OPAL Architecture

What OPAL Architecture does

OPAL Architecture is a private, founder-led architecture practice founded in 2008 and organized as OPAL Global, LLC, headquartered in Belfast, Maine, with NYC business development led by George Switzer. The firm designs bespoke high-performance buildings for two principal client segments: high-end custom residential clients across the U.S. and Quebec, and institutional / cultural clients including private schools, liberal arts colleges, and non-profit / agricultural education centers. Every project is delivered to the German Passive House standard, integrating superinsulated building shells (R-35 foundation / R-50 walls / R-80 roof), ultra-high-performance European triple-glazed windows, 80%-efficient heat-recovery ventilation, and cross-laminated timber (CLT) / biogenic construction, supported by a proprietary in-house energy modeling program and life cycle / embodied-carbon analysis.

The firm's underlying technology platform is its standardized Passive House Innovation Platform ("10X building performance methodology"), applied to every project since founding, plus the All-Wood Construction Initiative that substitutes mass timber, CLT, and wood-fiber insulation for foam, fiberglass, and concrete. OPAL also has a related ecosystem of sister companies co-founded by Executive Partner Matthew O'Malia: TimberHP (North America's first domestic wood-fiber insulation manufacturer, producing Timber Board, Timber Batt, and Timber Fill at a former paper mill in Madison, Maine), GO Logic (architecture / prefabrication), OPAL Build (design-build), and GO Lab (holding / research entity). The firm has designed and built more than 112,000 square feet of building space performing 5-10x better than code, saving the equivalent of well over 150,000 gallons of oil versus the same square footage built to code, and has achieved the AIA 2030 Commitment's 80% portfolio energy reduction target for six consecutive years.

OPAL makes money on a project-based, fee-for-service professional services model. Architectural fees are not publicly disclosed; engagements are scoped per project through direct client consultation, with multi-year contract cadences for institutional work (pre-design, programming, full architectural services, energy modeling, LCA) and long-term partner-led residential engagements running from pre-purchase through construction administration. Distribution is entirely direct: partner-led business development, referral networks from institutional clients and collaborating peer firms (notably Susan T. Rodriguez | Architecture - Design, Stimson, and Nordic Structures for CLT), and inbound interest driven by the firm's project portfolio, AIA / Passive House Network awards, and content marketing (ecology / innovation blog, shelter-magazine coverage in Architectural Record, Dwell, Wall Street Journal, Architectural Digest, ArchDaily, Forbes, etc.). Pricing and revenue figures are not publicly disclosed, and the firm remains privately held by its named partners with no external venture capital or private equity ownership disclosed.

Name

OPAL Architecture

Legal name

OPAL Global, LLC

Website

https://opalarch.us

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

OPAL Architecture is a private, founder-led architecture firm (founded 2008, Belfast, ME) that designs high-end custom residential and institutional buildings to the Passive House standard using CLT, mass timber, and wood-fiber insulation, supported by a proprietary energy-modeling and LCA practice and an affiliated materials and design-build ecosystem.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Architectural Services

NAICS

Architectural Services (54131)

SIC

Services-To Dwellings & Other Buildings (7340)

akta.pro primary industry

Architectural Design Services (BPAHAKAA)

Keywords

• Passive house architecture
• Residential architecture services
• Institutional building design
• Mass timber construction
• Sustainable building design

Headquarters

HQ city

Belfast

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Architectural design services for residential clients: Project-based, bespoke residential design work for private clients, delivered as fee-for-service architectural commissions with a deep, long-term client relationship and ongoing engagement.
2. Institutional / commercial architectural design services: Fee-for-service architecture for schools, colleges, non-profits, and cultural institutions including pre-design feasibility, building programming, energy modeling, life cycle analysis, and full architectural services. Delivered through direct contracts and collaborative partnerships with peer firms.
3. Energy modeling and high-performance building consulting: Specialist services including building energy modeling, life cycle assessment, and high-performance envelope detailing, supplied either as part of architecture commissions or as a discrete service for partner-designed projects (e.g., Charbrook Farm with Stimson).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

OPAL Architecture is an architecture practice that designs bespoke high-performance residential homes and institutional buildings (schools, colleges, cultural centers) to the Passive House standard, using cross-laminated timber (CLT) construction, superinsulated envelopes, heat-recovery ventilation, and proprietary energy modeling to deliver buildings that use approximately 20% of the energy of a code-compliant structure. The firm also offers standalone energy modeling and life cycle assessment (LCA) consulting services, often supplied to projects designed by partner architecture firms.

Product overview

OPAL Architecture operates as a single integrated architectural practice organized around three pillars - Architecture (services), Innovation (research and methods), and Ecology (sustainability framework) - rather than a platform with separate modules. Its core service offerings are Residential Design and Institutional Design, both delivered exclusively through the firm's standardized Passive House Innovation Platform (10X building performance methodology). All projects also flow through the All-Wood Construction Initiative, which uses mass timber (CLT) and wood-fiber insulation to slash embodied carbon, and the Building Ecology / Sustainability Framework targeting net-positive environmental impact across energy, carbon, local materials, site ecology, and community. Innovation work extends to a sister-company product line, TimberHP Wood Fiber Insulation (Timber Board, Timber Batt, Timber Fill), co-founded by OPAL executive partner Matthew O'Malia, which OPAL specifies on its projects. OPAL also maintains an in-house energy modeling and life cycle assessment (LCA) capability supporting both design service lines.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• OPAL Build: OPAL's affiliated design-build practice, co-founded by Matthew O'Malia.

Products and services

• Residential Design Bespoke high-performance residential architecture service combining Passive House principles, energy modeling, and site-responsive design for private homeowners. Delivers custom homes integrating cross-laminated timber (CLT) construction, air-source heat pump mechanical systems, heat-recovery ventilation, and rooftop solar for net-zero operational energy.
• Institutional Design Architecture service for institutional clients (schools, colleges, cultural and arts centers) covering feasibility studies, pre-design, programming, scheduling, budgeting, rigorous energy modeling, life cycle analysis, and sustainability goal-setting. Delivers buildings meeting Passive House performance standards.
• Energy Modeling and High-Performance Building Consulting Specialist consulting service including building energy modeling, life cycle assessment (LCA), and high-performance envelope detailing. Supplied either as part of OPAL's own architecture commissions or as a discrete consulting engagement for projects designed by partner architecture firms (e.g., the Charbrook Farm project with Stimson).
• TimberHP Wood Fiber Insulation Products (Timber Board, Timber Batt, Timber Fill) Three-product suite of renewable, recyclable, carbon-sequestering wood-fiber insulation manufactured by OPAL's sister company TimberHP. Includes Timber Board (rigid continuous exterior insulation), Timber Batt (cavity insulation replacing fiberglass/mineral wool), and Timber Fill (loose-fill attic/cavity insulation replacing cellulose). Specified across OPAL's own portfolio and sold to other builders.

Quantifiable outcome

• OPAL buildings use ~20% of the energy consumed by a conventional code-compliant house.
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers13 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.

• Susan T. Rodriguez | Architecture • DesignflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-developed the Davis Center for Human Ecology at College of the Atlantic (Bar Harbor, ME) and the Schupf Downtown Arts Center for Colby College (Waterville, ME) with OPAL. Timothy Lock, Alex Rosenthal, and other OPAL staff are listed alongside Rodriguez firm members on the design team for both projects.
• StimsoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDesign collaboration with the Massachusetts-based landscape architecture firm on Charbrook Farm studio and grange hall (3,900 SF) in Princeton, MA. OPAL provided design support plus energy modelling and high-performance envelope detailing while Stimson led landscape and contextual design.
• Nordic StructurescoreTechnology or IntegrationManufactured the cross-laminated timber (CLT) panels used in OPAL's Mountain Retreat residence in Quebec, Canada. The CLT panels form the structural walls, ceilings, and roof of the building, were prefabricated and assembled on site, and serve as the interior finish surface.
• TimberHP (by GO Lab)flagshipTechnology or IntegrationOPAL's sister company, co-founded by Executive Partner Matthew O'Malia and materials scientist Joshua Henry. TimberHP manufactures wood-fiber insulation products (Timber Board, Timber Batt, Timber Fill) at the former paper mill in Madison, Maine — the first domestic producer of wood-fiber insulation in the U.S. OPAL specifies TimberHP insulation across its portfolio.
• GO LogicflagshipImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerOPAL-affiliated general contractor and prefab builder. Produced the site plan and building designs for Belfast Cohousing & Ecovillage, serving as general contractor; acted as general contractor for Maine Rural Modern, Little House on the Ferry, and Cornerspring Montessori School. Sister firm in the O'Malia ecosystem.
• Waring SchoolcoreOthersPrivate liberal arts middle and high school in Beverly, MA that commissioned OPAL to design 'The Bridge', a 12,370 sq ft new academic building meeting Passive House standards (EUI 9.2 kBTU/SF/yr). Craig Douglas, AIA, served as Owner's Representative.
• Wolfe's Neck Center for Agriculture and the EnvironmentcoreOthersAgricultural non-profit and educational farm in Freeport, ME that commissioned OPAL to design the Smith Center for Education and Research (8,000 SF Passive House) within the disturbed footprint of a relocated dairy barn. Construction Manager: Zachau Construction.
• College of the AtlanticflagshipOthersEnvironmental liberal arts college on Mt. Desert Island, ME; commissioned OPAL (with Susan T. Rodriguez) to design the Davis Center for Human Ecology, an L-shaped building containing art studios, science labs, classrooms, and a greenhouse built to the German Passive House standard. EUI 24.5 kBTU/SF/yr.
• Colby CollegeflagshipOthersPrivate liberal arts college in Waterville, ME that co-led the downtown reinvestment initiative through which OPAL (with Susan T. Rodriguez) designed the Paul J. Schupf Art Center, including the Colby College Museum of Art Gallery. EUI 30.6 kBTU/SF/yr.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Atelier Ten: Sustainable design and building performance consulting firm that overlaps with OPAL on energy modeling, Passive House, and LCA services. Larger, broader portfolio spanning multiple building typologies and geographies.
• Lake|Flato Architects: Established, award-winning sustainable architecture practice with a comparable high-performance residential and institutional portfolio and similar regional roots. Operates at larger scale across Texas and nationally.
• Olson Kundig: Premium custom residential and small-institutional architecture firm with strong publication profile and Forbes/Award-tier recognition. Comparable on bespoke residential client base and high design-craft positioning.
• Bohlin Cywinski Jackson: National architecture firm recognized for high-craft residential and institutional work with strong sustainability credentials (multiple AIA COTE Top Ten wins). Comparable on award-tier residential and cultural commissions.

Direct peers

• Annum Architects: Passive House specialist architecture firm focused on high-performance residential and small institutional projects in the Northeast. Closest direct comparable on Passive House methodology at a similar boutique scale.
• Stimson: Landscape architecture firm that partnered with OPAL on Charbrook Farm, delivering OPAL's high-performance envelope and energy modeling alongside Stimson's landscape and contextual design. Directly comparable on integrated ecological design.
• Marmol Radziner: High-end residential and prefab architecture firm where OPAL Design Partner Riley Pratt previously served as associate and studio director. Direct comparable on bespoke sustainable residential and prefabricated construction.
• BKSK Architects: New York-based architecture firm with deep experience in sustainable institutional and cultural buildings, including schools and civic projects. Direct comparable on high-performance institutional commissions.
• GO Logic: Architecture, design-build, and prefabrication firm co-founded by OPAL co-founder Matthew O'Malia. Operates as a sister company in the same Passive House / high-performance ecosystem and acts as general contractor on multiple OPAL projects (Belfast Cohousing, Cornerspring Montessori, Little House on the Ferry).
• Susan T. Rodriguez | Architecture • Design: Frequent co-development partner on OPAL's largest institutional commissions (College of the Atlantic Davis Center, Colby Schupf Arts Center). Operates in a comparable high-performance sustainable architecture niche with institutional clients.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/weareopal
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/opalarch

Compliance7 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Subsidiaries4 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 OPAL Architecture