Nola I VanPeursem Architects

What Nola I VanPeursem Architects does

Archemy, PC, operating under the former name Nola I VanPeursem Architects, is a full-service architectural design firm established in 1948 and headquartered in a 1920s warehouse conversion at 301 Jefferson Street in downtown Huntsville, Alabama. The firm provides architectural design, master planning, and interior design services across seven primary verticals: K-12 education, higher education, healthcare, municipal/civic, aviation, multi-family residential, and historic preservation. Notable completed work includes James Clemens High School (328,000 SF), UAH Charger Village (318,000 SF, 800 beds), the Huntsville Aquatics Center (65,000 SF), Gateway Place senior living (LEED for Homes PLATINUM), and the Yulista M5 Hangar (70,000 SF). Technical production relies on Building Information Modeling (BIM), 3D rendering, and visualization tools, with a dedicated BIM Manager on staff; there is no indication of proprietary technology platforms, AI/ML tooling, or developer-facing APIs.

The firm generates revenue through project-based professional design fees, with no publicly disclosed pricing model. Go-to-market is sales-led and relationship-driven: the firm operates without a marketing department, relying on word-of-mouth referrals and the explicit principle that doing good work brings more work. All projects are placed under direct control of a principal. Customer base is overwhelmingly concentrated in North Alabama, with nearly 100% of current business drawn from local institutional clients including seven area K-12 school systems, two universities (UAH and Alabama A&M), healthcare providers (Huntsville Hospital, Crestwood Medical Center), the City of Huntsville, and aviation clients at Madison County Executive Airport. Leadership is structured around four principals (Frank Nola Jr., Christine Kirchberg Jones, Katelyn Wasser, Laura Trenkle), with Robert Van Peursem continuing as Project Architect, and a staff of approximately 25 professionals connected to 15 different architectural schools. Over its 77-year history the firm has overseen more than $1 billion in design and construction, including historical projects in 13 foreign countries, though current operations are domestic and regionally focused.

Name

Nola I VanPeursem Architects

Legal name

Archemy, PC

Website

https://nvparchitects.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1948

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Archemy (formerly Nola I VanPeursem Architects) is a Huntsville, Alabama-based architectural design firm providing master planning, interior design, and full-service architecture across K-12, higher education, healthcare, civic, aviation, residential, and historic preservation sectors for North Alabama institutional clients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Architectural Design Services

NAICS

Architectural Services (541310), Interior Design Services (54141), Landscape Architectural Services (54132)

SIC

Services-Engineering Services (8711)

akta.pro primary industry

Architectural Design Services (BPAHAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Historic Preservation & Conservation Planning (BPAHAKAH)

Keywords

• Architectural design services
• Educational facility design
• Civic building architecture
• Historic preservation design
• Aviation facility architecture

Headquarters

HQ city

Huntsville

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, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Architectural Design Services: Project-based architectural design services for institutional, corporate, and residential design and historic preservation. Revenue is generated through professional design fees for each project.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

The firm provides full-service architectural design and master planning for institutional, civic, healthcare, aviation, residential, and historic preservation projects across North Alabama. Every project is delivered under the direct control of a firm principal, utilizing Building Information Modeling (BIM) and 3D visualization to support new construction, renovation, adaptive reuse, and sustainable certified design. Services are tailored to long-term client relationships and grounded in deep community familiarity.

Product overview

Nola I VanPeursem Architects (now branded as Archemy Architecture & Design) is a full-service architectural firm based in Huntsville, Alabama with 77 years of practice in North Alabama. The firm operates as a single integrated practice offering architectural design services rather than a platform with modular products. Their core offering encompasses architectural design across multiple market sectors including K-12 Education Design (schools, gymnasiums, auditoriums), Higher Education Design (university campuses, residence halls, research facilities), Civic/Municipal Design (fire stations, government facilities), Aviation Facility Design (hangars, maintenance facilities), Multi-Family Residential Design (senior living, mixed-use), Aquatics Facility Design (competition pools, natatoriums), and Research Facility Design (specialized laboratories). The firm has completed over one billion dollars in design and construction across the United States and thirteen foreign countries.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Architectural Design Services Full-service architectural design and master planning for institutional, commercial, healthcare, aviation, residential, and historic preservation clients across North Alabama. Services are delivered under the direct control of a firm principal and utilize BIM, 3D rendering, and LEED-certified sustainable design.
• K-12 Education Design Design services for elementary, middle, and high school facilities including classroom buildings, gymnasiums, auditoriums, career technical academies, and athletic facilities. Serves K-12 school districts in North Alabama such as Madison City Schools, Huntsville City Schools, Decatur City Schools, and Madison County Schools.
• Higher Education Design
• Civic/Municipal Design
• Aviation Facility Design Design services for aviation-related facilities including aircraft hangars, maintenance facilities, and airport terminals. The Yulista M5 Hangar (70,000 SF) features administrative offices and high-bay hangar space for military aircraft maintenance. Serves private aviation companies and airport authorities.
• Multi-Family Residential Design Design services for multi-family residential buildings including senior living facilities and mixed-use developments. Gateway Place (100,000 SF, 86 units) achieved LEED for Homes PLATINUM rating. Serves housing authorities and private developers.
• Aquatics Facility Design Design services for competition swimming pools, therapy pools, and natatoriums. The Huntsville Aquatics Center (65,000 SF new construction) features a 50-meter competition pool, 25-yard therapy pool, and 1,500-seat grandstand. Serves municipal recreation departments and community recreation organizations.
• Research Facility Design Design services for specialized research facilities including severe weather research laboratories. The SWIRLL building (17,000 SF) for UAH features an iconic inverted glass cone design and houses weather research equipment and a tornado shelter. Serves university research programs and government research clients.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over $1 billion in design and construction completed in 77 years
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers14 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

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• CannonDesign: National architecture and engineering firm strong in higher education, healthcare, and science facilities — directly comparable sector mix to Archemy's non-education verticals.
• HOK: Global architecture practice with deep higher-education, civic, and aviation sector practices. Represents the upper-bound scale competitor for marquee Huntsville-region pursuits.
• Perkins&Will: Global architecture firm with dedicated education and civic practices that competes for the larger public-sector commissions in Alabama and adjacent markets.
• SmithGroup: Large integrated design firm with nationally recognized higher-education and science/research practices. Comparable on the research-facility side of Archemy's portfolio (SWIRLL, UAH Engineering).
• DLR Group: Large national architecture firm with one of the strongest K-12 and higher-education practices in the U.S. A larger incumbent competing for the same institutional RFPs at scale.

Direct peers

• Goodwyn Mills Cawood (GMC): Alabama-headquartered architecture and engineering firm serving K-12, higher education, civic, and aviation clients across the Southeast. Closely overlaps Archemy's vertical mix and regional footprint.
• Williams Blackstock Architects: Birmingham, Alabama architecture firm with long-standing K-12, higher education, and civic practice. Direct regional competitor for North Alabama institutional work.
• Flad Architects: National architecture firm specializing in higher education and science/research facilities. Directly comparable to the SWIRLL, UAH engineering, and Alabama A&M research projects that anchor Archemy's higher-ed practice.
• TRO (formerly TRO Jung|Brannen): Birmingham, Alabama-headquartered mid-sized architecture firm with deep institutional, educational, and civic practice across the Southeast. Most comparable Alabama-based regional peer with similar size and sector mix.

Regional players

• Volkert: Mobile, Alabama-based engineering, architecture, and infrastructure consulting firm serving transportation, aviation, and public clients across the Southeast. Regional peer with overlapping aviation and civic work.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/nvparchitects
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/archemydesign
• Instagraminstagram.com/archemydesign

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles18 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 Nola I VanPeursem Architects