What Centric Architecture does

Centric Architecture is a Nashville-based architecture and interior design firm founded in 1955, operating as one of the oldest practices in Middle Tennessee. The firm is structured as a four-principal partnership — Jim Thompson, Gina Emmanuel, Justin Lowe, and David Plummer — supported by two associate principals, a controller, and approximately 20 architects, interior designers, and design professionals. Centric delivers professional design services across six industry verticals: adaptive reuse, planning, workplace, housing, learning environments, and gathering spaces, with a pronounced specialization in historic preservation and adaptive reuse of industrial and brownfield sites. Notable projects include the Stocking 51-Silos creative campus (a brownfield redevelopment registered with TDEC), The Factory at Franklin (300,000 SF), the Vanderbilt Peabody Campus Masterplan (targeting LEED Gold and Living Building Challenge Material Petal), and the $20.8M Kirkland Hall renovation at Vanderbilt University. The firm holds differentiated credentials in sustainable design, including Tennessee's first Certified Passive House Consultant, and WELL and LEED-accredited professionals on staff.

The firm's underlying technology stack consists of conventional architectural design tools — BIM, CAD, visualization, and project documentation software — with no disclosed AI/ML capabilities, APIs, or proprietary technology products. Centric's competitive differentiation rests on specialized expertise in sustainable and historic preservation design (LEED, Living Building Challenge, Passive House) rather than on proprietary technology. The firm operates without external investors, parent company, or venture backing; ownership is retained entirely among the four principals.

Centric generates revenue through professional services fees on a project-based, quote-driven model typical of architecture firms. Pricing varies with project scope, complexity, and size, and is not publicly disclosed. Revenue is sourced from a mix of real estate developers (Vintage South Development, Holladay Properties, Third & Urban), higher-education institutions (Vanderbilt University), religious organizations (Woodmont Christian Church), and government entities (Cordell Hull State Office Building). The firm's go-to-market is enterprise field sales through direct principal-led client engagement, with lead generation supported by project portfolio case studies, LinkedIn and Instagram presence, and earned media through AIA and Architizer award recognition. Geographic reach spans the Southeast United States with concentrated activity in Nashville and broader Tennessee.

Name

Centric Architecture

Legal name

Centric Architecture

Website

https://centricarchitecture.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1955

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Centric Architecture is a 70-year-old Nashville architecture and interior design firm specializing in adaptive reuse, historic preservation, and sustainable design. It serves developers, higher-education institutions (notably Vanderbilt), religious organizations, and government clients across the Southeast United States.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Architecture Services

NAICS

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

SIC

General Bldg Contractors - Nonresidential Bldgs (1540)

akta.pro primary industry

Architectural Reconfiguration & Structural Alterations (HSAPAEAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Historic Preservation & Conservation Planning (BPAHAKAH)

Keywords

• Architecture design services
• Adaptive reuse design
• Historic preservation services
• Interior design services
• Sustainable building design

Headquarters

HQ city

Nashville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Architecture and Design Services: Professional services revenue generated through architectural design, interior design, space planning, and project management for commercial, residential, institutional, and religious clients. Projects range from small renovations to large-scale mixed-use developments.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Centric Architecture is a professional architecture and interior design firm providing comprehensive design services for commercial, residential, educational, religious, and government clients. The firm specializes in adaptive reuse, historic preservation, and sustainable design (LEED, Living Building Challenge, Passive House, WELL), with project work spanning new construction, renovation, brownfield remediation, and master planning across the southeastern United States.

Product overview

Centric Architecture is an architecture design firm offering a comprehensive suite of services centered on architecture and interior design. The firm operates across six industry specializations: Adaptive Reuse, Planning, Workplace, Housing, Learning, and Gathering Spaces, with a strong emphasis on historic preservation. Their core service offerings include Architecture Services, Interior Design, FFE Procurement, Planning + Land Use, and Community Engagement. The firm's portfolio features signature projects including Stocking 51 - Silos (an adaptive reuse development transforming historic silos into a mixed-use creative campus), The Factory at Franklin (a 300,000 SF reimagined stove factory), Stateline (creative office adaptive reuse), and Vanderbilt University's Peabody Campus renovation. Founded in 1955, the firm is one of the oldest architecture practices in Middle Tennessee.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Architecture Services Comprehensive architectural design services including new construction, renovation, and adaptive reuse projects across commercial, residential, and institutional sectors.
• Interior Design Interior design services encompassing space planning, finishes, fixtures, and furnishings for commercial and residential environments.
• FFE Procurement Furniture, Fixtures, and Equipment procurement services coordinating the sourcing and acquisition of interior elements for projects.
• Planning + Land Use Strategic planning and land use consulting services for development projects, master planning, and zoning analysis.
• Community Engagement Community engagement and stakeholder consultation services to ensure projects align with local needs and build community support.
• Adaptive Reuse Projects Specialization in transforming existing structures for new uses, including historic preservation and industrial-to-commercial conversions; signature work includes Stocking 51 - Silos (75,000 SF mixed-use creative campus around former grain silos, registered for TDEC brownfield remediation) and Sylvan Supply.
• Preservation Historic preservation and restoration services maintaining architectural heritage while updating structures for contemporary use, including the Cordell Hull State Office Building renovation (ENR 2018 Best Projects) and 1700 Fatherland Street (Metropolitan Historical Commission 2022 Preservation Award).
• Learning Environments Educational facility design including academic buildings, classrooms, and campus master planning; signature project is the Vanderbilt Peabody Campus (71,000 SF renovations and additions to 1912-era Home Economics and Mayborn buildings, targeting LEED Gold and the Material Petal of the Living Building Challenge).
• Housing Multi-family residential, mixed-use, and single-family housing design services, with deep expertise in multifamily work covering approximately 1,500 units.
• Gathering Spaces Design of community gathering, hospitality, and entertainment venues including restaurants, event spaces, and religious facilities such as the Woodmont Christian Church South Expansion (multi-purpose chapel and children's education wing).
• Workplace Design Commercial workplace design services for office buildings, creative spaces, and corporate environments, including creative office adaptive reuse projects such as Stateline.

Quantifiable outcome

• Stocking 51 - Silos won People's Choice Award from AIA Middle TN Design Awards
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Holladay PropertiescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Holladay Properties engaged Centric Architecture as part of the project team for The Factory at Franklin redevelopment following their $56 million acquisition.
• SGA ArchitectscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Partnership with SGA Architects on the 71,000 square feet of renovations and additions for Peabody College at Vanderbilt University. SGA served as Design Architect while Centric Architecture was the local partner.
• Third & UrbancoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Collaborated with Third & Urban on Sylvan Supply, an adaptive reuse development of the former Madison Mill Inc. property on Charlotte Avenue. Third & Urban led development while Centric provided architectural design.
• Vintage South DevelopmentcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Long-standing partnership with Vintage South Development on multiple projects including Stocking 51, Stateline, Breeze Block, and various other Nations neighborhood developments.
• JLLminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorJLL's Project and Development Services group managed the Sylvan Supply adaptive reuse development. JLL handled office leasing through Bill Adair and Ashley Albright Marshall.
• SGA ArchitectscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCentric Architecture partnered with SGA Architects as the local architect for the Peabody Campus Masterplan project at Vanderbilt University, the first project being the full restoration and addition of the 1912-era Home Economics and Mayborn buildings.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves3 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• HKS: Large national architecture firm with significant healthcare, education, and adaptive reuse practices, competing for major institutional and developer clients in the Southeast market.
• Perkins&Will: Global architecture firm with a strong Atlanta and Nashville presence and deep expertise in higher education, healthcare, and sustainable design (LEED, Living Building Challenge). Competes for larger institutional clients Centric also targets.
• Moody Nolan: Largest African-American-owned architecture firm in the US with significant Nashville presence, competing for institutional and higher education projects similar to Centric's Vanderbilt Peabody work.

Regional players

• Hastings Architecture: Nashville-based architecture firm with deep regional roots and a comparable portfolio across commercial, healthcare, and adaptive reuse projects in the Southeast. Direct local competitor for institutional and developer clients.
• Smith Gee Studio: Nashville architecture firm focused on mixed-use, multifamily, and commercial developments across the Southeast. Comparable in size and target clientele to Centric, with similar adaptive reuse expertise.
• Looney Ricks Kiss: Memphis-headquartered architecture and planning firm with strong Southeast presence and a similar focus on community-oriented, mixed-use developments. Comparable project types including adaptive reuse and urban revitalization.
• Rule Joy Trammell + Rubio: Atlanta-based architecture firm specializing in historic preservation, adaptive reuse, and community-driven design. Highly comparable to Centric's preservation-focused practice and Southeast geographic footprint.

Direct peers

• Cooper Carry: Atlanta-headquartered architecture firm with strong Southeast presence and expertise in mixed-use, multifamily, and adaptive reuse projects. Competes directly with Centric for regional developer clients and institutional projects.
• Historical Concepts: Atlanta-based architecture firm with deep historic preservation and adaptive reuse expertise, competing for similar preservation-focused developer and institutional clients across the Southeast.
• John Milner Architects: Specialized preservation architecture firm with deep expertise in historic restoration and adaptive reuse. Comparable to Centric's preservation specialty and projects like the Peabody Campus restoration and Cordell Hull State Office Building.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/centric-architecture
• Instagraminstagram.com/centric_arch
• Xx.com/centric_arch

Compliance6 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 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 Centric Architecture