Luminaut

What Luminaut does

Luminaut, Inc. is a privately held architecture and interior design firm headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio with a second office in Indianapolis, Indiana, operating as Luminaut, Inc. since 1979. The firm runs a cross-functional studio model that delivers four integrated service lines — architecture, interior design, facilities assessment, and master planning — supported by two specializations (historic renovation/adaptive reuse and sustainable design). It organizes its practice around seven market verticals: hospitality, senior living, higher education, Greek housing, libraries, workplace, and K-12, with notable repeat engagements for Marriott flags (Courtyard at the historic Ingalls Building, TownePlace Suites at the Robertson Building), large university Greek systems (Butler, DePauw, Indiana, USC, Illinois, Cincinnati), senior living operators (The Gardens at St. Elizabeth, Glacier Hills, Bellbrook), public library systems, and corporate clients including FC Cincinnati and Divisions Maintenance Group.

The firm has grown primarily through inorganic expansion, completing two disclosed acquisitions — Rowland Design in January 2022 (adding 17 employees and Indianapolis-market reach) and Indianapolis-based David Rausch Studio in 2024 — which together roughly doubled its geographic footprint and extended its vertical coverage into higher education and Greek housing. Staff hold certifications from USGBC, AIA, IIDA, and NCIDQ, and the firm has won LEED-certified (Gold) projects, multiple Cincinnati Design Awards, IIDA IDEA, AIA Indiana, Indianapolis Monumental, American Architecture Awards, and consistent placement on BD+C Giants 400, Interior Design Rising Giants / Hospitality Giants, Architectural Record Top 300, Cincinnati Business Courier Largest Architecture Firms rankings, and the 2024 Zweig Hot Firms and Fast 55 lists.

Luminaut monetizes exclusively through professional services fees on a project-by-project basis, with no public pricing, no products sold, no software platform, and no disclosed funding. Revenue is generated via direct sales and relationship-based client engagement from its two offices, targeting enterprise, institutional, and government buyers across the Midwest and select adjacent geographies (Colorado, Texas, North Carolina, California, Kentucky, Illinois, Michigan). Ownership is private with no public ticker, no disclosed parent company, and no identified external capital; the firm is led by CEO Matt Erdman and Executive Vice President Nora Wiley.

Name

Luminaut

Legal name

Luminaut, Inc.

Website

https://luminaut.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1979

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Luminaut is a privately held architecture and interior design firm based in Cincinnati and Indianapolis, delivering architecture, interior design, facilities assessment, and master planning services across hospitality, senior living, higher education, Greek housing, libraries, workplace, and K-12 verticals.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Architecture Services

NAICS

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

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Architectural Design Services (BPAHAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Historic Preservation & Conservation Planning (BPAHAKAH), Space Planning & Workplace Design (BPAHAKAI)

Keywords

• Architecture services
• Interior design
• Historic renovation
• Sustainable design
• Master planning

Headquarters

HQ city

Cincinnati

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

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 architectural design, interior design, facilities assessment, and master planning engagements for institutional and commercial clients.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Luminaut is an architecture and interior design firm providing professional services in architecture, interior design, facilities assessment, and master planning for institutional and commercial clients. The firm specializes in sustainable design, historic preservation and adaptive reuse, and serves vertical markets including hospitality, senior living, higher education, Greek housing, libraries, K-12, and workplace.

Product overview

Luminaut is a Cincinnati and Indianapolis-based architecture and design firm offering professional design services rather than a software product. The firm provides a unified portfolio of architecture and interior design services organized around market verticals including Greek Housing, Higher Education, Hospitality, K-12 Education, Libraries, Senior Living, and Workplace. Core service offerings include Architecture, Interior Design, Facilities Assessment, and Master Planning, supplemented by specializations in Historic Renovation and Sustainable Design. Projects span from new construction to adaptive reuse of historic buildings, with a focus on creating spaces that respect heritage while meeting modern needs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Architecture Services Full-service architectural design for commercial, institutional, and residential projects including new construction, renovations, and adaptive reuse of historic structures.
• Interior Design Interior design services including space planning, finish selection, furniture design, and custom sourcing to create cohesive environments across all project types.
• Facilities Assessment Comprehensive evaluation of existing facilities including structural, mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and fire protection systems to inform renovation and restoration planning.
• Master Planning Strategic site and facilities planning services for campuses and developments, including program development, site analysis, and phased implementation planning.
• Historic Renovation Specialized renovation and restoration services for historic buildings, including preservation, adaptive reuse, and sensitive modernization while maintaining historic integrity.
• Sustainable Design Sustainability-focused design services incorporating LEED certification standards, energy efficiency, and environmentally responsible materials and systems.

Quantifiable outcome

• LEED certified and LEED Gold certified projects completed
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers15 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• KLH EngineerscoreTechnology or Integration · 1 October 2024KLH Engineers collaborated with Luminaut on custom light fixtures for DMG headquarters and The Aquifer at New Riff Distilling. The partnership continued with the BLINK Cincinnati art festival installation, where KLH Engineers provided infrastructure and technical expertise supporting Luminaut's design charrette concept and installation execution.

Scale indicators14 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• BHDP Architecture: Cincinnati-based architecture and design firm of similar size serving workplace, higher education, and science/technology markets. Closest geographic and scale comparable to Luminaut's Cincinnati office.
• Eppstein Uhen Architects (EUA): Midwest-based (Milwaukee) architecture and interior design firm with comparable vertical mix including workplace, healthcare, and senior living — direct overlap in target segments and regional delivery model.
• Legat Architects: Midwest-based (Chicago) architecture firm focused on K-12, higher education, and workplace — comparable scale and regional delivery model with overlapping educational vertical.

Broad incumbents

• DLR Group: Integrated architecture, interior design, and engineering firm with significant senior living, higher education, and workplace practices. Larger and broader geographically, but operates in overlapping markets.
• SmithGroup: National integrated architecture and design firm with higher education, workplace, and cultural/civic practices. Overlaps with Luminaut's market verticals at a much larger scale.
• HOK: Global architecture, interior design, and planning firm with strong higher education and hospitality practices. Represents the type of large incumbent that competes for larger-scale versions of Luminaut's projects.
• HKS Architects: Major architecture and interior design practice with healthcare and senior living specialties — directly comparable to Luminaut's senior living business (#32 BD+C ranking) but at significantly greater scale.
• Gensler: Largest global architecture and interior design firm, with dominant hospitality and workplace practices. Relevant as the upper-bound benchmark for design fee economics in Luminaut's core verticals.
• Perkins&Will: Global architecture firm with strong higher education and healthcare/senior living practices. Competes for larger versions of Luminaut's institutional engagements.

Regional players

• Champlin Architecture: Cincinnati-area architecture firm serving commercial, educational, and institutional clients. Local/regional competitor for Cincinnati-area institutional and commercial projects.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/luminaut
• Instagraminstagram.com/luminautarchitecture
• Xx.com/luminautshine

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A1 record

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Luminaut