What Dore & Whittier Architects does

Dore & Whittier Architects (D+W) is a privately held, New England-based architectural and Owner's Project Management (OPM) firm headquartered in Newburyport, Massachusetts, with a secondary office in Burlington, Vermont. Founded formally in 1992 with roots extending to the 1960s via The Whittier Associates, the firm employs 101-250 professionals organized into six core practice areas — K-12 Education, Higher Education, Public Safety, Commercial, Community, and Owner's Project Management — supported by four cross-cutting service modules: Integrated Design, Interior Design, Master Planning, and Programming. Its OPM group is staffed by professionals explicitly cross-trained as builders and architects, enabling integrated design-plus-construction oversight that differentiates it from pure-play architecture practices.

The firm generates revenue through project-based professional services fees across architecture, interior design, and OPM engagements, with a sales-led go-to-market targeting municipal governments, K-12 school districts, state agencies, and institutional clients primarily in Massachusetts and Vermont. Distribution is driven by direct client relationships and competitive bidding, anchored by long-standing core partnerships with the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) and the Massachusetts State Fire Marshal / Department of Fire Services. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed.

D+W is consistently ranked in Architectural Record's Top 300 US Architecture Firms and ENR's Top 100 Green Buildings Design Firms, and holds a strong sustainability track record including the first LEED Gold fire station in New England (White Street Fire Station No. 3, 2010) and the first MassSave all-electric ZNE-ready Tier 1 Incentive public safety project in Massachusetts (Norfolk Fire Station, 2024). Leadership comprises principals Donald M. Walter, C. Bradley Dore, and Lee P. Dore, with partners Trip Elmore and Mike Burton heading the OPM Group.

Name

Dore & Whittier Architects

Legal name

Dore + Whittier

Website

https://doreandwhittier.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1992

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Dore & Whittier Architects is a New England-based architecture and Owner's Project Management firm serving municipal, K-12, higher education, and institutional clients across Massachusetts and Vermont, with integrated design-plus-construction oversight and a leading track record in LEED-certified sustainable public-sector buildings.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Architectural Services

NAICS

Architectural Services (54131), Architectural Services (541310), Interior Design Services (54141), Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services (5413)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Architectural Design Services (BPAHAKAA)

Keywords

• Architectural design services
• Owner's project management
• K-12 education design
• Public safety facilities
• Sustainable building design

Headquarters

HQ city

Burlington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Architecture and Design Services: Project-based fees for architectural design services including K-12 education, higher education, public safety, commercial, and community projects. Revenue is generated through design fees, project management services, and interior design services.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Dore & Whittier Architects is an architecture and project management firm offering integrated design services across K-12 education, higher education, public safety, commercial, and community sectors. The firm combines architecture, interior design, master planning, and Owner's Project Management (OPM) under a single practice, with a strong emphasis on sustainable (LEED-targeted) and phased construction projects. Revenue is generated through project-based professional fees for design services and owner's project management engagements.

Product overview

Dore & Whittier Architects is an award-winning, comprehensive architecture and project management firm offering integrated design services across multiple sectors. The company operates a unified service portfolio organized into six core practice areas (K-12 Education, Higher Education, Public Safety, Commercial, Community, and Owner's Project Management) supported by four specialized service modules (Integrated Design, Interior Design, Master Planning, and Programming). The OPM group provides skilled oversight by staff trained as builders and architects, while the integrated design approach commits to sustainable solutions across all project types. The firm ranked in Architectural Record's Top 300 Architecture Firms in the U.S. and ENR's Top 100 Green Buildings Design Firms.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• K-12 Education Architecture Design of educational environments for K-12 schools, including flexible learning neighborhoods, inclusive educational spaces, and sustainable building features such as net-zero energy readiness and mass timber construction. Targeted at public K-12 school districts and authorities (e.g., MSBA) in New England.
• Higher Education Architecture Design services for colleges and universities focusing on creating inspiring, inclusive, and safe spaces that balance stewardship with innovative next-generation learning environments. Includes master planning and feasibility studies for campus facilities.
• Public Safety Architecture Design of police stations, fire stations, and combined public safety facilities that are healthy, energy efficient, comfortable, durable, and contextually appropriate for modern policing and fire-fighting needs. Targeted at municipal fire and police departments in New England.
• Commercial Architecture Design of commercial spaces and corporate environments that reflect client brand and mission, with attention to flexibility, natural daylight, and collaboration opportunities. Targeted at commercial businesses requiring office, hospitality, and commercial space design.
• Community Architecture Design of multi-use community spaces that support communication, collaboration, and belonging for groups of varying sizes and ages, from large gathering places to intimate settings. Includes library design, senior center design, and community facility planning.
• Owner's Project Management (OPM) Skilled oversight and management of building projects by staff trained as builders and architects with collective experience in planning, design, and construction. Specializes in phased renovations, additions, and new construction, including public sector owner representation.
• Interior Design In-house interior design services creating dynamic, high-impact environments that enhance how people live, learn, work, and play, involving end-user consultations and customized design solutions delivered as part of project engagements.
• Master Planning Comprehensive long-term planning documents and services that help communities, organizations, or districts develop proactive approaches to facility and infrastructure improvements. Includes feasibility studies and master planning (e.g., MassBay Community College science classroom feasibility study).
• Programming Early-phase design services involving end-user interviews and interactive charrettes to investigate current conditions, best practices, visions, spatial relationships, and sustainability goals as the precursor to full design work.

Quantifiable outcome

• $20 million in savings for Ayer-Shirley Regional School District through addition renovation vs new construction
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers15 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• SMMAminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerServed as designer/architect for Ayer-Shirley Regional High School OPM project where D+W provided owner's project management services
• DRA (Design | Representation | Architecture)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborating architect for Blue Hills Regional Technical School renovation project
• Walker ConsultantsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDesigner for Hamilton Canal Innovation District Municipal Parking Garage in Lowell, MA
• JCJ ArchitectureminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerArchitecture partner for Manchester Memorial Elementary School project, 77,102 SF LEED Gold certified facility
• DiNisco DesignminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerArchitecture partner for Maria Hastings Elementary School project in Lexington, MA
• Perkins EastmanminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerArchitecture partner for Mount Greylock Regional School renovation and addition, 132,800 SF LEED Silver project
• Oudens Eso ArchitectureminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborating architect for Sawyer Free Library renovation and addition project in Gloucester, MA
• Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKey partner for numerous K-12 school projects including feasibility studies, renovations, and new construction. D+W works extensively with MSBA on Massachusetts public school projects
• MassSave / EversourcecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEnergy efficiency partnership for Norfolk Fire Station project, enabling first MassSave all-electric ZNE-ready Tier 1 Incentive Public Safety project in Massachusetts with associated financial rebates
• Massachusetts State Fire Marshal / Department of Fire ServicescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing partnership on fire training facilities including Department of Fire Services Fire Training Facility in Springfield, MA and Southeast Fire Academy in Bridgewater, MA

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• SMMA (Symmes Maini & McKee Associates): Cambridge, MA-headquartered architecture and engineering firm with a deep K-12 education and public sector practice across New England. Directly comparable to D+W in vertical mix, regional footprint, and project scale on institutional commissions.
• JCJ Architecture: Architecture firm with K-12 education and public safety expertise; partnered with D+W on the Manchester Memorial Elementary School project. Similar vertical mix and New England presence.
• Finegold Alexander Architects: Boston-based architecture firm with public sector, civic, and educational project experience. Comparable scale and regional footprint; overlapping client base with municipal and institutional clients.
• Flansburgh Architects: Boston/Cambridge-based architecture firm with a long-standing K-12 and higher education practice across New England. Directly competes with D+W on educational facility planning and design.
• DiNisco Design: Boston-based architecture firm specializing in K-12 education and civic projects; partnered with D+W on Maria Hastings Elementary and Fox Hill Elementary. Closely comparable in focus and regional footprint.
• Tappe Architecture: Boston-area architecture firm with K-12 and higher education expertise serving New England public and private institutions. Comparable in size and vertical focus to D+W.
• HMFH Architects: Cambridge, MA architecture firm with a leading K-12 education practice across New England. Directly competes with D+W on school design commissions and shares similar institutional client base.

Emerging players

• Oudens Eso Architecture: K-12 education-focused architecture firm that collaborated with D+W on the Sawyer Free Library project. Comparable in education vertical but smaller scale; represents an emerging specialist competitor.

Broad incumbents

• Perkins Eastman: Large national architecture firm with a strong K-12 and higher education practice. Partnered with D+W on Mount Greylock Regional School project. Wider portfolio and geographic reach than D+W, but competes for the same New England institutional commissions.
• CannonDesign: National architecture, engineering, and planning firm with an extensive education practice. Operates as a broader incumbent with deeper bench and broader geographic reach; overlaps with D+W in K-12 and higher education pursuits.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/doreandwhittier
• Facebookfacebook.com/142531002459344

Compliance10 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 Dore & Whittier Architects