CO Architects
CO Architects is a Los Angeles–based architecture firm founded in 1986 that designs large, complex institutional, healthcare, medical-education, and civic projects for universities, health systems, and government clients across the United States, with deep specialization in BIM-led delivery and simulation-rich health sciences facilities.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1986
- HeadquartersLos Angeles, United States
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What CO Architects does
CO Architects is a privately-held architecture firm founded in 1986 and headquartered in Los Angeles, with a national practice focused exclusively on large and complex institutional, civic, academic, health sciences education, science and technology, and healthcare projects. The firm delivers full architectural services across practice areas including Healthcare, Medical and Health Sciences Education, Education, Science and Technology, Civic and Cultural, Interior Design, and Facades. Its client roster spans major academic medical centers, public university systems, healthcare systems, and government entities — including UCI Health, Mayo Clinic, City of Hope, ASU, UC Riverside, University of Arizona, OHSU, TCU, University of Kansas Medical Center, LAUSD, and the Judicial Council of California — with a project footprint across at least 15 U.S. states.
The firm operates a digitally enabled design and delivery platform built on Building Information Modeling (BIM), computational design, virtual reality, and augmented reality, with a nationally recognized early-adopter track record in BIM and integrated project delivery. Notable proprietary technical contributions include the Simulation Deck at the University of Arizona Health Sciences Innovation Building and a spring-suspended floating MRI platform at UCI Health – Irvine that consolidates imaging services on the main entry floor. CO Architects typically serves as Design Architect, paired with Executive Architect partners on major projects, and is increasingly engaged via design-build delivery with general contractors such as Hensel Phelps.
The business model is project-based professional services: revenue is generated through commissions for architectural design services on large institutional projects, with fees negotiated on a per-engagement basis tied to scope, size, and complexity. New work is won through invited competitions, national design competitions (e.g., University of Miami Miller Medical Education Center), direct institutional commissions, and design-build team selections. The firm is independent, founder/management-controlled, and led by Managing Principal Jenna Knudsen alongside a bench of principals and associate principals.
CO Architects firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- CO Architects
- Legal name
- CO Architects
- Website
- https://coarchitects.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1986
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- CO Architects is a Los Angeles–based architecture firm founded in 1986 that designs large, complex institutional, healthcare, medical-education, and civic projects for universities, health systems, and government clients across the United States, with deep specialization in BIM-led delivery and simulation-rich health sciences facilities.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
CO Architects industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Architectural Design Services
- NAICS
- Architectural Services (54131), Interior Design Services (54141)
- SIC
- Services-Engineering Services (8711)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Architectural Design Services (BPAHAKAA)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Interior Design Services (BPAHAKAB)
Keywords
Where CO Architects is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Los Angeles
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
CO 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 Design Services: CO Architects generates revenue through commissions for architectural design services on large institutional projects, serving as Executive & Design Architect or Design Architect paired with Executive Architect partners. Revenue is project-based, with fees tied to project scope, complexity, and delivery method (design-bid-build, design-build, integrated project delivery).
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels6 records
CO Architects product offering
Product offeringCore offering
CO Architects is a professional architectural design firm delivering programming, design, interior design, and simulation planning services for large and complex institutional, civic, academic, health sciences education, science & technology, and healthcare projects. The firm operates as Executive & Design Architect or Design Architect paired with Executive Architect partners, executing projects across design-build, integrated project delivery, and traditional design-bid-build methods for clients including Mayo Clinic, City of Hope, UC San Diego Health, and multiple university systems.
Product overview
CO Architects is a full-service architecture firm offering a comprehensive portfolio of design services. The firm's practice focuses on large and complex institutional, civic, academic, health sciences education, science & technology, and healthcare projects. The company's service offerings include Facades Design Services, Interior Design Services, Civic & Cultural Architecture, Education Architecture, Medical & Health Sciences Education Architecture, Healthcare Architecture, and Science & Technology Architecture. Rather than a unified software product or platform, CO Architects delivers professional architectural design services across these specialized practice areas, with projects ranging from university buildings and healthcare facilities to museums and courthouse complexes.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Facades Design Services
Quantifiable outcome
- First all-electric major healthcare campus in the United States — UCI Health – Irvine, opened Fall 2024
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use CO Architects
Customer profileNamed customers16 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
CO Architects technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
CO Architects partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
17 partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.
- Ayers Saint GrosscoreCO Architects programmed and designed the interiors for The Pearl Innovation District while Ayers Saint Gross master planned the campus and designed the exteriors, both in collaboration with local architect Neighboring Concepts.
- Neighboring ConceptssupportingLocal architect collaborator on The Pearl Innovation District project, working alongside CO Architects and Ayers Saint Gross.
- Hensel PhelpscoreCO Architects and Hensel Phelps formed an integrated design-build team for the UCI Health – Irvine project, the nation's first all-electric major healthcare campus. Hensel Phelps served as the construction partner while CO Architects provided architectural design services. The team won the 2026 DBIA Western Pacific Region Innovation Award for this project. CO Architects + Hensel Phelps were also selected as the Design-Build team for UC Riverside's School of Medicine Education Building II.
- WHRcoreWHR served as Executive Architect for the Methodist Hospital of Houston MITIE project while CO Architects served as Design Architect.
- McMillan Pazdan Smith Associates ArchitectssupportingAssociate Architect on the University of South Carolina Greenville Health Sciences Education Building project.
- Helix Architecture + DesigncoreHelix served as Executive Architect for multiple CO Architects projects including University of Kansas Medical Center Health Education Building, Kansas City University Center for Medical Education Innovation, and Rockhurst University Sedgwick Hall Renovation & Addition.
- SERA ArchitecturecoreSERA Architecture served as Executive Architect for the Oregon Health & Sciences University Collaborative Life Sciences Building & Skourtes Tower project.
- GBBN ArchitectssupportingGBBN Architects served as Associate Architect for the Northern Kentucky University Health Innovation Center & Founders Hall project.
- TSKcoreTSK served as Architect of Record for the UNLV Kirk Kerkorian Medical Education Building project.
- Hoefer WelkercoreHoefer Welker served as Executive Architect for the Texas Christian University Burnett School of Medicine project.
- DFDG ArchitecturecoreDFDG Architecture served as Executive Architect for the Mayo Clinic Integrated Education & Research Building project, and as Architect of Record for the ASU Health project.
- Cushing TerrellcoreCO Architects + Cushing Terrell are collaborating on five buildings for Montana State University's Mark and Robyn Jones College of Nursing across five campuses (Bozeman, Billings, Missoula, Great Falls, Kalispell).
- CO|FXCollaborativecoreCO|FXCollaborative is a joint venture between CO Architects and FXCollaborative, which won the invited competition for Columbia University Medical Center School of Nursing and worked on the Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine.
- Elkus Manfredi ArchitectscoreCO Architects is working on the Rutgers School of Medicine project in collaboration with Elkus Manfredi Architects.
- Swaim AssociatessupportingSwaim Associates served as Associate Architect for the University of Arizona Health Sciences Innovation Building project.
- Train & Partners ArchitectssupportingTrain & Partners Architects served as Associate Architect for the University of Virginia Medical Education Building project.
- Boston Valley TerracottasupportingBoston Valley Terracotta collaborated closely with CO Architects to develop the custom terracotta extrusion for the UT Austin Engineering Discovery Building facade, achieving the desired warm natural tone through multiple iterations of clay mix and additives.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
CO Architects competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Payette: Architecture firm specializing in healthcare and science facilities with significant academic medical center work. Comparable niche focus and project typologies to CO Architects.
- Flad Architects: Specialty architecture firm focused on healthcare, science, and academic facilities. Highly comparable to CO Architects in health sciences education and biomedical research building design.
- ZGF Architects: National architecture firm with major healthcare and academic medical center practices, including research-intensive facilities. Competes with CO Architects on academic medicine and health sciences campuses.
- Perkins&Will: National architecture firm with a leading healthcare and academic medical center practice and integrated design studios. Directly competes with CO Architects on academic medical center and health sciences education pursuits across the U.S.
- EwingCole: Integrated architecture and engineering firm with a strong healthcare and higher education practice. Comparable to CO Architects on hospital and medical education design-build pursuits.
- CannonDesign: Integrated design practice with a strong healthcare and medical education focus and recognized expertise in simulation environments. Competes head-to-head with CO Architects in academic medicine and large institutional healthcare.
- SmithGroup: Integrated design firm with nationally recognized healthcare and higher education practices, including medical education and academic medical center work. Directly comparable on health sciences education pursuits.
Broad incumbents
- HOK (now Populous/HOK): One of the largest global architecture firms with major healthcare, science, and education practices. Serves as a broader incumbent that competes with CO Architects on large-scale institutional healthcare and academic projects.
- HDR Architecture: Large architecture and engineering firm with deep healthcare and academic medical practice. Competes with CO Architects on integrated project delivery for hospitals and medical schools.
Emerging players
- Ayers Saint Gross: Higher education and campus planning firm that collaborated with CO Architects on The Pearl Innovation District. Competitor and partner in academic medical and health sciences education markets.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
CO Architects social profiles
Digital presenceCO Architects financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
CO Architects leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles9 records
CO Architects funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
CO 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 CO Architects
What does CO Architects do?
CO Architects is a professional architectural design firm delivering programming, design, interior design, and simulation planning services for large and complex institutional, civic, academic, health sciences education, science & technology, and healthcare projects. The firm operates as Executive & Design Architect or Design Architect paired with Executive Architect partners, executing projects across design-build, integrated project delivery, and traditional design-bid-build methods for clients including Mayo Clinic, City of Hope, UC San Diego Health, and multiple university systems.
Is CO Architects a public or private company?
CO Architects is a private company. It is classified as management employee owned and is currently operating.
When was CO Architects founded?
CO Architects was founded in 1986. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is CO Architects based?
CO Architects is headquartered in Los Angeles, United States, in the North America region.
How does CO Architects make money?
One revenue line is on record: architectural Design Services.
Who are CO Architects's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Payette, Flad Architects, ZGF Architects, Perkins&Will, EwingCole, CannonDesign and SmithGroup. Broad incumbents are HOK (now Populous/HOK) and HDR Architecture. Ayers Saint Gross is listed as an emerging player.
Does CO Architects have an API?
No public API is recorded for CO Architects.
What industry is CO Architects in?
CO Architects's product category is Architectural Design 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 and its SIC code is 8711.