What Digsau does

DIGSAU is a Philadelphia-based architecture and environmental design practice founded in 2007 by four partners — Jules Dingle, Jeff Goldstein, Mark Sanderson, and Jamie Unkefer — and operating as a privately held partnership with no external capital. The firm employs 40-50 professionals organized into four internal working groups (Equity, Sustainability, Technical, and Digital) and delivers a full range of architectural services including concept design, construction documents, and construction administration. Its core technology stack is built around BIM (REVIT) with digital visualization and sustainable design methodologies; the firm holds multiple LEED Gold certifications on delivered projects.

DIGSAU's revenue is generated through professional architecture and design fees paid on a per-project basis across a deliberately diversified portfolio spanning higher education (Princeton, Temple, University of Delaware, Johns Hopkins, Swarthmore, Lehigh), K-12 education (Germantown Friends, Gettysburg Montessori), arts and culture (The Clay Studio, Wexler Gallery, Maguire Art Museum), civic and non-profit work (People's Emergency Center, Free Library of Philadelphia, SEPTA bus shelters), urban developer-led mixed-use and multifamily housing (Buccini/Pollin Group, Post Brothers), hospitality (Dogfish Head, Yards Brewing), biotech and research facilities (Iovance Biotherapeutics), and private residential. The go-to-market is sales-led and relationship-driven, relying on direct commissions, RFP responses, and design competition wins, with the firm's brand amplified through 90+ AIA design awards, a 2017 AIA Pennsylvania Firm Award, and a 2013 Architectural League of New York "Emerging Voices" recognition.

The firm serves primarily mission-driven clients — universities, cultural institutions, non-profits, and civic agencies — and differentiates on a process-driven design ethos, material and craft innovation, adaptive reuse expertise, and sustained involvement in the Mid-Atlantic design community through teaching appointments at the University of Pennsylvania and Temple University and leadership positions within AIA Philadelphia and AIA Pennsylvania. Major commissions underway or recently delivered include the 100,000-square-foot Forman Arts Initiative campus in West Kensington and the 136,000-square-foot Iovance cell therapy manufacturing facility, indicating expansion into larger-scale cultural and technical typologies beyond the firm's traditional higher-education core.

Name

Digsau

Legal name

DIGSAU

Website

https://digsau.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

DIGSAU is a Philadelphia-based architecture and environmental design firm founded in 2007 that provides professional design services across higher education, K-12, arts and culture, civic, hospitality, residential, and biotech/research sectors for institutional, non-profit, and developer clients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Architectural Services

NAICS

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

akta.pro primary industry

Architectural Design Services (BPAHAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Interior Design Services (BPAHAKAB)

Keywords

• Architectural design services
• Urban planning
• Environmental building design
• Institutional architecture
• Sustainable architecture

Headquarters

HQ city

Philadelphia

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: DIGSAU generates revenue through professional architecture and design fees for commissioned projects across arts and culture, civic, higher education, K-12 education, hospitality, and residential sectors. Revenue is project-based and derived from design, construction administration, and consulting services.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Digsau is a Philadelphia-based architecture firm founded in 2007 by four partners that provides contemporary architecture, urbanism, and environmental design services. The firm develops building designs, master plans, and interior environments for institutional, educational, cultural, residential, and commercial clients.

Product overview

DIGSAU is an architecture and design firm that practices contemporary architecture, urbanism, and environmental design. Rather than a software product company, DIGSAU offers architectural services across diverse project types and sectors. The firm provides a comprehensive range of design services including architectural design for arts and culture, civic and public spaces, higher education, K-12 education, hospitality, residential, commercial office, laboratory/research facilities, and urban development projects. Their portfolio spans residential homes, museums, universities, schools, recreation centers, breweries, hotels, and large-scale mixed-use developments. The firm's service offering is unified under their architectural practice, with projects organized by sector (Higher Education, K-12, Arts & Culture, Civic, Hospitality, Residential, Commercial) rather than as separate software products or modules.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Architectural Design Services

Quantifiable outcome

• 90+ design awards from AIA at local, state, and national levels
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers22 records

Segments7 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

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• MJMA Architecture & DesigncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDIGSAU collaborated with MJMA Architecture & Design on the Class of 1986 Fitness and Wellness Center at Princeton University. MJMA is a Canadian architecture firm specializing in sports and recreation facilities. The joint design effort combined DIGSAU's architectural expertise with MJMA's specialized recreation facility experience.
• ArupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDIGSAU partnered with Arup (the global engineering consultancy) for strategic planning and subsequent renovations at Temple University's Tyler School of Art. Arup provided engineering and technical consulting services alongside DIGSAU's architectural design.
• BluecadetminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDIGSAU collaborated with Bluecadet (an experience design agency) on the Gore Capabilities Center for W.L. Gore & Associates. Bluecadet handled the interpretive and interactive exhibition design while DIGSAU provided the architectural envelope and spatial design.
• WRNSminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDIGSAU and WRNS (an architecture firm) are scheduled to present together at the 2026 SCUP Mid-Atlantic Conference regarding Princeton University's campus wellness strategy.
• Forman Arts InitiativecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDIGSAU is partnered with the Forman Arts Initiative to build a 100,000-square-foot arts campus in West Kensington, Philadelphia. The firm was selected to design this major cultural development project, which represents one of the firm's largest arts and culture commissions.
• National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA)minorOthersDIGSAU has committed to supporting NOMA through donations as part of its Black Lives Matter commitment to advancing the profession and increasing minority representation in architecture.
• Architecture Foundation Diversity Advancement ScholarshipminorOthersDIGSAU supports the Architecture Foundation's Diversity Advancement Scholarship through donations as part of its commitment to fostering equal opportunity and increasing representation within the firm.
• The Challenge ProgramcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDIGSAU has an ongoing relationship with The Challenge Program, a non-profit furniture company providing vocational training. The firm designed their Construction Training & Education Center and Gibbs Center Production Studio, and the relationship dates back to the firm's earliest work.
• People's Emergency CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDIGSAU has a longstanding relationship with the People's Emergency Center (PEC), designing the Bigham Leatherberry Wise Place transitional housing project. The firm has been engaged with PEC since its earliest projects.
• Philadelphia Bail FundminorOthersDIGSAU made an immediate donation to the Philadelphia Bail Fund as part of its Black Lives Matter commitment to supporting organizations working for justice and equality.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Handel Architects: Mid-sized architecture firm with strong institutional, residential, and urban development portfolios including major university and civic commissions. Comparable in mission diversity and scale, though primarily NYC-based with broader geographic reach.
• Bohlin Cywinski Jackson: Pennsylvania-headquartered (Pittston, with Philadelphia presence) architecture firm with comparable size, similar award-winning profile, and a shared Mid-Atlantic premium institutional client base. Highly analogous firm in mission, craft culture, and recognition trajectory.
• Lake|Flato: Texas-based architecture firm with closely analogous size, sustainability leadership, and AIA-recognized portfolio spanning education, civic, and cultural sectors. Similar firm profile of craft-driven, regionally-rooted practice with a national reputation.
• Atkin Olshin Schade Architects: Philadelphia-based architecture firm with comparable size and institutional focus (libraries, education, cultural buildings). Direct peer in market and project-type concentration.
• KieranTimberlake: Philadelphia-based architecture firm of comparable size (~100 staff) and elite reputation, similarly focused on cultural, educational, and sustainable design across the Mid-Atlantic. Most direct local peer given shared city, culture, and institutional client overlap (Swarthmore, Penn).
• WRT (Wallace Roberts & Todd): Philadelphia-based architecture, urbanism, and planning firm with comparable size and a long-standing portfolio across civic, education, and urban development. Closely aligned in geographic footprint, urbanism emphasis, and commitment to mission-driven institutional work.
• Meyer Scherer & Rockcastle (MSR): Mid-sized architecture firm with comparable profile of award-recognized institutional, cultural, and residential projects. Similar size, design-led culture, and breadth across higher education, museums, and civic work.

Broad incumbents

• Perkins&Will: Large national architecture firm with deep higher-education, healthcare, and civic institutional practices. Represents larger incumbent competition DIGSAU faces on marquee RFPs and a benchmark for scaling architecture practice.
• Robert A.M. Stern Architects: Larger, established New York architecture firm with significant higher-education and institutional portfolio. Represents the type of larger incumbent DIGSAU competes against-or partners with-on major university commissions.

Emerging players

• Annum Architects: Philadelphia-based architecture firm working across higher education, cultural, and civic projects at a smaller scale than DIGSAU. Comparable in geography and project type, though a smaller portfolio.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/digsau_architecture/?hl=en
• Xx.com/digsau
• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php

Compliance6 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 Digsau