What Soderstrom Architects does

Soderstrom Architects is a privately held, full-service architecture firm founded in 1984 and headquartered in Portland, Oregon, employing 51-100 staff. The firm organizes its practice around five verticals — K-12 Education, Higher Education, Critical Facilities, Winery & Distillery (operating under the Ferar Wine & Spirits Studio sub-brand), and Faith-Based / Spiritual — and provides the full project lifecycle from pre-design and master planning through schematic design, construction documents, bidding assistance, construction administration, interior design, and historic renovation. Technical emphasis areas include sustainable design, net-zero energy buildings, mass timber construction, and seismic-resistant critical facilities.

The firm generates revenue through project-based professional services fees on architecture, planning, and interior design engagements, supplemented by specialty expertise in seismic retrofits and pre-bond planning for K-12 districts. Its go-to-market is sales-led and reputation-driven: direct client engagement with educational institutions, government agencies, faith communities, and private wine/spirits producers, secured through RFQ/RFP processes, long-term relationships, and industry referrals. Architects are licensed in 17 states and the firm maintains a portfolio of 45+ school districts, 75+ wineries and distilleries, and nine-plus faith-based buildings since 2004.

Soderstrom has no external funding rounds and no evidence of private equity or parent company ownership. The firm completed the integration of Ferar Studio (winery/distillery specialty) in 2017-2019, relocated to a larger Pearl District office in 2022-2023, and in 2020 transitioned leadership to Marlene Gillis as its first female president following the founder's passing. The firm has accumulated multiple industry awards (DJC TopProjects, McKim Mead & White, ILFI Just Label) and high-visibility collaborations with Robert A.M. Stern Architects and Lever Architecture.

Name

Soderstrom Architects

Legal name

Soderstrom Architects

Website

https://sdra.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1984

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Soderstrom Architects is a Portland-based architecture firm founded in 1984 that provides full-service design across five verticals — K-12 education, higher education, critical facilities, wineries/distilleries (via Ferar Studio), and faith-based projects — for public-sector and private clients across 17 states.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Portland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Architecture Services: Full-service architecture including schematic design, construction documents, bidding assistance, and construction administration. Project-based fees for new buildings, renovations, additions, and seismic retrofits.
2. Planning Services: Master planning, facilities assessments, long-range facility plans, pre-bond planning, and community outreach for educational institutions and other clients.
3. Interior Design Services: Interior design solutions including space planning, material selection, lighting design, and FF&E selection and procurement.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Soderstrom Architects provides comprehensive architectural design services spanning pre-design, programming, schematic design, construction documents, bidding assistance, and construction administration. The firm specializes in five vertical markets: K-12 and higher education facilities, critical/essential facilities requiring seismic resilience, winery and distillery production and hospitality spaces (delivered through the Ferar Wine & Spirits Studio), and faith-based spiritual buildings. Project-based fees cover new construction, renovations, additions, seismic retrofits, master planning, facilities assessments, and interior design.

Product overview

Soderstrom Architects is a Portland, Oregon-based architecture firm founded in 1984 that offers a comprehensive portfolio of design services organized around five core practice areas: K-12 Education Architecture, Higher Education Architecture, Critical Facilities Architecture, Winery & Distillery Design (operating under the Ferar Wine & Spirits Studio brand), and Faith-Based Architecture. These core services are supported by three service modules covering Architecture Services (pre-design through construction administration), Planning Services (master planning, facilities assessments, pre-bond planning), and Interior Design Services. The firm also provides specialized expertise in sustainable design, seismic retrofits, and historic renovation. Soderstrom primarily serves clients throughout Oregon and the Pacific Northwest, with architects licensed in 17 states.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Ferar Wine & Spirits Studio: Specialized design studio focused on winery and distillery architecture, part of Soderstrom Architects. Has been involved in design and master planning of more than 75 wineries and distilleries throughout the Pacific Northwest, nationally, and internationally.

Products and services

• K-12 Education Architecture Architecture and design services for K-12 schools, including new buildings, additions, renovations, seismic retrofits, and planning assessments for school districts throughout Oregon.
• Higher Education Architecture Architecture and design services for colleges and universities, including academic buildings, student services, housing and dining facilities, and operations buildings.
• Critical Facilities Architecture Design services for essential facilities including fire stations, utility facilities, operations facilities, and medical facilities that must remain operational following significant seismic, wildfire, and emergency events.
• Winery Design & Architecture Specialized winery and tasting room design services including production facilities, barrel cellars, crush pads, hospitality spaces, and sustainable design informed by terroir and winemaking processes.
• Distillery Design & Architecture Distillery design services including production facilities, tasting rooms, and assistance navigating complex building and fire code regulations for craft spirits producers.
• Faith-Based Architecture Sacred space design services for faith-based communities including churches, chapels, community centers, and spiritual gathering spaces.
• Planning Services Planning services including sustainable design, facilities assessments, long-range facility plans, master planning, site planning, pre-bond planning, community outreach, zoning assessments, and utilization studies.
• Interior Design Services Interior design solutions incorporating health and wellness, sustainability, collaboration and flexibility, and comfort and productivity, including space planning, lighting design, material selection, and FF&E procurement.

Quantifiable outcome

• Dundon-Berchtold Hall: First new academic building on UP campus in 20+ years, providing 30% increased classroom space
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, notable and supporting.

• Robert A.M. Stern ArchitectsflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on Dundon-Berchtold Hall at University of Portland - first new academic building on campus in 20+ years. Soderstrom worked alongside RAMSA on this 64,300 SF collegiate gothic academic building featuring classrooms, faculty offices, auditorium, and a 58-foot tower.
• Lever ArchitecturenotableStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on University of Oregon Portland Campus adaptive reuse project at Highland Hall. Soderstrom provided preservation expertise while Lever Architecture led the overall design for the historic gym conversion.
• arkiteknotableStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal architecture firm collaborated with Soderstrom on Ashland Middle School and TRAILS Outdoor School project to allow both schools to remain on site independently.
• Crow EngineeringsupportingTechnology or IntegrationEngineering partnership on Meacham Maintenance Station for Oregon Department of Transportation. Crow Engineering provided structural engineering support for the 34,500 SF maintenance facility.
• Bremik ConstructionsupportingImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerGeneral contractor partnership on Timberline Lodge Pool Replacement project. Soderstrom provided design services while Bremik handled construction for this historic restoration at 6,000 feet elevation.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Olson Kundig: Seattle-based design firm with award-winning higher education, hospitality, and winery/distillery projects. Competes in the same PNW market on university and craft beverage work at larger scale.
• ZGF Architects: Large Portland-headquartered architecture firm with significant higher education, healthcare, and workplace practices. Competes in overlapping institutional RFPs with substantially larger bench and broader portfolio.
• DLR Group: National architecture and engineering firm with one of the largest K-12 and higher education practices in the U.S. Competes against Soderstrom on the same education RFPs but with much broader scale and integrated engineering.

Direct peers

• Mahlum: Pacific Northwest (Seattle/Portland) architecture firm focused on education and healthcare with comparable size and mission-driven practice. Directly comparable on education vertical and PNW regional concentration.
• Hennebery Eddy Architects: Portland-based architecture firm of similar size with strong K-12, higher education, and cultural/institutional portfolios. Closely comparable to Soderstrom in geography, scale, and education vertical depth.
• LPA Design Studios: California-headquartered firm with one of the most active K-12 and higher education practices in the Western U.S. Direct competitor for school district and university work at slightly larger scale.
• Ankrom Moisan: Portland architecture firm with strong affordable housing, education, and mixed-use practices. Comparable PNW geographic focus and mid-size firm positioning.
• Mithun: Seattle-based integrated design firm with sustainability leadership, K-12/higher education portfolio, and PNW regional focus. Comparable on sustainability differentiation and education specialization.
• Lever Architecture: Portland-based architecture firm with mass timber and sustainability expertise that has collaborated with Soderstrom on UO Highland Hall. Comparable PNW focus, sustainability differentiation, and higher-ed portfolio.
• Bassetti Architects: Seattle-based architecture firm with deep K-12 and higher education specialization serving Pacific Northwest school districts. Comparable size, region, and education vertical focus.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubevimeo.com/user5708723
• Facebookfacebook.com/soderstromarchitects
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/soderstrom-architects
• Instagraminstagram.com/soderstrom_architects

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 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 Soderstrom Architects