CDS International

What CDS International does

CDS International is a Honolulu-based architectural firm founded in 1958 that provides professional architecture, planning, sustainable design, interior design, and historic preservation/restoration services. It serves three primary client segments: federal, state, and local government agencies (including the State of Hawaii Department of Education, multiple State of Hawaii agencies, the U.S. Department of Defense, and NAVFAC Pacific); private-sector developers and hospitality operators (including Howard Hughes Corporation on the Ke Kilohana condominium project and Grand Wailea Resort & Spa); and educational institutions including the University of Hawaii. The firm operates as a traditional professional services practice with 11-50 employees, delivering projects via both architect-of-record and design-build delivery models.

The firm's core technical differentiators are deep expertise in LEED-certified sustainable design (six completed LEED projects, multiple at Gold level), specialized historic preservation and adaptive reuse capabilities (notably the Moana Hotel Historic Rehabilitation), and design-build delivery as lead design firm on collaborative teams with contractors such as Hawaiian Dredging Construction Company and Swinerton Builders. It maintains an in-house BIM program and is a member of the U.S. Green Building Council. Notable projects span the Pacific, including the Arizona Memorial Visitor Center, Grand Wailea Resort & Spa, and multiple State of Hawaii public libraries.

The business model is professional services on a project-by-project basis: services are quoted per engagement, revenue is not publicly disclosed, and there are no disclosed subscription, licensing, or platform revenue streams. The firm has no parent company, no venture capital backing, and operates as a privately held partner-led practice. Geographic reach is anchored in Hawaii with a secondary Pacific footprint extending to Japan, China, Korea, the Philippines, and Guam, primarily through federal and military projects. The firm is led by principals Carol S. Sakata, FAIA and Glenn K. Miura, supported by a bench of Associates and Senior Associates.

Name

CDS International

Legal name

CDS International

Website

http://cdsintl.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1958

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

CDS International is a Honolulu-based architectural firm founded in 1958 providing architecture, planning, sustainable design, interior design, and historic preservation services to government agencies, private developers, and educational institutions across Hawaii and the broader Pacific region.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Honolulu

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: Professional architecture, planning, sustainable design, interior design, and preservation services for private, governmental and institutional clients

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

CDS International is a Hawaii-based architectural firm offering professional architecture, planning, interior design, sustainable design, preservation and restoration, and collaborative design-build services. The firm serves government, institutional, and private-sector clients with multi-disciplinary design expertise built over more than six decades of practice.

Product overview

CDS International is a Hawaii-based architectural firm offering comprehensive design services including architecture, planning, sustainable design, interior design, and historic preservation. The firm operates as a single integrated practice rather than a platform with modular products, providing end-to-end architectural services from feasibility studies through design and construction administration. Services are delivered through collaborative teams across multiple project types: civic/cultural (libraries, museums, community centers), corporate/commercial (office towers, corporate plazas), educational (schools, auditoriums, student housing), hospitality/recreational (resorts, clubs, fitness facilities), housing (condominiums, single-family, military housing), industrial/transportation (hangars, armories, airports), and master planning. The firm has particular expertise in LEED-certified sustainable projects and design-build delivery for federal and state government clients.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Architecture Services

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

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.

• Hawaiian Dredging Construction CompanycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDesign-build partnership for projects including Frear Hall Student Housing at University of Hawaii Manoa and Schofield Unaccompanied Enlisted Personnel Housing. Collaborated as design-build team for military and institutional projects.
• Swinerton BuilderscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDesign-build partnership for 808Futsal Indoor Soccer Facility in Kapolei, Hawaii's first futsal facility. Joint delivery of design-build construction projects.
• Charles Kober & AssociatesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on Ala Moana Pacific Center project
• Arrowstreet, Inc.minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint venture partnership on Aliamanu Community Center project
• Franklin Gray & Associates/Architects, Inc.minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint venture partnership on Ali'iolani Hale and Bishop Square Pauahi Tower projects
• Zimmer Gunsul Frasca Architects, LLPminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on Bishop Museum Science Adventure Center project
• John Peacock Tatom, ArchitectminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on Kapolei Recreation Center project
• Virginia D. Murison, AIAminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint venture partnership on Moana Hotel Historic Rehabilitation project
• Sherlock Smith & Adams, Inc.minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on Osan Air Base Medical Facility/Dental Clinic project
• CJS Group Architects, Ltd.minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on YMCA of Honolulu Leeward Branch Renovation & Expansion project

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• HDR Inc. Large global architecture and engineering firm with a substantial federal/military facilities practice; directly competes for DoD, Air Force, and Navy design-build work that CDS has historically won across the Pacific.
• CallisonRTKL: International design practice within Arcadis covering civic, cultural, hospitality, and mixed-use sectors; competes with CDS on large-scale mixed-use and resort commissions in Hawaii and Asia-Pacific as a much broader incumbent.
• WATG (Wimberly Allison Tong & Goo): Global hospitality-focused architecture firm with deep Pacific-Asia presence; competes with CDS on Hawaii and Asia-Pacific resort work (including Grand Wailea–class projects) as a much larger, multi-office incumbent.

Direct peers

• Group 70 International: Honolulu-based architecture and planning firm founded in 1970, serving government, commercial, and institutional clients across Hawaii with comparable master planning, civic, and hospitality capabilities. Closest direct competitor for Hawaii public-sector and mixed-use projects.
• Architects Hawaii Ltd. Honolulu architecture firm with similar full-service practice covering civic, commercial, educational, and historic preservation projects; directly competes for State of Hawaii, DOE, and private developer commissions in the same market.
• WCIT Architecture: Honolulu-based architecture and planning firm delivering civic, institutional, educational, and mixed-use projects in Hawaii; directly competes on state and county public-sector RFPs.
• Ferraro Choi and Associates: Hawaii architecture practice focused on civic, cultural, and institutional work; comparable in size and project mix to CDS, regularly competing for libraries, schools, and public agency commissions across the state.
• Belt Collins Hawaii: Honolulu-based planning, landscape architecture, and engineering firm with deep Pacific-Asia (Japan, China, Korea, Guam) presence; comparable on master planning and resort/civic projects across the same regional markets CDS serves.
• Ahlquist Hale & Co. Hawaii architecture firm serving hospitality, residential, and commercial developers; directly comparable on resort and private developer commissions such as those CDS has executed for Howard Hughes Corporation and Grand Wailea.
• Design Partners Incorporated: Hawaii-based architectural and interior design firm serving commercial, hospitality, and institutional clients; directly competes for the same private developer and resort commissions as CDS in the Hawaii market.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/CDSarch
• Facebookfacebook.com/cdsarch
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cds-international

Compliance1 record

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 CDS International