ESG (Elness Swenson Graham Architects)

What ESG (Elness Swenson Graham Architects) does

ESG Architecture & Design (formerly Elness Swenson Graham Architects) is a privately held, Minnesota-based integrated architecture and interior design firm founded in the 1980s, with headquarters at 350 North 5th Street, Suite 400 in Minneapolis. The firm operates a national U.S. practice across five market verticals: Residential (multifamily, student, senior, affordable, luxury), Hospitality (hotels, resorts, F&B venues), Commercial & Workplace (corporate interiors, repositioning, tenant improvements), Science & Technology (lab-ready and incubator facilities), and Urban Design & Planning (mixed-use master planning). It employs over 100 architects and interior designers and runs in-house disciplines covering architecture, interior design, FF&E, specifications, sustainable design, construction administration, design technology, and quality assurance.

Its core services are delivered as integrated project-based engagements, with sustainability positioned through AIA 2030 Commitment and AIA 2050 Materials Pledge signatory status and multi-rating-system expertise across LEED, WELL, Green Globes, Fitwel, National Green Building Standard, and Enterprise Green Communities. Notable technical differentiators include purpose-built life-science design (Fulton Labs at 400 North Aberdeen, 16 stories / 500,000 SF, LEED Gold; Evanston Labs, LEED v4 BD+C: CS Gold) and large-scale transit-oriented mixed-use master planning (North Loop Green, 712,966 total SF with Hines).

ESG earns revenue through professional services fees billed on a project-by-project basis under bespoke engagements initiated through dedicated architecture, interior-design, and general inquiry channels. The go-to-market is enterprise field sales and inside/relationship selling targeting repeat developer, owner, hotel-brand, and institutional clients such as Trammell Crow, Hines, Greystar, Quarterra, Hyatt, Marriott, OMNI, Hilton, Chan Zuckerberg Biohub, University of Chicago, Piper Sandler, and US Bancorp. Marketing is portfolio- and award-driven, supported by owned website, social channels, the "Drawing Board" newsletter, and earned media in The Architect's Newspaper, Interior Design Magazine, NAIOP, IIDA, MREJ, MFE, and Condé Nast Traveler.

Name

ESG (Elness Swenson Graham Architects)

Legal name

ESG Architecture & Design, Inc.

Website

https://esgarch.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1980

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

ESG Architecture & Design is a Minneapolis-based, privately held integrated architecture and interior design firm founded in the 1980s, operating a national U.S. practice serving developer, hotel-brand, corporate, institutional, and life-science clients across Residential, Hospitality, Commercial & Workplace, Science & Technology, and Urban Design & Planning markets.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Architectural and Interior Design Services

NAICS

Architectural Services (54131)

SIC

Services-Engineering Services (8711)

akta.pro primary industry

Architectural Design Services (BPAHAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Energy & Sustainability Management (Energy Audits/Optimization/Carbon & ESG Programs) (IMAIAAAM)

Keywords

• Architecture design services
• Interior design services
• Multifamily housing design
• Hospitality design services
• Sustainable building design

Headquarters

HQ city

Milford

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Architecture and Interior Design Professional Services Fees: Project-based revenue earned through architecture and integrated interior design services spanning concept planning through construction administration. Services billed on a project/engagement basis for new construction, renovations, repositioning, tenant improvements, and base building work across Residential, Hospitality, Commercial & Workplace, Science & Technology, and Urban Design & Planning sectors.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

ESG Architecture & Design is an integrated architecture and interior design firm that delivers project-based professional design services from concept planning through construction administration across Residential, Hospitality, Commercial & Workplace, Science & Technology, and Urban Design & Planning markets. The firm operates two complementary service lines — Architecture and Interior Design — supported by in-house disciplines for sustainable design, specifications, design technology, construction administration, FF&E, and quality assurance, and bills clients on a custom project/engagement basis for new construction, renovations, repositioning, tenant improvements, and base building work.

Product overview

ESG Architecture & Design (Elness Swenson Graham Architects) is an integrated architecture and interior design firm offering two core, complementary service lines — Architecture and Interior Design — supported by a national practice spanning Residential, Hospitality, Commercial & Workplace, Science & Technology, and Urban Design & Planning markets. The Architecture practice (concept planning through construction administration) and the Interior Design practice (delivering exceptional spaces and unique experiences) operate as an integrated offering, providing clients with cohesive building and interior solutions backed by an in-house team of more than 100 architects and designers. ESG pairs these services with dedicated sustainability, specifications, and design technology leadership to deliver project outcomes such as the LEED Gold-certified Fulton Labs at 400 North Aberdeen, the LEED v4 BD+C: CS Gold Evanston Labs, and the LEED v4 for BD+C Silver and WELL Health and Safety-rated North Loop Green.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Architecture ESG's architecture practice delivers integrated building design from concept planning through construction administration, transforming cityscapes building by building across the firm's national practice. Services include new construction, renovations, repositioning, tenant improvements, and base building work for developers, hotel brands, corporations, and institutional clients in multifamily, mixed-use, hospitality, commercial/workplace, life science, and urban design markets.
• Interior Design ESG's nationally recognized interior design practice delivers exceptional spaces that create unique experiences, providing cohesive interior design alongside the firm's architectural work. The practice serves multifamily (including luxury, active-adult, student housing, senior living, affordable, and market-rate housing), hospitality (hotels, resorts, spas, food & beverage venues), commercial/workplace (corporate interiors, repositioning, renovations, tenant improvements), and science & technology clients with FF&E, specifications, and sustainable design support.

Quantifiable outcome

• Fulton Labs at 400 North Aberdeen: 16-story, 500,000 SF purpose-built life-science building delivered in 2022 for Trammell Crow Company.
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers22 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and secondary.

• U.S. Green Building Council (LEED)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerESG works with LEED as a sustainability rating framework to certify projects including Fulton Labs at 1375 W Fulton (LEED Gold), The Berkman (LEED Silver), Evanston Labs (LEED v4 BD+C: CS Gold), and North Loop Green (LEED v4 for BD+C, Silver). LEED provides a globally recognized framework for healthy, highly efficient, and cost-saving green buildings.
• International WELL Building Institute (WELL)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWELL is a sustainability partner used by ESG to align building designs with occupant well-being. North Loop Green achieved the WELL Health and Safety Rating under this framework.
• Green GlobessecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerGreen Globes is a sustainability partner framework ESG works with to evaluate environmental sustainability, health & wellness, and resilience of commercial real estate projects.
• FitwelsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerFitwel is a sustainability partner framework ESG references for designing buildings that enhance occupant wellbeing and support healthier communities.
• Enterprise Green Communities (in collaboration with Minnesota Housing)secondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerEnterprise Green Communities is a sustainability partner framework ESG references — the only national green building program created with and for the affordable housing sector, in collaboration with Minnesota Housing funding sources.
• National Green Building Standard (NGBS)secondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerNGBS is a sustainability partner framework ESG uses for the design, construction, and certification of green multifamily residential and mixed-use buildings.
• Energy Design Assistance ProgramsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerESG uses the Energy Design Assistance Program — a free integrated design service for larger facilities that includes computer energy modeling, energy-saving strategy suggestions, and construction rebate estimates.
• AIA 2030 Commitment and AIA 2050 Materials PledgecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerESG is a signatory to the AIA 2030 Commitment and the AIA 2050 Materials Pledge, reflecting its commitment to industry-wide sustainability and carbon-reduction goals.
• Hines (North Loop Green)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHines is the developer/client partner on North Loop Green, ESG's flagship 712,966 SF transit-oriented mixed-use project in Minneapolis. Listed as the project's developer partner across ESG portfolio descriptions.
• Trammell Crow CompanycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTrammell Crow Company is the developer/client partner on Fulton Labs at 400 North Aberdeen, a 16-story, 500,000 SF purpose-built life-science building completed in 2022.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Cuningham Group: Minneapolis-based national architecture firm with a comparable hospitality, multifamily, and mixed-use practice and similar design-led brand positioning. Closely overlaps with ESG on residential and hospitality pursuits across the Midwest and Sunbelt.
• BWBR Architects: St. Paul-headquartered architecture firm with strong healthcare, higher education, and corporate workplace practices. Comparable Midwest roots and project scale, with similar emphasis on integrated design and long-tenured developer/institutional client relationships.
• TKDA: St. Paul-based integrated architecture and engineering firm serving transportation, municipal, and commercial markets. Comparable Midwest roots, mid-tier scale, and integrated multi-discipline delivery model.
• Meyer, Scherer & Rockcastle (MSR Design): Minneapolis-based national architecture and interior design firm with a similar integrated practice model. Strong overlap on multifamily, hospitality, and civic projects, and a comparable mix of developer and institutional clients.
• LHB Corp. Minnesota-based architecture and engineering firm of comparable size offering architecture, interior design, and engineering across residential, commercial, healthcare, and industrial markets. Strong direct overlap with ESG's Midwest footprint and multi-disciplinary service model.

Broad incumbents

• HKS Architects: Large national architecture firm with significant hospitality, healthcare, and life-science practices. Competes with ESG for hotel brand commissions and large developer-led mixed-use projects across the U.S.
• CannonDesign: National integrated architecture, engineering, and design firm with strong healthcare, science & technology, and education verticals. Direct overlap with ESG's life-science and higher-education projects, but at larger scale and with broader geographic coverage.
• DLR Group: National integrated design firm with comparable developer-driven multifamily, hospitality, and workplace practices. Overlaps with ESG on developer relationships and offers broader engineering and specialty consulting capabilities.
• Perkins&Will: Global architecture practice with a deep Science & Technology (lab/healthcare) vertical and large-scale commercial and mixed-use portfolio. Direct overlap with ESG's life-science (Fulton Labs) and higher-education work, but at much larger scale and broader geographic reach.
• Gensler: Largest global architecture and design firm with extensive workplace, hospitality, and mixed-use practices. Represents the upper bound of competitive pressure on ESG's commercial and hospitality pursuits, with significantly more resources and brand reach.

Market position

Strengths3 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/esgarch
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/esg-architects
• Instagraminstagram.com/esgarch_design
• Xx.com/esgarch_design

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Subsidiaries1 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 ESG (Elness Swenson Graham Architects)