What Bauer Latoza Studio does

Bauer Latoza Studio, operating commercially as Arda Design, is a Chicago-based architectural firm founded in 1990 that specializes in preserving, restoring, and renovating existing buildings. The firm delivers design and planning services across eight practice areas — historic preservation, hospitality, municipal projects, primary education, secondary education, community, building evaluation, and urban design & planning — using a project-based engagement model grounded in culturally sensitive design and sustainable practices.

Its core offering is human-delivered architectural consulting rather than a software or platform product; there are no proprietary technology components, APIs, or apps disclosed. The firm differentiates through nationally recognized expertise in adaptive reuse and preservation, long-tenured client relationships, and MBE (Minority Business Enterprise) and DBE (Disadvantaged Business Enterprise) certifications that qualify it for set-aside public-sector work.

Revenue mechanics follow a standard professional services model: project-based scope quotes sized to building complexity, with both public and private sector clients. Pricing is not publicly disclosed. The firm serves a diversified horizontal mix of historic-preservation clients, hospitality operators (e.g., Marriott), municipal agencies, K–12 educational institutions, and community developers, primarily within the Midwest U.S. Geographic footprint is concentrated in the Midwest despite a nationally recognized brand.

Name

Bauer Latoza Studio

Legal name

Arda Design

Website

https://bauerlatozastudio.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Bauer Latoza Studio (DBA Arda Design) is a Chicago-based architectural firm founded in 1990 that specializes in preserving, restoring, and renovating historic and existing buildings for public and private sector clients across the Midwest.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

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, Infrastructure

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Bauer Latoza Studio (operating as Arda Design) is a Chicago-based architecture firm providing design, planning, restoration, and renovation services for existing buildings. The firm delivers projects across eight practice areas: Historic Preservation, Hospitality, Municipal Projects, Primary Education, Secondary Education, Community, Building Evaluation, and Urban Design and Planning, serving both public sector and private sector clients.

Product overview

Bauer Latoza Studio (operating as Arda Design) is an architecture firm offering a comprehensive suite of architectural and design services. The company provides specialized services across eight distinct practice areas: Historic Preservation, Hospitality, Municipal Projects, Primary Education, Secondary Education, Community, Building Evaluation, and Urban Design and Planning. The firm focuses on preserving, restoring, and renovating existing buildings with an emphasis on culturally sensitive design and sustainable practices. The company operates as a single integrated practice rather than a platform with modular products, delivering architectural solutions through both public and private sector partnerships.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Historic Preservation
• Hospitality Architecture
• Municipal Projects
• Primary Education Architecture
• Secondary Education Architecture
• Community Architecture
• Building Evaluation
• Urban Design and Planning

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Public Sector ClientscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThrough both public and private sector partnerships Arda works collaboratively with clients and stakeholders to create architectural solutions that positively impact communities. Public sector partnerships involve municipal projects and government contracting enabled by MBE|DBE certifications.
• Private Sector ClientscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrivate sector partnerships include hospitality clients (e.g., Marriott), commercial property owners, and cultural institutions seeking historic preservation and renovation services.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• HOK: Global architecture, design, and engineering firm with established education, civic, and hospitality practices. Comparable across multiple of Arda's service lines but at the scale of a broad incumbent rather than a boutique specialist.
• Gensler: Global design and architecture firm with significant hospitality, education, and urban design practices. Comparable service-line overlap with Arda but operating as a global incumbent rather than a Midwest preservation specialist.
• Perkins&Will: International architecture firm with strong education, civic, and healthcare practices. Comparable across Arda's education and municipal segments, though operating as a broad incumbent rather than a Midwest preservation-focused boutique.
• Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM): Global architecture, engineering, and urban planning firm with deep civic, cultural, and education practices. Overlaps with Bauer Latoza Studio across municipal, education, and urban design segments but at vastly larger scale and broader geographic reach.

Direct peers

• Solomon Cordwell Buenz (SCB): Chicago architecture firm with comparable size profile and a multi-sector portfolio including hospitality, mixed-use, education, and urban design. Directly comparable as a Midwest-based generalist architecture practice competing for similar client briefs.
• Lohan Anderson: Chicago architecture firm with comparable size and a portfolio spanning hospitality, residential, and mixed-use development. Comparable Midwest-base, boutique scale, and hospitality/mixed-use focus.
• Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates: Northbrook, IL-headquartered engineering/architecture firm specializing in the investigation, preservation, and restoration of existing and historic structures. Highly comparable to Bauer Latoza Studio in preservation focus, Midwest base, and project-based restoration work.
• Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture: Chicago-based architecture practice with deep experience in large-scale, design-intensive civic, cultural, and hospitality projects. Comparable in Chicago footprint and multi-sector architecture offerings, though typically at larger project scale.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Bauer Latoza Studio