What Encore Architects does

Encore Architects, PLLC is an employee-owned architectural firm founded in 2013 and headquartered in Seattle, Washington. The firm provides comprehensive architectural and interior design services from capacity studies and due diligence through site planning, programming, and construction administration. Its work spans mixed-use developments, multi-family residential, student housing, affordable and supportive housing, senior living, commercial, and hospitality projects, with notable engagements including Michigan State University's 1855 Place (926 beds), Siteline (a 214-unit mixed-use building in Seattle targeting LEED Platinum), The Victor (227 units), and The Bower (496,600 SF). The firm serves a client base of large institutional real estate developers and universities, including MainStreet Property Group, Carmel Partners, Quarterra, Alliance Residential, Vulcan Real Estate, Continental Properties, Lowe Enterprises, and Michigan State University.

The firm's operating model is built on broad-based employee ownership, with over half of staff holding equity stakes and all eight shareholders being licensed in-house architects. Project teams are intentionally small and non-hierarchical, with at least one owner placed on every engagement, and the firm emphasizes context-sensitive, flexible design rather than prescribed aesthetic outcomes. The team averages 30+ years of professional experience, and the practice has accumulated industry recognition including the 2024 PCBC Gold Nugget Award for Best Mixed-Use Project, 2024 NAIOP Washington Mixed-Use Development of the Year, and multiple Seattle Design Commission awards.

Encore generates revenue through project-based professional services engagements billed under multi-year contracts, with pricing not publicly disclosed. New business is sourced through direct enterprise engagement (primarily email and office visits at the Seattle headquarters), relationship-driven outreach, and an award-winning project portfolio. The firm operates regionally across the Pacific Northwest (Seattle, Redmond, Bellevue, Kirkland, Bremerton, Olympia, Shoreline, Bellingham, Portland) and has expanded selectively to East Lansing, Michigan for institutional student housing work.

Name

Encore Architects

Legal name

Encore Architects, PLLC

Website

https://encorearchitects.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Encore Architects is an employee-owned Seattle-based architecture firm providing full-service design (capacity studies through construction administration) for multifamily, mixed-use, student housing, affordable housing, senior living, and commercial projects, serving enterprise real estate developers and universities across the Pacific Northwest and selectively in Michigan.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Architectural Services

NAICS

Architectural Services (54131), Architectural Services (541310), Interior Design Services (54141)

akta.pro primary industry

Architectural Design Services (BPAHAKAA)

Keywords

• Architectural design services
• Mixed-use development
• Multi-family residential architecture
• Student housing design
• Sustainable building design

Headquarters

HQ city

Seattle

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, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Architecture Services: Professional architecture services including capacity studies, due diligence, site planning, and programming for mixed-use, commercial, affordable housing, student housing, education, senior living, high-rise, and hospitality sectors

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Encore Architects provides full-service architectural design and planning for real estate developers, universities, and affordable housing sponsors. Their work covers capacity studies, due diligence, site planning, programming, and construction administration across mixed-use, multi-family residential, commercial, affordable housing, student housing, senior living, high-rise, and hospitality sectors. The firm emphasizes context-sensitive, flexible design with small cooperative project teams and targets LEED-certified sustainable building outcomes.

Product overview

Encore Architects is an employee-owned architectural firm offering comprehensive architectural design and planning services. The firm operates as a single, unified service practice rather than a platform-plus-modules structure. Their portfolio spans multiple service sectors including multi-family residential architecture, student housing, affordable housing, mixed-use developments, senior living, and sustainable/green building design. Key projects include Piper (284 units, Redmond), Siteline (214 units, Seattle), The Victor (227 units, Seattle), Broadstone Strata (294 units, Seattle), Wayfarer (261 units, Seattle), and Michigan State University 1855 Place (926 beds). The firm provides services from capacity studies and due diligence through site planning, programming, and construction administration across sectors including mixed-use, commercial, affordable housing, student housing, education, senior living, high-rise, and hospitality.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Architectural Design Services

Quantifiable outcome

• PCBC 2024 Gold Nugget Award for Best Mixed-Use Project
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Site WorkshopcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLandscape architecture partner for Siteline project, contributing to the mixed-use Uptown community design
• KPFFcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCivil engineering partner for Siteline project
• PCS Structural SolutionscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStructural engineering partner for Siteline project
• BEE ConsultingcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBuilding envelope consultant for Siteline project
• Graphite Design GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInterior design partner for Siteline project
• GenCap Construction Corp.coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerGeneral contractor for Siteline project

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Regional players

• Olson Kundig: Seattle-based architecture studio recognized for high-design residential and hospitality work; overlaps with Encore on premium urban residential and mixed-use commissions in the PNW, though with a more design-led positioning.

Broad incumbents

• Perkins&Will: Global architecture practice with PNW presence and a strong student housing and higher-education portfolio; competes for the same university student housing RFPs that Encore has been winning (e.g., MSU, Shoreline).
• NBBJ: Large Seattle-headquartered global AEC firm with health, sports, and commercial practices; occasionally competes with Encore on large mixed-use and institutional commissions, but at a much larger scale and broader portfolio.

Direct peers

• LMN Architects: Long-established Seattle architecture firm with major mixed-use, civic, and transit-oriented development work; serves some of the same Pacific Northwest developers and competes for comparable scale multifamily and mixed-use commissions.
• GGLO: Seattle-based architecture and planning firm with deep multifamily residential and mixed-use expertise, working with many of the same regional developers (Vulcan, Pine Street, et al.) that Encore serves.
• ZGF Architects: Portland-based architecture firm with a strong PNW multifamily and mixed-use practice; often on competitor shortlists with Encore for institutional and developer-led housing projects in the region.
• Mithun: Seattle-based architecture and urban design firm of similar size and PNW footprint, with strong multifamily, mixed-use, and affordable housing practices, making it a directly comparable Encore peer in market, scale, and project type.
• Weber Thompson: Mid-size Seattle architecture firm focused on multifamily residential, mixed-use, and urban infill housing in the PNW — closely overlapping with Encore's project mix and developer client base.
• Ankrom Moisan Associated Architects: Seattle/Portland architecture firm with one of the largest multifamily practices in the PNW; directly competes for podium-style and mid-rise apartment commissions across the same geographies as Encore.

Emerging players

• Graphite Design Group: Seattle interior design firm that has partnered with Encore as interior design collaborator on the Siteline project; an adjacent peer given shared residential/mixed-use clientele and overlapping design services.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/EncoreArch
• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 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 Encore Architects