PFB Architects

What PFB Architects does

PFB Architects is a privately held, Chicago-based architectural services firm founded around 1946-1950, operating for over 70 years. The firm provides full-service architecture, interior design, and master planning, structured around four market sectors: Healthcare, Behavioral Health, Senior Living, and Commercial/Institutional. Within healthcare, PFB is a national specialist in behavioral health environment design, with 18+ projects and 570+ beds delivered. Within senior living, the firm claims 70+ years of focused practice across Independent, Assisted, and Memory Care, with both new construction and renovation work. The firm serves enterprise and government clients including health systems, senior living operators, real estate developers, and federal VA hospital systems, with project construction values ranging from approximately $500K to $126M.

PFB generates revenue through project-based professional fees billed across the full project lifecycle, from pre-design research and planning through schematic design, design development, construction documents, and construction administration. Pricing is quote-driven and not publicly disclosed. The firm operates primarily in the US Midwest and Southeast, with an international footprint in China developed through a strategic partnership with KaziaLi Design Collaborative — including the Alibaba Shenzhen Headquarters. The firm is small, with 11-50 employees, and grows organically through direct client relationships, repeat engagements, and referrals rather than digital or broad-based marketing.

The firm is independently owned, has no disclosed institutional investors, no disclosed M&A activity, and no disclosed leadership transitions. Its competitive positioning is built on 70+ years of specialized domain knowledge, long-tenured client relationships with repeat enterprise buyers, and a curated talent base with healthcare, senior living, and behavioral health expertise. Distribution is direct-to-client; marketing is limited to a portfolio website and industry reputation.

Name

PFB Architects

Legal name

PFB Architects

Website

https://pfbchicago.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1950

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

PFB Architects is a Chicago-based, privately held architectural firm with 70+ years of experience delivering architecture, interior design, and planning services across healthcare, behavioral health, senior living, and commercial sectors for enterprise and government clients in the US and China.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

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

Revenue model

1. Architecture and Design Services: Project-based professional fees for architectural design, interior design, and planning services spanning from initial concept through construction administration. Revenue generated through direct client engagements with healthcare systems, senior living operators, developers, and government/institutional clients.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

PFB Architects is a professional services firm providing architecture, interior design, and planning services from initial concept through construction administration. It specializes in healthcare, senior living, behavioral health, and commercial/institutional projects.

Product overview

PFB Architects is an architectural services firm offering architecture, interiors, and planning as its core service lines. The firm operates across four market sectors: Healthcare Architecture, Behavioral Health, Senior Living, and Commercial. Their services span from master planning and pre-design research through design and construction administration. The firm has over 70 years of experience and focuses on execution of projects ranging from single commissions to large master plan developments.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Architecture Services Full-service architectural design from planning through construction administration, serving healthcare, senior living, commercial, and institutional sectors.
• Interiors Interior design services including finish selection, furniture, materials, artwork, and accessories for senior living and healthcare environments.
• Planning Master planning and pre-design research services for campus developments and large-scale projects.
• Healthcare Architecture Specialized healthcare architectural services including hospitals, medical offices, diagnostic facilities, and clinical spaces for health systems, VA hospitals, and outpatient facilities.
• Behavioral Health Design Design of behavioral health environments including inpatient psychiatric units, outpatient facilities, and specialized care settings. PFB has master planned and designed more than 18 Behavioral Health projects representing over 570 beds.
• Senior Living Design Design services for senior living, assisted living, and memory care communities, including renovations and new construction, promoting engaging social spaces and a sense of home.
• Commercial Design Commercial design services including civic and government buildings, corporate headquarters, office buildings, parking structures, community centers, hotels, restaurants, and retail establishments.

Named customers13 records

Segments4 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

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and strategic.

• Ryan CompaniescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing partnership with Ryan Companies on the Clarendale Brand senior living developments. PFB has designed multiple Clarendale properties (Addison, Algonquin, Schererville) serving as architect of record for all phases from planning through construction administration.
• Focus Healthcare PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOngoing partnership with Focus Healthcare Partners on senior living renovations and new construction projects including Mansions Portfolio, Fountain View Village, McLoughlin Place, Cascade Valley, and others.
• KaziaLi Design CollaborativestrategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with KaziaLi Design Collaborative on international projects including Anyang Senior Living (China), Tianshuigu Hot Spring Resort (China), Shenzhen Headquarters for Alibaba, and other major international developments.
• Alibaba GroupstrategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerDesigned Shenzhen Headquarters (104,250m², 100m tower) in partnership with KaziaLi Design Collaborative. International digitalized elevation design celebrating Alibaba's digital era presence.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• SmithGroup: Architecture and engineering firm with dedicated healthcare and senior living practices. Competes with PFB for hospital, CCRC, and behavioral health commissions and shares the small-to-mid-sized specialty firm positioning.
• HDR Architecture: Major healthcare design firm and a documented collaborator with PFB on the Presence Saint Joseph Bed Tower 'Pebble Project.' Competes for and partners on large hospital and academic medical center commissions across the Midwest.
• EwingCole: Mid-Atlantic-based architecture and engineering firm with a healthcare-focused practice covering hospitals, medical offices, and research facilities. Directly comparable to PFB's healthcare specialization and similarly sized project scope.
• CannonDesign: Integrated design firm with a strong healthcare and senior living portfolio serving large health systems. Comparable to PFB in targeting Midwest hospital clients and academic medical centers, but at significantly greater scale.
• HKS Architects: National architecture firm with a large healthcare and senior living practice, frequently engaged on bed towers, ambulatory care, and continuing care retirement communities that overlap directly with PFB's core sectors.
• Perkins&Will: Large global architecture firm with one of the deepest healthcare practices in the U.S. Direct peer to PFB in healthcare and academic medical center design, competing for similar hospital, outpatient, and senior living commissions at a broader geographic scale.

Regional players

• LRS Architects: Midwest-based architecture firm with healthcare, senior living, and community-sector expertise. Comparable to PFB in targeting similar hospital and senior living operators in the Midwest with similar firm size and project scale.
• Wight & Company: Illinois-headquartered architecture, engineering, and construction firm with a healthcare and education portfolio. Operates in the same Chicago-area market as PFB, with overlapping health-system and institutional client targets.
• Legat Architects: Chicago-area architecture firm with healthcare, higher education, and K-12 practices. Comparable in size and Midwest geographic focus to PFB, occasionally competing for the same regional health system and institutional commissions.
• Eppstein Uhen Architects: Milwaukee-based architecture firm with a strong healthcare and senior living practice concentrated in the Upper Midwest. Comparable to PFB in market sector focus and firm size, with overlapping regional health-system client targets.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 PFB Architects