StudioMDA

What StudioMDA does

StudioMDA is a New York-based, founder-led multidisciplinary architecture and design firm established in 2002 by Markus Dochantschi. The firm specializes in cultural and gallery architecture, with a stated portfolio of more than 30 galleries and over 250 art fair booths and exhibitions, and has emerged as the de facto architect for NYC's TriBeCa arts district, where it has designed or influenced approximately 50 galleries. Signature projects include the Phillips Auction House headquarters at 432 Park Avenue, the Marian Goodman Gallery renovation at the Grosvenor Building (35,000 sq ft), the High Line Nine gallery complex in partnership with Related Companies, and the Center for Advanced Mobility (KMAC) at Aachen University of Applied Sciences in Germany.

The firm's underlying technical differentiator is its 'soft white cube' design philosophy, which combines natural lighting optimization, column-free flexible exhibition spaces (often realized via movable-wall 'zones'), and historic-building preservation with contemporary programmatic needs. Production methods include 3D-printed sand-mold fabrication for custom facades (as in High Line Nine's white bronze envelope, executed with Polich Tallix Foundry). The practice spans cultural, institutional, residential, commercial, and urban planning typologies, but gallery and cultural work remains the core.

StudioMDA operates as a professional services practice earning revenue through commissioned architectural and interior design projects billed per engagement, with no publicly disclosed pricing. Its go-to-market is enterprise field sales via direct commissions and competitive bidding, supported by earned media in NYT, ARTnews, FT, and Architectural Record, and by the founder's academic positions at Yale and Columbia GSAPP. Customers are concentrated in the contemporary art gallery, auction house, and cultural-institution segment, with occasional institutional clients. The firm is privately held, founder-owned, and operates from a single NYC office with a global project footprint spanning roughly 15 countries.

Name

StudioMDA

Legal name

studioMDA

Website

https://studiomda.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

StudioMDA is a New York-based, founder-led architecture and design firm that designs galleries, auction houses, museums, and cultural buildings worldwide, with a portfolio of 30+ galleries and 250+ art fair booths.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Architecture and Design Services: StudioMDA generates revenue through commissioned architectural and interior design projects for galleries, cultural institutions, commercial spaces, and residential clients. Projects range from gallery renovations and build-outs to institutional buildings and art fair booth designs.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

StudioMDA is a multidisciplinary architecture and design firm based in New York that delivers commissioned architectural and interior design services across gallery/cultural, institutional, residential, commercial, urban planning, and art fair booth typologies. The firm has designed more than 30 galleries and over 250 art booths and exhibitions for clients worldwide. Services are project-based and include ground-up building design, renovation of historic structures, exhibition space planning, and participation in international design competitions.

Product overview

StudioMDA is a multidisciplinary architectural design firm offering a comprehensive portfolio of design services. The firm's core offerings include cultural and gallery design (with over 30 galleries and 250 art booths completed), institutional design (educational facilities and research centers), residential design (luxury townhouses and residences), urban planning concepts, commercial space design, and exhibition/art fair booth design. The firm operates as a single unified design practice rather than a platform with modular components. StudioMDA was founded in New York in 2002 by Markus Dochantschi and has completed projects across the United States and internationally.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Cultural & Gallery Design Services
• Institutional Design Services

Quantifiable outcome

• Designed galleries that have attracted major collectors and galleries to TriBeCa, helping establish it as NYC's new arts district
• +1 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

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered major and minor.

• Related CompaniesmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStudioMDA collaborated with Related Companies to develop High Line Nine, a collection of nine art galleries along a central throughway under the High Line in West Chelsea. The project reimagines the 19th century European arcade for contemporary art galleries.
• Polich Tallix FoundryminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated with Polich Tallix, a foundry with long history of working with artists, to create the intricate white bronze facade for High Line Nine using 3D-printed sand molds.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Snøhetta: International architecture and design firm with cultural building and gallery experience (e.g., SFMOMA expansion, Lascaux IV). Comparable as a multidisciplinary firm designing cultural and exhibition spaces at scale across geographies.
• David Chipperfield Architects: London-based international practice with extensive gallery and museum portfolio (e.g., James-Simon-Galerie in Berlin, Royal Academy renovations). Competes with StudioMDA for high-end gallery commissions globally and is a parallel reference point for premium gallery design.
• Adjaye Associates: London-based practice led by Sir David Adjaye with major museum and cultural commissions (Studio Museum in Harlem, Aishti Foundation). Directly competes for gallery and cultural-institutional commissions at the international high end.
• Ennead Architects: NYC cultural-architecture specialist (formerly Polshek Partnership) with marquee museum and institutional projects including Stamford University art museum and the Brooklyn Museum expansions. Competes for the same institutional and gallery commissions in the cultural-architecture segment.
• Diller Scofidio + Renfro: NYC interdisciplinary architecture firm known for cultural and gallery-adjacent work including The Shed and the High Line. Competes for high-profile cultural and museum commissions in the same New York market.
• Selldorf Architects: NYC-based architecture firm founded by Annabelle Selldorf, widely regarded as a leading designer of contemporary art galleries (e.g., David Zwirner, Hauser & Wirth). Direct competitor in the gallery-architecture niche that StudioMDA dominates.

Broad incumbents

• OMA: Rotterdam-headquartered global architecture firm with significant cultural and gallery portfolio (e.g., Fondazione Prada, Milstein Center). A larger international incumbent competing in the gallery and cultural-architecture space.
• BKSK Architects: NYC-based architecture firm with cultural, gallery, and institutional work including gallery interiors and civic projects. Operates at slightly larger scale with broader typologies than StudioMDA, competing for adjacent cultural commissions.
• SHoP Architects: Larger NYC-based architecture firm with a broader commercial, residential, and civic portfolio (Barclays Center, Manhattan towers). Overlaps with StudioMDA on select cultural and institutional projects but operates at a significantly larger scale across many typologies.
• Rockwell Group: NYC multidisciplinary architecture and design firm with strong gallery and cultural interiors work. Wider portfolio across hospitality, theater, and exhibitions; competes for gallery interior commissions in the same NYC market as StudioMDA.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

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 StudioMDA