Smith Sinnett Architecture

What Smith Sinnett Architecture does

Smith Sinnett Architecture is a Raleigh, North Carolina-based architecture and planning firm founded in 1976 that provides comprehensive professional services spanning master planning, facility needs assessment, architectural design, interior design, and construction administration. The firm serves primarily public sector clients across North Carolina, with two primary verticals: educational facilities (K-12 schools, community colleges, and International Baccalaureate schools) and civic/government buildings (libraries, courthouses, emergency operations centers, National Guard readiness centers, and animal shelters). Secondary segments include workplace/corporate and residential projects. The firm operates as a privately held, woman-owned business and is certified as a Historically Underutilized Business (HUB), which provides preferential access to public sector procurement. Project scale has included facilities ranging from approximately 17,000 SF (Farmville Public Library) to 136,000 SF (Trinity Middle School; American Cooperative School of Tunis), with construction values implied to reach tens of millions of dollars on larger engagements.

The firm's core technology is architectural design and visualization software supporting sustainable, LEED-certified building design, with documented LEED Silver and LEED Certification outcomes on multiple projects. Specialized expertise includes educational facility planning (the firm employs North Carolina's first Accredited Learning Environment Planner), adaptive reuse (e.g., Northgate Shopping Center conversion), and historic preservation. Revenue is generated through negotiated professional fee arrangements on a project-by-project basis, secured via direct client relationships, RFPs, and competitive bidding rather than through marketing-driven distribution. Marketing relies on the firm's 48-year portfolio, AIA award recognition, professional affiliations (AIA, Association for Learning Environments, USGBC), and an unusually broad social media footprint for a 20-person firm. The team comprises approximately 20 staff including four principals/architects (Rhonda Angerio, Edward Gordon, Robert Carmac, Scott McConnell), a marketing director, office manager, construction administrators, and project designers. The firm has demonstrated international capability via a project in Tunisia, though its primary market remains North Carolina.

Name

Smith Sinnett Architecture

Legal name

Smith Sinnett Architecture

Website

https://smithsinnett.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1976

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Smith Sinnett Architecture is a Raleigh-based woman-owned architecture and planning firm founded in 1976 that serves North Carolina public sector clients, specializing in K-12 and higher education facilities, civic and government buildings (including National Guard readiness centers), and LEED-certified sustainable design across a ~20-person team.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Architectural Services

NAICS

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

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Architectural Design Services (BPAHAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Sustainable/Green Building & LEED Consulting (BPAHAKAG)

Keywords

• Architectural design services
• Master planning
• Educational facility design
• Civic architecture
• LEED-certified design

Headquarters

HQ city

Raleigh

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, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Architecture and Planning Services: The firm generates revenue through professional fees for comprehensive architectural services including master planning, facility needs assessment, architectural design, interior design, and construction administration. Projects are typically fee-based engagements with public and private sector clients for new construction, renovation, and adaptive reuse projects.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Smith Sinnett Architecture provides comprehensive architectural design, master planning, interior design, and construction administration services for public and private sector clients. The firm specializes in sustainable/LEED-certified design, K-12 and higher education facilities, civic and public buildings, and government/military readiness centers. Projects are delivered through fee-based engagements across North Carolina, with occasional international engagements.

Product overview

Smith Sinnett Architecture is a Raleigh-based architecture and planning firm founded in 1976, offering a comprehensive suite of architectural services organized around specialized practice areas. Their core offerings include Architecture Services, Planning Services, Interior Design Services, and Construction Administration. The firm has developed particular expertise in specialized areas including Sustainable/LEED Design, Educational Architecture (K-12 and higher education), Civic/Public Architecture (libraries, courthouses, government centers), and Government/Military Facilities (National Guard readiness centers). The firm operates primarily in the public sector, serving educational institutions, local governments, and military organizations throughout North Carolina and internationally.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Architecture Services

Quantifiable outcome

• Forsyth Tech Strickland Building completed $3 million under budget
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Jenkins Peer Architects: Charlotte-based architecture firm of comparable size with a strong focus on K-12, higher education, and civic projects across the Carolinas. Directly comparable to Smith Sinnett in vertical specialization, public-sector orientation, and Southeast regional footprint.
• Stewart (formerly Stewart-Cooper-Newell): Raleigh/Durham-headquartered architecture and engineering firm with deep public-sector and educational portfolio. Directly comparable in geography, vertical mix (education and civic/government), and project scale typical of NC municipal RFPs.
• Ratio (formerly Clearscapes): Durham, NC design firm working across architecture, interiors, and urban design with civic, educational, and adaptive reuse work. Comparable in regional focus, project typologies, and use of historic preservation/adaptive reuse as a differentiator.
• Moseley Architects: Mid-size Virginia-based architecture firm with a strong focus on public-sector K-12, higher education, and civic projects. Comparable in size, vertical specialization, and reliance on public-sector RFPs, with adjacent regional footprint.

Broad incumbents

• LS3P Associates: Southeast-based architecture, interiors, and planning firm with broad practice areas including major civic, education, and healthcare work. Larger and broader in scope than Smith Sinnett, but competes for many of the same NC and Southeast public-sector RFPs.
• Little Diversified Architectural Consulting: Durham, NC-based national design firm with a substantial education and civic practice. Overlaps significantly with Smith Sinnett in K-12 and higher-education work but operates at a much larger scale across multiple geographies.
• Clark Nexsen: Virginia- and North Carolina-based architecture and engineering firm with significant civic, government, and higher-education portfolios. Competes for similar public-sector work in the Carolinas and across the Southeast.
• CannonDesign (formerly Cannon): National architecture, engineering, and interiors firm with a strong education and healthcare practice. Comparable in K-12 and higher-education typologies, but operates at much larger scale and competes for major campus master plans.
• DLR Group: National integrated design firm with a substantial K-12 and civic practice. Frequently competes for public-sector educational architecture work in the Southeast and would bid against Smith Sinnett on larger public projects.
• Perkins&Will: Global architecture firm with a significant education and civic practice. Overlaps with Smith Sinnett on K-12, higher-education, and civic projects, particularly in adaptive reuse and sustainable design.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/SmithSinnett
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@SmithSinnettArchitecture
• Facebookfacebook.com/smithsinnett
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/smith-sinnett-architecture
• Instagraminstagram.com/smithsinnett

Compliance3 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 Smith Sinnett Architecture