Payette

What Payette does

Payette is a Boston-based architectural design and planning firm founded in 1932 that specializes exclusively in science, healthcare, and academic facilities. The firm organizes its practice around four project verticals — Science, Healthcare, Strategic Planning, and Pro Bono — supported by an in-house "Engine" division that delivers Building Science, Space Strategies, Design Visualization, Fabrication, and Research & Tools as specialized engineered services. Its portfolio spans major research universities (Harvard, Princeton, Cornell, Northeastern, Amherst, Brandeis, MIT, Penn State), academic medical centers and healthcare systems (Beth Israel Deaconess, Dana-Farber, Mass General Brigham, Penn State Hershey, Veterans Home at Chelsea), and life-sciences real estate clients, with flagship commissions including the 380,000 GSF BIDMC Klarman Building, the 330,000 GSF University of Pittsburgh Biomedical Science Tower III, the 265,000 GSF Princeton Frick Chemistry Laboratory, and the 251,000 GSF Amherst College New Science Center. The firm generates revenue through professional architecture and design fees on commissioned institutional building projects, pursuing work via direct enterprise engagement and competitive design processes primarily in the Northeast US, with project-based pricing determined by scope, complexity, and building size (not publicly disclosed).

Name

Payette

Legal name

Payette

Website

https://payette.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1932

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Boston-based architecture firm founded in 1932 that specializes exclusively in science, healthcare, and academic facility design, serving universities, medical centers, and research institutions across the Northeast US.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

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, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Architecture and Design Services: PAYETTE generates revenue through professional architecture and design fees for institutional building projects, primarily serving higher education and healthcare clients with new construction, renovation, and master planning services.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Payette is a Boston-based architectural design and planning firm specializing in science, healthcare, and academic facilities for institutional clients. Its practice is organized around project types — Science Projects, Healthcare Projects, Strategic Planning, and Pro Bono Projects — and is supported by an integrated Engine division providing Building Science, Space Strategies, Design Visualization, Fabrication, and Research & Tools services. Deliverables span new construction, renovation, and master planning for universities, hospitals, and research institutions.

Product overview

PAYETTE is an architecture firm specializing in science, healthcare, and academic facility design. The firm operates as a full-service architectural practice organized around project types (Science Projects, Healthcare Projects, Strategic Planning, Pro Bono) supported by an 'Engine' division providing specialized services (Building Science, Space Strategies, Design Visualization, Fabrication, Research & Tools). Notable projects include the Amherst College New Science Center (251,000 GSF, 76% energy reduction), Beth Israel Deaconess Klarman Building (380,000 GSF, LEED Gold), Penn State Hershey Cancer Institute and Children's Hospital, Princeton Frick Chemistry Laboratory (R&D Lab of the Year), and multiple university science centers. The firm has received the 2019 AIA Architecture Firm Award and over 10 national AIA Awards in recent years.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Science Projects Architectural design services for research and science facilities including laboratories, science centers, and interdisciplinary research buildings for academic and institutional clients.
• Healthcare Projects Comprehensive healthcare facility design including hospitals, medical centers, cancer institutes, children's hospitals, and healthcare campus master planning.
• Strategic Planning Campus and facility master planning services for academic and healthcare institutions, including framework plans and phased development strategies.
• Building Science Technical building science consulting including energy performance analysis, sustainability strategies, and environmental systems optimization.
• Space Strategies Space planning and programming services to optimize facility layouts and functional organization for research, healthcare, and academic environments.
• Design Visualization Advanced visualization services including rendering, animation, and digital modeling to communicate design concepts.
• Fabrication Physical model making and fabrication services for design development and client presentations.
• Research & Tools Proprietary research methodologies and analytical tools developed by the firm for evidence-based design decision making.
• Pro Bono Projects Volunteer design services for community organizations and non-profit institutions, including pro bono architectural work for community causes.
• OpenLAB Boston Collaborative design studio and exhibition space hosting events, workshops, and design discourse for the architectural community.

Quantifiable outcome

• Amherst College New Science Center: 76% energy reduction compared to 2030 baseline (91 kBtu/SF)
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers17 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Hopkins ArchitectsflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerPAYETTE collaborated with Hopkins Architects of London as design architect for the Princeton University Frick Chemistry Laboratory project. This international partnership brought together complementary expertise for the 265,000 GSF state-of-the-science chemistry research facility.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• EwingCole: EwingCole is a Philadelphia-based architecture and engineering firm with concentrated practices in healthcare and science/research facilities — directly comparable to Payette in scale, vertical focus, and client type.
• Ballinger: Ballinger is a Philadelphia-based architecture firm specializing in academic medical centers, healthcare, and science/research facilities — directly comparable in scale, vertical specialization, and project typology to Payette.
• SmithGroup: SmithGroup is a large integrated design firm with one of the country's deepest practices in science & technology and healthcare architecture, serving the same R1 university and academic medical center clients as Payette (e.g., higher-ed science buildings and hospital projects).
• Perkins&Will: Perkins&Will runs one of the largest healthcare and science architecture practices globally, frequently competing for the same university science building and hospital commissions that anchor Payette's portfolio.
• CannonDesign: CannonDesign is a major architecture and engineering firm with a nationally recognized healthcare and science practice, competing head-to-head with Payette on academic medical centers, university research buildings, and healthcare campus master planning.
• Flad Architects: Flad is a specialty architecture firm with deep focus on science, technology, and healthcare facilities for universities and academic medical centers — a near-perfect size and specialty match to Payette.
• ZGF Architects: ZGF is a national architecture firm recognized for award-winning science, healthcare, and higher-education buildings (including laboratory design), serving many of the same R1 and AMC client categories as Payette.

Broad incumbents

• HOK (now part of Populous / HOK Science + Technology): HOK is a global architecture giant with a dedicated science + technology and healthcare practice that competes with Payette for major academic medical center and university research commissions.
• HDR: HDR is a large global AEC firm with a substantial healthcare and science architecture practice, often competing for large institutional commissions where single-source delivery is preferred over specialty firms.

Regional players

• Shepley Bulfinch: Shepley Bulfinch is a Boston-based architecture firm with comparable higher-education and healthcare practice depth; it competes regionally for the same Northeast institutional clients as Payette.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@payette-3971
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/payette
• Instagraminstagram.com/payettepeople
• Xx.com/payettepeople

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 Payette