Design West Architects
Design West Architects is a privately held, full-service architectural firm founded in 1981, operating five Pacific Northwest offices. It provides planning, design, and construction administration for K-12, higher education, healthcare, municipal, multi-family housing, and commercial projects across Idaho, Washington, Oregon, and Nevada.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1981
- HeadquartersMeridian, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Design West Architects does
Design West Architects is a privately held, full-service architectural firm founded in 1981, headquartered in Meridian, Idaho, and operating five offices across the Pacific Northwest (Meridian ID; Pullman, Kennewick, and Spokane WA; and Ontario OR), with additional project activity in Nevada. The firm specializes in planning, design, and construction administration of public-serving facilities, with a core focus on K-12 and higher education, municipal and government buildings, healthcare facilities, multi-family housing, and — to a lesser extent — commercial spaces. Its service portfolio spans elementary, middle, and high schools, school district-wide capital programs, university classroom and athletic facilities, police and fire stations, libraries, transit centers, tribal headquarters, hospitals and clinics, and student/assisted-living housing.
The firm's production is built on standard architectural technology — Autodesk Revit, AutoCAD, Adobe Suite, SketchUp, and Bluebeam for design, documentation, and construction administration — with no proprietary technology stack or in-house software products. Staff credentials include AIA, NCARB, NCIDQ, CPTED, and LEED AP certifications, and the firm has delivered projects certified under LEED Silver and LEED Gold standards (e.g., Coug Housing in 2020 and US Bank branches in 2013). Revenue is generated through professional-services fees on a project basis, with work secured via competitive bidding for public works, direct engagement with institutional clients, and recurring long-term relationships with school districts, municipalities, and healthcare organizations across the region. Notable recurring clients include Pullman Regional Hospital (50+ projects since 1998), Washington State University, and the University of Idaho, with the firm's revenue mix heavily weighted to public-sector and institutional owners in Idaho, Washington, Oregon, and increasingly Nevada.
Design West Architects firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Design West Architects
- Legal name
- Design West Architects
- Website
- https://designwestpa.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1981
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Design West Architects is a privately held, full-service architectural firm founded in 1981, operating five Pacific Northwest offices. It provides planning, design, and construction administration for K-12, higher education, healthcare, municipal, multi-family housing, and commercial projects across Idaho, Washington, Oregon, and Nevada.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Design West Architects industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Architectural Services
- NAICS
- Architectural Services (54131), Architectural Services (541310), Interior Design Services (54141), Interior Design Services (541410)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Architectural Design Services (BPAHAKAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Interior Design Services (BPAHAKAB), Urban Planning & Master Planning (BPAHAKAD)
Keywords
Where Design West Architects is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Meridian
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices5 records
Markets served
Design West Architects business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Architectural Design Services: Professional architectural services for planning, design, and construction administration of facilities serving the public sector including schools, higher education, municipal buildings, healthcare facilities, commercial spaces, and multi-family housing.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels2 records
Design West Architects product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Design West Architects is a full-service architectural firm providing planning, design, and construction administration services for public-serving facilities. Its practice spans K-12 schools, higher education campuses, municipal and tribal government buildings, healthcare facilities, commercial spaces, and multi-family housing across five Pacific Northwest offices.
Product overview
Design West Architects is a full-service architectural firm offering specialized design services across eight core practice areas: Elementary & Middle Schools, High Schools, School District Projects, Higher Education, Municipal, Commercial, Healthcare, and Housing. The firm's portfolio includes projects for schools, higher education institutions, community centers, libraries, municipal buildings, commercial spaces, healthcare facilities, and multi-family housing. Founded in 1981, the firm operates five northwest locations and provides comprehensive architectural services from early design through construction administration.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Elementary & Middle School Design Services Architectural planning and design services for elementary and middle schools, including new construction, modernization, and renovation projects for public school districts.
- High School Design Services Architectural planning and design for high schools including new construction, additions, modernizations, and specialized facilities such as performing arts buildings and athletic complexes.
- School District Projects Comprehensive architectural services for school districts including professional development centers, skills centers, stadiums, and multi-school portfolio projects.
- Higher Education Design Services Architectural design for colleges and universities including classroom buildings, sports complexes, museums, libraries, and administrative facilities.
- Municipal Design Services Architectural services for municipal and tribal government buildings including police stations, fire stations, libraries, city halls, community centers, and public transit facilities.
- Commercial Design Services Architectural design for commercial spaces including retail, office buildings, restaurants, breweries, car washes, and tenant improvements for private developers and businesses.
- Healthcare Design Services Architectural planning and design for healthcare facilities including hospital renovations, clinics, medical office buildings, dental offices, and pharmacy expansions.
- Housing Design Services Architectural design for multi-family housing including student apartments, condominiums, fraternity houses, and assisted living communities.
Quantifiable outcome
- Completed over 50 projects for a single client (Pullman Regional Hospital) since 1998
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Design West Architects
Customer profileNamed customers9 records
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Design West Architects technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Design West Architects partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Chervenell ConstructioncoreDesign-build partnership on multiple projects including the Boys & Girls Club Prosser Clubhouse renovation and Chervenell Construction's own office building. Chervenell Construction is a general contractor and DWA has worked with them as a design-build team.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Design West Architects competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- LSW Architects: Pacific Northwest architecture practice with K-12, higher education, and municipal work. Comparable in regional concentration and education-sector orientation.
- Olson Kundig: Seattle-based architecture firm with recognized work in residential, civic, and cultural projects. Comparable as a Pacific Northwest design firm, though with more cultural/residential tilt.
- Integrus Architecture: Pacific Northwest architecture firm with strong K-12, higher education, and civic portfolios. Closely comparable in scale, regional focus, and public-sector client mix.
- LMN Architects: Seattle-based architecture firm with strong civic, higher education, and performing arts portfolios. Comparable as a Pacific Northwest design firm with public-sector and cultural institution clients.
- ZGF Architects: Pacific Northwest-headquartered architecture firm with strong public-sector, higher education, and healthcare portfolios. Most directly comparable given shared regional base and similar client mix including universities and health systems.
- GGLO: Seattle/PNW design firm with practice areas spanning multifamily housing, education, and mixed-use. Comparable as a regional design firm with housing and education overlap.
- Miller Hull Partnership: Seattle-based architecture firm known for civic, educational, and public-sector projects in the Pacific Northwest. Comparable regional positioning and public-sector orientation.
Broad incumbents
- NBBJ: Seattle-headquartered global architecture practice with significant higher education and healthcare work. Comparable sector exposure but materially larger scale and global footprint.
- Perkins&Will: National architecture firm with deep higher education, healthcare, and civic practices. Comparable in client sectors though serving them at much larger scale with global resources.
- DLR Group: Large national architecture and engineering firm with deep K-12, higher education, healthcare, and civic practices. Comparable because of overlapping sector mix, though broader geographic reach and larger bench than DWA.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Design West Architects social profiles
Digital presenceDesign West Architects compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance9 records
Design West Architects financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Design West Architects leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Design West Architects funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Design West Architects M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Design West Architects
What does Design West Architects do?
Design West Architects is a full-service architectural firm providing planning, design, and construction administration services for public-serving facilities. Its practice spans K-12 schools, higher education campuses, municipal and tribal government buildings, healthcare facilities, commercial spaces, and multi-family housing across five Pacific Northwest offices.
Is Design West Architects a public or private company?
Design West Architects is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Design West Architects founded?
Design West Architects was founded in 1981. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Design West Architects based?
Design West Architects is headquartered in Meridian, United States, in the North America region.
How does Design West Architects make money?
One revenue line is on record: architectural Design Services.
Who are Design West Architects's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are LSW Architects, Olson Kundig, Integrus Architecture, LMN Architects, ZGF Architects, GGLO and Miller Hull Partnership. Broad incumbents are NBBJ, Perkins&Will and DLR Group.
Does Design West Architects have an API?
No public API is recorded for Design West Architects.
What industry is Design West Architects in?
Design West Architects's product category is Architectural Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAHAKAA, Architectural Design Services, with a secondary code of BPAHAKAB, Interior Design Services. Its NAICS code is 54131.