Planning Studio represents the core practice, having designed over 45 high-rise urban residential buildings including signature projects like the Ritz-Carlton Hotel & Residences Houston (44-story mixed-use tower), 415 Colorado in Austin (47-story, CoStar Impact Award winner), and Autry Park in Houston. The Workplace Interiors/Commercial Interiors Studio creates functional commercial environments. The Worship+Community Studio designs churches, schools, and civic facilities including the award-winning John Cooper School and St. John Lutheran Church. The Health+Wellness Studio focuses on healthcare facilities. The Hospitality Architecture Studio has designed over five million square feet of hotel and mixed-use hospitality projects including Loews Regency, Gables Republic Square with Hotel ZaZa, and Bluejack National. Notable projects span major Sun Belt markets including Houston, Austin, Dallas, Atlanta, Denver, San Antonio, and Tempe. The firm has earned over 125 design awards and is guided by the belief that beautiful architecture enriches people's lives.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Multi-Family / Urban Architecture / High-Rise Residential / Mixed-Use / Master Planning Specialized architectural practice for high-rise residential towers, mixed-use developments, and urban master planning. Includes more than 45 high-rise urban residential buildings designed, ranging from Super High-Rise buildings to Point Tower Wraps, serving institutional and private developers across Sun Belt markets.
- Workplace Interiors / Commercial Interiors
Quantifiable outcome
- 45+ high-rise urban residential buildings designed with typologies from Super High-Rise to Point Tower Wraps
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Ziegler Cooper Architects
Customer profileNamed customers10 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
Ziegler Cooper Architects technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Ziegler Cooper Architects partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.
- GreystarcoreGreystar is the developer of The Parson, a 309-unit luxury high-rise in Denver's Golden Triangle neighborhood. Ziegler Cooper Architects designed the project with interiors by ESG Architecture and Design. The property opened in mid-June 2026 with first move-ins.
- Hanover CompanycoreHanover Company co-developed Autry Park, a 24-story mixed-use high-rise along Buffalo Bayou in Houston. The project features boutique shops, dining, and luxury residential units in a vertically integrated development.
- Weingarten RealtycoreWeingarten Realty co-developed The Driscoll, a luxury high-rise near River Oaks in Houston, in partnership with the Hanover Company. The project offers access to high-end shopping and the prestigious River Oaks area.
- High Street ResidentialcoreHigh Street Residential is the developer of Rone Residences (209-unit, 12-story luxury apartment in Houston), Parkside Residences (43-story luxury tower), and River Oaks at Westheimer. Ziegler Cooper Architects designed these projects with Rottet Studio interiors.
- Stonelake Capital PartnerscoreStonelake Capital Partners developed 415 Colorado, a 47-story mixed-use tower in Austin that won the 2025 CoStar Impact Award. The architectural team was led by Dawna Houchin and Axel Weisheit of Ziegler Cooper Architects.
- Pickard ChiltonmajorPickard Chilton served as Design Architect for The Ritz-Carlton Hotel & Residences in Houston. Ziegler Cooper Architects served as Architect of Record, with Rottet Studio handling interiors and OJB handling landscape architecture.
- Rottet StudiomajorRottet Studio designed interiors for multiple Ziegler Cooper projects including The Ritz-Carlton Houston, Rone Residences, and River Oaks at Westheimer. The firm is a repeated interior design collaborator across the ZCA portfolio.
- Hoar ConstructioncoreHoar Construction served as general contractor for Rone Residences. The firm has collaborated on multiple Ziegler Cooper projects including Novel River Oaks, bringing construction expertise to complex high-rise developments.
- Kudela & WeinheimercoreKudela & Weinheimer provided landscape architecture for Rone Residences. The firm has been a repeated collaborator on Ziegler Cooper projects including Catalyst, Gables Crimson, and multiple other developments.
- GreystarcoreGreystar is developing 10th and Cherokee in Denver, Colorado, with Ziegler Cooper Architects as the architecture firm. Groundbreaking took place in August 2023.
- Marquette CompanycoreMarquette Company developed Catalyst, a 28-story 361-unit apartment tower in Houston's Central Business District. Ziegler Cooper Architects designed the project which won ENR's Best Residential Project Award 2018.
- Paradigm ConstructioncoreParadigm Construction has been a long-term collaborator with Ziegler Cooper Architects, serving as general contractor for multiple projects including AIA Sandcastle Competition entries (winning Gold Bucket in 2019, 2021, and 2022), Christ the Redeemer Activity Center, and various residential projects.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Ziegler Cooper Architects competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- BOKA Powell: Texas-based architecture firm with strong multifamily, hospitality, and mixed-use practices in Dallas and Houston. Direct regional competitor for Sun Belt institutional developer clients and similar firm scale.
- Powers Brown Architecture: Houston-based architecture firm specializing in workplace, multifamily, and mixed-use developments. Comparable scale and overlapping developer relationships, particularly in the Texas urban-core multifamily market.
- Page (PageSoutherlandPage): Houston-headquartered architecture, engineering, and design firm with comparable scale and a strong Texas/Sun Belt portfolio spanning healthcare, education, commercial, and civic work. Most direct competitor for Houston-based institutional clients and similar in size and multi-studio structure to Ziegler Cooper.
- HKS Architects: Dallas-based national architecture firm with deep hospitality, healthcare, and high-rise expertise and comparable firm scale. Competes directly for institutional developers and hospitality brands across the Sun Belt and beyond.
- Morris Architects: Houston-based architecture and interiors firm with comparable scale and a portfolio spanning hospitality, healthcare, education, and commercial work. Direct competitor for the same institutional developer and hospitality clients in the Texas market.
- Pickard Chilton: High-rise architecture specialist known for trophy office towers and large mixed-use developments; actually partners with Ziegler Cooper on Ritz-Carlton Houston (Pickard as Design Architect, ZCA as Architect of Record). Most relevant design-architect peer in the high-rise vertical-urbanism category.
- Kirksey Architecture: Houston-based full-service architecture firm with similar size, multi-studio structure, and a portfolio that includes commercial, hospitality, worship, and workplace interiors. Direct competitor for Texas institutional clients and developers.
Broad incumbents
- Gensler: Largest global architecture and design firm with a major Houston presence and deep hospitality, workplace, and mixed-use practice. Competes for many of the same institutional developer and hospitality brand clients but at significantly larger scale and broader geographic footprint.
- HOK: Global architecture firm with strong hospitality, healthcare, and high-rise practices. Competes for institutional developer and hospitality brand commissions across the Sun Belt but operates at much broader scale and scope than Ziegler Cooper.
- Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM): Globally recognized architecture firm with a deep supertall and high-rise residential portfolio. Competes for trophy mixed-use and luxury residential commissions where Ziegler Cooper's vertical-urbanism thesis overlaps with SOM's skyscraper specialization.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Ziegler Cooper Architects social profiles
Digital presenceZiegler Cooper Architects compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance3 records
Ziegler Cooper Architects financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Ziegler Cooper Architects leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Ziegler Cooper Architects funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Ziegler Cooper 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 Ziegler Cooper Architects
What does Ziegler Cooper Architects do?
Ziegler Cooper Architects is a Houston-based professional architecture firm that provides architectural design, master planning, interior design, and design consultation services through five specialized practice studios: Multi-Family/Urban Architecture/High-Rise Residential/Mixed-Use/Master Planning; Workplace Interiors/Commercial Interiors; Worship + Community; Health + Wellness; and Hospitality Architecture. The firm has designed more than 45 high-rise urban residential buildings and over 5 million square feet of hotel and mixed-use hospitality projects, primarily serving institutional developers, hospitality brands, corporations, and religious/educational institutions across the Sun Belt.
Is Ziegler Cooper Architects a public or private company?
Ziegler Cooper Architects is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Ziegler Cooper Architects founded?
Ziegler Cooper Architects was founded in 1977. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Ziegler Cooper Architects based?
Ziegler Cooper Architects is headquartered in Houston, United States, in the North America region.
How does Ziegler Cooper Architects make money?
One revenue line is on record: architecture and Design Services.
Who are Ziegler Cooper Architects's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are BOKA Powell, Powers Brown Architecture, Page (PageSoutherlandPage), HKS Architects, Morris Architects, Pickard Chilton and Kirksey Architecture. Broad incumbents are Gensler, HOK and Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM).
Does Ziegler Cooper Architects have an API?
No public API is recorded for Ziegler Cooper Architects.
What industry is Ziegler Cooper Architects in?
Ziegler Cooper 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.