Mack Scogin Merrill Elam Architects

What Mack Scogin Merrill Elam Architects does

Mack Scogin Merrill Elam Architects (MSME) is a privately held, Atlanta-based architecture firm founded in 1980 by principals Mack Scogin and Merrill Elam. The firm provides full-service architectural design across five primary practice areas: higher education institutions, federal government facilities, commercial and residential real estate development, cultural and civic institutions, and urban planning. Notable completed and in-progress projects include the Yale Health Center (147,000 sq ft), Carnegie Mellon University's Gates Center for Computer Science, the U.S. Courthouse in Austin, Texas ($96M, 230,000 sq ft), the U.S. Courthouse in Des Moines, Iowa ($136.6M, 229,000 sq ft), the Gathering Place park in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and the Jackson Park residential development (1,871 rental units) with developer Tishman Speyer in Long Island City, New York.

The firm earns revenue exclusively through professional fees tied to project-based architectural services contracts, with no disclosed subscription, product, or licensing revenue streams. Its go-to-market is driven by competitive procurement — federal RFPs via the GSA courthouse program, invited university design competitions (e.g., a five-week Yale Health Center competition), and direct developer partnerships with large commercial players such as Tishman Speyer. Pricing is scope-based and not publicly disclosed. The firm operates with 11–50 employees, has no subsidiaries, no parent company, no external investors, and no disclosed funding rounds; ownership remains concentrated with the two founding principals. MSME maintains a substantial sustainability/LEED track record (achievements spanning Platinum, Gold, Silver, and v4 certifications) and pursues international competition entries in markets including Poland, China, and Taiwan.

Name

Mack Scogin Merrill Elam Architects

Legal name

Mack Scogin Merrill Elam Architects

Website

https://msmearch.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1980

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Mack Scogin Merrill Elam Architects is an Atlanta-based, privately held architecture firm founded in 1980 that provides full-service design services to higher education institutions, federal agencies, real estate developers, and cultural institutions, with principals Mack Scogin and Merrill Elam.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Architectural Services

NAICS

Architectural Services (541310), Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services (5413)

SIC

Services-Engineering Services (8711)

akta.pro primary industry

Architectural Design Services (BPAHAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Construction Engineering & Constructability Consulting (BPAHAIAN)

Keywords

• Architectural design services
• Building design
• Master planning
• Urban design
• Sustainable architecture

Headquarters

HQ city

Atlanta

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Architectural Design Services: Professional fees for architectural design services including master planning, building design, and interior design for institutional and commercial clients. Revenue generated through project-based contracts with government agencies, universities, and private developers.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Mack Scogin Merrill Elam Architects is an architecture firm providing full-service architectural design for academic, civic, commercial, residential, and government projects. Services span master planning, urban design, building design, and interior design, with embedded LEED-certified sustainable design expertise. The firm operates on a project-based professional services model under contract with institutions, federal agencies, and private developers.

Product overview

Mack Scogin Merrill Elam Architects is an architecture firm offering full-service architectural design across multiple sectors including academic/institutional, government/civic, commercial, residential, and urban planning. The firm's portfolio includes notable projects such as the Yale Health Center, U.S. Courthouses in Austin and Des Moines, Carnegie Mellon University's Gates Center, and Gathering Place in Tulsa. The firm provides LEED certification consulting and sustainable design services, having achieved various certification levels (Platinum, Gold, Silver) across their projects. The company is led by principals Mack Scogin and Merrill Elam, both members of the American Academy of Arts and Letters.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Architectural Design Services Full-service architectural design for commercial, institutional, government, academic, and residential projects, including master planning, building design, and interior design. Delivered to institutions, federal agencies, universities, and private developers on a project basis.
• Master Planning and Urban Design Services Master planning and urban revitalization studies for clients, including work such as Lower Don Lands in Toronto, MIT East Campus, and Stuyvesant Town.
• LEED-certified Sustainable Design Services Sustainable building design with LEED certification expertise demonstrated across multiple projects achieving Platinum, Gold, Silver, and v4 LEED certification levels from the U.S. Green Building Council.

Quantifiable outcome

• 8 National AIA Honor Awards received by the firm
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Neumann Monson ArchitectscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 August 2019Neumann Monson Architects serves as Architect of Record and Executive Architect for the $136.6 million new U.S. Courthouse in Des Moines, Iowa. Mack Scogin Merrill Elam Architects serves as Lead Design Architect on this federal project.
• Hill West ArchitectscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated with Hill West Architects on the Jackson Park project in Long Island City, Queens, New York - a major mixed-use development with three high-rise buildings and amenity building comprising 1,871 rental units.
• Michael Van Valkenburgh AssociatescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMichael Van Valkenburgh Associates served as landscape architect for Gathering Place in Tulsa, Oklahoma, the 33-acre park where Mack Scogin Merrill Elam Architects designed the ONEOK Boathouse, Williams Lodge, and restroom cabana.
• Tishman SpeyercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTishman Speyer is the developer for major projects including Jackson Park (1,871 units in Long Island City) and Three Alliance Center ($175 million, Atlanta). Firm serves as architect on these developments.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• KieranTimberlake: Philadelphia-based boutique firm comparable in size, leadership recognition, and sustainability leadership (LEED Platinum expertise, research-driven). Both firms combine academic-building depth with high sustainability credentials and strong award profiles.
• Pei Cobb Freed & Partners: New York-based architecture firm of comparable prestige and federal/institutional portfolio (e.g., U.S. Embassy, terminal work). Both are elite boutique practices of similar size where firm reputation is anchored in named principals and signature civic commissions.
• Ennead Architects: New York-based firm with comparable institutional and civic portfolio (Stanford, museums, courthouses). Similar size tier, similar competition-driven GTM, and comparable national award recognition.
• Steven Holl Architects: Single-name atelier with comparable single-firm scale, prestigious international academic/cultural portfolio, and AIA Honor Awards. Highly analogous in terms of design-led boutique operating model and Venice Biennale presence.
• SHoP Architects: New York-based firm with similar scale of large-scale developer (Tishman Speyer) and institutional commissions. Both compete in the same modern-design idiom for high-profile civic and developer-driven projects.
• Robert A.M. Stern Architects: Mid-sized New York firm with similar institutional and residential portfolio at upper-end clientele. Comparable in academic, civic, and luxury residential work, with a strong national reputation among elite private and institutional clients.
• Hartman-Cox Architects: Washington, D.C. firm with comparable size, federal courthouse and institutional portfolio, and AIA Honor Award recognition. Particularly relevant peer for MSME's federal courthouse work.
• Diller Scofidio + Renfro: New York interdisciplinary design firm comparable in size, cultural-institutional portfolio, and thought leadership. Both blend architecture with cultural strategy and have strong Venice Biennale presence.
• Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects: Boutique Chicago/NY firm of similar size and cultural-academic orientation. Comparable in both public institutional portfolio (Obama Presidential Center, American Folk Art Museum) and deep award recognition (AIA Honor Awards, National Design Award).

Broad incumbents

• NBBJ: Larger international architecture firm with deep higher-ed and healthcare portfolio (similar to MSME's Yale Health Center, Gates Center). Differs in scale (many more employees) but materially comparable in target clients and sector specialization.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php

Compliance6 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 Mack Scogin Merrill Elam Architects