What Manuel Zeitlin Architects does

Manuel Zeitlin Architects (dba MZA Architecture & Interiors) is an employee-owned architecture and interior design firm headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee. Founded in 1981 by Manuel Zeitlin, the firm operates as a worker cooperative since 2019, with a 14-member multidisciplinary team providing seven integrated service lines: Residential Architecture, Commercial Architecture, Interior Design, Hospitality Design, Institutional & Educational Design, Multi-Family & Mixed-Use Design, and Adaptive Reuse & Renovation Design. The firm serves institutional, commercial, hospitality, healthcare, and residential clients across the Southeastern United States with select projects in New York and New Jersey. Notable clients include KIPP Nashville, O'Reilly Auto Parts, Strategic Hospitality, Valor Collegiate Academies, Vanderbilt University, and RePublic Schools.

MZA's core technology and differentiators center on adaptive reuse expertise, sustainable design practices (LEED accreditation, solar generation, bioswales, straw bale construction), and an integrated architecture-interior design delivery model under one roof. The firm has delivered marquee projects including Terrazzo (Nashville's first LEED-certified high-rise, 2008), KIPP Antioch Global High School (200,000 SF department store-to-school conversion serving 1,200+ students), Dube Orthopedics (2024 AIA Middle Tennessee Honor Award), and large multi-family developments such as Standard Assembly (310 units) and Westerly House (242 units) in partnership with EOA Architects. Several team members hold LEED AP credentials, NCARB certification, and multi-state architectural licensure.

The business model is project-based professional services with custom-quoted fees based on scope and complexity. Revenue derives from architecture and interior design commissions across the seven service lines, acquired through reputation, referrals, repeat clients, and direct outreach. The firm operates with no external funding or institutional investment, holding a small regional footprint centered on Nashville with measured geographic expansion into the broader Southeast and selective East Coast work. Marketing relies on portfolio website, social media (Instagram, X, Facebook), a long-running blog, and community engagement including a studio band whose album proceeds support local nonprofits.

Name

Manuel Zeitlin Architects

Legal name

Manuel Zeitlin Architects

Website

https://mzarch.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1981

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Manuel Zeitlin Architects is an employee-owned architecture and interior design firm in Nashville, Tennessee, delivering integrated design services across residential, commercial, hospitality, institutional, multi-family, and adaptive reuse sectors for clients across the Southeastern United States.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Architectural Services

NAICS

Architectural Services (54131), Architectural Services (541310), Interior Design Services (541410), Interior Design Services (54141)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Architectural Design Services (BPAHAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Interior Design Services (BPAHAKAB), Architectural Reconfiguration & Structural Alterations (HSAPAEAB), Luxury Whole-Home Renovation (High-End Finishes & Custom Build) (HSAPAEAI)

Keywords

• Architecture services
• Interior design
• Adaptive reuse
• Sustainable design
• Commercial design

Headquarters

HQ city

Nashville

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

Revenue model

1. Architecture and Design Services: Project-based professional services revenue from architectural design, interior design, and related consulting services for commercial, residential, institutional, and hospitality projects.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Manuel Zeitlin Architects (MZA Architecture & Interiors) is an employee-owned cooperative architecture and interior design firm offering fully integrated design services across residential, commercial, hospitality, institutional, multi-family, and adaptive reuse projects. The firm blends architecture and interior design under one roof, drawing on a multidisciplinary team that includes LEED Accredited Professionals to deliver coordinated projects from concept through completion for clients primarily in Nashville and the Southeast US.

Product overview

MZA Architecture & Interiors is an employee-owned Nashville-based architecture and interior design firm offering fully integrated design services. The firm's portfolio consists of seven core service offerings: Residential Architecture, Commercial Architecture, Interior Design, Hospitality Design, Institutional & Educational Design, Multi-Family & Mixed-Use Design, and Adaptive Reuse & Renovation Design. These services blend design and technical expertise across disciplines to deliver coordinated architectural and interior design projects, from concept through completion. The firm has completed notable projects including KIPP schools, the Fairlane Hotel, Terrazzo (Nashville's first LEED-certified high-rise), Dube Orthopedics (2024 AIA Middle Tennessee Honor Award winner), and numerous residential, commercial, and hospitality projects throughout Nashville and beyond.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Residential Architecture Custom residential design services for homeowners, including custom homes, adaptive reuse residences, and renovations. MZA collaborates closely with homeowners, builders, and consultants on site orientation, material selection, and detailed design.
• Commercial Architecture
• Interior Design
• Hospitality Design
• Institutional & Educational Design
• Multi-Family & Mixed-Use Design
• Adaptive Reuse & Renovation Design

Quantifiable outcome

• Dube Orthopedics earned 2024 AIA Middle Tennessee Honor Award
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• RADAR615minorOthersMZA now shares their studio space with RADAR615, a collaborative art and project space, continuing their tradition of integrating art and architecture. This follows 30 years of sharing space with Zeitgeist Art Gallery until December 2025.
• EOA ArchitectscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMZA collaborates with EOA Architects on multiple large-scale mixed-use and multi-family projects including Westerly House (242 units), Standard Assembly (310 units), Queens Wedgewood (220 units), and Emblem Park.
• Hawkins PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated on multiple projects including Queens Wedgewood (220 apartments) and Mercury View Lofts for landscape architecture and sustainable design elements like bioswales and porous pavers.
• Barge CauthencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMaster planning partner with MZA for KIPP Antioch campus development including Elementary, Middle, and High School projects.
• The Mainland CompaniescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered on Elliott Germantown project converting historic Elliott School into 26 condominiums through adaptive reuse.
• Hastings Architecture AssociatescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborating architect on Terrazzo project - 14-story, 166 condominium building celebrating Nashville's original skyscraper.
• Local Nashville Makers and FabricatorscoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerNetwork of local collaborators including Fortify (custom signage), Mesa (millwork), The McClure Co. (graphics), Ferrin Ironworks (metalwork), Southern Lights Electric (lighting), Red Rocks Tile Works, Holler Design, 5 String Furniture, New Hat (surface design), and Joe Geis (murals).

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Olson Kundig: Design firm recognized for high-craft residential, hospitality, and cultural projects with strong sustainability ethos. Comparable to MZA on design-led hospitality and residential work, but operates nationally/internationally with a much larger team.
• Gensler: Global architecture and interior design firm operating across commercial, hospitality, and institutional sectors. Competes with MZA for large enterprise clients (hospitality brands, healthcare, corporate) but at materially larger scale and geographic reach.

Regional players

• Lord Aeck Sargent: Atlanta-based architecture firm with a similar mix of institutional, residential, and adaptive reuse work. Now operating under the Perkins&Will umbrella, it competes with MZA for Southeast regional clients but is anchored in Atlanta rather than Nashville.
• Rule Joy Trammell + Rubio: Atlanta architecture firm focused on residential, hospitality, and adaptive reuse. The practice profile closely mirrors MZA's residential/hospitality/reuse mix, and both serve Southeast institutional and developer clients from a regional base.

Direct peers

• David Baker Architects: Residential and mixed-use architecture firm with strong sustainability and community-oriented practice. Comparable to MZA on residential architecture, multi-family design, and regenerative/sustainable design positioning.
• IA Interior Architects: Specialized interior design firm embedded in commercial, hospitality, and institutional architecture. Comparable to MZA's integrated interior design service offering across commercial, hospitality, and institutional segments.
• Hastings Architecture Associates: Nashville-based architecture firm with a similar multi-sector practice (residential, commercial, institutional, adaptive reuse). MZA and Hastings have actually collaborated on Terrazzo, indicating direct overlap in project scale and client base within the Nashville market.
• Barge Cauthen: Nashville architecture firm with a comparable institutional and master-planning practice. Barge Cauthen partners with MZA on KIPP Antioch master planning, positioning the firm as a directly comparable peer in K-12 and institutional markets.
• Humphreys & Partners: Multi-family architecture firm specializing in large-scale residential and mixed-use developments. Comparable to MZA's multi-family/mixed-use practice at the larger-unit end (Westerly House 242 units, Queens Wedgewood 220 units, Standard Assembly 310 units).
• EOA Architects: Nashville architecture firm specializing in multi-family, mixed-use, and community-focused design. EOA is MZA's recurring collaborator on large-scale Nashville projects (Westerly House, Standard Assembly, Queens Wedgewood, Emblem Park), and the two firms clearly share market, scale, and client profile.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/mzarchitects
• Facebookfacebook.com/manuelzeitlinarchitects/#
• Instagraminstagram.com/manuelzeitlinarchitects

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 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 Manuel Zeitlin Architects