What Hill Studio does

Hill Studio is a privately held, multi-disciplinary design firm founded in 1988 and headquartered at 120 Campbell Avenue SW, Roanoke, Virginia. The firm integrates four practice areas — Community Planning, Landscape Architecture, Architecture, and Historic Preservation — into a single collaborative practice that delivers projects from comprehensive plans and downtown revitalization strategies through to construction administration and historic rehabilitation. Across 35+ years the firm has completed more than 2,500 projects and won more than 50 state and national awards, serving Virginia municipalities, counties, state and federal agencies (including the U.S. Forest Service and the Virginia Department of Historic Resources), nonprofits (e.g., Blue Ridge Independent Living Center, The Harvester Performance Center), private developers (notably Old School Partners, described as a related company), and higher-education institutions (Virginia Tech, Lincoln Memorial University). Its core client base sits in Virginia and the broader Appalachian / Mid-Atlantic region, with most engagements flowing through municipal and state RFPs and direct relationship-based outreach.

The firm operates an industry-standard design technology stack — BIM (Revit), AutoCAD, SketchUp, Adobe Creative Suite, and GIS — supplemented by Qualtrics and Mentimeter for stakeholder input and Claritas for market analysis. A differentiator is the proprietary Virtual Studio platform, a project-specific web-based engagement tool that combines interactive maps, audio narratives, captioned video, and feedback forms to support inclusive public engagement. The firm applies a "Community. By Design." human-centered methodology that uses public workshops, design charrettes, focus groups, and the Virtual Studio to translate community vision into plans and built work across various scales.

Hill Studio's revenue model is professional services: fee-based, project-priced engagements billed against scope and milestones, with no publicly disclosed pricing. Five revenue streams are evident — architecture and adaptive reuse, landscape architecture, community planning, historic preservation consulting (including National Register nominations and federal/state historic tax credit applications), and grant writing. Customer concentration sits in the public sector, particularly Virginia municipalities, and recurring funders such as Virginia Housing (Community Impact Grants), DHCD (Downown Revitalization grants), and VHDA. Growth channels include direct sales, RFP responses, co-development partnerships with developers and consultancies, and event-driven community engagement that generates new project opportunities. The firm is founder-led by President David Hill, PLA, ASLA, with three studio directors (Landscape Architecture, Architecture, Historic Preservation) and is independently owned with no disclosed external investors.

Name

Hill Studio

Legal name

Hill Studio

Website

https://hillstudio.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1988

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Hill Studio is a 35-year-old, multi-disciplinary design firm in Roanoke, Virginia that delivers community planning, landscape architecture, architecture, and historic preservation services to municipalities, federal/state agencies, nonprofits, developers, and universities across Virginia and the Mid-Atlantic.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Architecture and Planning Services

NAICS

Landscape Architectural Services (541320), Residential Building Construction (2361), Residential Remodelers (236118)

SIC

General Bldg Contractors - Residential Bldgs (1520)

akta.pro primary industry

Landscape Architecture & Site Design (BPAHAKAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Civil & Structural Engineering Consulting (BPAHAIAA)

Keywords

• Community planning services
• Landscape architecture design
• Historic preservation consulting
• Urban design services
• Adaptive reuse architecture

Headquarters

HQ city

Roanoke

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

Revenue model

1. Architecture and adaptive reuse design services: Fee-based architectural services for new construction and adaptive reuse projects across public, private, and nonprofit clients. Engagements span feasibility studies through construction administration (e.g., Fire Station #1, Roland Cook Apartments, High Bridge Lofts, Patrick Henry Hotel). Project-based, milestone-driven billing.
2. Landscape architecture design services: Fee-based landscape architecture across site-scale to master plan scales. Projects range from multi-state environmental work to local pocket parks (e.g., Elmwood Park, Wasena Bridge, Virginia Tech Derring Stair).
3. Community planning and urban design services: Fee-based community planning including comprehensive plans, strategic plans, master plans, downtown and redevelopment planning, and feasibility studies. Includes facilitation of public engagement, stakeholder workshops, and design charrettes (e.g., Lynchburg Downtown Plan, Pulaski Downtown Plan, Bedford Downtown, Envision New Kent County).
4. Historic preservation consulting and tax credit services: Preservation planning services including National Register nominations, federal/state historic tax credit applications, Section 106 review, historic district surveys, and design guidelines. Notable engagements: High Bridge Lofts, Patrick Henry Hotel, North Broad Street Historic District.
5. Grant writing services: Hill Studio provided "historic tax credit assistance and grant writing" for projects such as The Harvester Performance Hall — fees tied to successful funding applications.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion4 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Hill Studio is a multi-disciplinary design firm providing community planning, landscape architecture, architecture, and historic preservation services. The firm delivers human-centered, place-based design solutions ranging from comprehensive plans and downtown revitalization to new construction, adaptive reuse, and historic tax credit consulting for municipal, nonprofit, university, and private developer clients.

Product overview

Hill Studio is a single, unified multi-disciplinary design services firm — not a software platform — that delivers four integrated practice areas: Community Planning, Landscape Architecture, Architecture, and Historic Preservation. Established in 1988 in Roanoke, Virginia, the firm has completed over 2,500 projects and won over 50 state and national awards. These four core disciplines are supported by a Virtual Studio engagement platform used to extend client and community participation through online workshops, audio narratives, and feedback forums across active projects. The firm also operates across collaborative practice areas including entertainment venue design, arts and culture, battlefield interpretation, wayfinding and signage, and campus planning.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Community Planning Human-centered design process providing blueprints for cities, towns, and neighborhoods. Work spans comprehensive plans, strategic plans, master plans, downtown and redevelopment planning, feasibility studies, and community engagement facilitation for municipal and community clients.
• Landscape Architecture Context-sensitive design of outdoor environments ranging from multi-state environmental projects to local pocket parks, including parks, bridges, trails, streetscapes, and campus landscape design for public, private, and nonprofit clients.
• Architecture New construction and adaptive reuse architecture services from initial concept to completion, including feasibility studies, grant-funded historic rehabilitations, and project leadership from conceptual design through construction administration for public, private, and nonprofit clients.
• Historic Preservation Preservation planning services including National Register of Historic Places nominations, federal and state historic tax credit applications, Section 106 review, historic district surveys, and design guidelines for municipalities, federal/state agencies, and private clients.
• Virtual Studio Online engagement platform that bridges gaps between data, design, and community engagement by sharing collaborative ideas and guiding clients through each design process. Hosts individual project studios with audio narratives, captioned video, interactive maps, and feedback forms for accessibility-focused community input.

Quantifiable outcome

• 2,500+ projects completed since 1988
• +8 more outcomes

Named customers20 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

Feature4 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship / recurring partner, project-specific partner, project-specific advocacy partner, regional planning partner, project sponsor partner, recurring regulatory partner, flagship client / municipal partner, project client partner, higher education client partner and federal client partner.

• Old School Partnersflagship / recurring partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerOld School Partners is a related developer that has collaborated with Hill Studio on multiple signature adaptive reuse and historic redevelopment projects, including Fire Station #1 in Roanoke (with the City of Roanoke) and Roland Cook Apartments in Vinton (a 1918 school converted to market-rate housing). Old School Partners granted a permanent easement on Fire Station #1. The relationship is described as "related company" — implying a close, recurring affiliation.
• Arnett Muldrow & Associatesproject-specific partnerImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerArnett Muldrow & Associates partnered with Hill Studio on the Town of Fincastle Downtown Revitalization Plan, assisting with placemaking and downtown revitalization strategy. The two-day design workshop and public presentation was held June 12-13, 2024, funded by a DHCD Downtown Revitalization grant.
• Blue Ridge Independent Living Center (BRILC)project-specific advocacy partnerGTM or Marketing PartnerBRILC is a Roanoke-based disability services nonprofit partnering with Hill Studio on an accessible housing feasibility study in Roanoke's historic West End neighborhood. BRILC secured Virginia Housing grant funding and serves as the community/advocacy partner; Hill Studio provides design. Project achieved 75% accessible units (vs. 25% minimum) and includes mixed-use and "missing middle" housing.
• LENOWISCO Planning District Commissionregional planning partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerLENOWISCO PDC is the regional planning agency serving Lee, Scott, and Wise Counties and the City of Norton in far southwestern Virginia. It is assisting on the Lee County Housing Plan sponsored by Lee County and funded by VHDA, supporting Hill Studio's master planning for housing to serve the DeBusk Veterinary Teaching Center (DVTC).
• Lincoln Memorial University - College of Veterinary Medicine / DeBusk Veterinary Teaching Center (DVTC)project sponsor partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerDVTC at Lincoln Memorial University is the primary end-user stakeholder for Hill Studio's Lee County Housing Plan. The plan addresses the lack of housing for DVTC students, staff, and faculty. LMU-DVTC students, staff, and faculty participated in surveys (170 participants) and roundtables informing the design.
• Virginia Department of Historic Resources (DHR)recurring regulatory partnerImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerHill Studio works with the Virginia DHR on National Register nominations, Virginia Landmarks Register nominations, historic rehabilitation tax credit applications, and Section 106 review. Specific collaborations include North Broad Street Historic District (Salem, 2018) and High Bridge Lofts (Farmville).
• National Park Service (NPS)recurring regulatory partnerImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerHill Studio coordinates with NPS on National Register nominations and historic rehabilitation tax credit applications per NPS guidelines, including documentation of properties in accordance with National Park Service standards.
• City of Roanoke, Virginiaflagship client / municipal partnerOthersHill Studio's home municipality and a recurring client partner across multiple projects: Fire Station #1 adaptive reuse (with Old School Partners), Elmwood Park master plan and design (2012, award-winning), and Wasena Bridge replacement conceptual design. City Market District is referenced as a key area of focus.
• Town of Clifton Forge, Virginiaproject client partnerOthersHill Studio is conducting a Community Impact Grant-funded Jefferson/Elementary East School Study for the Town of Clifton Forge, providing community-engaged planning and design concepts (housing, youth center, event center, food pantry building) for a 1926/1952 school building vacant since 2001.
• Town of Fincastle, Virginiaproject client partnerOthersHill Studio and Arnett Muldrow & Associates are assisting the Town of Fincastle in developing a shared vision for placemaking and downtown revitalization, funded by a DHCD Downtown Revitalization grant. Two-day design workshop held June 12-13, 2024.
• Floyd County Economic Development Authorityproject client partnerOthersHill Studio is conducting a Housing Needs Assessment for the Floyd County EDA and developing three feasible concept plans on three different sites (Harris Property, Green Acres, Larsen Property), supported by community focus groups and stakeholder committees.
• Virginia Techhigher education client partnerOthersVirginia Tech commissioned Hill Studio to design the Derring Stair Replacement at one of the campus's main entrances, providing landscape architecture for seating, gathering, and study spaces serving thousands of daily users.
• U.S. Forest Servicefederal client partnerOthersHill Studio was hired by the U.S. Forest Service to design the High Knob Tower — an accessible fire/observation tower rising almost 50 feet in the Appalachian Mountains, replacing the original tower that burned down. Includes accessible trail design.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• MKSK: Landscape architecture, urban design, and planning firm with strong downtown revitalization and public realm focus. Comparable in scale and project types (comprehensive plans, downtown plans, streetscape and park design) to Hill Studio.
• LandDesign: Multi-disciplinary firm integrating landscape architecture, urban design, planning, and civil engineering — a directly comparable integrated practice model serving municipal and private clients across the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast.
• Quinn Evans: Mid-sized architecture and historic preservation firm with deep expertise in National Register nominations, Section 106 review, and adaptive reuse. Comparable boutique structure and overlapping client base with Hill Studio across heritage and community-focused commissions.
• Alta Planning + Design: Planning and landscape architecture firm with strong municipal, active transportation, and community engagement focus. Comparable in discipline mix (planning, landscape) and municipal client overlap, though with larger national footprint.
• Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates (MVVA): Landscape architecture firm with comparable park, campus, and public realm portfolio (Elmwood Park-style work). Overlapping services in park master plans and campus landscape architecture.
• SCAPE Landscape Architecture: Landscape architecture and urban design firm with strong public engagement orientation and waterfront/downtown revitalization focus. Comparable in methodology (human-centered, community-led) and overlapping municipal client base.
• PIVOT Architecture: Mid-sized architecture and planning firm with integrated historic preservation practice and similar municipal/community client focus. Operates a comparable multi-disciplinary model at similar boutique scale.

Broad incumbents

• Sasaki Associates: International planning, landscape architecture, and urban design practice. Overlapping services in master planning and landscape architecture but substantially larger scale and global footprint than Hill Studio.
• AECOM: Global infrastructure and design firm with planning, landscape architecture, architecture, and historic preservation services. Competes for the same municipal and federal RFPs but at vastly larger scale and broader service portfolio.
• WRT: Larger planning, landscape architecture, and urban design firm with broader geographic reach and significantly larger staff. Comparable discipline mix but at national scale that Hill Studio's boutique cannot match on the largest commissions.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/in/david-hill-4a30b3a
• Xx.com/hillstudio_va

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 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 Hill Studio