Open City Architecture
Open City Architecture is a privately held, full-service architectural design studio in Saint Augustine, Florida, providing concept-through-construction services for K-12 schools, higher education facilities, corporate workplaces, and government buildings, operating with a four-person team.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2020
- HeadquartersSaint Augustine, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Open City Architecture does
Open City Architecture (OCA) is a privately held, full-service architectural design studio headquartered in Saint Augustine, Florida, operating with a four-person team led by Principal R. Conner Dowling, AIA. Founded circa 2020 after the principal's 10-year tenure at Bora Architects, the firm delivers architectural services spanning concept design through construction administration, serving K-12 schools, higher education institutions, commercial/technology companies, and government/public-sector clients. Its portfolio includes campus renovations, new academic buildings, corporate tenant improvements, and civic facilities, with geographic footprint spanning Florida, Oregon, Washington, Colorado, and California as well as historical international work in France, Japan, Malta, and Monaco.
Open City Architecture firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Open City Architecture
- Legal name
- Open City Architecture, Inc.
- Website
- https://opencityarchitecture.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2020
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Open City Architecture is a privately held, full-service architectural design studio in Saint Augustine, Florida, providing concept-through-construction services for K-12 schools, higher education facilities, corporate workplaces, and government buildings, operating with a four-person team.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Open City Architecture industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Architectural Design Services
- NAICS
- Architectural Services (54131), Architectural Services (541310)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Architectural Design Services (BPAHAKAA)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Landscape Architecture & Site Design (BPAHAKAC)
Keywords
Where Open City Architecture is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Saint Augustine
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Open City Architecture business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Architecture and Design Services: Professional architecture services including concept design through construction administration for institutional and commercial projects. Revenue is project-based, generated through design fees for K-12 schools, higher education facilities, and commercial office environments.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels2 records
Open City Architecture product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Open City Architecture is a full-service architecture and design studio providing professional design services from concept through construction administration. It serves institutional and commercial clients, specializing in K-12 schools, higher education buildings, and corporate/workplace environments.
Product overview
Open City Architecture is a full-service architecture and design studio based in St. Augustine, Florida. The firm provides architectural design services across multiple sectors including K-12 schools, higher education buildings, and commercial/workplace environments. Services span from concept design through construction administration. Notable project categories include: K-12 Schools (renovation and new construction of school campuses), Higher Education (classroom buildings, innovation centers, teaching and learning facilities), and Commercial (corporate office spaces, tenant improvements, mixed-use developments). The firm works with project collaborators including landscape architects, contractors, and specialty consultants.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- K-12 School Design Services Architectural design services for public and private K-12 schools, including renovation and ground-up new construction of school campuses, from concept design through construction administration. For educational institutions requiring modern learning environments.
- Higher Education Facility Design Services Design services for colleges and universities, including classroom buildings, innovation centers, and teaching and learning facilities, spanning renovation and new construction. For higher education institutions.
- Commercial / Workplace Design Services Architectural design for corporate office spaces, tech campus environments, tenant improvements, and mixed-use developments. For technology companies and commercial developers seeking innovative workplace environments.
- Government / Public Facility Design Services Architectural design for municipal facilities, community centers, amphitheaters, and public infrastructure, including adaptive re-use of existing structures. For local government entities.
Quantifiable outcome
- Over 15 years of experience designing K-12 schools, higher education buildings, and high tech work environments
Companies that use Open City Architecture
Customer profileNamed customers14 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Open City Architecture technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Open City Architecture partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Skanska USAcoreDesign/Build project partner for Microsoft PODs project in Redmond, WA. Also collaborated on University of Washington Global Innovation Exchange project. Skanska serves as the design-build contractor while Open City Architecture provides architectural design services.
- OZ ArchitectureminorCollaborated on Community College of Denver project. OZ Architecture (Denver-based) was the prime architecture firm with Open City providing design support during their tenure at Bora Architects.
- Bora ArchitectscoreFormer employer where Principal Conner Dowling spent 10 years as an associate. Past collaboration included major projects such as K-12 schools, higher education buildings, and tech work environments. Multiple projects from this period are showcased in the portfolio.
- ArquitectonicacoreFormer employer where Conner Dowling worked under Laurinda Spear (co-founder) in Miami and Paris. Past collaboration on projects including Ransom Everglades Middle School, Eos Office Building, and SmartCity Malta development.
- ArchitectureWminorFormer employer (2008-2011) where Conner Dowling worked on projects including City of Portland Memorial Coliseum and Embassy of Kuwait.
- PLACE Landscape ArchitectsminorCollaborated as landscape architecture partner on Microsoft PODs project.
- Turner ExhibitsminorCollaborated as exhibits partner on Microsoft PODs project.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves4 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Open City Architecture competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- LPA Design Studios: Integrated design firm with one of the largest K-12 and higher education practices in the U.S. Comparable to OCA in its vertical specialization (education-led portfolio) and commitment to sustainable, research-driven design, though significantly larger in scale.
- Legat Architects: Mid-size architecture firm with deep specialization in PreK-12, higher education, and community/learning environments. Directly comparable to OCA's education-first focus and project types (renovation, new construction, campus planning).
- Bora Architects: Portland-based architecture firm where Principal Conner Dowling spent 10 years. Bora specializes in K-12, higher education, and workplace design—the same verticals OCA targets, making it the closest direct comparable in scale, sector focus, and design philosophy.
- Lake|Flato Architects: Boutique architecture firm with a strong sustainability ethos and education/civic portfolio. Comparable to OCA in its design philosophy (simplicity, economy, sustainability), boutique scale, and emphasis on community impact through built work.
- Olson Kundig: Boutique architecture firm known for design-led, principal-involved projects across commercial, cultural, and residential sectors. Comparable to OCA as a small, reputation-driven studio competing on design quality rather than scale.
Broad incumbents
- Perkins&Will: Global architecture firm with award-winning education and workplace studios. Comparable to OCA in targeting universities, schools, and corporate workplace clients, but operating as a much larger practice with broader service offerings.
- DLR Group: Large national integrated design firm with a prominent K-12 and higher education practice alongside civic, healthcare, and commercial work. A broader incumbent that competes for the same institutional RFPs OCA pursues, but at much greater scale.
- Arquitectonica: Internationally recognized architecture firm where Conner Dowling worked under co-founder Laurinda Spear. Comparable in design DNA and global reach (projects in Miami, Paris, Malta, Monaco), but a much larger, established practice with iconic commercial and mixed-use work.
- CannonDesign: National architecture, engineering, and planning firm with a strong education practice (K-12 and higher ed) and significant corporate workplace portfolio. Competes for similar institutional and tech-sector clients as OCA, though at substantially larger scale.
- Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM): Global architecture, engineering, and planning firm with major higher education and civic practices. While far larger than OCA, it competes for marquee university and government projects and represents the scale of practice OCA's principal-level international work could eventually aspire to.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat2 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Open City Architecture social profiles
Digital presenceOpen City Architecture compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Open City Architecture financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Open City Architecture leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
Open City Architecture funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Open City Architecture M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Open City Architecture
What does Open City Architecture do?
Open City Architecture is a full-service architecture and design studio providing professional design services from concept through construction administration. It serves institutional and commercial clients, specializing in K-12 schools, higher education buildings, and corporate/workplace environments.
Is Open City Architecture a public or private company?
Open City Architecture is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Open City Architecture founded?
Open City Architecture was founded in 2020. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Open City Architecture based?
Open City Architecture is headquartered in Saint Augustine, United States, in the North America region.
How does Open City Architecture make money?
One revenue line is on record: architecture and Design Services.
Who are Open City Architecture's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are LPA Design Studios, Legat Architects, Bora Architects, Lake|Flato Architects and Olson Kundig. Broad incumbents are Perkins&Will, DLR Group, Arquitectonica, CannonDesign and Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM).
Does Open City Architecture have an API?
No public API is recorded for Open City Architecture.
What industry is Open City Architecture in?
Open City Architecture's product category is Architectural Design Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAHAKAA, Architectural Design Services, with a secondary code of BPAHAKAC, Landscape Architecture & Site Design. Its NAICS code is 54131.