What Sol design + consulting does

Sol design + consulting is a privately held green building consulting firm founded in 2006 by Sanyog B. Rathod and headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio, with additional offices in Cleveland, Ohio and Bilbao, Spain. Operating under the legal entity Sol Developments, LLC, the firm provides integrated services across five core practice areas: Green Building Certification (covering LEED, Passive House PHIUS+, WELL, Enterprise Green Communities, NGBS, ENERGY STAR, Living Building Challenge, BREEAM, Zero Carbon, FORTIFIED, and RESNET HERS), Sustainability Consulting, Building Diagnostics (air infiltration testing, infrared thermal imaging, HVAC and envelope commissioning, ASHRAE Level I-III energy audits), Sustainable Design (architectural services for high-performance buildings), and Education & Training. The firm functions as a Provider, Rater, and/or Verifier across major certification systems, enabling end-to-end project support from early-stage design simulation through construction-phase testing and verification.

The firm sells its services via direct enterprise field sales to five distinct customer segments: developers, architects, builders, building owners, and homeowners. Engagement is project-based and quote-driven, with no publicly disclosed pricing. Notable enterprise clients include GE (Global Operations Center, 300,000 sq ft), Simon Premium Outlets (Denver Premium Outlets, 96 acres), and developers such as Carter & Associates, Model Group, Woda Cooper Companies, and National Church Residences. The firm has certified over 500 projects across 20+ US states and internationally, encompassing 50,000+ residential units and 7.3+ billion BTUs of energy saved. Industry milestones include certifying the largest single-phase LEED for Homes development in the world (615 units in 2017), the first LEED for Homes Midrise Platinum housing for the homeless in the US (Commons at Buckingham, 2010), the first LEED v4 project in Ohio, and the first multifamily Passive House in Ohio (2019).

Sol design + consulting is founder-owned, bootstrapped, and operates with 11-50 employees under a leadership team including CEO Sanyog Rathod (2025 LEED Fellow), VP of Sustainability Certifications Nate Steeber (2025 NGBS Green Partner of Excellence), VP of Design and Sustainability Carl Sterner, and Director of Energy Miriam Martinez (head of Bilbao operations). The firm has accumulated multiple USGBC and AIA awards from 2017 through 2026. The company has no disclosed funding rounds, M&A activity, or external institutional investors, and pricing is not publicly disclosed. The operating model relies on industry reputation, project portfolio, and expert-led direct engagement rather than software or technology licensing.

Name

Sol design + consulting

Legal name

Sol Developments, LLC

Website

https://solconsults.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Sol design + consulting is a Cincinnati-based green building consulting firm serving developers, architects, builders, owners, and homeowners with integrated LEED, Passive House, and WELL certification, energy modeling, building diagnostics, and sustainable design services across 20+ US states and internationally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Green Building Consulting

NAICS

Environmental Consulting Services (54162), Architectural Services (54131), Management Consulting Services (54161)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Engineering Services (8711)

akta.pro primary industry

Sustainable/Green Building & LEED Consulting (BPAHAKAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Sustainability & ESG Consulting (BPAHACAK), Architectural Design Services (BPAHAKAA)

Keywords

• Green building certification
• Sustainability consulting
• Building diagnostics
• Sustainable design
• Energy modeling

Headquarters

HQ city

Cincinnati

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Green Building Certification Consulting: Professional consulting fees for guiding projects through green building certification processes including LEED, Passive House, ENERGY STAR, Enterprise Green Communities, WELL, and other certifications. Services include design-stage consulting, energy modeling, documentation management, and construction-phase testing and verification.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Sol design + consulting is a professional green building consulting firm that helps developers, architects, builders, building owners, and homeowners navigate green building certification (LEED, Passive House, ENERGY STAR, Enterprise Green Communities, WELL, NGBS, etc.) from design-stage consulting and energy modeling through construction-phase testing, verification, and commissioning. The firm also provides sustainability consulting, building diagnostics (blower door, thermal imaging, commissioning), and architectural design for high-performance sustainable buildings, with a team that integrates architecture, energy modeling, and building science expertise.

Product overview

Sol design + consulting is a professional green building consulting firm offering a unified portfolio of services centered on sustainable design and green building certification. The core offerings include Green Building Certification (handling all major rating systems), Sustainability Consulting, Building Diagnostics, Sustainable Design (architectural services), and Education & Training. These services are delivered as integrated consulting engagements rather than software products, with the company providing end-to-end support from design-phase consulting through construction-phase testing and verification.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Green Building Certification Comprehensive certification services for green building standards including LEED, Enterprise Green Communities, Passive House PHIUS+, ENERGY STAR, WELL Building Standard, NGBS Green Certified, Living Building Challenge, FORTIFIED Home, BREEAM, Zero Carbon Certification, and RESNET HERS ratings. Includes design-stage consulting, energy modeling, documentation management, and construction-phase testing, verification, and commissioning. Targeted at developers, architects, builders, and building owners pursuing green certification.
• Sustainability Consulting Systems-thinking approach to sustainability using early-stage building simulation to visualize opportunities, inform design decisions, and chart optimal paths toward project goals. Capabilities include performance charrettes and building enclosure consulting for developers, architects, and building owners.
• Building Diagnostics Forensic approach to diagnosing building performance issues including air infiltration testing (blower door), distribution loss testing (duct blaster), testing and balancing, infrared thermal imaging, building envelope commissioning, HVAC commissioning, ASHRAE Level I/II/III energy audits, air quality, water quality, light quality, and acoustic testing, plus utility bill analysis. For building owners and developers.
• Sustainable Design
• Education & Training

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 500 projects certified across 20+ US states and internationally
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Atelier Ten: Environmental design consultancy integrating architecture, building physics, and sustainability strategy. Comparable to Sol as a specialist green building consultancy combining design, energy modeling, and certification expertise for developers, architects, and owners.
• Steven Winter Associates: Building science research and consulting firm offering LEED certification, energy modeling, building enclosure consulting, and Passive House services. Comparable in combining technical diagnostics with green certification for multifamily and commercial clients.
• Integral Group: Building performance engineering and consulting firm with deep expertise in MEP, commissioning, energy modeling, and LEED. Comparable to Sol's integrated design-through-verification model, though larger and broader in scope.
• BranchPattern: Sustainable building consulting firm providing LEED, Passive House, energy modeling, and building diagnostics. Strong overlap with Sol across green certification and high-performance building services for developers and architects.
• Elementa Consulting: Mechanical engineering and sustainable building consultancy offering LEED, WELL, Passive House, and carbon consulting. Direct overlap with Sol's certification, energy modeling, and net-zero advisory services for developers and architects.
• Paladino and Company: Sustainability and green building consulting firm focused on LEED, WELL, and decarbonization strategies for real estate developers and corporate clients. Directly comparable service portfolio and client base to Sol's certification and consulting work.

Emerging players

• Terrapin Bright Green: Biophilic and sustainable design consultancy providing LEED and WELL consulting alongside research-driven environmental design strategy. Comparable niche overlap with Sol on certification consulting, with a distinctive focus on biophilic and occupant-wellness design.

Broad incumbents

• ME Engineers: Global MEP and sustainable engineering firm offering LEED consulting, energy modeling, and building commissioning. Overlaps with Sol on certification and energy services but operates at much larger scale across diverse engineering disciplines.
• PAE Consulting Engineers: MEP and sustainability engineering firm providing LEED certification, energy modeling, and building performance services. Comparable services to Sol, but operating as part of a broader mechanical/electrical engineering practice.
• Glumac (now part of Stantec): Building performance, MEP, and sustainability consulting firm with strong LEED and energy modeling practice. Now integrated into Stantec, comparable to Sol on green certification services but with broader engineering delivery and larger organizational backing.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/SolDesignConsulting
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sol-design-consulting

Compliance12 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 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 Sol design + consulting