The Miller Hull

What The Miller Hull does

The Miller Hull Partnership, LLP is a Seattle-headquartered architecture and planning firm founded in 1977 by David Miller and Robert Hull, operating as a limited liability partnership with a second studio in San Diego. The firm delivers programming, planning, architecture, interior design, sustainability, and integrated design-build services organized across six portfolios: Live (residential), Work (commercial), Learn (higher education and K–12), Gather (community, cultural, hospitality), Serve (public safety, gateways, infrastructure), and Think (research). Its core technical differentiation is sustainable, planet-positive design, demonstrated by five or more Living Building Challenge certifications (including the Bullitt Center — the first urban Living Building — and the Kendeda Building at Georgia Tech), the proprietary Red List v3.0 materials database, four decades of mass timber expertise, and the internal EcoOps team. The EMission Zero initiative, launched in 2021, commits the firm to eliminating greenhouse gas emissions in every project it designs.

The firm serves a customer base dominated by government and higher-education institutional clients, including the U.S. Department of State (multiple embassy and consulate projects), Port of Seattle (Sea-Tac Airport), University of Washington, Georgia Tech, University of Arizona, Cal Poly, and Washington State. Revenue is derived from project-based professional fees quoted per engagement, with no public pricing list; distribution is direct via competitive proposals, design competitions, and long-standing client relationships. The firm markets primarily through thought leadership — industry conference speaking (AIA, SCUP, DBIA, Living Future), published Perspectives articles, and earned media coverage in outlets such as ArchDaily, Architect Magazine, Metropolis, and Dezeen.

The firm has accumulated substantial industry recognition, including the 2003 AIA National Firm Award, eight AIA Committee on the Environment Awards, Metropolis 2023 Planet Positive Firm of the Year, Holcim Awards 2023 Global Winner, and consecutive #1/#2 sustainability rankings in Architect Magazine's Architect 50 (2018–2019). Operationally, it maintains two studios (Seattle in the Polson Building and San Diego in Point Loma Marina) and reports 101–250 employees. Leadership includes six FAIA partners (Brian Court, Ruth Baleiko, Rob Misel, Scott Wolf, Sian Roberts, plus founder David Miller) and dedicated sustainability directors Chris Hellstern and Jay Hindmarsh; recent transitions include the retirements of Managing Partner Ron Rochon and sustainability director Jim Hanford at end of 2025.

Name

The Miller Hull

Legal name

The Miller Hull Partnership, LLP

Website

https://millerhull.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1977

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

The Miller Hull Partnership is a Seattle- and San Diego-based architecture and planning firm founded in 1977, specializing in sustainable, planet-positive design across civic, higher-education, and government sectors, with deep expertise in Living Building Challenge and mass timber projects.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Architecture and Planning Services

NAICS

Architectural Services (54131)

SIC

Services-Engineering Services (8711)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Engagement & Participatory Planning (BPAHAKAO)

Keywords

• Sustainable architecture services
• Living Building Challenge
• Mass timber design
• Civic government buildings
• Progressive design-build delivery

Headquarters

HQ city

Seattle

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. Architecture and Design Services: Professional fees for architecture, interior design, programming and planning, and integrated delivery services for institutional, civic, commercial, and residential projects. Revenue is project-based, derived from design contracts with government agencies, universities, and private developers.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Miller Hull Partnership is a planning and architecture firm providing comprehensive design services—programming, planning, architecture, interior design, sustainability consulting, and integrated delivery (including progressive design-build)—across six portfolio areas: Live, Work, Learn, Gather, Serve, and Think. The firm sells project-based architecture and design services to governmental, higher education, civic, commercial, and select residential clients, with a particular specialization in sustainable, planet-positive, and Living Building Challenge certified buildings.

Product overview

The Miller Hull Partnership is a planning and architecture firm offering comprehensive design services across six portfolio areas: Live (residential), Work (commercial), Learn (education), Gather (community), Serve (public infrastructure), and Think (research). The firm specializes in programming and planning, architecture, interior design, sustainability, and integrated delivery models. The firm has developed notable sustainability initiatives including EMission Zero (targeting net-zero buildings) and operates an internal EcoOps team. Their work includes certified Living Building Challenge projects, LEED-certified buildings, and innovative mass timber construction. The firm has studios in Seattle and San Diego and works across the country and internationally.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Architecture and Design Services Comprehensive architecture, interior design, programming, planning, and integrated (progressive design-build) delivery services for civic, commercial, educational, hospitality, residential, and governmental projects; for institutional, public agency, university, and private developer clients.
• EMission Zero initiative Firm-wide commitment and operating initiative targeting elimination of greenhouse gas emissions in every project the firm designs, combining design excellence, education, advocacy, and carbon offsetting up to building occupancy.
• Living Building Challenge Certified Project Design Specialized design of Living Building Challenge certified buildings including Bullitt Center (first urban Living Building), Kendeda Building at Georgia Tech (first in Southeast), Loom House residential retrofit, and embassy projects.
• Mass Timber Design Services Design services for mass timber structures, including full mass timber and hybrid steel-timber construction approaches, with acoustic dowel-laminated timber (ADLT) expertise and sustainable forestry practices.
• Progressive Design-Build Delivery Integrated project delivery via progressive design-build, offering faster, more collaborative execution for civic, higher education, and federal clients.
• Think Research Research and exploratory design services investigating innovative approaches to urban agriculture, office-to-residential conversion, climate-adaptive architecture, and other forward-looking topics.

Quantifiable outcome

• 30% reduction in global warming potential
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered major and core.

• Woods BagotmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 February 2021Global architecture firm collaboration for the C Concourse Expansion at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport ($340M+ project). Miller Hull and Woods Bagot are serving as the design team for this major airport infrastructure project as part of the UpgradeSEA program.
• Lord Aeck SargentcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016Joint design partnership for The Kendeda Building for Innovative Sustainable Design at Georgia Institute of Technology. Lord Aeck Sargent and Miller Hull collaborated on this pioneering Living Building Challenge project, the first in the Southeast.
• Steele AssociatescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerArchitecture firm partnership for the Redmond Library project. Steele Associates collaborated with Miller Hull on this mass timber net-zero library project in downtown Redmond, Oregon.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Lake|Flato Architects: Lake|Flato is a U.S. architecture firm known for sustainable, climate-responsive, and place-based design across civic, education, commercial, and residential work. It is highly comparable to Miller Hull because both compete on design quality and deep sustainability credentials rather than commodity architectural production.
• BNIM: BNIM is an architecture and design firm recognized for sustainable and high-performance building design, especially in civic, education, workplace, and cultural projects. It overlaps with Miller Hull's emphasis on regenerative design, public-sector clients, and award-driven positioning.
• EHDD: EHDD is an architecture firm focused on sustainable design for cultural, education, civic, workplace, and science-related projects. It is comparable because it serves institutional clients and competes on environmental performance and design excellence.
• Mithun: Mithun is an integrated design firm with architecture, planning, landscape, and interiors practices and a strong sustainability orientation. It is comparable as a Pacific Coast design firm serving housing, civic, education, and commercial clients with sustainable built-environment solutions.
• LMN Architects: LMN Architects is a Seattle-based architecture firm known for civic, cultural, convention, infrastructure, and higher-education projects. It is comparable because both firms serve public and institutional clients and compete for complex, design-forward civic commissions.

Broad incumbents

• NBBJ: NBBJ is a Seattle-origin global architecture and design firm active in healthcare, higher education, workplace, science, and civic projects. It is comparable as a larger institutional architecture competitor with Pacific Northwest roots and a strong design reputation.
• Perkins&Will: Perkins&Will is a global architecture and design firm with significant sustainability, research, education, civic, and workplace practices. It is a broad incumbent competitor for high-performance institutional architecture and sustainable design mandates.
• ZGF Architects: ZGF is a larger architecture and design firm with Pacific Northwest roots and a strong portfolio in institutional, civic, healthcare, and higher-education projects. It is comparable to Miller Hull in sustainable public and institutional design, though it operates at a broader national scale.
• DLR Group: DLR Group is an integrated design firm serving education, civic, workplace, justice, cultural, and hospitality clients. It is comparable through its design-led professional services model and strong overlap with Miller Hull's K-12, higher-education, and public-sector end markets.
• HGA: HGA is a national architecture, engineering, and design firm serving education, civic, arts, healthcare, workplace, and government clients. It overlaps with Miller Hull's institutional and public-sector markets but has a broader multidisciplinary platform.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/the-miller-hull-partnership-139277646126330
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-miller-hull-partnership
• Instagraminstagram.com/millerhull
• Xx.com/millerhull

Compliance6 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles24 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 The Miller Hull