What THINK Architecture & Design does

THINK Architecture & Design is a Brooklyn-based architecture firm founded in 2013 as a partnership between Martin Kapell and Jack Esterson, operating as Think! Architecture + Design PLLC. The firm provides full-service architectural design across five verticals: affordable and supportive housing, market-rate residential, cultural and arts facilities, educational institutions, and healthcare and community facilities. Its core differentiator is a "just right" design philosophy that balances cost discipline against design quality—particularly demonstrated through its leadership in Passive House certified affordable housing, where projects such as Malcolm Shabazz Harlem Plaza achieve up to 90% heating-energy and 75% overall-energy reduction versus traditional buildings. Notable technical competencies include PHIUS/Passive House certification, NYSERDA Buildings of Excellence design, and multi-certification delivery (Energy Star, Enterprise Green Communities, Indoor airPLUS, Fitwel, LEED).

The firm operates a project-based, professional-services revenue model, winning work through competitive RFP processes for publicly funded developments and through direct commissions from established non-profit developers, healthcare systems, educational institutions, and cultural organizations. Customers are concentrated in NYC, with anchor clients including The Bridge, IMPACCT Brooklyn, Lemle & Wolff, Procida Companies, African American Planning Commission, Catholic Charities, Mount Sinai, Episcopal Health Services, and Pratt Institute. The GTM motion is sales-led and relationship-driven, with marketing primarily through industry awards, architectural press, and podcast appearances rather than paid channels. The firm has recently expanded into modular construction (a Passive House two-family completed in 2026 with Assembly OSM) and historic-preservation adaptive reuse (Hudson Forum in Hudson, NY), while deepening its role within an ecosystem of NYC affordable-housing co-developers.

Name

THINK Architecture & Design

Legal name

Think! Architecture + Design PLLC

Website

https://think-arc.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

THINK Architecture & Design is a Brooklyn-based architecture firm designing affordable and supportive housing, healthcare, cultural, and educational facilities across New York, with particular strength in Passive House certified, high-performance sustainable design for publicly funded projects.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Architectural Services

NAICS

Architectural Services (54131), Architectural Services (541310), Interior Design Services (54141)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Architectural Design Services (BPAHAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Space Planning & Workplace Design (BPAHAKAI), Interior Design Services (BPAHAKAB)

Keywords

• Architecture design services
• Affordable housing design
• Passive house design
• Healthcare facility design
• Sustainable building design

Headquarters

HQ city

Brooklyn

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: Think! generates revenue through professional architecture and design fees for residential, commercial, healthcare, cultural, and educational projects. Revenue is project-based, earned through design services, construction administration, and project management for both private and publicly-funded developments.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

THINK Architecture & Design is a Brooklyn-based architecture firm providing professional architectural design, planning, and construction administration services across affordable housing, market-rate residential, cultural, educational, healthcare, and commercial sectors. The firm specializes in sustainable Passive House design and innovative mixed-use developments that combine residential with light manufacturing or community facilities.

Product overview

Think! Architecture & Design is a Brooklyn-based architecture firm offering comprehensive architectural design services across multiple building types. The firm's portfolio includes affordable and supportive housing, market-rate residential, cultural/arts facilities, educational institutions, healthcare facilities, and commercial/workplace design. They specialize in Passive House design for energy-efficient buildings and innovative mixed-use developments that combine residential with light manufacturing. Key notable projects include Bridge Rockaway (affordable housing with light manufacturing), St Philip Neri Apartments, Pratt Institute facilities, and St John's Episcopal Hospital. The firm serves diverse client types including non-profit housing developers, hospitals, cultural institutions, universities, and commercial clients throughout New York.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Affordable Housing Design Architectural design services for 100% affordable and supportive housing developments serving low-income families, formerly homeless individuals, veterans, and seniors. Includes schematic design, design development, construction documents, and construction administration for HPD-, NYCHA-, and NYSERDA-funded projects.
• Market Rate Housing Design
• Cultural & Arts Facilities Design
• Educational Facilities Design
• Healthcare & Community Facilities Design
• Commercial & Workplace Design
• Passive House Design Services
• Mixed-Use Development Design
• Historic Preservation & Adaptive Reuse

Quantifiable outcome

• 500+ affordable housing units completed in 2024 alone
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers14 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

Feature3 records

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• The BridgecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 September 2024Think! partnered with The Bridge (supportive housing and behavioral health non-profit) and Mega Development to create Bridge Rockaway—the first NYC development co-locating affordable housing with light manufacturing. The Bridge provides on-site supportive services including case management, benefits counseling, and mental health services for residents.
• Mega DevelopmentcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 September 2024Mega Development, specializing in affordable housing, co-developed Bridge Rockaway with Think! and The Bridge. Mega Development has a long history with affordable housing development in New York.
• Greenpoint Manufacturing Design Center (GMDC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 September 2024GMDC is a non-profit whose mission promotes high-paying manufacturing jobs in under-served communities. They provided expertise for the 39,000 sq ft light manufacturing component of Bridge Rockaway designed as low-cost incubator spaces for local start-up companies.
• Lemle & WolffcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 September 2024Think! partnered with Lemle & Wolff Development Company on Betances Family Apartments—a 15-story, 101-unit affordable housing development in the Bronx's Mott Haven neighborhood.
• Alembic Community DevelopmentcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 September 2024Non-profit housing developer partnered with Think!, Lemle & Wolff, and The Bridge on Betances Family Apartments, contributing community development expertise.
• Galvan FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 May 2024Think! was appointed by the Galvan Foundation to restore the former Community Theatre in Hudson, NY—creating the new Hudson Forum, a 400+ seat proscenium theater with front of house, rehearsal spaces, and production facilities.
• Malcolm Shabazz Mosque Development TeamcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 April 2024Think! was appointed to design Malcolm Shabazz Harlem Plaza—a 100% affordable housing project above a new permanent home for the Malcolm Shabazz Market in Harlem, developed with Procida Companies.
• Procida CompaniescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 April 2024Procida Companies is a real estate development firm partnering with Think! and Malcolm Shabazz Mosque Development Team on the Harlem project. Procida brings development and financing expertise for the 123-unit affordable housing project seeking Passive House certification.
• Brisa BuilderscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThink! partnered with Brisa Builders on Glenmore Manor in Brownsville—a 233-unit affordable housing development part of the Brownsville Neighborhood Plan.
• African American Planning CommissioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNon-profit affordable housing developer partnering with Think!, Brisa Builders, and Lemle & Wolff on Glenmore Manor serving low income families and formerly homeless individuals.
• Association of Catholic Charities / Association of New York Catholic HomescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThink! designed St Philip Neri Apartments for the Association of New York Catholic Homes—a pair of 100% affordable housing buildings with 186 units serving low-income families and formerly homeless individuals in the Bronx.
• Ascendant Neighborhood DevelopmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThink!'s proposal with Ascendant Neighborhood Development and Ali Forney Center was selected by NYC HPD as part of the ShareNYC initiative—combining social services and shared housing affordable to low-income households.
• Hofstra UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCultural and educational institution client for Think!'s projects in the academic sector.
• Pratt InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing relationship with Pratt Institute—completed Myrtle Hall (Digital Arts), Film & Video Department, and Game Arts Studio. The Film/Video Department project won SARA and AIA design awards and allowed Pratt to double enrollment.
• Episcopal Health ServicescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThink! completed St John's Episcopal Hospital Ambulatory Care Facility—a 47,000 sq ft new ambulatory care facility for the only hospital in Far Rockaway, Queens, serving an underserved community.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Dattner Architects: NYC-based architecture firm with a strong portfolio in affordable housing, supportive housing, and civic/institutional projects. Closest direct comparable to Think! given overlapping affordable housing client base and similar scale and project types.
• Magnusson Architecture and Planning: NYC firm specializing in affordable and supportive housing, community facilities, and senior housing. Comparable in market focus (NYC public-sector and non-profit developers), building types, and commitment to serving underserved populations.
• Handel Architects: NYC-based architecture firm with deep affordable and supportive housing portfolio alongside market-rate residential. Competes for similar HPD-funded and mixed-income housing RFPs as Think! and serves a comparable client roster of non-profit developers.
• WXY Studio: NYC urban design and architecture firm with comparable scale and focus on community-oriented projects including housing, cultural, and institutional buildings. Similar multidisciplinary, mission-driven design approach and overlapping civic client base.
• Architecture Research Office (ARO): NYC architecture firm of comparable size focused on cultural, institutional, and housing projects. Comparable in scale, NYC footprint, and emphasis on design quality across public-facing building types.

Broad incumbents

• FXCollaborative: Larger full-service NYC architecture firm with practices covering residential, healthcare, education, and cultural projects. Competes in the same institutional RFPs and offers much broader resources, but is less specialized in affordable housing than Think!.
• Perkins Eastman: Major national architecture firm with a significant NYC presence and large senior living, healthcare, and housing practices. Competes for similar institutional clients, particularly healthcare and supportive housing, but at greater scale and broader service offering.
• Ennead Architects: Established NYC architecture firm known for cultural, educational, and institutional buildings. Overlaps with Think! on higher education and cultural projects and competes for the same institutional commissions, though much larger and broader in scope.
• CookFox Architects: NYC architecture firm with strong reputation in sustainable and biophilic design across residential, commercial, and institutional building types. Comparable on sustainability focus and NYC presence, with broader resources and a wider project mix.

Emerging players

• Ketra Group: Small NYC firm focused on sustainable and Passive House design, including residential and adaptive reuse projects. Highly comparable on sustainability focus and scale; potential emerging competitor or collaborator on Passive House initiatives.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Compliance7 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 THINK Architecture & Design