Atul Karkhanis Architects

What Atul Karkhanis Architects does

Atul Karkhanis Architects, Ltd. (AKA) is a Chicago-based professional architectural firm incorporated in 1990, operating with 1-10 employees from its headquarters at 2514 West Peterson Avenue. The firm delivers full-lifecycle architectural services — feasibility studies, design planning, permit coordination, bidding/negotiation, LEED and energy code certification, and construction administration — across six vertical portfolios: healthcare, education, hospitality/food service, commercial, residential, and franchise. Clients include medical providers (Fertility Centers of Illinois, Mercy Hospital, University of Chicago Medical Center), educational institutions (Argosy University, Westwood College, The Goddard School), franchise operators (Dunkin' Donuts, Papa John's, Baja Fresh, Baskin-Robbins), and commercial customers (State Farm, Consulate General of India). Service values range from $50K remodels to $10M+ developments, with franchise build-outs forming a major repeat-revenue stream since 2003.

The firm operates under the "Concept to Completion™" service mark, with four named technical staff holding AIA membership and multi-state architect licensure. Atul Karkhanis carries LEED AP BD+C credentials and is licensed in nine states plus Interior Designer licensure in Georgia. Andrew Foster holds City of Chicago Self-Certification privileges, enabling expedited permitting. Distribution is direct enterprise sales with no digital self-serve channel; marketing relies on a portfolio website, the long-running "The Architect" newsletter (continuous since at least 2013), and earned media in Chicago-area publications. Revenue is generated through professional services fees on a project-by-project basis with no publicly disclosed pricing tiers, and the firm has no outside equity, parent company, or M&A activity in its record.

Name

Atul Karkhanis Architects

Legal name

Atul Karkhanis Architects, Ltd.

Website

https://akarchitects.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Atul Karkhanis Architects is a Chicago-based architectural firm founded in 1990 that delivers full-lifecycle design, permitting, and construction administration services across healthcare, education, hospitality, franchise, commercial, and residential clients in 10+ US states.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Architectural Services

NAICS

Architectural Services (54131), Interior Design Services (54141), Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services (5413)

SIC

Services-Engineering Services (8711)

akta.pro primary industry

Architectural Design Services (BPAHAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Interior Design Services (BPAHAKAB)

Keywords

• Architectural design services
• Commercial architecture
• Healthcare facility design
• Franchise architecture
• LEED certification consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

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. Architectural Design Services: Professional architectural services for commercial, residential, healthcare, educational, and hospitality projects. Revenue is generated through design fees, project management fees, and construction administration services. Projects range from $50K remodels to $10M+ developments.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Atul Karkhanis Architects (AKA) provides full-service architectural design and project delivery across healthcare, educational, commercial, residential, hospitality, and franchise projects. Under its 'Concept to Completion' methodology, the firm handles feasibility studies, design planning, permitting, LEED/Energy Code certifications, bidding/negotiation, and construction administration for projects ranging from $50K remodels to $10M+ developments.

Product overview

Atul Karkhanis Architects (AKA) is an architectural firm offering comprehensive architectural and design services across multiple specialized portfolios. The firm operates as a single unified service offering organized into distinct practice areas: Healthcare Architecture, Educational Architecture, Commercial Architecture, Residential Architecture, Hospitality & Food Service Architecture, and Franchisee Architecture Services. Supporting these core services, AKA also provides Graphic Design Services (logo, signage, marketing materials), Permitting Services (leveraging multi-state licensure and Chicago self-certification), LEED and Energy Code Certification services, and Renderings & Models. The firm's services span the full project lifecycle under its 'Concept to Completion' methodology, from feasibility studies and design planning through construction administration and facility commissioning.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Healthcare Architecture Services Comprehensive design services for medical centers, dental operatories, fertility clinics, behavioral health centers, physical therapy centers, and hospital departments, navigating healthcare accreditation requirements such as IDPH, ISDH, JCAHO, and CDPH.
• Educational Architecture Services Design services for private universities, colleges, daycares, charter schools, and Montessori schools, including specialized spaces such as art studios, criminal justice labs, medical assisting labs, dental labs, culinary kitchens, and audio/video studios.
• Commercial Architecture Services Design services for strip malls, mixed-use occupancies, QSR restaurants, office buildings, and tenant improvements, with project values ranging from $50K to $10M.
• Residential Architecture Services Custom residential design including single-family homes, multi-unit residential buildings, condo conversions, and residential loft conversions for homeowners and developers.
• Hospitality & Food Service Architecture Design services for restaurants, quick-service restaurants, bars, lounges, and ethnic restaurants, featuring customized lighting and color schemes tailored to hospitality operations.
• Franchisee Architecture Services Brand-compliant franchise build-out design for national chains including Dunkin' Donuts, Baskin-Robbins, Papa John's, Baja Fresh, and Taco Del Mar, with 80-100+ completed franchise projects since 2003.
• LEED and Energy Code Certifications Energy Code Analysis (ComCheck/ResCheck) for buildings and LEED certification coordination, led by founder Atul Karkhanis as a LEED Accredited Professional with Building Design + Construction specialty.
• Permitting Services Multi-state permitting coordination across Arizona, Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, Texas, Utah, Virginia, and Wisconsin, with Chicago self-certification capability enabling expedited permit acquisition.
• Bidding & Negotiation Services Bid package coordination, contractor selection, analysis of bid alternates and substitutions, specialty bidding, bid evaluation, and contract award.
• Construction Administration Shop drawing and submittal review, periodic site visits, construction review, coordination meetings, pay request review, certificate of payments issuance, and escrow coordination.
• Evaluation and Planning Services Programming, functional relationships, existing facility surveys, marketing studies, economic feasibility studies, project budgeting, site analysis, utility studies, environmental studies, and zoning review assistance.
• Graphic Design Services Logo design, building and monument signage, marketing materials (flyers, brochures, mailers, posters), and social media setup including profile pictures and banners.

Named customers14 records

Segments6 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

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• City of Chicago Department of BuildingscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAndrew Foster, AIA holds self-certification privileges with the City of Chicago, enabling faster permit acquisition through the City's self-certification program. This special registration was obtained after completing an extensive study course, allowing AKA to obtain permits in significantly less time than standard review processes.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Solomon Cordwell Buenz (SCB): Established Chicago architecture firm with significantly larger scale and broader portfolio (mixed-use, transit, healthcare, education). Operates in the same Chicago market with overlapping practice areas.
• Cannon Design: Integrated design firm with a healthcare and education focus, including Chicago-area work. Comparable in verticals and integrated service model, but much larger in scale.
• HKS Architects: National architecture firm with a particularly strong healthcare and hospitality practice. Comparable in regulated healthcare and hospitality verticals, though at significantly larger scale.
• Perkins&Will: Globally scaled architecture firm with its origins and major Chicago presence (River North office). Operates in healthcare and education — same verticals as AKA — but at very different scale.
• SmithGroup: Integrated design firm with strong healthcare and education practices, including Chicago presence. Comparable in target verticals but operates at much larger scale than AKA.

Direct peers

• Antunovich Associates: Long-standing Chicago architectural firm with broad practice across commercial, residential, hospitality, and institutional projects. Comparable in firm profile and geographic positioning.
• Booth Hansen: Chicago-based architectural firm of similar size offering architecture, interior design, and planning across commercial, residential, and institutional projects. Direct geography and scale match.
• Legat Architects: Mid-sized Chicago-area architectural firm with comparable practice areas across education, healthcare, and commercial work. Directly comparable in geography, scale, and service mix to AKA.
• Wight & Company: Chicago-area integrated design firm providing architecture, engineering, and interior design for education, healthcare, and commercial clients. Comparable in verticals, slightly larger in scale.
• Eckenhoff Saunders: Chicago-based architectural firm specializing in healthcare and education facility design. Strongly comparable in regulated verticals where AKA also operates.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/akarchitects

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 Atul Karkhanis Architects