What MGA Partners does

MGA Partners is a privately held, Philadelphia-based architecture and design firm organized as a partnership, tracing its lineage to Mitchell/Giurgola Associates Architects (founded 1958, whose principal Romaldo Giurgola won the AIA Gold Medal) and re-established under its current name in 1990. The firm operates from a single studio in Old City, Philadelphia, with approximately 23 design professionals (three partners plus registered architects, a graphic designer, and staff), and is led by partners Dan Kelley, FAIA; Catherine (Katie) Broh, AIA; and Amy Stein, AIA. Its go-to-market is relationship-driven and selective — securing institutional commissions through RFPs, design competitions, professional networks, and long-standing client relationships rather than through technology-led or marketing-led funnels.

The firm delivers full-service architecture, campus masterplanning, adaptive reuse and historic preservation, LEED-certified sustainable design, performance venue design, and integrated graphics/wayfinding/identity work for higher education institutions, federal and local government agencies, and cultural and civic organizations. Project work spans renovations of landmark buildings (Guastavino-tiled vaults, mid-century modernization, dormitory renewals) and new construction including research buildings, libraries, student residences, and ceremonial spaces — evidenced by more than 65 significant planning studies conducted over twenty-five years and an award portfolio spanning AIA Philadelphia Honor Awards, SCUP Honor Awards, GSA Design Excellence Citations, and LEED Gold/Silver certifications.

Revenue is generated solely through project-based professional fees for design, documentation, and construction administration services, scoped and quoted per engagement with no public pricing. The customer base is concentrated in the US Mid-Atlantic, Northeast, Midwest, and Southeast, with named clients including the University of Pennsylvania, Temple University, Princeton University, University of Delaware, Washington University in St. Louis, Northeastern University, Lehigh University, Bryn Mawr College, Franklin & Marshall College, the General Services Administration, and the Philadelphia Museum of Art. The firm holds a certified small- and women-owned business designation and is recognized for 60-70% small and women-owned business participation on its projects.

Name

MGA Partners

Legal name

MGA Partners

Website

https://mgapartners.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

MGA Partners is a Philadelphia-based architecture and design partnership that delivers campus masterplanning, adaptive reuse, historic preservation, LEED-certified sustainable design, and integrated graphics for colleges, universities, federal agencies, and cultural institutions across the US.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Architectural Services

NAICS

Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services (5413), Management Consulting Services (54161)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Infrastructure Planning, Capital Programs & Project Delivery Offices (PMOs) (BPAIALAJ)

Keywords

• Architectural design services
• Campus master planning
• Historic building preservation
• Adaptive reuse architecture
• Sustainable building design

Headquarters

HQ city

Philadelphia

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 fees for architectural services including masterplanning, building design, renovation, preservation, and interior design for institutional clients. Revenue generated through project-based fees for design, documentation, and construction administration services.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

MGA Partners is an architecture and design firm providing full-service planning, design, and project delivery for institutional clients. Core services include campus masterplanning, new building design, building renovation, historic preservation and adaptive reuse, interior design, sustainable/LEED-certified design, and integrated graphics programs. The firm serves colleges, universities, cultural organizations, nonprofits, and federal and local government agencies.

Product overview

MGA Partners is an architecture and design firm offering comprehensive services for institutional clients across academic, cultural, civic, and federal sectors. The firm's portfolio includes campus masterplanning, academic building design (libraries, research facilities, student housing), heritage building restoration, sustainable design with LEED certification, performance venue design, and integrated graphics programs. The firm operates from a Philadelphia studio and serves clients nationally.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Architecture and Design Services Full-service architecture and design firm providing planning, design, and project delivery for institutional clients including colleges, universities, cultural organizations, nonprofits, and federal and local governments.
• Campus Masterplanning Strategic campus planning services guiding multi-phased transformation of institutional properties, including the Temple 20/20 Masterplan and federal campus masterplans.
• LEED-Certified Sustainable Design Sustainability-focused design services achieving LEED certification for projects, including LEED Silver (Morgan Hall), LEED Gold (Academic Research Building at University of Pennsylvania), and LEED certification (Celebrezze Federal Building), targeting significant energy consumption reductions.
• Heritage Building Revival Historic preservation and adaptive reuse of existing buildings including restoration of Guastavino-tiled vaults, facade renovations, and modernization of mid-century structures.
• Graphics and Experiential Design Integrated graphic design services including data visualization murals, identity systems, wayfinding, and interpretive exhibits for academic, cultural, and federal institutions.
• Collaborative Learning Space Design Design of innovative academic environments supporting interdisciplinary collaboration, maker spaces, and experiential learning environments for higher education clients.
• Performance and Event Space Design Acoustically-tuned performance venues including theaters, concert halls, auditoriums, and ceremonial spaces for universities and cultural institutions.

Quantifiable outcome

• 45% reduction in energy consumption targeted through sustainable design strategies
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Brightspot StrategyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated with library planning experts Brightspot Strategy for Snell Library renovation to transform the building toward Northeastern University's experiential learning pedagogy through workshops.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• CannonDesign: Larger multi-disciplinary design firm with a significant higher-education and federal practice; competes with MGA on university masterplans and adaptive reuse commissions but operates at materially greater scale.
• SmithGroup: Major U.S. architecture and engineering firm with a large higher education and federal practice, frequently competing for the same university masterplans and GSA commissions that anchor MGA's portfolio.
• Robert A.M. Stern Architects: New York-based firm with a prominent higher education and cultural institution portfolio (libraries, campus buildings, museums) and similar award-winning credentials in traditional and contextual institutional design.
• Perkins&Will: Global architecture practice with one of the largest higher education and healthcare design portfolios in North America, regularly bidding for the same institutional commissions as MGA.

Direct peers

• William Rawn Associates: Boston and Denver architecture firm with a comparable footprint in higher education campus design, libraries, and performance venues, plus analogous award-winning credentials and a similarly sized partnership structure.
• Payette: Boston-based architecture and design firm specializing in higher education, healthcare, and science facilities, with comparable campus masterplanning and sustainable-design expertise targeting the same institutional client base.
• EwingCole: Philadelphia-based architecture and engineering firm with deep higher education, federal, and cultural institution practice and a comparable East Coast institutional client base.
• Ann Beha Architects: Boston-based architecture firm with comparable scale and direct overlap in higher education, civic, and cultural institution projects, particularly adaptive reuse and historic preservation.
• Lake|Flato Architects: San Antonio-based firm with overlapping higher education, civic, and adaptive reuse expertise, plus a comparable culture of craft-driven, award-recognized institutional design.
• Bohlin Cywinski Jackson: Pennsylvania-headquartered architecture firm of comparable size and prestige, focused on institutional, civic, and higher-education work with deep craft and contextual design credentials — the closest direct analog to MGA Partners.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mga-partners
• Instagraminstagram.com/mgaarchitects
• Xx.com/mgapartners

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 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 MGA Partners