What MCG Explore Design does

Explore Design (formerly MCG Explore Design, originally McCool Carlson Green) is an architecture, planning, and interior design firm founded circa 1984 and headquartered at the historic Anchorage Train Depot in Anchorage, Alaska. The firm delivers a fully integrated design offering spanning architecture, interior design, master planning, FF&E design and procurement, renderings, sustainability consulting, project and construction management, concept design, and the proprietary Expand Experience Workshop for stakeholder alignment. Its practice is rooted in regenerative, human-centered design with explicit commitments to Alaska Native cultural integration, cold-climate performance, and LEED-certified delivery.

The firm serves federal/military, aviation, education (K-12 and higher education), healthcare, civic, commercial, hospitality, and housing clients, and is licensed to practice in 19 US states. Notable engagements include the UAA Alaska Airlines Center (196,000 SF), FedEx Package Sorting Facility (186,000 SF) within FedEx's $200M ANC investment, the first dedicated cold storage cargo facility at ANC for Alaska Cargo & Cold Storage (200,000 SF), the 2019 USAF Design Award-winning F-35 Flight Simulator at Eielson AFB, the Mariner Skills Training Center at Naval Base San Diego, and the Nesbett Courthouse (200,000 SF) for the Municipality of Anchorage.

Revenue is generated through project-based professional services engagements acquired via direct client relationships, competitive public-sector bidding, RFP responses, and referrals. Pricing is custom-quoted per project scope with multi-year contract cadences typical. The firm is privately held and founder-owned (co-founders John McCool and Michael Carlson, with multiple principals leading practice areas), with no disclosed external funding, parent company, or M&A activity. Marketing is relationship-driven, relying on industry awards, professional affiliations (AIA, A4LE, ASID, USGBC), community engagement, and thought-leadership content via in-house podcasts and video.

Name

MCG Explore Design

Legal name

MCG Explore Design

Website

https://exploredesign.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1984

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Explore Design (formerly MCG Explore Design) is an Anchorage-based architecture, planning, and interior design firm founded circa 1984, serving federal/military, aviation, education, healthcare, and civic clients across 19 US states through project-based professional services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Architectural and Interior Design Services

NAICS

Architectural Services (54131), Architectural Services (541310), Interior Design Services (54141), Interior Design Services (541410)

SIC

Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700), Services-Engineering Services (8711)

akta.pro primary industry

Architectural Design Services (BPAHAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Interior Design Services (BPAHAKAB), Exhibition, Retail & Experiential Design (BPAHAKAL)

Keywords

• Architecture services
• Interior design services
• Master planning services
• Sustainable building design
• Federal facility design

Headquarters

HQ city

Anchorage

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

Revenue model

1. Architecture and Design Services: Professional services revenue generated through architecture, interior design, master planning, FF&E, rendering, sustainability consulting, project management, and concept design services. Projects are acquired through direct client engagement, public sector bidding, and competitive proposals for federal, state, and commercial clients.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Explore Design provides comprehensive architecture, interior design, master planning, furniture/Fixtures/equipment (FF&E) specification, renderings, sustainability consulting, concept design, and project/construction management services from concept through construction administration. The firm serves K-12 and higher education, federal/military, aviation, healthcare, civic, commercial/corporate, hospitality, housing, public safety, and justice clients across Alaska and 19 licensed U.S. states, with a deeply held commitment to regenerative, human-centered, and culturally responsive design.

Product overview

Explore Design (formerly MCG Explore Design) is an architecture, planning, and interior design firm offering a comprehensive suite of design services. The firm operates as a unified practice where architectural design, interior design, master planning, sustainability, rendering, FF&E, project management, concept design, and the Expand Experience workshop service function together as an integrated design offering. Projects span multiple sectors including K-12 education, higher education, healthcare, federal/military, civic, commercial/corporate, hospitality, aviation, housing, public safety, and justice. The firm is licensed in 19 states and has completed projects throughout Alaska, the continental US, and Hawaii.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Architecture Services Full-service architectural design covering concept through construction documentation, serving K-12 education, higher education, healthcare, federal, civic, commercial, hospitality, aviation, housing, public safety, and justice clients.
• Interior Design Interior design services including space planning, finish selection, furniture specification, and cultural integration for healthcare, hospitality, educational, and commercial environments.
• Master Planning Comprehensive site and facility master planning services for airport terminals, campus expansions, and large-scale development projects.
• Furniture, Fixtures & Equipment (FF&E) FF&E design support, procurement assistance, and standards development including product specifications, space planning tools, and cultural expression integration for healthcare and institutional clients.
• Renderings Visualization and rendering services for design presentations and project documentation.
• Project & Construction Management Strategic thinking, ideation, and project/construction management services guiding projects from concept through completion.
• Sustainability Services Sustainable design consulting including LEED certification pursuit, energy efficiency strategies, daylighting design, and cold-climate performance optimization.
• Concept Design Early-stage design vision documentation, graphic storytelling, massing exploration, and stakeholder presentation services.
• Expand Experience Workshop Interactive workshop process for organizational vision alignment, values exploration, and strategic goal-setting through collaborative discovery sessions.

Quantifiable outcome

• First LEED Gold building in Municipality of Anchorage
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Hastings+Chivetta ArchitectsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated with Hastings+Chivetta Architects on planning and design of the University of Alaska Anchorage Alaska Airlines Center project, with Explore Design providing interior design and architectural services.
• US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerWorked closely with USACE and Maryland Procurement Office on the Alaska Mission Operations Center renovation at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, providing architectural services for the design-build team.
• Crystal Worl (Alaska Native Artist)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated with Crystal Worl, an artist specializing in Alaska Native formline art, to design decorative panels for the Juneau Airport Renewal project.
• ASID (American Society of Interior Designers)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnered with ASID for Respite Booth at NeoCon trade show, creating an exhibit space celebrating Chicago's design legacy and promoting sustainability and community connection.
• HPM ContractingminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered with HPM Contractors to deliver the Expand Experience Workshop at their Denver headquarters, helping leadership teams define mission, material language, and culture through design.
• Alaska Cargo & Cold Storage (ACCS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDesigning the first dedicated cold storage cargo facility at ANC (200,000 SF) for ACCS to serve the broader global cargo market, supporting perishable goods movement.
• FedExcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDesigning FedEx Package Sorting Facility (186,000 SF) and vehicle wash building at ANC as part of FedEx's $200M investment in Anchorage operations.
• Mindful MaterialsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerParticipated in Mindful Materials collaborative exhibit at NeoCon, demonstrating the Common Materials Framework for understanding material impacts on human health and the environment.
• Various Industry PartnersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerASID Gather Showcase featured 14 industry partners including Shaw, Room & Board, Momentum, and Material Bank in an integrated design narrative.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• RIM Architects: Alaska-headquartered architecture firm with comparable focus on federal, healthcare, and education projects across Alaska and the Pacific. Similar size band and project types make it a direct regional competitor for many of the same clients.
• ECI Alaska (formerly ECI/Hyer Architecture): Anchorage-based architecture and interior design firm serving commercial, healthcare, education, and government clients across Alaska. Directly comparable in service mix, scale, and regional market positioning.
• Hastings+Chivetta Architects: Higher education and institutional architecture firm that partnered with Explore Design on the UAA Alaska Airlines Center. Similar focus on campus planning, civic, and education projects with comparable design-led approach.

Broad incumbents

• Perkins&Will: Large global architecture firm with strong healthcare, education, and federal practices and a recognized leadership in LEED-certified sustainable design. Competes with Explore Design for institutional and federal clients but at significantly larger scale and broader geographic reach.
• NBBJ: International architecture practice with strong healthcare, higher education, and sports/arena portfolios. The UAA Alaska Airlines Center competes in the same arena market segment that NBBJ has historically led with major collegiate and professional sports venues.
• HOK: Global architecture firm with aviation, healthcare, education, and sports practices that overlap with Explore Design's portfolio. Significantly larger scale, but competes for institutional and aviation clients in the same project size brackets.
• SmithGroup: Integrated design firm with strong federal, healthcare, and higher education practices and recognized sustainability leadership. Comparable in federal/civic/education focus but operates at significantly larger scale across multiple U.S. offices.
• Stantec: Global architecture and engineering firm with extensive federal, infrastructure, and environmental practices. Competes for federal and aviation projects in Alaska and across the firm's 19-state footprint but as part of a much broader services portfolio.
• HDR: Large architecture and engineering firm with deep federal, healthcare, and aviation practices. A primary competitor for federal MILCON and large institutional projects that align with Explore Design's federal and aviation portfolio.

Regional players

• USKH Inc. Alaska-based architecture and engineering firm with similar public-sector, federal, and institutional focus. Comparable regional competitor for Alaska public works, education, and federal projects.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@mcgexploredesign
• Xx.com/MCGarchitects
• Facebookfacebook.com/exploredesign
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/exploredesign

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 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 MCG Explore Design