What CRAFT | Engineering Studio does

CRAFT Engineering Studio is a New York–headquartered structural engineering consultancy founded in spring 2010 by Nathaniel M. Stanton, a licensed structural engineer previously of Buro Happold's Special Projects Group. The firm provides structural design, analysis, and fabrication engineering services to architects, artists, and fabricators on complex, design-intensive projects that require advanced computation and creative problem-solving beyond conventional structural practice. Its core service lines are architecture structural consulting (high-end residential and commercial buildings), art structural consulting (sculptures and installations), and fabrication structural consulting (custom metalwork coordination), supplemented by specialized bioclimatic and facade engineering offerings. The firm employs a cloud-based BIM workflow integrated with Rhino3D, Grasshopper parametric plugins, and multiple finite element analysis (FEA) packages including virtual wind tunnel and seismic performance simulation, enabling real-time collaboration across its New York, Denver, Athens, and Paris offices.

CRAFT generates revenue through project-based professional services engagements billed directly to enterprise clients under negotiated, quote-based terms. Its go-to-market is direct enterprise field sales, leveraging founder and principal relationships, a portfolio of marquee projects, and organic social presence (LinkedIn, Instagram, Pinterest) plus a newsletter. Customer concentration spans a named list of high-end architectural firms (Workshop/APD, Gensler, Selldorf, Kligerman, Oza Sabbeth, A+I Architecture Plus Information) and prominent artists and artist studios (Leo Villareal, Matthew Ritchie, Elmgreen & Dragset, Marc Fornes / THEVERYMANY, Rob Ley, Sanford Biggers, SOFTlab, ESI Design), supported by a recurring network of eight co-development fabrication partners. The firm is privately held and founder-owned, with no disclosed external funding, M&A activity, or public listing.

Name

CRAFT | Engineering Studio

Legal name

CRAFT Engineering Studio

Website

https://craftengin.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

CRAFT Engineering Studio is a private structural engineering consultancy founded in 2010 that partners with architects, artists, and fabricators on complex, design-intensive projects globally from offices in New York, Denver, Athens, and Paris using parametric and FEA-based computational workflows.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Structural Engineering Consulting Services: Professional engineering consulting services provided to architects, artists, and fabricators for structural design, analysis, and engineering of architectural projects and art installations. Revenue is generated through project-based consulting engagements, typically billed on a professional services basis for structural engineering design, analysis, fabrication engineering, and construction observation.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

CRAFT | Engineering Studio provides structural engineering consulting services to architects, artists, and fabricators. Its work focuses on projects with complex geometries, custom fabrications, and non-standard structural systems, including art installations and architectural structures. The firm complements structural design with bioclimatic and facade engineering, leveraging parametric modeling and advanced computational analysis to enable designs that conventional engineering practices typically cannot accommodate.

Product overview

CRAFT Engineering Studio is a visionary studio of structural engineering consultants that operates as a single unified service practice rather than a platform with separate modules. The firm offers four core service lines: Architecture Structural Engineering Consulting (the cornerstone of their practice for high-end residential and commercial projects), Art Structural Engineering Consulting (providing creative structural support for artists working on installations), Fabrication Structural Engineering Consulting (supporting fabricators with parametric modeling and FEA), and two specialized services: Bioclimatic Engineering (using climate simulations for coastal resilience and wind studies) and Facade Engineering (detailed enclosure design combining structural engineering with thermal and moisture performance). These services work together collaboratively, with staff backgrounds in architecture, product design, and computation augmenting traditional structural engineering practice.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Named customers14 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• 4th State LLCcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-term fabrication partner for art installations including Buckyball sculptures by Leo Villareal. 4th State develops detailed SolidWorks models and fabricates complex geometric components for CRAFT-engineered installations. The collaboration involves solid element FEA analysis on fabrication models throughout development stages.
• Caliper StudiocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFabrication partner for signature staircases including Blue Owl Stair and BSF Stair. Caliper Studio works with CRAFT in parametric modeling environments to develop and fabricate complex curved steel stair structures. Joint approach enables optimization of structural performance and fabrication efficiency.
• EeStairs America, Inc.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStair fabrication partner for complex residential staircase projects including Modern Shingle Style and Subterranean Retreat. EeStairs fabricates custom stair systems designed by CRAFT with spiral geometries and integral guardrail stringers.
• JunoWorkscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFabricator of district signage (RiNo) and large-scale sculptural elements including Denargo Market Rhino Climber, Wings to Dreams, and Odyssey installation at Portland Airport. JunoWorks develops detailed Rhino 3D fabrication models that CRAFT evaluates using FEA throughout all stages of development.
• UAP CompanycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFabrication partner for The Hive installation by Elmgreen & Dragset at Penn Station. UAP Company fabricated the 91 unique aluminum and stainless-steel building structures that cantilever from the mirrored ground plane.
• Desert Metal WorkscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFabricator for Shadow Drawing sculpture by Mathew Ritchie. Desert Metal Works creates laser-cut rolled steel plates and handles fabrication of complex geometric components.
• Ignition ArtscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFabrication partner for Synapse installation by Rob Ley Studio at University of Oregon. Ignition Arts developed construction sequence strategy for shop fabrication and site assembly of hundreds of rolled tube elements.
• Argosy DesignscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMetal fabricator for Cylinder installation by Leo Villareal in Chicago. Argosy Designs fabricated mirrored stainless steel struts and disk components meeting strict tolerance constraints for visual performance.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• StructureCraft: StructureCraft is a North American structural engineering and timber/fabrication specialist focused on mass timber and complex architectural structures. CRAFT engineer Martyn Sheard has a stated interest in mass timber design, making StructureCraft a relevant adjacent peer in the growing architecturally expressive timber and structural-engineering space.

Direct peers

• Guy Nordenson and Associates: Guy Nordenson and Associates is a New York structural engineering practice specializing in complex, design-intensive buildings, tall structures, and adaptive reuse, with strong academic and computational ties. Carl Fosholt started his career there before joining CRAFT, and the firm is one of the closest boutique peers to CRAFT in NYC's high-end architecture market.
• Format Engineers: Format Engineers is a London-based structural engineering consultancy focused on sustainable, timber, and architecturally expressive structures, working closely with firms such as Renzo Piano Building Workshop and Mario Cucinella Architects. CRAFT engineer Lorenzo Glielmi previously worked at Format Engineers, and both firms target the same architect-led, design-forward structural niche.
• AKT II: AKT II is a London-based structural and civil engineering consultancy focused on architecturally ambitious, complex-form projects alongside leading architects including Zaha Hadid, Foster + Partners, BIG, and Heatherwick. Several CRAFT Athens engineers came from AKT II, and the firms compete directly for the same sculptural-architecture and high-end residential commissions across the US, UK, and Europe.
• Expedition Engineering: Expedition Engineering is a London structural and civil engineering consultancy founded by Chris Wise, focused on creative, sustainable, and structurally inventive design with strong cultural and education-sector clients. Its London base and architecturally ambitious positioning make it a natural peer for CRAFT's complex-form architecture and art work, particularly for transatlantic projects.
• Knippers Helbig: Knippers Helbig is a German engineering firm specializing in parametric, complex-geometry structures for architecture and art, with offices in Stuttgart and New York. Its design-led, computational practice and art-installation portfolio (similar to CRAFT's Leo Villareal and Marc Fornes work) make it the closest European boutique peer in sculptural structural engineering.

Broad incumbents

• Werner Sobek: Werner Sobek is an international engineering and design practice known for facade, structural, and sustainability engineering on high-end architecture. Its facade-engineering depth overlaps directly with CRAFT's specialized Facade Engineering practice, and its global footprint creates a larger incumbent peer for premium architectural commissions.
• Arup: Arup is a global engineering incumbent offering structural, facade, and computational design services across building, art, and infrastructure projects. CRAFT staff (e.g., Jamie Cooper, previously at Arup) have moved between the firms, and Arup's broader multidisciplinary bench competes with CRAFT on the same architects and cultural-institution clients.
• BuroHappold Engineering: BuroHappold is a large international engineering consultancy with a dedicated Special Projects group that mirrors CRAFT's boutique, design-driven structural practice. Founder Nathaniel Stanton previously founded and led BuroHappold's Special Projects Group in New York, making it a direct lineage peer and the most natural large-firm comparison for CRAFT's high-end architecture and art work.
• Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM): SOM is a global architecture and engineering practice with a strong in-house structural engineering capability serving high-end commercial, cultural, and supertall projects. Multiple CRAFT senior engineers (e.g., Kostis Orfanopoulos, Hao-Yuan Chou, Gustavo Avellaneda) previously worked at SOM, and SOM competes for the same complex architecture commissions in NYC and internationally.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/craft-engineering-studio
• Instagraminstagram.com/craftengineeringstudio
• Pinterestpinterest.com/CRAFTengineering
• Facebookfacebook.com/craftengin

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 CRAFT | Engineering Studio