Smith & Company Architects

What Smith & Company Architects does

Smith & Company Architects is a privately held, minority-owned boutique architectural firm founded in 1999 by Terry D. Smith, AIA, NOMA, headquartered in Houston, Texas, with additional offices in Austin and Dallas. The firm provides an integrated practice model combining pre-design services, architecture, interior design, and project management, delivered primarily to public-sector clients including K-12 school districts, higher education institutions, multi-family and affordable housing authorities, and municipal governments across Texas and Florida.

The firm's technical capabilities include LEED-certified and LEED Gold project delivery, historic preservation and adaptive reuse, ADA-compliant design under UFAS and Fair Housing standards, and Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED). Notable projects span the $120M TDECU Stadium at the University of Houston, the Law Harrington Senior Living Center (the nation's largest LGBTQ-affirming seniors community), the African American Library at the Gregory School (LEED Gold, 2010), and the George Washington Carver Museum Expansion for the City of Austin. The firm frequently serves as design associate or subconsultant to larger national firms such as Perkins & Will, PAGE, PBK, and Moody Nolan on major commissions, while acting as lead architect on K-12, housing, and civic projects.

The business model is professional services revenue earned through architectural fees on commissioned public-sector and institutional projects, with client acquisition driven by relationship-based engagement, founder and leadership community involvement (AIA Houston, NOMA Houston, Texas Architects Committee), and minority-owned business (MBE) designation that supports preferential consideration in public procurement. The firm holds multi-state architect licenses (Texas, Florida, Georgia) and NCARB certification, operates 11-50 employees, and has not raised external funding.

Name

Smith & Company Architects

Legal name

Smith & Company Architects

Website

https://sc-arch.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Smith & Company Architects is a privately held, minority-owned boutique architectural firm providing integrated architecture, interior design, pre-design, and project management services to public-sector clients across Texas and Florida, primarily K-12 school districts, universities, housing authorities, and municipalities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Architectural Services

NAICS

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

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Architectural Design Services (BPAHAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Interior Design Services (BPAHAKAB)

Keywords

• Architectural design services
• LEED certified design
• Historic preservation architecture
• K-12 school design
• Public sector architecture

Headquarters

HQ city

Stafford

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Architectural Services Fees: Full architectural services delivered on a project-by-project basis, including planning, schematic design, design development, construction documents, bidding, and construction administration. Revenue is earned through professional service fees on commissioned projects for public and institutional clients. Projects range from small renovations ($17M) to major new construction ($120M stadium).

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Smith & Company Architects is a boutique architectural design firm providing integrated pre-design services, architecture, interior design, and project management for public-sector and institutional clients. The firm delivers new construction, renovation, adaptive reuse, and campus planning projects for K-12 school districts, higher education institutions, multi-family housing authorities, civic and cultural clients, and healthcare systems, primarily across Texas and Florida.

Product overview

Smith & Company Architects is a boutique architecture and design firm offering integrated services across pre-design, architecture, interior design, and project management. Their portfolio spans multiple building types including K-12 schools, higher education facilities, multi-family/senior housing, civic and cultural buildings, athletic facilities, and parking structures. The firm serves institutional clients such as school districts, universities, housing authorities, and municipal governments primarily in the Texas region.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Architecture Design Services Full architectural services for public-sector and institutional clients, covering planning, schematic design, design development, construction documents, bidding, and construction administration across new construction, renovation, and adaptive reuse projects.
• Interior Design Services Interior design services integrated into project delivery for institutional and public-sector clients, led by credentialed interior designers (RID, NCIDQ) and supporting the firm's K-12, higher education, multi-family, civic, and healthcare portfolios.
• Pre-Design Services Pre-design services including programming, feasibility analysis, and schematic planning delivered as the front-end of the firm's integrated project delivery model for public-sector clients.
• Project Management Services Project management services for public-sector and institutional clients, covering project oversight from concept through completion as part of the firm's integrated single-practice delivery model.
• LEED Certified Design Services Sustainable design and LEED-certified/LEED Gold project delivery covering sustainable site development, energy efficiency, day-lighting, recycled materials, and historic preservation integration for institutional clients.
• Historic Preservation and Adaptive Reuse Services Specialized historic preservation and adaptive reuse services including sensitive material salvage, restoration of original architectural elements, and integration of new building systems within historic envelopes.

Quantifiable outcome

• Law Harrington Senior Living Center: nation’s largest LGBTQ-affirming seniors community, 112 independent living apartments, $22M construction cost.
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Perkins & WillcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSmith & Company Architects partnered with Perkins & Will as the lead firm to provide planning and design services for the George Washington Carver Museum Expansion Plan for the City of Austin, PARD Department. This is a major cultural institution project (90,000 SF expansion to 90,000 SF total) completed in June 2021, involving community engagement and museum planning.
• PBKminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSmith & Company worked in association with PBK on the Football Stadium and Athletic Field House project at Prairie View A&M University. The project included a 37,962 SF stadium and 54,710 SF field house with a Hall of Fame concept.
• PAGEminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSmith & Company worked in association with PAGE on the TDECU Stadium and Bert F. Winston Band and Performance Center project for the University of Houston ($120M stadium, 40,000 seats).
• Moody NolanminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSmith & Company worked in association with Moody Nolan on the Student Recreational Center at Prairie View A&M University (91,500 SF, new two-level recreation facility).

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Moody Nolan: The largest African-American-owned architecture firm in the U.S., also serving K-12, higher education, and civic clients. Direct comparison: Smith & Company partnered with Moody Nolan on Prairie View A&M Student Recreational Center, and both firms target the same Texas public-sector client base with similar minority-owned positioning.
• PBK: Houston-based architecture firm specializing in K-12, higher education, and athletic facilities. Direct comparison: Smith & Company partnered with PBK on Prairie View A&M stadium and field house, and both firms compete for the same Texas public-sector school district and university commissions.
• PAGE: Texas-based architecture firm with strong higher-education and civic practice across the Southwest. Direct comparison: Smith & Company partnered with PAGE on the $120M TDECU Stadium at University of Houston, and both firms target the same Texas university and institutional client base.

Broad incumbents

• Perkins & Will: Global architecture and design firm with strong public-sector and institutional practice. Comparison: Smith & Company partnered with Perkins & Will as a subconsultant on the Carver Museum expansion, and both firms serve Texas institutional and civic clients, though Perkins & Will operates at significantly larger scale.
• HKS: Major Dallas-headquartered architecture firm with substantial higher-ed, civic, and healthcare practice. Comparison: Both firms are Texas-based and serve university, healthcare, and civic clients, though HKS operates at significantly larger scale with national reach.
• Gensler: Largest global architecture and design firm with broad public-sector, education, and civic practice. Comparison: Both serve public-sector and institutional clients across multiple U.S. markets, though Gensler operates at substantially larger scale and broader vertical diversification.
• HOK: Major global architecture, engineering, and planning firm with significant higher-education and civic practice. Comparison: Both serve university, civic, and public-sector clients, though HOK operates at significantly larger scale with broader geographic footprint.
• DLR Group: Integrated design firm with strong K-12 and higher-education practice across the U.S. Comparison: Both firms target K-12 school districts and universities with integrated design services, though DLR Group operates at substantially larger scale and national footprint.
• Stantec: Global design and engineering firm with significant public-sector architecture and infrastructure practice. Comparison: Both serve public-sector clients with integrated design capabilities, though Stantec operates at substantially larger scale through engineering-led services.

Others

• LBYD Engineers: Alabama-headquartered minority-owned engineering and architecture firm serving public-sector clients. Comparison: Both are minority-owned firms pursuing public-sector infrastructure work, though LBYD is more engineering-led and operates in a different geographic corridor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/smithandcompanyarchitects

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 Smith & Company Architects