Design Partners

What Design Partners does

Design Partners Incorporated (DPI) is a 100% employee-owned architecture and planning firm founded in 1979 and headquartered in Honolulu, Hawaii. The firm delivers full-service architecture, master planning, interior architecture, construction management, entitlement processing, concept development, programming, sustainability consulting, and rendering and visualization services across the Planning, Residential, Commercial, Hospitality, Education, Healthcare, and Government sectors. It operates from offices in Honolulu, Dededo (Guam), and Seoul (Republic of Korea), with team members also located in the Philippines, serving clients across Hawaii, the broader Pacific Basin, and the Far East.

The firm's revenue model is professional services-based, billing for architecture and design on a quote/engagement basis tied to project scope, with no public pricing disclosed. Its go-to-market is enterprise field sales pursued through direct engagement with government agencies (notably the U.S. Navy/Naval Facilities Engineering Command and U.S. Marine Corps via the ASMD JV), large private developers (Nan Inc., ProsPac Holdings, Castle & Cooke, SamKoo Pacific, Avalon Development), and institutional clients (University of Hawaii, Punahou School, Blood Bank of Hawaii). Notable engagements include a $50M Navy IDIQ contract (2019), the $100M+ ASMD JV military base design program on Guam, the $600M Park on Keeaumoku mixed-use project, the $2B Koa Ridge master-planned community, and a dedicated Health Care Design Studio launched in October 2020.

DPI's competitive positioning rests on 45 years of operating history, deep regional relationships across Hawaii and the Pacific, employee-owned governance, and consecutive #1 rankings for architectural billings in Oahu (2019 and 2020) with $34.77M in disclosed 2019 billings. Its scale — over 100 individuals across offices — and multi-office presence in geographies tied to U.S. military and Pacific real estate development provide a structurally embedded footprint in markets that competing mainland architecture firms must enter from scratch.

Name

Design Partners

Legal name

Design Partners Incorporated

Website

https://designpartnersinc.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1979

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Design Partners Incorporated is a 100% employee-owned architecture and planning firm founded in 1979 in Honolulu, Hawaii, serving government, defense, residential, education, and healthcare clients across Hawaii, Guam, Korea, and the broader Pacific Basin.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Architectural and Design Services

NAICS

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

SIC

Services-Engineering Services (8711)

akta.pro primary industry

Architectural Design Services (BPAHAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Interior Design Services (BPAHAKAB)

Keywords

• Architectural design services
• Master planning
• Interior architecture
• Construction administration
• Sustainability consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Honolulu

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Architecture and Design Services: Professional services revenue from architectural planning, design, and construction administration for residential, commercial, educational, healthcare, hospitality, and government projects.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Design Partners Incorporated is a 100% employee-owned architecture firm providing full-service architectural design, master planning, interior architecture, construction administration, entitlement processing, sustainability consulting, and rendering/visualization services across the residential, commercial, hospitality, education, healthcare, and government sectors in Hawaii, the Pacific Basin, and the Far East. The firm bids on large-scale projects including multi-million-dollar military housing and master-planned community contracts.

Product overview

Design Partners Incorporated is a 100% employee-owned architecture and planning firm headquartered in Honolulu, Hawaii, established in 1979. The firm operates as a single unified practice offering comprehensive professional services including Architecture, Master Planning, Interior Architecture, Construction Management, Entitlement Processing, Concept Development, Programming, Sustainability Consulting, and Rendering & Visualization. The company serves diverse market sectors across Planning, Residential, Commercial, Hospitality, Education, Healthcare, and Government. In October 2020, the firm expanded its portfolio by launching a dedicated Health Care Design Studio, adding specialized healthcare architecture to its core offerings.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Architecture Services Full-service architectural design covering residential, commercial, hospitality, healthcare, education, and government sectors, delivered from concept through construction administration.
• Master Planning Strategic land use and urban planning services for large-scale developments and communities, including master-planned projects such as the Koa Ridge community.
• Interior Architecture Interior design and space planning services integrated with architectural design for residential, commercial, hospitality, healthcare, education, and government facilities.
• Construction Management Construction administration and management services overseeing projects from conception through completion, bridging design intent with on-site execution.
• Entitlement Processing Regulatory and permitting services navigating government approvals and entitlements for development projects.
• Sustainability Consulting Green building and environmental sustainability advisory services for projects, including net-zero initiatives such as the UH Maui College project.
• Rendering & Visualization 3D visualization, rendering, and multimedia presentation services for project design communication and stakeholder review.
• Health Care Design Studio Dedicated healthcare architecture practice specializing in hospitals and medical facilities, launched in October 2020 and led by Dean Takasato.

Named customers12 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core, notable and minor.

• Waiola Development PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 December 2020Consortium including EllisDon Capital Inc., Kobayashi Group LLC, BSC Acquisitions II LLC as lead equity members; Turner Construction Co. and Nan Inc. as construction team; Spectra as services provider. Design Partners Inc. and MANICA Architecture as design team for New Aloha Stadium Entertainment District.
• ASMD JV PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 July 2020Joint venture partnership with Richard Matsunaga & Associates Architects, SSFM International, Architects Hawaii Ltd. (AHL), Stanley Consultants, and EMC2 Consulting Engineers for designing military facilities on Guam. Awarded $100M+ follow-on contract for Camp Blaz design work. Japan funding military facility construction through this JV.
• Punahou SchoolnotableStrategic or Co-development PartnerDesign of Sidney and Minnie Kosasa Community for Grades 2-5, a state-of-the-art learning environment with sustainability integrated into curriculum.
• Castle & Cooke HawaiinotableStrategic or Co-development PartnerArchitect for Koa Ridge master-planned community - $2 billion project with 3,500 homes, commercial space, elementary school and new hospital in Central Oahu.
• ProsPac Holdings GroupnotableStrategic or Co-development PartnerDeveloper partner for Azure Ala Moana tower project - 41-story mixed-use development with 330 condos and 78 affordable rentals.
• Nan Inc.notableStrategic or Co-development PartnerDesign partner for Nan Inc.'s first Hawaii high-rise - The Park on Keeaumoku, $600 million mixed-use project with 972 units in two 42-story towers.
• Nordic PCLnotableStrategic or Co-development PartnerConstruction partner for Punahou School's Kosasa Community project.
• Moss ConstructionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerConstruction partner for Kaiwahine Village affordable rental project on Maui - 120-unit development.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Architects Hawaii Ltd. (AHL): Honolulu-based architectural firm offering planning, architecture, and interior design across residential, commercial, healthcare, and government sectors — a direct competitor in the Hawaii market and a co-member of the ASMD JV with Design Partners for Guam military work.
• SSFM International: Hawaii-based architecture, engineering, and planning firm providing master planning, design, and program management across the Pacific — another ASMD JV partner and a direct competitor for government, military, and commercial projects in Hawaii and Guam.
• Group 70 International: Honolulu-based architecture, planning, and interior design firm serving commercial, residential, hospitality, and government clients in Hawaii and the Pacific — directly comparable in services, sector mix, and regional footprint.
• WATG (Wimberly Allison Tong & Goo): Global architecture and design firm with deep Asia-Pacific heritage and major hospitality and residential expertise — comparable to Design Partners on master planning, mixed-use developments, and hospitality-led Pacific projects.
• Richard Matsunaga & Associates Architects: Hawaii-based architectural firm focused on military, government, and educational facilities — co-member of ASMD JV with Design Partners and a direct competitor for federal design contracts in the Pacific.
• MANICA Architecture: Architecture firm specializing in sports, entertainment, and large-scale destination venues — co-design partner with Design Partners on the New Aloha Stadium Entertainment District and a peer for stadium and large-civic typologies.

Broad incumbents

• AECOM: Global architecture, engineering, and construction services firm with very large government/defense and master-planning practices — competes with Design Partners for major federal and program-management engagements, particularly through JV structures.
• HKS Architects: Large U.S. architecture firm with strong healthcare, education, and government portfolios — competes with Design Partners' newly launched Health Care Design Studio and on institutional master planning work.
• Perkins&Will: Global architecture practice with a leading healthcare and education design portfolio — a comparable peer for Design Partners' healthcare studio and education sector work, especially on larger hospital and university campuses.

Regional players

• WCIT Architecture: Hawaii-based architecture and design firm serving residential, commercial, hospitality, and government clients — a regional peer with similar sector mix, though a smaller presence in military/defense work.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/designpartnersinc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/design-partners-incorporated

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 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 Design Partners