Sturgess Architecture

What Sturgess Architecture does

Sturgess Architecture (also branded _SA) is a private, Calgary-headquartered architecture and design firm founded in 1980, with a second office in Nelson, British Columbia, and an 11-50 employee footprint. The firm delivers full-service architectural design across four practice areas — Enhancing Culture (cultural attractions, hospitality interiors), Shaping Cities (civic infrastructure, transit, bridges, urban planning), Redefining Community (mixed-use and multi-family developments), and Evolving Home (custom residential). The portfolio spans public-sector commissions (City of Calgary Water Centre, LEED Gold; Banff Town Hall; Yukon Visitor Centre; Government of Yukon), private developer projects (Greenview, JANL, Matthew's Development), hospitality interiors (Orchard, OEB Breakfast, Milpa, Beauty Edit, City & Country Winery), and signature tourism architecture (the Glacier Skywalk in Jasper National Park attracting 375,000+ annual visitors; FlyOver Canada Toronto).

The underlying technology is conventional architecture practice — design expertise in sustainable/LEED-certified buildings, urban design, residential, and hospitality interiors — with no proprietary software platform; the firm has no disclosed AI/ML capabilities, patents, or technology IP. Revenue is generated through professional-service fees for commissioned design, documentation, and project oversight, with project pricing custom-scoped per engagement.

The go-to-market model is direct client engagement supplemented by competition submissions for public-sector work (examples: Banff Town Hall, Bridgeland Master Plan, Edmonton Pavilions). The firm won Governor General's Medals in 1997 (Yukon Visitor Centre) and 2016 (Glacier Skywalk), World Architecture Festival recognition in 2011 and 2021, and multiple Architizer and Canadian construction-industry awards. Following founder Jeremy Sturgess, Kevin Harrison became Principal in October 2019, representing a generational leadership transition while the firm continues to operate from Calgary with a senior associate, an associate, and project teams supported by partnerships with WSP, Manasc Isaac Architecture, and BOLD Workshop Architecture.

Name

Sturgess Architecture

Legal name

Sturgess Architecture

Website

https://sturgessarchitecture.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1980

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Sturgess Architecture is a Calgary-headquartered, 40-year-old architecture firm serving government, private developers, and hospitality clients across Canada with full-service design, LEED-certified civic buildings, custom residences, mixed-use developments, and award-winning cultural-tourism attractions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Calgary

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Architectural Design Services: Full-service architecture firm providing design services for residential, commercial, civic, hospitality, and infrastructure projects. Revenue generated through professional service fees for design, documentation, and project oversight.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Sturgess Architecture is a full-service architecture firm providing design, documentation, and project oversight for residential, commercial, civic, hospitality, and infrastructure projects. The firm organizes its work across four practice areas: Enhancing Culture, Shaping Cities, Redefining Community, and Evolving Home, delivering sustainable, context-responsive architecture from offices in Calgary and Nelson, BC.

Product overview

Sturgess Architecture is an architecture and design firm offering comprehensive architectural design services organized across four main practice areas: Enhancing Culture (cultural buildings, tourist attractions, and hospitality venues), Shaping Cities (civic infrastructure, transit systems, bridges, and urban planning), Redefining Community (mixed-use developments, multi-family residential, and community centres), and Evolving Home (custom residential architecture). The portfolio spans civic buildings like the LEED Gold Water Centre, award-winning tourist attractions like the Glacier Skywalk, mixed-use residential projects like AVLI on Atlantic, custom residences like the House on the Bench, and urban planning initiatives including the Office Retrofit Study for Calgary's downtown revitalization. The firm also offers research and conceptual studies addressing contemporary urban challenges.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• The Water Centre A 16,000 square metre LEED Gold certified civic operational and administrative centre for the City of Calgary, housing Waterworks and Wastewater departments with sustainable achievements including 58% energy savings, 59% water use reduction, and 95% construction waste diversion.
• Glacier Skywalk / Glacier Discovery Walk An architectural tourist experience in Jasper National Park featuring a glass-floored cantilever walkway 280m above the Sunwapta Valley, drawing over 375,000 visitors annually.
• AVLI on Atlantic A mixed-use building in Calgary with 65 residential units, approximately 1,000 square meters of commercial space, and 92 below-grade parking stalls, featuring live-work units and a hardscaped plaza.
• House on the Bench (Naramata House) A private residence on the Naramata bench near Penticton, BC, featuring weathering steel and black stained wood cladding, with a cantilevered terrace overlooking a forested gorge.
• Banff Town Hall A 1,500 square metre building with offices and council chambers for the Town of Banff, notable as the first building in Alberta to receive a C-2000 energy efficient rating.
• Yukon Visitors Centre A visitor reception centre on the Alaska Highway near Whitehorse, featuring a tent-like entry porch, wash pavilion, exhibit hall, and curved theatre with glulam beam construction.
• FlyOver Canada Toronto A flying-theatre attraction in Toronto located near the CN Tower, featuring immersive pre-ride experiences and a motion simulation ride taking 88 guests on a 6,000-kilometre 4D journey across Canada.

Quantifiable outcome

• 58% energy saving and 59% water use reduction achieved at The Water Centre
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Manasc Isaac ArchitecturecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAssociation with Manasc Isaac Architecture on The Water Centre project. Manasc Isaac is a Calgary-based architecture firm specializing in sustainable design.
• BOLD Workshop ArchitecturecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with BOLD Workshop Architecture on City & Country Winery project. Also worked together on Rain Dog Bar project.
• WSPcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWSP led the consultant team for the 9th Avenue Bridge project, with Sturgess Architecture providing bridge architecture. WSP is a global engineering professional services firm.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Architecture49: Large Canadian architecture firm with offices across multiple provinces delivering civic, recreational, and institutional projects. Comparable to Sturgess Architecture in serving public-sector clients with both building and master-planning commissions, though operating across more Canadian jurisdictions and at larger scale.
• Lemay: Large Canadian architecture and design firm with offices across Quebec, Ontario, Alberta, and beyond, focused on architecture, urban design, landscape, and interior design. Comparable to Sturgess Architecture in designing civic, residential, and urban-planning projects across Canada, but at much larger scale including international work.
• KPMB Architects: Toronto-based Canadian architecture practice with a civic, institutional, and adaptive-reuse portfolio. Comparable to Sturgess Architecture in pursuing public-sector commissions and design-recognized cultural projects, though substantially larger and more diversified across Ontario and international markets.
• Diamond Schmitt Architects: Major Canadian architecture firm with a national multi-office footprint delivering civic, cultural, residential, and institutional projects. Comparable to Sturgess Architecture in serving government and cultural-attraction commissions across Canada, but at a significantly larger scale and broader geographic reach.
• WZMH Architects: Toronto-headquartered Canadian architecture firm with civic, institutional, and high-rise residential experience. Comparable to Sturgess Architecture in public-sector building commissions and award-recognized design, though larger and concentrated in Ontario market.
• DIALOG: Canadian multi-disciplinary design practice integrating architecture, engineering, and planning across buildings, communities, and urban infrastructure. Comparable to Sturgess Architecture in civic infrastructure and mixed-use work, but differentiated by its integrated engineering/services platform and much larger multi-city footprint.
• Moriyama & Teshima Architects: Toronto-based Canadian architecture firm with a four-decade-plus history designing civic, cultural, and institutional buildings. Comparable to Sturgess Architecture in pursuit of architecturally distinguished public commissions, with similar longevity and award profile including Governor General's Medals.

Direct peers

• gh3* architecture: Canadian architecture firm recognized for civic, cultural, and landscape-integrated buildings with multiple Governor General's Medals. Comparable to Sturgess Architecture in pursuing award-recognized civic and cultural commissions, with overlapping client base in public and cultural sectors.
• BOLD Workshop Architecture: Calgary-based architecture practice collaborating with Sturgess Architecture on City & Country Winery and Rain Dog Bar. Directly comparable as a same-city peer focused on hospitality, restaurant, and small-scale cultural projects in the Calgary market.
• Manasc Isaac Architecture: Calgary-based architecture firm specializing in sustainable design and a named partner on Sturgess Architecture's Water Centre project. Directly comparable as a same-city peer pursuing civic commissions with a sustainability focus, sharing both geography and project-class overlap.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/sturgessarchitecture
• Xx.com/sturgessyyc
• Facebookfacebook.com/SturgessArchitecture
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sturgess-architecture

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 Sturgess Architecture