MWA Architects
MWA Architects is a Black-founded, 51% minority- and women-owned West Coast architecture firm (founded 1988, San Francisco + Portland) delivering affordable housing, public infrastructure (water/wastewater, transit, airports), and interior environments through four integrated practice studios.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1988
- HeadquartersSan Francisco, United States
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What MWA Architects does
MWA Architects is a privately held, Black-founded West Coast architectural services firm established in 1988 by Michael Willis, headquartered in San Francisco with a second office in Portland, Oregon. The firm is 51% minority- and women-owned, certified as a Disadvantaged Business Enterprise in Washington and California, and structured around four integrated practice studios — Housing, Infrastructure, Interior Environments, and Transportation & Resource Management (TRM). It serves primarily public-sector agencies and mission-driven affordable housing developers across California, Oregon, and Washington, delivering multi-family housing (Broadleaf Arbor, Good Shepherd Village, Black Panther), water and wastewater facilities (Chambers Creek WWTP, SFPUC Southeast Plant Biosolids Digester Facilities, San Jose-Santa Clara dewatering facility), transit and airport infrastructure (MUNI Metro East, MUNI 30 Bus Terminus, Oakland International Airport Terminal One, Spokane International Airport), and evidence-based interior environments. Underlying technology is standard architectural practice tooling — BIM, Revit, CAD workflows integrated with sustainable certification processes (LEED, Earth Advantage, Just Label 3.0, AIA 2030 Commitment) and energy modeling for net-zero-ready projects.
Revenue is generated on a project-based professional services model, with engagements structured around schematic design, design development, construction documents, and construction administration phases, and the firm operates as both prime consultant (e.g., MUNI 30 Bus Terminus) and subconsultant on multi-disciplinary teams. Go-to-market is enterprise field sales through competitive public procurements (transit authorities, water/wastewater districts, port authorities, airports), direct negotiation with affordable housing developers and non-profits, and partnership-led delivery with general contractors (Walsh Construction, Cahill, Mortenson) and engineering subconsultants (T.Y. Lin, KPFF, Brown & Caldwell, Stantec). Customer segments split primarily between municipal water/wastewater utilities, public transit and airport agencies, and affordable housing developers/public housing authorities, with secondary exposure to for-profit housing developers and private residential commissions.
MWA Architects firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- MWA Architects
- Legal name
- MWA Architects, Inc.
- Website
- https://mwaarchitects.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1988
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- MWA Architects is a Black-founded, 51% minority- and women-owned West Coast architecture firm (founded 1988, San Francisco + Portland) delivering affordable housing, public infrastructure (water/wastewater, transit, airports), and interior environments through four integrated practice studios.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where MWA Architects is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- San Francisco
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
MWA Architects business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
Revenue model
- Architectural design services fees: Primary revenue stream earned through project-based professional services contracts for new construction, renovation, and master planning across housing, public infrastructure, transit, airports, and water/wastewater facility typologies. Fees derive from schematic design, design development, construction documents, and construction administration phases for individual projects such as Broadleaf Arbor, SFPUC Southeast Plant Biosolids Digester Facilities, Pendleton Bus Barn, and MUNI Metro East.
- Prime consulting and subconsultant management for public infrastructure: MWA serves as prime consultant on complex, multi-stakeholder public infrastructure projects (e.g., MUNI 30 Bus Terminus), leading design and project management, overseeing subconsultants, and coordinating across multiple agencies. Revenue mix blends prime consultant fees with subconsultant pass-through and management markup.
- Private residential design commissions: Boutique private commissions such as the Slim House narrow-lot residence in North Portland; project-based, one-off engagements outside the firm's public/institutional core.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Project-based professional services, quoted per engagement |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
MWA Architects product offering
Product offeringCore offering
MWA Architects is a West Coast-based architecture firm providing design services across affordable housing, public infrastructure (water/wastewater treatment and resource recovery facilities), transit and aviation facilities, and interior environments. The firm operates through four integrated studios—Housing, Infrastructure, Interior Environments (IE), and Transportation & Resource Management (TRM)—delivering planning, architecture, and interior design for civic, community, and institutional clients.
Product overview
MWA Architects is a West Coast-based, minority-founded (Black-founded in 1988 by Michael Willis) architectural services firm offering integrated design across four specialized practice studios: the Housing Studio, the Infrastructure Studio, the Interior Environments (IE) Studio, and the Transportation & Resource Management (TRM) Studio. Rather than a single software product or platform, MWA delivers a unified design practice in which each studio contributes a different facet of community-serving architecture: Housing designs affordable, senior, and market-rate residential developments such as Broadleaf Arbor and The Black Panther; Infrastructure designs water/wastewater, transit, and airport facilities such as the Chambers Creek WWTP and MUNI Metro East; Interior Environments provides human-centered interior design across community, wellness, and commercial spaces; and TRM leads transit-oriented architecture including bus barns and subway stations. The four studios collaborate on shared projects, applying the firm's 2030 Commitment, Just 3.0 social equity label, and DBE-certified practices to design innovative, thoughtful, and respectful architecture serving essential community needs.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Housing Studio
- Infrastructure Studio
- Transportation & Resource Management (TRM) Studio Design services for transit stations, bus facilities, airports, and related transportation infrastructure for public agencies and operators.
- Interior Environments (IE) Studio Interior architecture and design services for civic, workplace, community, and institutional environments.
Quantifiable outcome
- 239 affordable homes delivered across 11 buildings on a 16-acre intergenerational campus (Broadleaf Arbor, 2023)
- +7 more outcomes
Companies that use MWA Architects
Customer profileNamed customers28 records
Segments6 records
MWA Architects technology and API
TechnologyAPI detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature6 records
MWA Architects partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
18 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- EngAGE NorthwestcoreEngAGE Northwest partners with MWA to deliver supportive services and programs at Broadleaf Arbor, programming community spaces in senior apartments for people of all ages and operating intergenerational programs across the 16-acre campus.
- Center for Public Interest Design (CPID)coreCPID collaborates with MWA on the Asset-Based Community Development (ABCD) model used at Broadleaf Arbor — capacity-focused community engagement that identifies existing community assets central to livability and integrates them into resident services programming and site planning.
- Asian Pacific American Network of Oregon (APANO)minorCommunity partner engaged during the outreach process for Good Shepherd Village to capture cultural fit and resident needs of culturally diverse community members in design of the affordable housing project.
- El Programa Hispano CatólicominorCommunity partner engaged in the Good Shepherd Village design outreach to ensure cultural responsiveness to Hispanic/Latino residents' needs.
- Familias en AcciónminorCommunity partner engaged in the Good Shepherd Village design outreach process to inform culturally responsive design of affordable housing.
- Do Good MultnomahminorCommunity partner engaged in the Good Shepherd Village design outreach process.
- EastersealsminorCommunity partner engaged in the Good Shepherd Village design outreach to inform accessibility and disability inclusion considerations.
- International Living Future Institute (Just Program)coreMWA is signatory to the Just Label program — achieved Just Certification in 2021, Just 2.0 in 2023, and Just 3.0 in 2026. MWA's policies address equity, benefits for employees, consultants, community, and planet, and the Just framework is embedded into firm-wide business practices.
- AIA 2030 CommitmentcoreMWA Architects stands alongside nearly 1,000 other firms as signatories of the 2030 Commitment, taking responsibility to reduce greenhouse gas emissions during construction and in operations of buildings they design.
- Energy Trust of OregoncoreEnergy Trust of Oregon provided grant support through gap financing and Net Zero Fellowship (Jean von Bargen Root, 2022 Fellow) for MWA's sustainable infrastructure and commercial-industrial projects; MWA supported Energy Trust grant applications for the Pendleton Bus Barn project.
- University of Oregon School of Architecture & Environment Spatial Justice InitiativeminorCo-organized a virtual collaboration 'Good Neighbors' event during Design Week Portland, bringing together academic and practice perspectives on spatial justice and community-centered design.
- Walsh Construction Co.coreWalsh Construction is a key general contractor partner on multiple affordable housing projects including The Buri Building. Walsh's Cost-Efficient Design and Construction Initiative (CEDC) — a disciplined approach applying cost-efficiency principles to framing and unit plans — is co-developed with MWA.
- T.Y. Lin InternationalcoreCivil engineering subconsultant on the MUNI 30 Bus Terminus project; proposed the novel sawtooth curb design enabling three-bus terminal operations in less space than typical for Muni terminals.
- Lango Hansen Landscape ArchitectscoreLandscape architecture partner on St. Francis Park Apartments; collaborated on Francis & Clare Commons green street program with the adjacent parish and local homeless population.
- KPFF Consulting EngineerscoreCivil/structural engineering subconsultant on St. Francis Park Apartments and other MWA projects.
- Stantec EngineerscoreEngineering client/partner for the Sorrento Pump Station maintenance facility and ASR Well Number 5 in Beaverton, OR.
- Schaaf & Wheeler Consulting EngineerscoreCivil engineering consultant for the San Francisquito Creek Stormwater Pump Station, a sensitive environmental area project for the Joint Power Authority of Palo Alto, Menlo Park, East Palo Alto, Santa Clara County, and San Mateo County.
- Brown & CaldwellcoreEngineering subconsultant for the Sellwood Wet Weather Pump Station project for Portland Bureau of Environmental Services.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
MWA Architects competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Pyatok Architects: Oakland-based architecture firm specializing in affordable housing, mixed-use, and community-centered design. Most directly comparable to MWA in mission, scale, and Bay Area focus on affordable multi-family housing for non-profit and public developers.
- SERA Architects: Portland-based architecture and urban design firm with a strong affordable housing and sustainability practice. Closely comparable to MWA in geography (PNW), mission-driven focus, and integrated housing plus civic infrastructure portfolio.
- Ankrom Moisan: Portland/Seattle architecture, interior design, and planning firm with a substantial affordable housing practice and mixed-use developments. Comparable in multi-disciplinary structure, PNW presence, and housing-forward portfolio mix to MWA.
- Van Meter Williams Pollack: San Francisco-based architecture firm with a deep affordable housing, supportive housing, and community-focused practice. Directly comparable to MWA in Bay Area focus, affordable housing specialization, and mission-driven developer client base.
- Leddy Maytum Stacy Architects: San Francisco-based architecture firm with leadership in affordable housing, supportive housing, and sustainable design. Highly comparable to MWA in Bay Area geography, housing mission, and Just/sustainability-aligned practice.
- Ken Kay Associates: San Francisco-based architecture firm specializing in public transit, aviation, and civic infrastructure projects. Closely comparable to MWA's Infrastructure and TRM Studios in transit, airport, and public works design on the West Coast.
- Mithun: Seattle-based integrated design firm with affordable housing, education, and civic practices and a strong sustainability profile. Comparable to MWA in integrated design, PNW geography, and housing + infrastructure mix.
- Brooks + Scarpa: Los Angeles-based architecture firm with deep affordable housing, supportive housing, and sustainability expertise. Comparable to MWA in mission-driven affordable housing focus and award-winning sustainable design.
Broad incumbents
- Perkins&Will: Global architecture firm with broad civic, healthcare, education, and housing practices including significant affordable housing and transit work. Broad incumbent competing with MWA on large public infrastructure and housing projects.
- HOK: Large global architecture and engineering firm with transit, aviation, healthcare, and civic practices. Competes with MWA on large transit, airport, and civic infrastructure projects as a broad incumbent.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
MWA Architects social profiles
Digital presenceMWA Architects compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance13 records
MWA Architects financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
MWA Architects leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
MWA Architects funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
MWA 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 MWA Architects
What does MWA Architects do?
MWA Architects is a West Coast-based architecture firm providing design services across affordable housing, public infrastructure (water/wastewater treatment and resource recovery facilities), transit and aviation facilities, and interior environments. The firm operates through four integrated studios—Housing, Infrastructure, Interior Environments (IE), and Transportation & Resource Management (TRM)—delivering planning, architecture, and interior design for civic, community, and institutional clients.
Is MWA Architects a public or private company?
MWA Architects is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was MWA Architects founded?
MWA Architects was founded in 1988. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is MWA Architects based?
MWA Architects is headquartered in San Francisco, United States, in the North America region.
How does MWA Architects make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Architectural design services fees are the primary driver. The others are prime consulting and subconsultant management for public infrastructure and private residential design commissions.
Who are MWA Architects's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Pyatok Architects, SERA Architects, Ankrom Moisan, Van Meter Williams Pollack, Leddy Maytum Stacy Architects, Ken Kay Associates, Mithun and Brooks + Scarpa. Broad incumbents are Perkins&Will and HOK.
Does MWA Architects have an API?
No public API is recorded for MWA Architects.