Olson Lewis + Architects

What Olson Lewis + Architects does

Olson Lewis + Architects (DBA: OL+) is a privately held architecture, planning, and interior design firm headquartered at 17 Elm Street, Manchester-by-the-Sea, Massachusetts. The firm delivers full-service design from pre-design planning through construction administration across five vertical markets: Education (independent and public schools), Residential (high-end custom homes, coastal residences, historic restorations), Life Sciences (laboratory tenant fit-outs, research facilities, headquarters), Hospitality (country clubs, hospitality venues), and Animal Care (medical centers, shelter facilities). Clients are served through a relationship-driven direct sales approach with emphasis on long-term, trust-based collaboration.

The firm's service portfolio centers on three core offerings — Architecture Services, Interior Design Services, and Master Planning Services — supplemented by an insight tools product line comprising Mini Plan (fast-track feasibility), Facility Audit (existing asset evaluation), Campus Planning Dashboard (campus comparison tool), and Lunch & Learn (vendor engagement). A proprietary Immersion and Charrette Process anchors early-stage work, combining focused listening, discovery workshops, sketches, and real-time design studies to align stakeholders before major design commitments. The integrated planning-through-completion team structure preserves design intent across project phases, and a wholly owned subsidiary/division called Blue Sky Architects extends the service delivery architecture.

Olson Lewis + Architects operates a professional services revenue model with fees structured as either percentage of construction cost or fixed fee tied to defined scope, with planning fees scaling to project size and complexity. Distribution is exclusively direct-to-client, with project acquisition driven by referrals, regional reputation, and recognition rather than competitive bidding. The geographic footprint is concentrated in the Northeast US (Massachusetts, Maine), with completed projects documented in Kentucky (Louisville) and an international project in Padua, Italy. The firm markets through a portfolio website, content case studies, email newsletter, Houzz platform presence, and Lunch & Learn industry events.

Name

Olson Lewis + Architects

Legal name

OLSON LEWIS + Architects

Website

https://olsonlewis.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1980

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Olson Lewis + Architects is a privately held architecture, planning, and interior design firm serving Education, Residential, Life Sciences, Hospitality, and Animal Care clients across the Northeast US, with select projects in Kentucky and Italy.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Architecture Services

NAICS

Architectural Services (54131), Interior Design Services (54141)

SIC

Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

Architectural Design Services (BPAHAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Interior Design Services (BPAHAKAB)

Keywords

• Architecture services
• Master planning services
• Interior design services
• Life sciences facility design
• Education campus planning

Headquarters

HQ city

Manchester

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

Revenue model

1. Architectural Services: Full architectural services from pre-design through construction administration. Fees typically structured as percentage of construction cost or fixed fee tied to defined scope.
2. Planning Services: Master planning, feasibility studies, test fits, lab planning, site planning, visioning, and implementation planning. Fees scale with size and complexity of work.
3. Interior Design Services: Interior architecture, finish and material selection, kitchen and bath design, furniture fixtures and equipment (FF&E), custom millwork, lighting coordination, color and atmosphere design, and procurement support.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Olson Lewis + Architects is a full-service architecture, planning, and interior design firm that carries projects from initial planning through design, documentation, permitting, construction administration, and completion. The firm delivers integrated architecture, interior design, and master planning services across five vertical markets — education, residential, life sciences, hospitality, and animal care — with the same team preserving design intent from feasibility through build-out.

Product overview

Olson Lewis + Architects is a full-service architecture, planning, and interior design firm offering a unified portfolio of services across five markets: education, residential, hospitality, life sciences, and animal care. The core offerings consist of Architecture Services, Interior Design Services, and Master Planning Services, supplemented by insight tools including Mini Plan (fast-track feasibility), Facility Audit (professional evaluation), Campus Planning Dashboard (comparison tool), and Lunch & Learn (vendor engagement program). The firm provides end-to-end project delivery from initial planning through construction administration.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Architecture Services

Quantifiable outcome

• HealthTrackRx facility doubles company's national testing capacity with 70,000+ square feet
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers21 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

Feature2 records

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• CBT Architects: Boston architecture firm with broad life sciences, education, and workplace practices. Comparable regional incumbent with similar market focus but larger bench.
• Elkus Manfredi Architects: Larger Boston architecture firm with mixed-use, workplace, life science, and hospitality portfolios. Overlaps with Olson Lewis across multiple markets but at greater scale.
• CannonDesign: National design firm with deep life sciences and education practices. Competes for similar enterprise and institutional commissions but at much larger scale and geographic reach.
• Perkins&Will: Global architecture firm with strong life sciences, healthcare, and education practices. Competes for the same enterprise client base Olson Lewis serves, but offers full national and international delivery.
• Gensler: Largest global architecture and design firm with significant life sciences and workplace practices. Competes for enterprise tenant fit-out and HQ work Olson Lewis performs, but at vastly greater scale.

Direct peers

• Ann Beha Architects: Boston-based firm serving education, cultural, and civic clients. Similar size and regional specialization, particularly in school and institutional work.
• TRO Jung|Brannen: Boston architecture firm with strong life sciences and higher education practices. Comparable in regional focus and project type.
• William Rawn Associates: Boston architecture firm focused on independent schools and cultural institutions. Directly comparable in the education vertical.
• DiMella Shaffer: Boston-based architecture firm of similar scale serving life sciences, education, and workplace markets. Directly comparable in size, geography, and vertical mix.
• Payette: Boston architecture practice specializing in life sciences, healthcare, and academic facilities. Closely comparable in life sciences tenant fit-out and HQ work.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/OL_Architects

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Subsidiaries1 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 Olson Lewis + Architects