ASK Studio

What ASK Studio does

ASK Studio (legally Architects Schipper Kastner) is a Des Moines, Iowa-based architecture atelier founded in 1999 by principals Brent Schipper and Michael Kastner. The firm offers master planning, architectural, interior design, and product design services to clients across Iowa and the broader Midwest. Its practice is anchored in a discipline-driven methodology that treats function, economy, and ecology as the governing criteria for design, and it has built a reputation around adaptive reuse of historic structures, multi-family and affordable housing, civic and institutional projects, and selected commercial and specialty industrial work. Notable technical credentials include the first LEED Gold municipal building in Iowa (CyRide Ames Transit Authority, 2009) and the first LEED Platinum building in an Iowa affordable housing community (Oakridge Teen Center, 2013).

The firm operates as a project-based professional services practice, earning revenue through architectural and interior design commissions from developers, municipalities, transit authorities, nonprofits, universities, and corporate clients. Pricing is project-specific based on scope, complexity, and square footage, and is not publicly disclosed. Customer relationships are concentrated in Midwestern real estate developers (Newbury Living, Hatch Development Group, Community Housing Initiatives) and a recurring set of civic and nonprofit clients. The firm is privately held by its two principals, has 11 team members, and relies on portfolio, editorial coverage in national architecture publications, and an extensive body of design awards as its principal go-to-market vehicle rather than active demand-generation campaigns.

The practice's principal assets are its human capital (AIA-, LEED AP-, and IIDA/NCIDQ-credentialed staff), its publication and award record spanning 2009-2025 in outlets including Architectural Record, Metal Architecture, Residential Architect, Architect Magazine, and Forbes, and its first-mover credentials in sustainability within the Iowa market. No external funding, parent company, or subsidiary relationships are present, and there is no disclosed M&A, restructuring, or leadership change activity.

Name

ASK Studio

Legal name

Architects Schipper Kastner

Website

https://askstudio.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

ASK Studio is an 11-person Des Moines-based architecture atelier (Architects Schipper Kastner) offering master planning, architectural, interior, and product design services to developers, municipalities, nonprofits, universities, and corporate clients across the Midwest, with a specialty in adaptive reuse and LEED-certified projects.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Des Moines

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Architectural Design Services: ASK Studio generates revenue through professional architectural and interior design fees for building projects spanning residential, commercial, civic, and mixed-use developments. Projects are primarily in the Midwest, particularly Iowa, with services including master planning, architectural design, interior design, and product design. Revenue is earned through project-based commissions for both new construction and adaptive reuse projects.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

ASK Studio provides professional architectural design, interior design, master planning, and custom product design services for residential, commercial, civic, healthcare, educational, and industrial building projects, primarily across Iowa and the broader Midwest. The firm specializes in adaptive reuse of historic structures and sustainable design, delivering projects that range from LEED-certified municipal transit facilities to multi-family housing developments and corporate headquarters.

Product overview

ASK Studio is a Midwest-based architecture atelier offering master planning, architectural, interior, and product design services. Their portfolio spans residential (multifamily, senior living, affordable housing), commercial, industrial, civic, healthcare, and educational building types, organized under thematic categories including Dream (chapels, specialty structures), Gather (community spaces), Live (residential), Preserve (historic rehabilitation), Sustain (green buildings), and Work (offices, industrial). The firm operates as a unified service practice rather than a platform with separate modules.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Architectural Design Services

Quantifiable outcome

• First municipal structure in Iowa to achieve LEED Gold certification (CyRide Transit Authority)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• HGA Architects and Engineers: Minneapolis-headquartered, employee-owned architecture and engineering firm with strong Midwest presence, healthcare expertise, and integrated design services. Direct comparable on multidisciplinary practice, regional concentration, and emphasis on sustainable, mission-driven projects.
• Integrated Architecture: Grand Rapids, Michigan-based multidisciplinary architecture firm offering architecture, interiors, and planning. Comparable on integrated service model and Midwest regional footprint serving similar developer, civic, and institutional clients.
• Holabird & Root: Chicago-based architecture firm with a long-standing Midwest practice covering civic, educational, healthcare, and adaptive reuse projects. Comparable on regional Midwest positioning, historic preservation expertise, and institutional client base.
• BNIM: Kansas City-based architecture and planning firm with a strong sustainable design philosophy and integrated architecture/interiors/planning services. Highly comparable to ASK Studio in scale, Midwest footprint, and emphasis on sustainability, adaptive reuse, and design excellence.
• Substance Architecture: Des Moines-based architecture firm practicing architecture, planning, and urban design in the Iowa market. Direct geographic peer serving overlapping developer, civic, and residential clients in the same Iowa/Midwest region as ASK Studio.
• Neumann Monson Architects: Iowa City-based architecture firm offering architecture, interiors, master planning, and historic preservation services. Direct comparable on Iowa presence, similar scale, and overlap in civic, residential, and higher-education project types.
• OPN Architects: Cedar Rapids/Iowa City-based architecture firm with a regional Iowa/Midwest practice spanning civic, healthcare, education, and commercial work. Comparable in scale, geography, and project typology, with similar adaptive reuse and historic preservation experience.

Broad incumbents

• Perkins&Will: Global architecture firm with significant healthcare, education, and civic practice. Overlaps with ASK Studio in target client segments (healthcare, higher education, civic) and sustainability positioning, but operates at substantially larger scale with national/international reach.
• Gensler: Largest global architecture and design firm, operating across commercial workplace, hospitality, healthcare, and mixed-use. Overlaps with ASK Studio on commercial office, civic, and mixed-use project types but is several orders of magnitude larger and not a direct boutique competitor.
• Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM): Global architecture, engineering, and planning firm with a strong sustainability practice and civic/institutional portfolio. Comparable on design excellence and LEED/sustainability positioning, but operates at a vastly different scale and geographic reach than ASK Studio.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ASK_Studio
• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 ASK Studio