What Selldorf Architects does

Selldorf Architects is a New York-based, founder-owned architecture firm established in 1988 by Annabelle Selldorf. The practice operates as a private professional services firm with 101–250 employees and a single headquarters at 632 Broadway in Manhattan, serving institutional and private clients globally across cultural, residential, and commercial projects.

The firm provides full-service architectural design — including new construction, renovation, expansion, adaptive reuse, and interior design — for marquee cultural institutions (museums, galleries, libraries), select high-end residential clients, and commercial enterprises (notably art galleries and cultural venues). Its core technology is a documented "humanist design philosophy" emphasizing individual experience and sensitive integration with existing context, exemplified in completed and ongoing flagship projects including The Frick Collection (completed April 2025), the National Gallery London's Sainsbury Wing (completed May 2025), the Hirshhorn Museum revitalization (jointly with SOM), the Art Gallery of Ontario expansion (jointly with Diamond Schmitt and Two Row Architect), and the €1.15 billion Louvre-Nouvelle Renaissance project (jointly with STUDIOS Architecture Paris and BASE Paysagiste), won in May 2026 after a competitive process from over 100 candidates.

Revenue is generated through project-based professional services fees negotiated individually for each commission, typically on multi-year contract structures tied to construction budgets of marquee institutional clients. The firm has no public listing, no disclosed funding rounds, and no identified institutional investors; ownership remains concentrated with the founder. Distribution relies on direct enterprise engagement via invited competitions (for public cultural institutions), peer referrals, and reputational selection by private clients. Marketing is largely passive — earned media in Architectural Digest, WSJ, NYT, and Architectural Record; awards; and principal lectures at Harvard GSD, Columbia GSAPP, and the National Gallery London. Beyond commissioned services, the firm operates the "Vica by Annabelle Selldorf" sub-brand — a consumer product line of furniture, textiles, accessories, and lighting — with a dedicated showroom opened in March 2026 at the New York Design Center.

Name

Selldorf Architects

Legal name

Selldorf Architects

Website

https://selldorf.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1988

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Selldorf Architects is a New York-based, founder-owned architecture firm founded in 1988 by Annabelle Selldorf, specializing in cultural, residential, and commercial projects for museums, galleries, and private clients worldwide. It operates on project-based professional fees via direct enterprise engagement and JV partnerships on mega-commissions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Architectural Services

NAICS

Architectural Services (54131), Interior Design Services (54141), Industrial Design Services (541420)

akta.pro primary industry

Architectural Design Services (BPAHAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Interior Design Services (BPAHAKAB), Industrial/Product & Furniture Design (BPAHAKAM)

Keywords

• Architectural design services
• Museum architecture
• Cultural institution design
• Residential architecture
• Historic preservation design

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Architectural Design Services: Full-service architectural firm providing design, renovation, and expansion services for cultural institutions, galleries, museums, residential, and commercial projects. Revenue generated through professional fees for architectural services on commissioned projects.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Selldorf Architects is a New York-based architecture firm providing planning, design, renovation, and expansion services for cultural institutions, museums, galleries, residential properties, and commercial projects. The firm also offers Vica by Annabelle Selldorf, a product line of furniture, textiles, accessories, and lighting developed from the firm's design expertise.

Product overview

Selldorf Architects is a New York-based architecture and design firm that provides professional architecture and design services across cultural, residential, commercial, and interior projects. The firm's portfolio includes renovations, expansions, and new constructions for museums, galleries, libraries, and private residences. Additionally, the firm offers Vica by Annabelle Selldorf, a product line featuring furniture, textiles, accessories, and lighting developed from the firm's design expertise spanning over three decades.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Vica by Annabelle Selldorf: A product line of home goods and design objects created by Annabelle Selldorf, representing over three decades of award-winning architecture and interior design. Products include versatile, modern home items available at the New York Design Center.

Products and services

• Cultural Institution Architectural Design Full-service architectural design, renovation, and expansion for cultural institutions including museums and galleries. Projects include The Frick Collection, National Gallery London, Louvre-Nouvelle Renaissance, Art Gallery of Ontario, and Hirshhorn Museum.
• Residential Architectural Design Architectural design services for affluent private residential clients, including luxury homes and residential conversions. Featured in Architectural Digest AD100 Hall of Fame.
• Commercial Architectural Design Architectural design for commercial clients including art galleries, entertainment companies, and hospitality businesses, with projects such as David Zwirner galleries and Steinway Hall.
• Vica by Annabelle Selldorf A product line of home goods and design objects created by Annabelle Selldorf, including furniture, textiles, accessories, and lighting. Showroom located at the New York Design Center.

Quantifiable outcome

• Selected from over 100 candidates for Louvre-Nouvelle Renaissance project
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• STUDIOS Architecture PariscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 May 2026Joint team selected for €1.15 billion Louvre-Nouvelle Renaissance project to redesign the museum's eastern entrance. Selldorf Architects working alongside STUDIOS Architecture Paris and BASE Paysagiste to create second monumental access point and restore 17th-century Colonnade.
• BASE PaysagistecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 May 2026Joint team selected for Louvre-Nouvelle Renaissance project. BASE Paysagiste serving as landscape architecture partner for the project including conversion of underground moats into gardens.
• VMDOcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 September 2025Selldorf Architects working with VMDO and Diamond Schmitt on University of Virginia's new Center for the Arts, approved September 2025.
• Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 31 October 2022Joint team with SOM appointed for Hirshhorn Museum's largest revitalization in the museum's history. SOM serving as executive architect with Selldorf Architects leading design.
• Diamond SchmittcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 April 2022Selldorf Architects selected with Diamond Schmitt and Two Row Architect for Art Gallery of Ontario expansion. Joint venture for major museum expansion project.
• Two Row ArchitectcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 April 2022Indigenous-led architecture firm partnered with Selldorf Architects for Art Gallery of Ontario expansion, bringing Indigenous perspective to the project.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Foster + Partners: Global architecture giant with deep cultural-institution portfolio (Reichstag, Hearst Tower, Louvre Abu Dhabi); competes with Selldorf for major commissions but operates at vastly larger scale across multiple building typologies.
• Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM): Global incumbent architecture and engineering firm; current Selldorf JV partner on the Hirshhorn Museum revitalization and a regular competitor on large cultural and civic commissions.

Direct peers

• Ennead Architects: New York-based cultural-architecture specialist of comparable boutique scale, with landmark institutional projects (Stanford Science and Engineering Quad, Natural History Museum Utah) and a parallel focus on museums, libraries, and adaptive-reuse work.
• Renzo Piano Building Workshop: Global cultural-architecture specialist best known for the original Louvre Pyramid and the Centre Pompidou; competes head-to-head with Selldorf for major European and American museum commissions and operates at the top of the cultural-architecture prestige curve.
• Tadao Ando Architect & Associates: Single-principal global boutique (Tadao Ando) with a museum-and-cultural-institution specialization (Clark Art Institute galleries, Pulitzer Arts Foundation, Chichu Art Museum) directly comparable to Selldorf's model.
• Diller Scofidio + Renfro: New York-based interdisciplinary firm with a cultural-institution portfolio (The High Line, The Shed, Brooklyn Museum expansion) directly comparable to Selldorf's museum and adaptive-reuse focus at a similar boutique scale.
• SANAA: Japan-based, Pritzker Prize-winning practice specializing in museums and cultural buildings (Louvre-Lens, New Museum New York, Grace Farms); directly competes in the cultural-architecture prestige tier with Selldorf.
• Studio Gang: Chicago- and New York-based practice led by a high-profile principal (Jeanne Gang) with comparable cultural-architecture portfolio (Natural History Museum Chicago, Writers Theatre) and similar boutique scale.
• David Chipperfield Architects: London-based boutique practice with an analogous profile: globally recognized principal-led brand, deep specialization in museum and cultural institution architecture (Neues Museum Berlin, Royal Academy renovation), and reliance on juried competitions for marquee commissions.
• Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects | Architects (now merged with Johnston Marklee): Boutique New York practice with comparable principal-led brand, cultural-institution focus (Obama Presidential Center, American Folk Art Museum), and similar scale and client base to Selldorf.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/selldorfarch
• Facebookfacebook.com/selldorf-architects-261902987164547
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/selldorf-architects
• Instagraminstagram.com/selldorfarchitects

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Selldorf Architects