Kelly Grossman Architects

What Kelly Grossman Architects does

Kelly Grossman Architects, now operating as Evolve Architects, is a full-service commercial architecture firm headquartered in Austin, Texas. The firm delivers architectural design, land planning, landscape architecture, specifications writing, accessibility compliance, in-house permitting, and construction coordination across the project lifecycle — from feasibility studies and test fits through construction completion. Its practice is organized around three Principals who work or consult on every commercial project, supported by six project managers and dedicated in-house specialists, with NCARB registration enabling licensure across all 50 U.S. states and Mexico.

The firm serves two principal customer segments: private real estate developers (multi-family, student housing, senior housing, condominiums, garden apartments, high-density mid-rise) and government housing entities, including HUD and the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs (TDHCA), for affordable housing, tax-credit, and SMART housing projects. Notable project types include high-density developments (Water Marq, The Crescent, The Vintage), student housing (Regents West at 24th), senior housing (Mariposa Apartment Homes at South Broadway), garden multi-family (Muir Lake), adaptive reuse (New Braunfels Landmark Lofts), and commercial (Barley & Bean). The firm has completed 625+ projects spanning 200,000+ apartment units across Texas, Alabama, Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Louisiana, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Nebraska, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and Mexico, and has been a member of the Austin Energy Green Building Program since 2003 with 20+ green-rated projects.

The business model is project-based professional services with custom, quote-based pricing tied to scope, complexity, and jurisdiction; multi-year contract cadence is typical. Distribution is direct, relationship-driven, and principal-led, with marketing limited to a company website portfolio, industry referrals, and analyst rankings. Differentiators include in-house permitting (no third-party review delays), a dedicated accessibility specialist, a long-standing green-building track record, and sustained preferred-vendor positioning with federal and state housing agencies. There is no evidence of external funding, M&A activity, or technology-platform development; the firm operates as an independently owned professional practice.

Name

Kelly Grossman Architects

Legal name

Evolve Architects

Website

https://kellygrossmanarchitects.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Evolve Architects (formerly Kelly Grossman Architects) is a full-service Austin, Texas commercial architecture firm specializing in multi-family, affordable, student, and senior housing design, serving private developers and government housing entities across 14+ U.S. states and Mexico with 625+ completed projects.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Commercial Architectural Services

NAICS

Architectural Services (54131), Architectural Services (541310), Landscape Architectural Services (541320), Landscape Architectural Services (54132)

akta.pro primary industry

Architectural Design Services (BPAHAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Landscape Architecture & Site Design (BPAHAKAC), Urban Planning & Master Planning (BPAHAKAD)

Keywords

• Commercial architecture services
• Multi-family residential design
• Affordable housing design
• Adaptive reuse architecture
• Landscape architecture design

Headquarters

HQ city

Austin

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

Revenue model

1. Architecture Services: Project-based professional services for commercial architecture spanning from feasibility studies and test fits through construction. Services include design, landscape architecture, accessibility compliance, specifications writing, and construction coordination. Pricing is quote-based given the custom nature of each project.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Kelly Grossman Architects (now operating as Evolve Architects) is a full-service commercial architecture firm providing architectural design, land planning, and landscape design services for multi-family, student, senior, condominium, commercial, and adaptive reuse projects. The firm serves private developers and government housing entities (HUD, TDHCA) across the Midwest and Southern United States and Mexico, with in-house permitting, accessibility, specifications writing, and construction coordination capabilities covering the full project lifecycle from feasibility studies through construction completion.

Product overview

Evolve Architects (formerly Kelly Grossman Architects) is a full-service commercial architecture firm offering a comprehensive portfolio of architectural services. The firm operates as a unified platform providing specialized architectural services from project conception through construction. Core offerings include high density architecture, student housing, senior housing, garden multi-family architecture, condominiums, commercial architecture, and adaptive reuse projects. The firm also provides in-house specializations including landscape architecture, accessibility consulting, specifications writing, and permitting services. Projects span affordable housing, tax credit projects, and luxury developments across the United States and Mexico.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• High Density Architecture Mid-rise high-density apartment design with luxury amenities, including featured projects such as Water Marq, The Crescent, and The Vintage. Targeted at private real estate developers.
• Student Housing Architecture Student housing design that blends comfort with community and amenities, including project Regents West at 24th. Targeted at student housing developers.
• Senior Housing Architecture Warm and inviting senior housing design, including project Mariposa Apartment Homes at South Broadway. Targeted at senior housing developers and operators.
• Garden Multi-Family Architecture Garden style apartment design bringing indoor-outdoor living to residents, including project Muir Lake in Cedar Park, Texas. Targeted at multi-family developers.
• Condominium Architecture Condominium design services for developers of for-sale residential product.
• Commercial Architecture Commercial architecture designs including retail spaces and rehabilitation projects merging past character with modern accommodations, including project Barley & Bean. Targeted at commercial property developers.
• Adaptive Reuse Architecture Renovation and rehabilitation of older or pre-existing spaces, including project New Braunfels Landmark Lofts. Targeted at developers repurposing existing structures.
• Affordable Housing and Tax Credit Projects Affordable housing and tax credit projects for government entities including HUD projects, TDHCA projects, and SMART housing projects. Targeted at federal and state government housing agencies and affordable housing developers.
• Feasibility Studies and Test Fits Pre-design services that work within client land parameters and building requirements to thoughtfully design architecture, including zone analysis and constraint studies. Targeted at developers and property owners evaluating potential sites.
• In-House Permitting Services Self-permitting of all projects in-house, streamlining the permitting process without third-party involvement and avoiding common delays. Provided to clients across all project types.
• Landscape Architecture Landscape design that enhances buildings and creates flow between indoor and outdoor spaces, including zone analysis and design coordination with the building architecture. Targeted at developers of multi-family and commercial projects.
• Accessibility Consulting

Named customers10 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Austin Energy Green BuildingcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerContinuous membership since 2003 in Austin's Green Building Program, the country's first comprehensive sustainable design program. Each project is designed as green incorporating sustainability, livability, and constructability.
• National Council of Architectural Registration Board (NCARB)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAll architects are registered through NCARB and able to acquire licensure in any of the 50 states. Staff also includes an architect licensed in Mexico.
• HUD (U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFirst-choice architecture firm for government entities developing HUD projects, involving complex paperwork, third-party reviewers, and specialized design skills.
• TDHCA (Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPreferred architecture partner for TDHCA projects including tax credit projects, SMART housing, and affordable housing developments.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Cuningham Group: Architecture and design firm with multifamily, mixed-use and commercial practices serving similar developer and institutional clients across the U.S.
• WDG Architecture: Multifamily and mixed-use architecture firm with national reach across the U.S. South and West. Directly comparable project types (high-density, adaptive reuse, mixed-income).
• Humphreys & Partners Architects: Large multifamily-focused architecture firm with comparable expertise in high-density, student and senior housing. Directly competes for the same developer-driven multifamily RFPs in the Sun Belt.
• BKV Group: Mid-sized architecture firm with a multifamily and affordable-housing design practice serving developers and public-sector clients comparable to Evolve's HUD/TDHCA work.
• Niles Bolton Associates: Multifamily and mixed-use architecture firm with a strong Sun Belt presence serving private and institutional developers. Highly comparable service mix to Evolve's high-density and garden multifamily work.
• CDA Architects: Texas-based multifamily architecture practice competing for similar developer RFPs in Austin and the broader Texas market.
• KTGY Architecture & Planning: National architecture practice whose practice mix (multifamily, student and senior housing, mixed-use) overlaps directly with Kelly Grossman/Evolve's portfolio. Comparable project-based professional services model serving developers and government clients.
• BMA Architects: Multifamily-focused architecture firm active in the Texas/Sun Belt market with directly comparable residential and mixed-use capabilities.

Broad incumbents

• Gensler: Global architecture and design firm with broad multifamily, commercial and mixed-use capability. A larger incumbent that overlaps with Evolve on commercial and residential work but at a vastly different scale and geography.
• Perkins&Will: Global architecture firm with multifamily, affordable-housing and senior-living practices. Larger incumbent whose affordable-housing and accessibility expertise intersects with Evolve's HUD/TDHCA and senior housing work.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/100064541570213
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kelly-grossman-architects-llc-dba-chiles-architects

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Kelly Grossman Architects