What DiNisco Design does

DiNisco Design is a privately held architecture firm founded in 1978 and headquartered at 99 Chauncy Street in Boston, Massachusetts. The firm specializes in educational facility design — primarily K-12 schools, middle schools, and high schools — for municipal clients across Massachusetts, with adjacent service lines in civic architecture (fire stations) and higher education (community colleges). Core service modules span the full project lifecycle: feasibility studies, educational programming, schematic design, construction documentation, and construction administration. The firm is differentiated by its sustainable design practice, including LEED Silver and Gold certified projects, all-electric net-zero energy school design (Amherst Elementary, Amethyst Brook Elementary), and verified net-positive building performance (Maria Hastings Elementary operates net positive by 37%). Technology is built on standard CAD/BIM tooling rather than proprietary platforms.

The firm operates a professional-services business model, generating revenue through project-based design fees determined by scope and complexity, with construction values across documented projects ranging from $11.5M to $127.4M. Go-to-market is enterprise field sales through direct engagement with city governments, town administrations, and school districts, with projects typically procured via competitive public RFPs. The firm holds Women Business Enterprise (WBE) certification, providing procurement preference with public agencies. Customer relationships are deep and recurring, with repeat engagements across Peabody, Newton, Springfield, Woburn, Danvers, Lexington, and Amherst, supported by partnerships with the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA). The team is led by President/Principal Donna DiNisco with four additional principals (Rick Rice, Vivian Low, Jim Shuttleworth, Tim Cooper) following founder Ken DiNisco's retirement in 2026. The firm was ranked #87 on ENR's Top 100 Green Design Firms of 2025 and recognized among ENR East's Top Design Firms of 2025.

Name

DiNisco Design

Legal name

DiNisco Design

Website

https://dinisco.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1978

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

DiNisco Design is a Boston-based architecture firm founded in 1978, specializing in K-12 educational and civic facilities for Massachusetts municipal clients. The firm delivers sustainable design services including LEED-certified and net-zero energy schools, generating revenue through professional design fees on public projects.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Architectural Services

NAICS

Architectural Services (54131)

akta.pro primary industry

Architectural Design Services (BPAHAKAA)

Keywords

• Architectural design services
• Educational facility design
• Sustainable school design
• Civic architecture
• LEED certified buildings

Headquarters

HQ city

Boston

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. Architecture and Design Services: Professional architecture services for educational facilities, civic buildings, and municipal projects. Revenue is generated through design fees, feasibility studies, schematic design, construction administration, and project management services. Projects range from elementary schools to community colleges and fire headquarters.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

DiNisco Design is an architecture firm delivering full-lifecycle design services for K-12 schools, higher education facilities, and civic buildings for Massachusetts municipalities and public agencies. Services span feasibility studies, schematic design, design development, construction documentation, and construction administration, with specialized capability in sustainable, LEED-certified, and net-zero energy building design.

Product overview

DiNisco Design is an architecture firm offering comprehensive services for educational and civic facilities. The firm's core offering centers on educational architecture—designing K-12 schools, middle schools, high schools, and higher education facilities. Services span the full project lifecycle including feasibility studies, educational programming, schematic design, design development, construction documentation, and construction administration. The firm specializes in sustainable design with LEED certification expertise and net-zero energy building capabilities. Adjacent service lines include civic architecture such as fire stations. Projects range from new construction to renovation and addition, with particular expertise in occupied renovations where schools remain operational during construction.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Educational Architecture Services

Quantifiable outcome

• Maria Hastings Elementary School operates net positive energy by 37%, exceeding its original sustainability goals
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• William Rawn AssociatescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024DiNisco Design is collaborating with William Rawn Associates on the Monument Mountain Regional High School project. The new high school is being designed for the Berkshire Hills Regional School District as a replacement for a 1970s facility. This is a significant architectural collaboration for a $127.4M, 142,800 SF project.
• Mitchell Associates Architects (Wendel)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 August 2023Mitchell Associates Architects, a division of Wendel, served as fire station design consultant for the Woburn Fire Headquarters project. This partnership enabled DiNisco to complete the new headquarters and renovations to existing stations as part of Woburn's long-range plan to upgrade and modernize fire services. The Woburn Fire Headquarters received both Firehouse Magazine Silver Station Design Award and F.I.E.R.O. Merit Award.
• Interfaith Social ServicesminorOthersDiNisco participates in Interfaith Social Services' Help for the Holidays program, donating toys for kids on the South Shore. The firm also combined Lunar New Year celebration with a food drive for this organization, one of the largest food programs in Greater Boston.
• Greater Boston Food BankminorOthersDiNisco held a day of service at the Greater Boston Food Bank, packing nutritious foods for senior centers. Two teams packed over 20,000 meals over six hours, with 4,368 meals feeding a family of four for one year.
• Massachusetts School on Wheels (SOWMA)minorOthersDiNisco staff participated in SOWMA's school supply drive, contributing 10 full backpacks and extra supplies for students in need. SOWMA received requests for over 9,000 backpacks this year with donations ultimately surpassing 10,000.
• Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA)minorOthersDiNisco has partnered with MSBA on multiple school projects including being recognized for MSBA Model School (Hurld Wyman Elementary School). MSBA provides funding and oversight for school construction projects in Massachusetts.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• CannonDesign: National architecture and design firm with a substantial education practice serving K-12 and higher education clients across the U.S. Significantly larger than DiNisco, it competes on major public school commissions and brings integrated engineering and design services.
• Perkins&Will: Global architecture firm with a dedicated education studio and a leadership position in sustainable school design (LEED-certified and net-zero projects). Perkins&Will competes with DiNisco on larger public school and higher education commissions.
• LPA Design Studios: California-based integrated design firm with a substantial K-12 and higher education practice and a leadership position in sustainable school design. LPA competes with DiNisco on green school commissions and brings integrated engineering capabilities.

Direct peers

• HMFH Architects: Cambridge, MA-based architecture firm with a deep specialization in K-12 educational facility design and sustainable school buildings. HMFH is one of the closest direct competitors to DiNisco, serving many of the same Massachusetts public school districts.
• Legat Architects: Midwest-based architecture firm with a dedicated K-12 education practice. Legat is comparable in size and vertical focus to DiNisco, designing learning environments with an emphasis on community engagement and 21st-century learning standards.
• William Rawn Associates: Boston-based architecture firm with a leading practice in educational and civic buildings. Already a collaboration partner with DiNisco on Monument Mountain Regional High School, they also compete for similar K-12 and higher education commissions in New England.
• SMMA (Symmes Maini & McKee Associates): Cambridge, MA-based integrated design firm with a strong K-12 and higher education practice serving Massachusetts public clients. SMMA competes head-to-head with DiNisco on school building commissions across the same regional geography.
• Dattner Architects: New York-based architecture firm with a recognized civic and education practice, particularly in public school design. While operating primarily in NYC, Dattner shares DiNisco's commitment to community-engaged, sustainable educational facility design.

Regional players

• Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) partner firms: MSBA is the funding/oversight authority, not a peer. Listed as a regional ecosystem participant: the broader pool of pre-qualified architecture firms approved by MSBA compete with DiNisco for state-funded school projects across Massachusetts.

Others

• Wendell Burnette Designs: Not a direct peer. Listed here as the parent of Mitchell Associates Architects (Wendel), DiNisco's fire station design partner on the Woburn Fire Headquarters project, providing a fire-station specialty practice adjacent to DiNisco's civic work.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/DiNiscoDesign
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/dinisco-design
• Instagraminstagram.com/diniscodesign

Compliance6 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 DiNisco Design