Imai Keller Moore Architects

What Imai Keller Moore Architects does

Imai Keller Moore Architects (IKM) is a privately held architecture and urban design partnership founded around 1990 and headquartered at 70 Philips Street, Watertown, Massachusetts. The firm delivers comprehensive building design, renovation, and traditional town planning services across nine practice areas: Athletics, Colleges & Universities, Multi-Use Urbanism, Healthcare, Independent Schools, Institutional Master Planning, Performing & Visual Arts, Research & Teaching Labs, and Residential. Its client base is heavily concentrated in the institutional sector — particularly higher education (MIT, Harvard, Brandeis, Tufts, Brown, Northeastern, Mount Holyoke, Johnson & Wales) and independent K-12 schools (Fenn, Dublin, Wolf, Gordon, Phillips Academy Andover, Brimmer and May) — with secondary engagements in healthcare (Brigham and Women's, Dana Farber, Tufts Medical Center), research laboratories, multi-use urban developments (Mashpee Commons, Downcity Providence), and select private residences.

IKM's technical capability centers on BIM-coordinated design, LEED-targeted sustainable design (with multiple Gold-targeted projects), net-zero energy renovation design (Mount Holyoke Fimbel Maker Lab), and specialized laboratory environmental control. The firm operates as a small, principal-led practice of approximately 17 staff, organized as 4 Principals, 2 Senior Associates, 1 Associate, 4 Designers, plus administrative roles, with all six named principals (Imai, Keller, Gardner, Kent, Munch, Woodhouse) participating directly in project work. The firm is a designated Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) in Massachusetts.

The business model is project-based professional services: fees are negotiated per engagement with institutional and private clients, with no public pricing. Distribution is exclusively direct — prospective clients reach the firm via its website contact form or phone (617-923-6010) — and there is no self-serve, marketplace, or productized offering. Revenue is anchored by long-tenured relationships (Johnson & Wales since 1992, Dynamis Advisors since 1998) and a high rate of repeat institutional engagement, with the firm also acting as Associate Architect under larger primes (e.g., Payette Associates on the 128,000 sf MIT Green Center for Physics) to access projects larger than its standalone capacity.

Name

Imai Keller Moore Architects

Legal name

Imai Keller Moore Architects

Website

https://imai-keller.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Imai Keller Moore Architects is a privately held Watertown, Massachusetts architecture and urban design partnership founded c.1990, serving institutional clients — primarily colleges, universities, and independent K-12 schools, plus healthcare and multi-use urban developments — through principal-led project work across nine practice areas.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Architectural Services

NAICS

Architectural Services (54131)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Architectural Design Services (BPAHAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Urban Planning & Master Planning (BPAHAKAD), Community Engagement & Participatory Planning (BPAHAKAO)

Keywords

• Architectural design services
• Campus master planning
• Higher education architecture
• Independent school design
• Urban design planning

Headquarters

HQ city

Watertown

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, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Architectural and urban design professional services: Project-based fees for comprehensive architecture and urban design services including building design for new facilities, renovations, and traditional town planning. Engagements are typically long-term institutional relationships with multi-phase projects (e.g., Johnson & Wales master planning since 1992, Dynamis Advisors since 1998).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Imai Keller Moore Architects provides comprehensive architectural design, building renovation, and urban/town planning services to institutional clients in higher education, independent K-12 schools, healthcare, and research laboratories. The firm delivers nine distinct practice areas—Athletics, Colleges & Universities, Multi-Use Urbanism, Healthcare, Independent Schools, Institutional Master Planning, Performing & Visual Arts, Research & Teaching Labs, and Residential Architecture—with principals participating directly in project work from programming through construction administration.

Product overview

Imai Keller Moore Architects (IKM) is a single Boston-area architecture and urban design office delivering comprehensive building design services across nine practice areas organized as service categories rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture: Athletics Architecture, Colleges & Universities Architecture, Multi-Use Urbanism, Healthcare Architecture, Independent Schools Architecture, Institutional Master Planning, Performing & Visual Arts Architecture, Research & Teaching Labs Architecture, and Residential Architecture. Each service category groups a portfolio of named projects (e.g., the MIT Wright Brothers Wind Tunnel, Brandeis University Fine Arts Studios, Dublin School Master Plan, Mashpee Commons, and Private Residence I/II/III) that together demonstrate the firm's capabilities in new construction, renovations, and traditional town planning. The firm is a designated Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) in Massachusetts, with principals participating directly in the day-to-day work of each project.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Athletics Architecture Architectural design services for athletic facilities including fields, pools, tracks, and gymnasiums across colleges and independent schools. Featured projects include Babson College Athletic Fields, Brandeis University Linsey Pool, Harvard University Gordon Track Offices, The Gordon School Gymnasium, and The Wolf School Gymnasium.
• Colleges & Universities Architecture Architectural design and renovation services for higher education institutions, including lecture halls, student housing, career centers, scientific research facilities, and major capital projects at MIT, Brandeis University, Mount Holyoke College, and Mount Ida College.
• Multi-Use Urbanism Community spaces and urban design services focused on mixed-use development, traditional town planning, and downtown revitalization. Projects include Mashpee Commons, Downcity Providence, Old English Square in Holbrook MA, and Bessey Square in Scarborough ME.
• Healthcare Architecture Architectural services for healthcare clients including hospital interior renovations, collaborative workspace planning, and strategic facility planning in partnership with Dynamis Advisors. Featured project is the Brigham and Women's Hospital One Brave Idea Cardiovascular Medicine initiative in Boston.
• Independent Schools Architecture Design services for K-12 independent schools including new construction, interior renovations, dining halls, libraries, science buildings, and arts centers. Featured clients include Brimmer and May School, The Fenn School, The Gordon School, Commonwealth School, The Wolf School, and Dublin School.
• Institutional Master Planning Long-range campus and institutional master planning services including capital project coordination, walkable campus strategies, and phased implementation plans. Featured projects include the Dublin School Master Plan, Johnson & Wales University Master Plan (Providence, Harborside, and Charlotte campuses), and The Fenn School Master Plan.
• Performing & Visual Arts Architecture Design of performing and visual arts facilities including music buildings, concert halls, fine arts studios, and multi-use performance spaces. Featured projects include Brandeis University Fine Arts Studios, Dublin School Gillespie Hall and Fountain Performing Arts Building, Phillips Academy Andover Timken Music Hall, MIT Building 4 Music Classrooms, and Washington Adventist University Music Building (LEED Gold targeted).
• Research & Teaching Labs Architecture Specialized laboratory design for research and teaching environments with attention to vibration, temperature, humidity, particulate, noise control, and fume hood infrastructure. Featured projects include MIT Department of Biological Engineering, MIT Department of Chemistry (LEED Gold targeted), MIT Green Center for Physics, MIT Laboratory for Advanced Materials, MIT Research Laboratory of Electronics, and MIT Whitaker College Building E25.
• Residential Architecture Custom residential design including new construction, reconstruction of historic structures, and renovation of existing homes. Featured projects include Private Residence I, Private Residence II (Cape Cod island reconstruction), and Private Residence III (renovation and additions).

Quantifiable outcome

• Delivered Brigham and Women's Hospital One Brave Idea project from initial programming to complete Contract Documents in 2.5 months
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers34 records

Segments9 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Duany/Plater-ZyberkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerImai Keller Moore Architects collaborated with planning firm Duany/Plater-Zyberk over a series of design charrettes spanning several years to formulate a new vision for the urban center of Providence (Downcity Providence). Specific collaborative outputs included the Johnson & Wales University Master Plan, an entertainment retail plan connecting the Providence Performing Arts Center with the Rhode Island Convention Center, a parking strategy plan, and a study of housing potential across the Downcity area.
• Payette AssociatescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPayette Associates served as Prime Architect and IKM as Associate Architect for the 128,000 sf MIT Green Center for Physics renovations, applying town planning principles to organize education, research, administrative, and community spaces.
• CSL ConsultingminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerCSL Consulting served as the owner's representative on the Mount Holyoke College Fimbel Maker & Innovation Lab project; IKM worked with the Mount Holyoke College maker space Steering Committee and CSL Consulting to design the complete renovation of the 8,000 sf former Prospect Hall kitchen/dining facility.
• KDA DevelopmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerImai Keller Moore designed the Bessey Square mixed-use project in Scarborough, ME, working in concert with KDA Development. The project provides retail and office space plus eight two-story townhouses (Live/Work units) arranged in a 'U' around a central parking court, based on vernacular Maine styles.
• Building Envelope Technology (BET)minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerBuilding Envelope Technology collaborated with IKM and RSE Structural Engineers on the Mount Ida College Malloy Hall reconstruction, contributing expertise on exterior wall reconstruction and repair of faulty flashing and waterproofing details.
• RSE Structural EngineersminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerRSE Structural Engineers collaborated with IKM and Building Envelope Technology on the Mount Ida College Malloy Hall reconstruction project.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Sasaki Associates: Watertown-headquartered planning, urban design, landscape architecture, and architecture firm. Comparable on master planning and mixed-use urbanism (e.g., Mashpee Commons-class projects), with overlapping practice areas in campus and community-scale planning.
• Ann Beha Architects: Boston architecture firm with a national academic, civic, and cultural-institution portfolio. Comparable in scale, principal-led culture, and emphasis on contextually sensitive institutional design.
• Einhorn Yaffee Prescott (EYP): National architecture and engineering firm with one of the deepest higher-education portfolios in the U.S. Comparable in client type (universities, independent schools, healthcare) and project scale, though substantially larger in headcount and geographic reach.
• Bruner/Cott & Associates: Cambridge-based architecture firm focused on academic, cultural, and residential buildings. Directly comparable in firm size, Northeast geography, and concentration on higher-education and arts/cultural commissions.
• CBT Architects: Boston architecture firm with academic, science/technology, and healthcare practices. Directly comparable in Northeast institutional client base and laboratory/research-building expertise.
• Elkus Manfredi Architects: Boston architecture firm with mixed-use, academic, residential, and urban-design practices. Comparable on master planning and mixed-use town-center work, particularly within the Boston-area development market.
• Payette Associates: Boston architecture firm specializing in academic, medical, and research facilities with a deep MIT portfolio. Directly cited as a prime-architect partner on the MIT Green Center for Physics (128,000 sf), making it both a collaborator and a direct competitor on similar institutional projects.
• Goody Clancy: Boston architecture and urban planning firm with extensive higher-education and urban-design work. Closely comparable on academic master planning, campus architecture, and mixed-use urbanism — overlapping directly with IKM's planning practice.
• Shepley Bulfinch: Boston architecture firm with a long-established higher-education, healthcare, and library practice. Closely comparable in geographic footprint, client base (colleges, universities, independent schools), and project types (academic buildings, master planning, healthcare interiors).
• William Rawn Associates: Boston architecture firm with a national reputation for academic and cultural buildings. Highly comparable on higher-education campuses, performing arts facilities, and urban context-sensitive design across the Northeast.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 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 Imai Keller Moore Architects