Architectural Consulting Engineers

What Architectural Consulting Engineers does

Architectural Consulting Engineers (ACE) is a privately held, Oak Park, Illinois–based engineering consulting firm founded in 1995 by Mark Nussbaum, P.E. The firm specializes in mechanical, electrical, and plumbing (MEP) systems design for historically significant buildings, with a particular emphasis on integrating modern building systems — most notably ground-source heat pump HVAC, solar PV, solar water heating, and fire protection — into structures where minimizing disruption to historic fabric is a primary constraint. Its portfolio includes work on Frank Lloyd Wright properties (Robie House, Unity Temple, Dana Thomas House, Emil Bach House), Louis Sullivan's Charnley-Persky House, Henry Hobson Richardson's Glessner House, and other architecturally significant buildings, alongside larger sustainable-design projects such as a 200,000 SF geothermal residence hall at North Central College.

The firm operates as a principal-led professional services practice of 1–10 employees, delivering a unified suite of MEP consulting services — feasibility studies, schematic and design development, construction documents, and construction administration — through direct engagement with architectural firms, nonprofit house museums, historical societies, colleges, and municipal owners. Revenue is generated on a quote-based, project-by-project basis with no disclosed pricing tiers or subscription components. Go-to-market relies on professional reputation, word-of-mouth referrals, and architect-partner relationships rather than formal marketing or channel sales, and the firm is actively expanding its architect-partner network throughout the Midwest region.

ACE has accumulated industry recognition through awards from AIA Chicago and AIA Illinois, the Richard H. Driehaus Foundation, ASHRAE Illinois, the Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute, and the City of Evanston between 2006 and 2014. The company is privately held by the Nussbaum family, with no external investors, parent company, or institutional capital disclosed in available materials. No financial figures, M&A activity, leadership transitions, or funding rounds have been disclosed.

Name

Architectural Consulting Engineers

Legal name

Architectural Consulting Engineers

Website

https://ace-oakpark.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Architectural Consulting Engineers (ACE) is a privately held Oak Park, Illinois–based MEP engineering consulting firm founded in 1995 that designs mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems — including ground-source heat pump HVAC — for historically significant buildings, serving nonprofit museums, historical societies, colleges, and municipal owners across the Midwest.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

MEP Engineering Consulting Services for Historic Preservation

NAICS

Engineering Services (54133)

SIC

Services-Engineering Services (8711)

akta.pro primary industry

MEP (Mechanical, Electrical & Plumbing) Engineering Consulting (BPAHAIAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Facilities Engineering (HVAC, Electrical, Plumbing) (EDALALAC)

Keywords

• MEP engineering consulting
• Historic building preservation
• Ground-source heat pump design
• Mechanical electrical plumbing services
• Historic structures report

Headquarters

HQ city

Oak Park

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

Revenue model

1. Engineering Consulting Services: Professional engineering consulting for MEP systems design, historic structures reports, feasibility studies, and construction administration services for historic preservation projects

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Core offering

Architectural Consulting Engineers is an engineering consulting and design firm that provides mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and fire protection (MEP) engineering services specifically for historically significant buildings. Service delivery spans feasibility studies, historic structures reports (MEP portions), building systems assessments, energy and life cycle cost studies, schematic and design development, construction documents, and construction administration. The firm differentiates through deep specialization in sustainable systems—particularly ground-source heat pump HVAC, solar PV/solar water heating, and energy-efficient design—engineered to minimize disruption to historic building fabric.

Product overview

Architectural Consulting Engineers (ACE) offers a unified suite of MEP (mechanical, electrical, and plumbing) engineering consulting services specifically tailored for historically significant buildings. The core offering centers on sustainable building systems design, with specialized expertise in ground-source heat pump HVAC systems, historic structures reports, building systems assessments, energy studies, solar renewable energy design, and fire protection systems. Services include feasibility studies, schematic design, design development, construction documents, and construction administration. ACE does not operate a software platform but delivers professional engineering services directly to clients, working with architectural partners on restoration and preservation projects throughout the Midwest region.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• MEP Engineering Consulting Services Core engineering consulting service providing mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and fire protection design for historically significant buildings, including feasibility studies, construction documents, and construction administration for preservation and restoration projects.
• Historic Structures Reports (MEP Portion) Technical MEP portions of comprehensive historic structures reports assessing mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and fire protection systems to support preservation planning for historic buildings.
• Building Systems Assessments Comprehensive evaluation of existing building systems including condition assessments, temperature and humidity studies, and building envelope analysis for historic structures.
• Energy Studies and Life Cycle Cost Analysis Energy efficiency analysis and long-term cost evaluation for building systems upgrades in historic structures, including feasibility comparisons across HVAC system options such as ground-source heat pumps.
• Ground-Source Heat Pump HVAC System Design Specialized HVAC system design using geothermal technology, including custom ground-loop heat exchanger design for sustainable heating and cooling of historic structures with limited space.

Quantifiable outcome

• Ground-source heat pump systems provide best overall life cycle cost compared to conventional HVAC
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates: Building engineering consultancy widely regarded as the leading firm for investigation, repair, and rehabilitation of existing and historic structures. Comparable to ACE in providing specialty engineering consulting for preservation projects, though at substantially larger scale and broader geographic reach.
• Simpson Gumpertz & Heger: Engineering firm specializing in structural, geotechnical, and building-envelope work with an established preservation and existing-structures practice. Comparable to ACE for consulting on architecturally significant buildings, particularly where structural and envelope retrofits intersect with MEP-driven preservation work.

Broad incumbents

• Environmental Systems Design (ESD): Chicago-headquartered MEP and technology systems engineering firm serving higher education, museums, and cultural institutions. Comparable to ACE in MEP consulting on institutional campuses, with much broader portfolio beyond historic preservation.
• ME Engineers: Multi-office MEP and technology engineering consultancy serving cultural, higher-education, and performing-arts clients. Comparable to ACE for MEP engineering on institutions and signature buildings, though with a wider portfolio of non-historic projects.
• Syska Hennessy Group: Large mechanical and electrical engineering consultancy with a meaningful cultural, museum, and higher-education practice. Comparable to ACE in MEP services to similar client types, but as one of many specializations within a much larger practice.
• Affiliated Engineers: Multi-discipline engineering consultancy with established presence in MEP design for research, healthcare, and cultural facilities. Comparable in MEP engineering service offering for institutional and campus clients that overlap with ACE's anchor customers.
• SmithGroup: Integrated design firm with practice areas spanning healthcare, education, and cultural/civic work including historic preservation. Comparable in providing engineering-adjacent services to institutional clients that overlap with ACE's project pipeline.

Others

• Beyer Blinder Belle Architects: Architecture firm recognized for preservation, restoration, and adaptive reuse of historically significant civic and cultural buildings across the U.S. Comparable ecosystem participant to ACE: frequently engaged alongside specialty preservation engineering consultants, including MEP, on the same landmark projects.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/architectural-consulting-engineers
• Facebookfacebook.com/Architectural-Consulting-Engineers-100076177834433

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Architectural Consulting Engineers