ALMA architecture
ALMA architecture is a Philadelphia-based, Women-owned full-service architectural firm founded in 2013 by Adrienne McKinney, AIA, delivering programming through construction administration across higher education, residential, commercial, and institutional sectors throughout Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2013
- HeadquartersPhiladelphia, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What ALMA architecture does
ALMA architecture is a Philadelphia-based, Women's Business Enterprise-certified full-service architectural firm founded in 2013 in Center City by Adrienne McKinney, AIA. The firm delivers full-scope architectural services — programming, planning, visualization, schematic design, construction documentation, and construction administration — for renovations, additions, and new ground-up structures. It is led by two principals (McKinney with 20+ years focused on higher education, and Mathew Huffman, AIA, LEED AP with 25+ years focused on urban mixed-use and residential) who bring combined 50 years of practice into a small studio of fewer than 10 staff. Geographic concentration is Pennsylvania and New Jersey, with a secondary commercial/institutional footprint across the Northeast U.S.
The firm's core capabilities span adaptive reuse of historic buildings, sustainable design (evidenced by LEED AP credentialed leadership and consecutive AIA Pennsylvania COTE recognition), modular wood construction expertise using IIIB Construction methods enabling 5-story fire-treated wood structures, and a holistic interior design practice integrated with the architectural studio. Differentiated product offerings include Higher Education Design, Mixed-Use Development Design, Affordable Housing Design, Residential Architecture, and Commercial Architecture. Notable delivered projects include the Simon Center for Business and Economics at Lafayette College (35,000 SF, completed 2024), The Parker (45-unit multifamily with 14 affordable units, 2024 AIA Philadelphia Merit Award), Golaski Flats (35 modular units with adaptive restoration, 2023 AIA Philadelphia Merit Award for Equitable Communities), Markle Hall, Caritas (Chester, PA office renovation, 2020), and the Starfinder Foundation renovation. Named clients include Lafayette College, Benchmark Real Estate Partners, Mosaic Development Partners, Caritas Construction, and Starfinder Foundation.
Commercially, ALMA operates as a sales-led, project-based professional services practice. Revenue is generated through per-project fees for design and contract administration engagements, distributed via direct principal-led client engagement and professional-network referrals in the PA/NJ market. Marketing channels center on a portfolio website, LinkedIn/Facebook/Instagram presence, and earned media through AIA Philadelphia and AIA Pennsylvania awards. The firm is bootstrapped with no disclosed external investment, founder/principal-owned, and offers no software products, APIs, or AI/ML capabilities.
ALMA architecture firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- ALMA architecture
- Legal name
- ALMA ARCHITECTURE llc
- Website
- https://almaarchitecture.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2013
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- ALMA architecture is a Philadelphia-based, Women-owned full-service architectural firm founded in 2013 by Adrienne McKinney, AIA, delivering programming through construction administration across higher education, residential, commercial, and institutional sectors throughout Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
ALMA architecture industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Architectural 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
- Residential Design-Build & Renovation-Integrated Builders (IMAFABAE)
Keywords
Where ALMA architecture is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Philadelphia
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
ALMA architecture business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Architectural Services - Project-Based: Professional architectural services provided on a project basis including programming, planning, visualization, schematic design, construction documentation, and construction administration. Services cover renovations, additions, and new ground-up structures for private, public, non-profit, commercial, and institutional clients.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels6 records
ALMA architecture product offering
Product offeringCore offering
ALMA architecture is a Philadelphia-based firm providing full-scope architectural services including programming, planning, visualization, schematic design, construction documentation, and construction administration for renovations, additions, and ground-up construction. The firm serves clients in higher education, residential, commercial, mixed-use, and institutional sectors, and also operates a dedicated Interiors department offering holistic interior design services.
Product overview
ALMA architecture is a Women's Business Enterprise architectural firm founded in 2013 in Center City Philadelphia, providing full-scope architectural services. The firm operates as a single unified practice with two main service areas: Full-Scope Architectural Services (spanning programming, planning, visualization, schematic design through construction documentation and administration for renovations, additions, and new ground-up structures) and an Interiors Department (offering holistic interior design extending beyond building exteriors). Their design portfolio spans higher education, mixed-use/residential, commercial, hospitality, and institutional projects throughout Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Full-Scope Architectural Services
Quantifiable outcome
- Transformative residential development: The Parker - 45 units including 14 affordable housing units in Philadelphia pilot program
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use ALMA architecture
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
ALMA architecture technology and API
TechnologyAPI detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
ALMA architecture partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- Golaski FamilycoreWorked closely with the Golaski family to cement Walter Golaski's legacy (Polish-American mechanical biomedical engineer and inventor of the close-knit dacron vascular graft) in the Golaski Flats development, maintaining the familiar name in the neighborhood.
- Lafayette CollegecoreOngoing partnership with Lafayette College for multiple campus projects including Simon Center, Gummeson Grounds, South College, Lacrosse Center, Markle Hall, and Art Study.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights5 records
ALMA architecture competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- CannonDesign: National, multi-discipline design firm with a strong higher education practice and Philadelphia-area presence. Competes with ALMA for university clients but at a much larger scale and broader service portfolio.
- Perkins&Will: Large global architecture practice with significant higher education and healthcare practices and Philadelphia-area presence. Competes for the same institutional clients as ALMA, but as part of a much broader, multi-discipline portfolio.
- Bohlin Cywinski Jackson: Design-led architecture firm with offices across the East Coast and a strong higher education and cultural portfolio. Overlaps with ALMA on higher education and design-quality positioning, though operating at substantially larger scale.
Regional players
- KieranTimberlake: Philadelphia-headquartered architecture firm known for design-led, research-driven work across higher education, cultural, and civic projects. Comparable to ALMA in regional base and higher-education focus, though at meaningfully larger scale and broader national profile.
Direct peers
- ISA (Interface Studio Architects): Philadelphia architecture practice of comparable size with strong work in adaptive reuse, urban infill, multifamily, and mixed-use housing. Direct overlap with ALMA in project typology and regional developer market.
- Jibe Design: Small Philadelphia studio working on urban infill, mixed-use, and multifamily residential projects. Comparable in firm size, regional focus, and developer client base.
- DIGSAU: Philadelphia-based architecture firm of similar size working on adaptive reuse, mixed-use, and urban infill residential projects. Directly comparable mission and typology mix, including historic rehabilitation and modular construction experimentation.
- Blend Design Group: Small Philadelphia architecture practice focused on multi-family residential, mixed-use, and adaptive reuse projects in the urban Northeast. Closely comparable to ALMA in size, project typology, and Philadelphia developer client base.
- Atkin Olshin Schade Architects: Philadelphia firm with comparable scale and practice in historic preservation, adaptive reuse, institutional, and higher education work. Direct competitor for the same developer, university, and institutional client base.
- Winka Dubbeldam Architect: Small Philadelphia academic/practice hybrid with strong higher education and adaptive reuse portfolio. Comparable in scale, regional focus, and design-led higher education work.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
ALMA architecture social profiles
Digital presenceALMA architecture compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance3 records
ALMA architecture financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
ALMA architecture leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles7 records
ALMA architecture funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
ALMA architecture 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 ALMA architecture
What does ALMA architecture do?
ALMA architecture is a Philadelphia-based firm providing full-scope architectural services including programming, planning, visualization, schematic design, construction documentation, and construction administration for renovations, additions, and ground-up construction. The firm serves clients in higher education, residential, commercial, mixed-use, and institutional sectors, and also operates a dedicated Interiors department offering holistic interior design services.
Is ALMA architecture a public or private company?
ALMA architecture is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was ALMA architecture founded?
ALMA architecture was founded in 2013. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is ALMA architecture based?
ALMA architecture is headquartered in Philadelphia, United States, in the North America region.
How does ALMA architecture make money?
One revenue line is on record: architectural Services - Project-Based.
Who are ALMA architecture's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are CannonDesign, Perkins&Will and Bohlin Cywinski Jackson. KieranTimberlake is listed as a regional player. Direct peers are ISA (Interface Studio Architects), Jibe Design, DIGSAU, Blend Design Group, Atkin Olshin Schade Architects and Winka Dubbeldam Architect.
Does ALMA architecture have an API?
No public API is recorded for ALMA architecture.
What industry is ALMA architecture in?
ALMA architecture's product category is Architectural Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAHAKAA, Architectural Design Services, with a secondary code of IMAFABAE, Residential Design-Build & Renovation-Integrated Builders. Its NAICS code is 54131 and its SIC code is 8711.