Booth Hansen
Booth Hansen is a Chicago-based architectural design firm founded in 1980, delivering residential, adaptive reuse, cultural, and institutional architecture services to high-net-worth clients, developers, and institutions across 20+ U.S. states and Canada.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1980
- HeadquartersChicago, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Booth Hansen does
Booth Hansen is a Chicago-based architectural design firm founded in 1980 by Laurence (Larry) Booth. The firm delivers comprehensive architecture services across four primary segments: high-net-worth residential, real estate developers (luxury condominium conversions and adaptive reuse of historic buildings), cultural and institutional clients (museums, botanical gardens, universities), and private clubs and resorts. Its portfolio spans custom single-family homes, multifamily developments, research facilities, and clubhouses, with projects in 20+ U.S. states and Ontario, Canada.
The firm builds on an integrated design philosophy combining traditional, modern, and postmodern approaches with expertise in adaptive reuse and sustainable design. Notable technical capabilities include early computational design work on the 1970 Arco Gas Station project, and contemporary high-performance residential work incorporating passive house insulation, geothermal systems, and net-zero strategies. The firm is led conceptually by founder Laurence Booth on every project, supported by named principals and project architects. Booth Hansen operates a relationship-driven go-to-market motion, with new business inquiries routed through its finance and administration function rather than a structured sales team, and earns revenue through project-by-project professional services fees on landmark commissions such as the Palmolive Residences (97 units), The Porter (158 units), and the Plant Conservation Science Center at Chicago Botanic Garden. Awards span multiple AIA national and regional honors, R&D Magazine Laboratory of the Year, and Gold Nugget Awards, with projects featured in Architectural Record, Wallpaper Magazine, and a monograph published by AIA Chicago.
Booth Hansen firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Booth Hansen
- Legal name
- Booth Hansen
- Website
- https://boothhansen.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1980
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Booth Hansen is a Chicago-based architectural design firm founded in 1980, delivering residential, adaptive reuse, cultural, and institutional architecture services to high-net-worth clients, developers, and institutions across 20+ U.S. states and Canada.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Booth Hansen industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Architectural Design Services
- NAICS
- Architectural Services (541310)
- SIC
- General Bldg Contractors - Residential Bldgs (1520)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Architectural Design Services (BPAHAKAA)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Sustainable/Green Building & LEED Consulting (BPAHAKAG)
Keywords
Where Booth Hansen is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Chicago
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Booth Hansen business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Architectural Design Services: Booth Hansen generates revenue through architectural design fees for residential, commercial, cultural, institutional, and hospitality projects. Projects range from private custom homes to large-scale adaptive reuse of historic buildings and multifamily developments.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels4 records
Booth Hansen product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Booth Hansen is a Chicago-based architectural design firm providing comprehensive services across residential, commercial, cultural, and institutional projects. The firm's work spans new construction, renovation, adaptive reuse, and sustainable design solutions, including single-family homes, condominium developments, clubhouses, religious institutions, and research facilities.
Product overview
Booth Hansen is an architectural design firm offering comprehensive services across residential, commercial, and institutional project types. The firm's portfolio includes landmark projects such as the House of Light (1983), Old St. Patrick's Church renovation (1999), Palmolive Residences (2008), Solar House (2023), and The Porter (2024). Services encompass new construction, renovation, adaptive reuse, and sustainable design solutions spanning single-family homes, multi-unit residential buildings, clubs, religious institutions, and research facilities. Notable projects include the 30 West Oak Condominiums tower, the Plant Conservation Science Center at Chicago Botanic Garden, and various Sand Valley resort homes. The firm is led by founder Laurence Booth and operates from Chicago.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Architectural Design Services Full-scope architectural design services for residential, commercial, institutional, and hospitality clients, covering new construction, renovation, and adaptive reuse projects.
- Residential Architecture Custom residential design for single-family homes, multi-generational residences, vacation homes, condominiums, and apartment developments.
- Commercial Architecture Architectural design for commercial buildings including office towers, retail spaces, and mixed-use developments.
- Institutional Architecture Architectural design for institutional clients including clubs, religious institutions, research facilities, and cultural venues such as museums and botanical gardens.
Quantifiable outcome
- 80,000 visitors annually to the Plant Conservation Science Center
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Booth Hansen
Customer profileNamed customers8 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Booth Hansen technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
Booth Hansen partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.
- Brookfield Zoo ChicagocoreBooth Hansen is collaborating on Brookfield Zoo's Next Century masterplan, a visionary design harmonizing historic structures with new animal habitats across 100+ acres.
- Ogden PartnerscoreDevelopment partner for 2700 N Pine Grove adaptive reuse project, transforming historic Second Church of Christ, Scientist (Solon S. Beman, 1901) into 22 apartments with preserved limestone and granite facades.
- Creative Erectors, LLCsupportingSignatory contractor for UIC Computer Design Research and Learning Center, executing exceptional craftsmanship with 484 custom architectural precast pieces and $3.5M masonry value.
- CedarSt CompaniescoreOngoing development partner for multiple projects including 1515 West Monroe ('The Duncan') adaptive reuse of historic YMCA/YWCA building, and Las Vegas Arts District 311-unit multifamily project.
- Draper & KramercoreDevelopment partner for Palmolive Building renovation (2001-2008), transforming the historic 1929 Art Deco office building into 97 luxury condominiums above existing retail podium.
- Thornton TomasettisupportingStructural engineering partner for 2700 N Pine Grove project, collaborating on innovative steel solutions for seismic demands, programming shifts, and sensitive historic preservation constraints.
- Douglas Hoerr (Landscape Architecture)supportingLandscape architect collaborator for Lakeside Residence in Southwest Michigan, working with Booth Hansen to create harmony between architecture and surrounding landscape.
- Bulley & AndrewssupportingGeneral contractor for Lakeside Residence in Southwest Michigan, executing Booth Hansen's design vision for the lakefront home perched on wooded bluff overlooking Lake Michigan.
- Soucie HornersupportingInterior design collaborator for Lakeside Residence, working with Booth Hansen to create understated, warm interiors that allow nature to take center stage.
- Northwestern UniversitysupportingResearch partner at Plant Conservation Science Center; horticulturalists, graduate students, staff, and interns from Northwestern University utilize the research facility at Chicago Botanic Garden.
- University of IllinoissupportingResearch partner at Plant Conservation Science Center; horticulturalists, graduate students, staff, and interns from University of Illinois utilize the research facility at Chicago Botanic Garden.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Booth Hansen competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Solomon Cordwell Buenz (SCB): Chicago-based architecture firm practicing across residential towers, mixed-use developments, and institutional buildings with strong developer relationships. Comparable to Booth Hansen in geographic base, multifamily/condominium experience, and Chicago developer-client roster.
- Goettsch Partners: Chicago-based architecture firm known for commercial office towers and large-scale developments (e.g., 150 N Riverside, Vista Tower). Comparable to Booth Hansen in Chicago base and developer relationships, though more focused on large commercial rather than custom residential.
- Olson Kundig: Seattle-based boutique architecture firm celebrated for custom residential, sustainable design, and craft-driven luxury homes across North America. Directly comparable in scale, custom-residential focus, sustainable/passive house expertise, and award-winning architectural publication profile.
- Studio Gang (Jeanne Gang): Chicago-based architecture studio with strong portfolio in cultural, institutional, and high-end residential projects (Aqua Tower, Writers Theatre). Comparable to Booth Hansen in Chicago base, cultural/institutional client roster, and high-design reputation—though larger in scale.
- Lucien Lagrange Studio: Chicago-based boutique architectural firm with comparable focus on luxury residential, condominium tower, and adaptive reuse projects in Chicago (e.g., Heritage at Millennium Park, Waldorf Astoria conversion). Most directly comparable to Booth Hansen in scale, segment focus, and founder-led design culture.
- Robert A.M. Stern Architects: New York-based architecture firm renowned for high-end custom residences, traditional/classical modernism balance, and cultural/institutional projects. Comparable to Booth Hansen in design philosophy balancing tradition with modernity, and in serving high-net-worth residential and institutional clients across multiple U.S. regions.
- Legat Architects: Illinois-based architecture firm with broad portfolio across K-12, higher education, civic, and residential projects in the Midwest. Comparable to Booth Hansen in regional Midwest base and institutional/cultural practice, though with stronger public-sector tilt.
- Dirk Denison Architects: Chicago-based mid-size architecture firm with comparable focus on residential, commercial, and cultural projects, known for modern contextual design. Comparable to Booth Hansen in scale, Chicago base, and high-design residential/institutional portfolio.
Broad incumbents
- Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture: Chicago-based architecture firm specializing in supertall towers and large-scale sustainable design globally (Burj Khalifa, Jeddah Tower). Broader/incumbent peer operating from same Chicago base with sustainability focus but at meaningfully larger scale and global mega-project mandate.
- Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM): Global architecture and engineering firm with Chicago roots, operating across supertall towers, institutional buildings, and adaptive reuse at massive scale. Broad incumbent competing for the same institutional and developer mandates Booth Hansen targets, but with far greater resources and integrated engineering.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Customer concentration
Booth Hansen social profiles
Digital presenceBooth Hansen financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Booth Hansen leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
Booth Hansen funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Booth Hansen M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Booth Hansen
What does Booth Hansen do?
Booth Hansen is a Chicago-based architectural design firm providing comprehensive services across residential, commercial, cultural, and institutional projects. The firm's work spans new construction, renovation, adaptive reuse, and sustainable design solutions, including single-family homes, condominium developments, clubhouses, religious institutions, and research facilities.
Is Booth Hansen a public or private company?
Booth Hansen is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Booth Hansen founded?
Booth Hansen was founded in 1980. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Booth Hansen based?
Booth Hansen is headquartered in Chicago, United States, in the North America region.
How does Booth Hansen make money?
One revenue line is on record: architectural Design Services.
Who are Booth Hansen's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Solomon Cordwell Buenz (SCB), Goettsch Partners, Olson Kundig, Studio Gang (Jeanne Gang), Lucien Lagrange Studio, Robert A.M. Stern Architects, Legat Architects and Dirk Denison Architects. Broad incumbents are Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture and Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM).
Does Booth Hansen have an API?
No public API is recorded for Booth Hansen.
What industry is Booth Hansen in?
Booth Hansen's product category is Architectural Design Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAHAKAA, Architectural Design Services, with a secondary code of BPAHAKAG, Sustainable/Green Building & LEED Consulting. Its NAICS code is 541310 and its SIC code is 1520.