Research Facilities Design
Research Facilities Design is a private consulting firm that programs and designs laboratory buildings exclusively for institutional clients in higher education, healthcare, government, and industry. The boutique firm employs architects, engineers, and laboratory planners across two U.S. offices via multi-year project engagements.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2007
- HeadquartersSan Diego, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Research Facilities Design does
Research Facilities Design (RFD) is a private consulting firm that specializes exclusively in the programming and design of laboratory buildings. The firm serves institutional clients across higher education, healthcare and biomedical research, government, and industry (pharmaceutical and biotechnology), providing professional services that span stakeholder input gathering, consensus-building, programming documents, design development, and construction document preparation. RFD operates with a fully services-based model and does not sell a discrete software or product portfolio; its differentiation rests on the depth of its laboratory-specific domain expertise rather than on technology or scale advantages typical of larger generalist architecture and engineering firms.
Research Facilities Design firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Research Facilities Design
- Legal name
- Research Facilities Design
- Website
- https://rfd.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2007
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Research Facilities Design is a private consulting firm that programs and designs laboratory buildings exclusively for institutional clients in higher education, healthcare, government, and industry. The boutique firm employs architects, engineers, and laboratory planners across two U.S. offices via multi-year project engagements.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Research Facilities Design industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Laboratory Design Services
- NAICS
- Architectural Services (541310), Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services (5413)
- SIC
- Services-Engineering Services (8711)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Education & Research Facility Construction (Schools, Universities, R&D) (IMAFACAE)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Specialty Education Facilities Construction (Labs, STEM, CTE Shops, Arts, Athletics) (EDAEABAI), Lab Furniture, Facilities & Utilities (Benches, Casework, Gas/Water Systems) (HLAGAIAM), Engineering design services (line design, substation design, civil/structural) (EUADAKAG)
Keywords
Where Research Facilities Design is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- San Diego
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Research Facilities Design business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Laboratory Planning and Design Consulting Services: RFD provides professional consulting services for the programming and design of laboratory buildings. The firm works with owners and architectural teams to develop solutions to meet project-specific needs in a cost-effective manner. Services include programming, design development, and construction document preparation.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Project-based professional services |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels4 records
Research Facilities Design product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Research Facilities Design (RFD) provides programming and design services for laboratory buildings. The firm focuses exclusively on laboratory facility planning and design, serving clients across industry, healthcare, research, and education sectors. Engagements typically span pre-design programming, schematic/design development, and construction administration of lab-specific environments.
Product overview
Research Facilities Design (RFD) is a firm of laboratory design consultants focused exclusively on the programming and design of laboratory buildings for industry, healthcare, research, and education. The company offers a single, unified consulting service rather than a software product portfolio. RFD's proven process helps owners and architectural teams develop appropriate, innovative, and well-integrated solutions to meet project-specific needs in a cost-effective manner. Their services encompass laboratory planning, design consulting, and project delivery, with specialized expertise across multiple laboratory types including BSL-3, cleanroom, cGMP, vivarium, STEM, and engineering facilities.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Laboratory Programming and Design Services
Quantifiable outcome
- RFD's Design Development documents exceed the level of detail typically found in Construction Document packages
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Research Facilities Design
Customer profileNamed customers15 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Research Facilities Design technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Research Facilities Design partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators3 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Research Facilities Design competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Perkins&Will: Global architecture firm with a sizable science and technology practice designing laboratory, research, and healthcare facilities. Comparable as a larger multi-practice competitor that RFD may compete with or subcontract alongside on lab projects.
- Jacobs: Global professional services firm with an architecture and engineering practice that includes science, research, and laboratory facility design. Largest broad incumbent on this peer list, representing mega-firm competition for large institutional lab commissions.
- SmithGroup: Large multi-disciplinary design firm with an established science and technology practice covering lab, research, and healthcare facilities. Broader incumbent with deeper bench and geographic reach but overlapping service line with RFD.
- HDR: Large global architecture/engineering/consulting firm with a science and technology practice delivering laboratory and research facility design. Broad incumbent representing the scale of competition RFD faces on institutional projects.
- ZGF Architects: Architecture firm with a dedicated science practice designing research labs, clinical facilities, and academic buildings for elite institutions. Comparable as a higher-end broad incumbent frequently engaged on the same type of institutional lab work as RFD.
Direct peers
- EwingCole: Architecture and engineering firm with a strong science/healthcare practice covering research laboratories, vivariums, and academic facilities. Directly comparable in service scope and client overlap with RFD's higher-education and biomedical research segments.
- Flad Architects: Architecture firm specializing in science, technology, and healthcare facilities, with deep laboratory design expertise. Highly comparable to RFD in vertical specialization, lab programming/design focus, and university/research-institution client mix.
- CO Architects: Los Angeles architecture firm specializing in higher-education and healthcare science facilities, including teaching labs and research buildings. Strong peer given shared West Coast presence, academic/healthcare lab focus, and design-led approach.
- Payette: Boston-based architecture firm exclusively focused on science/technology and healthcare buildings, including laboratories and research facilities. Closely comparable to RFD in exclusive specialization on lab/research facility design and similar institutional client base.
- Ballinger: Philadelphia architecture firm with a dedicated science and technology practice designing research labs, clinical facilities, and academic buildings. Direct peer given shared focus on laboratory and research facility design for higher education and healthcare clients.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Research Facilities Design compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance21 records
Research Facilities Design financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Research Facilities Design leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Research Facilities Design funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Research Facilities Design 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 Research Facilities Design
What does Research Facilities Design do?
Research Facilities Design (RFD) provides programming and design services for laboratory buildings. The firm focuses exclusively on laboratory facility planning and design, serving clients across industry, healthcare, research, and education sectors. Engagements typically span pre-design programming, schematic/design development, and construction administration of lab-specific environments.
Is Research Facilities Design a public or private company?
Research Facilities Design is a private company. It is classified as unknown and is currently operating.
When was Research Facilities Design founded?
Research Facilities Design was founded in 2007. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Research Facilities Design based?
Research Facilities Design is headquartered in San Diego, United States, in the North America region.
How does Research Facilities Design make money?
One revenue line is on record: laboratory Planning and Design Consulting Services.
Who are Research Facilities Design's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Perkins&Will, Jacobs, SmithGroup, HDR and ZGF Architects. Direct peers are EwingCole, Flad Architects, CO Architects, Payette and Ballinger.
Does Research Facilities Design have an API?
No public API is recorded for Research Facilities Design.
What industry is Research Facilities Design in?
Research Facilities Design's product category is Laboratory Design Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMAFACAE, Education & Research Facility Construction (Schools, Universities, R&D), with a secondary code of EDAEABAI, Specialty Education Facilities Construction (Labs, STEM, CTE Shops, Arts, Athletics). Its NAICS code is 541310 and its SIC code is 8711.