HarrisonKornberg Architects

What HarrisonKornberg Architects does

HarrisonKornberg Architects is a Texas-based professional architecture firm founded in 2003 by James Harrison and Daniel Kornberg in Houston, providing full-service architectural and interior design services including programming, master planning, facility assessment, sustainable design, historic preservation, and end-to-end project management. The firm specializes in four institutional verticals — higher education, K-12 education, civic/cultural, and aviation — with a client base that includes Texas A&M University, the University of Houston system, Dallas College, Houston and Fort Worth ISDs, Harris County, Dallas Fort Worth International Airport, Houston Airport System, and United Airlines. Its service offerings are delivered on a project-based professional services revenue model through direct engagement, competitive bidding, and design competitions.

The firm distinguishes itself technically through sustainability credentials (LEED Platinum achievement on Harris County's first Platinum-certified office building, multiple LEED Accredited Professionals on staff, early adoption of the AIA 2030 Challenge), novel aviation design (the first-of-its-kind Virtual Ramp Control Tower at George Bush Intercontinental Airport, DFW Terminal D Expansion with View Glass technology, and a 1,093,000 SF parking structure at Hobby Airport), and repeat institutional client relationships. It maintains DBE/MBE/SBE/HUB certifications across Texas, North Carolina, Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, Washington, and Illinois, enabling access to diversity-focused public contracting, and has executed a five-year Design and Design Management Services contract at DFW Airport covering more than 40 delivery orders.

The firm operates from a Houston headquarters and a Dallas/Irving office with 30+ staff across Texas, has accumulated 20+ industry awards since 2017 from bodies including AIA Houston, the American Architecture Award (Chicago Athenaeum), Fast Company Innovation by Design, TASA/TASB, and A4LE, and was shortlisted in 2023 for the Dallas Museum of Art Reimagining competition alongside David Chipperfield Architects. The firm is privately held as a Texas LLC, founder-led, with no disclosed external investors or parent company.

Name

HarrisonKornberg Architects

Legal name

HarrisonKornberg Architects, LLC

Website

https://harrisonkornberg.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

HarrisonKornberg Architects is a Houston, Texas-based architecture firm founded in 2003 that provides full-service architectural and interior design for higher education, K-12, civic, and aviation institutions, serving clients including Texas A&M, the University of Houston system, DFW Airport, and Harris County.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Architectural Services

NAICS

Architectural Services (541310), Interior Design Services (541410)

SIC

Services-Engineering Services (8711)

akta.pro primary industry

Architectural Design Services (BPAHAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Interior Design Services (BPAHAKAB)

Keywords

• Architectural design services
• Institutional architecture
• Higher education facilities
• K-12 school design
• Civic building design

Headquarters

HQ city

Houston

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Professional Architecture Services: The firm generates revenue through fees for professional architecture and interior design services on project-based engagements. Services are provided to institutional clients for projects ranging from programming and master planning through design, renovation, and project management. Revenue is earned through standard architectural fee structures for projects large and small.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

HarrisonKornberg Architects is a Texas-based architectural firm providing a full range of architectural and interior design services including programming, master planning, facility assessment, design, and project management for institutional clients. The firm specializes in higher education, K-12 education, civic/cultural, and aviation projects, delivering new construction, renovation, and addition work across the United States with a primary focus on the Texas market.

Product overview

HarrisonKornberg Architects is a Texas-based architectural firm providing a comprehensive suite of design services rather than a software product company. Their offerings include architectural design, interior design, programming, master planning, facility assessment, project management, sustainable design, and historic preservation. The firm specializes in institutional projects within four key markets: higher education, K-12 education, civic/cultural, and aviation, with projects ranging from new construction to complex renovations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Architectural Design Services

Quantifiable outcome

• LEED Platinum certification achieved for Harris County's first LEED Platinum office building
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers13 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major, minor and flagship.

• SaabcoreTechnology or IntegrationSaab provided all required technology and related consulting for the Virtual Ramp Control Tower project at George Bush Intercontinental Airport. Saab's Digital Ramp Control solution delivers increased traffic efficiencies, streamlined communications between key stakeholders, and significant cost savings to both airlines and airports. This was a technology partnership for the first-of-its-kind virtual ramp control system.
• Luis Vidal + ArchitectscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHarrisonKornberg partnered with Luis Vidal + Architects on the DFW Airport Terminal D Expansion project. This was a design partnership for the four-gate, 140,000 sq. ft. expansion serving as the first phase for a proposed future terminal.
• Treanor ArchitectsmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHarrisonKornberg collaborated with Treanor Architects in a fully integrated and coordinated effort throughout the design and construction process for the Zachry Engineering Education Complex at Texas A&M University. The collaboration was specifically noted for creating opportunities for diversity, equity and inclusion.
• Walker ParkingmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHarrisonKornberg collaborated with Walker Parking on the design of the West Concourse Blue Garage at Hobby Airport, a 1,093,000 sq. ft. parking structure for 3,000 vehicles. Walker Parking served as parking consultant on this award-winning project.
• ARUPcoreTechnology or IntegrationHarrisonKornberg partnered with ARUP on the Terminal D Expansion project at DFW Airport. ARUP provided engineering services including structural, mechanical, and electrical engineering as part of the project team.
• PBKmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHarrisonKornberg served as prime architect with PBK as associate architect on the West Houston Expansion project for Houston Community College System. PBK collaborated on the 124,933 SF Katy campus facility.
• SmithGroupmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHarrisonKornberg collaborated with SmithGroup on the UH at Katy Academic Building project. SmithGroup served as co-design partner for this 80,000 SF shared instructional site for University of Houston and University of Houston-Victoria.
• SmithGroupmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHarrisonKornberg and SmithGroup collaborated on the University of Houston-Clear Lake Recreation and Wellness Center, an 82,000 SF facility that won multiple national awards including the American Architecture Award.
• Lord Aeck SargentmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHarrisonKornberg designed Heritage Hall in collaboration with Lord Aeck Sargent for Texas A&M University-Central Texas. Also collaborated on the University Towers Residence Hall project for Texas Southern University.
• JQ EngineeringminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHarrisonKornberg and JQ Engineering designed the structural steel vertical addition to the East Parking Garage at UNT Health Science Center, adding 200 parking spaces with castellated steel beams.
• GenslermajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAs Collaborating Architect working with Gensler, HarrisonKornberg designed all the educational and studio spaces for Kinder High School for the Visual and Performing Arts in Houston. This five-story, vertically organized high school serves 750 students in arts education.
• ArupcoreTechnology or IntegrationPart of the joint venture team for DFW Airport five-year Design and Design Management Services contract. Arup provided engineering services for multiple delivery orders including VIP Passenger Lounge and Corporate Board Room redesign.
• Luis Vidal + ArchitectscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPart of the joint venture team for DFW Airport five-year Design and Design Management Services contract. Collaborated on design guidelines for passenger touchpoints including check-in, security, restrooms, entertainment zones, and baggage claim areas.
• David Chipperfield ArchitectsflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerHarrisonKornberg served as Local Architect for the Dallas Museum of Art Reimagination competition alongside David Chipperfield Architects from London. The team was one of six shortlisted finalists. Full team included James Corner Field Operations (Landscape), Pentagram (Exhibition Design), Thornton Tomasetti (Structural), Arup (Services/Lighting), and Atelier Ten (Sustainability).

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• PBK: Houston-based architecture firm with a heavy K-12 and higher education portfolio; HKA has explicitly partnered with PBK (West Houston Expansion) given overlapping Texas institutional client base.
• HKS Architects: Dallas-headquartered architecture firm with deep Texas roots serving education, healthcare, aviation, and civic clients; comparable to HKA in institutional vertical specialization and Texas dominance, but ~10x larger in scale.
• VLK Architects: Texas-headquartered firm (Fort Worth/DFW/Houston/Austin) specializing in K-12 and higher education public-sector work, with similar project type and budget profile to HKA's school district and community college engagements.
• Corgan: Dallas-based architecture firm particularly known for aviation (DFW, American Airlines HQ) and education work; directly competitive for the same Texas airport and higher-education RFPs that anchor HKA's pipeline.
• Page (Page Southerland Page): Texas-based (Austin/Dallas) architecture practice with strong higher education, civic, science & technology, and aviation portfolios; directly comparable target markets and project typologies with HKA.
• SmithGroup: National architecture firm with strong higher-education and recreation/wellness portfolios; HKA has co-designed multiple projects with SmithGroup (UH-Clear Lake Recreation Center, UH Katy) making it a directly comparable peer.
• Treanor Architects: Higher-education focused architecture firm that has collaborated with HKA on the Texas A&M Zachry EEC; comparable in campus facility scale, public-university client base, and DBE/MBE contracting positioning.
• SHW Group (now Stantec Architecture): Texas-rooted K-12 and higher-education architecture practice (now part of Stantec); directly comparable in school district client base, project scale, and Texas public-sector contracting model.

Broad incumbents

• Gensler: Global architecture and design firm with aviation and education practices where HKA has served as collaborating architect (Kinder High School for the Performing Arts); broader portfolio but overlapping in airport terminals and learning environments.
• Perkins&Will: Large national architecture practice with active Texas higher-education and civic work; competes for the same marquee institutional commissions that HKA targets as a collaborating or specialty designer.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/HK_Architects
• Facebookfacebook.com/harrisonkornberg

Compliance16 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

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 HarrisonKornberg Architects