Marlene Imirzian and Associates, Architects, Ltd.

What Marlene Imirzian and Associates, Architects, Ltd. does

Marlene Imirzian and Associates, Architects, Ltd. (MIAA) is a Phoenix-headquartered architecture practice founded by Marlene Imirzian, FAIA, that delivers full-service architectural design for higher-education, public-sector, and non-profit clients across Arizona and Southern California. The firm specializes in sustainable, climate-responsive design for desert environments, with a portfolio spanning community college campuses (Miramar College, Mesa Community College, Paradise Valley Community College, Southwestern College, Palomar College, Mt. San Antonio College), university and K-12 facilities (Arizona State University's Herberger Young Scholars Academy), civic projects (State of Arizona Capitol Dome Replacement, City of Phoenix Fire Station 3), historic preservation, and select residential work including net-zero homes.

Core technical capabilities center on LEED-certified sustainable design, integrated rainwater harvesting, passive cooling, daylighting optimization, photovoltaic integration, water reclamation, and adaptive reuse / historic preservation. The firm's deliverable model follows the standard A&E phases — schematic design, design development, construction documents, bidding, and construction administration — executed through direct client engagement and competitive RFP processes typical of public-sector work. Revenue is generated through contracted design fees structured as fixed fees, hourly billing, or a percentage of construction cost.

MIAA operates as an independent, privately held, women-owned practice with no parent, no subsidiaries, and no disclosed venture or institutional capital. It has earned sustained national recognition through the ARCHITECT 50 Top 50 rankings (2013–2017, peaking at #18 in 2016), AIA Arizona Firm of the Year (2015), the inaugural Architectural Record Women in Architecture Award (2014), and the AIA Fellowship of its founder (2013). The firm's competitive position is anchored in deep regional relationships in the public-sector A&E market and a reputation for sustainability outcomes that materially reduce client operating costs.

Name

Marlene Imirzian and Associates, Architects, Ltd.

Legal name

Marlene Imirzian & Associates Architects

Website

https://imirzian-architects.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Marlene Imirzian and Associates is a Phoenix-headquartered, women-owned architecture firm specializing in sustainable, climate-responsive design for community colleges, universities, government agencies, and non-profit clients across Arizona and Southern California.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Architectural Services

NAICS

Architectural Services (54131)

akta.pro primary industry

Architectural Design Services (BPAHAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Interior Design Services (BPAHAKAB), Architectural Reconfiguration & Structural Alterations (HSAPAEAB)

Keywords

• Architectural design services
• Sustainable architecture design
• LEED certified design
• Historic preservation services
• Educational facility design

Headquarters

HQ city

Phoenix

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

Revenue model

1. Architecture and Design Services: Traditional architecture firm revenue from design fees. Services include schematic design, design development, construction documents, bidding, and construction administration. Revenue is earned through contracted design fees, which may be structured as fixed fees, hourly billing, or a percentage of construction cost. Projects span new construction, renovation, historic preservation, and adaptive reuse.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Marlene Imirzian & Associates Architects provides full-service architectural design spanning schematic design, design development, construction documents, bidding, and construction administration. The firm delivers new construction, renovation, historic preservation, and adaptive reuse projects primarily for educational, government, non-profit, healthcare, commercial, and residential clients across Arizona and Southern California, with a deep specialization in sustainable, LEED-certified, climate-responsive design for desert environments.

Product overview

Marlene Imirzian & Associates Architects is an architecture firm offering comprehensive architectural design services across multiple building typologies and sectors. The firm specializes in educational facilities (community colleges, universities, K-12 schools), commercial buildings, healthcare facilities, historic preservation and restoration, public/civic buildings, and residential projects. The portfolio demonstrates expertise in sustainable design with multiple LEED-certified projects, including educational buildings, transportation facilities, and community centers. Key projects include the Life Science Building at Paradise Valley Community College, the Gary K. Herberger Young Scholars Academy at ASU, the Heavy Duty Advanced Transportation Technology Building at Miramar College, the Student Portal Complex at Mesa Community College, and the Bob & Renee Parsons Leadership Center for Girls and Women. The firm operates primarily in Arizona and California with a focus on desert climate-responsive architecture.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Architectural Design Services
• Sustainable and LEED-Certified Design
• Historic Preservation and Adaptive Reuse
• Net-Zero Energy Residential Design

Quantifiable outcome

• 39% energy cost savings above ASHRAE 90.1-2007 for Herberger Young Scholars Academy
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Honda (Industry Partner)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHonda serves as a teaching partner for the Heavy Duty Advanced Transportation Technology (HDATT) program at Miramar College, providing workforce training support for the diesel technology and alternative fuels program.
• Toyota (Industry Partner)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerToyota partners with the HDATT program at Miramar College for workforce training in advanced transportation technology and alternative fuels.
• S D Crane BuilderscoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerS D Crane Builders was the construction partner for the State of Arizona Capitol Dome Replacement project, working alongside MIAA to replace the historic natural copper roof and the winged victory sculpture atop the 1901 Capitol building listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
• DPR ConstructioncoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerDPR Construction served as the builder for the $34 million Science Building expansion project at San Diego Miramar College, part of the $1.555 billion Propositions S & N bond program.
• Bergelectric Corp.minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerServed as the design-build electrical contractor for the Miramar College Science Building expansion project.
• University Mechanical & Engineering ContractorsminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerServed as the design-build mechanical contractor for the Miramar College Science Building expansion project.
• Spurlock Poirier LandscapingminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLandscape architecture partner for the Miramar College Science Building expansion project, providing site and landscape design integration.
• Spurlock Landscape ArchitectsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered with Spurlock Landscape Architects for the Desert Botanical Garden Butterfly Pavilion project, where MIAA provided architectural design of the exhibit under the landscape architecture firm's lead.
• Desert Viking Companies, Inc.minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerDeveloper partner for the Chandler Office Building renovation and addition project in Chandler's historic downtown square. Worked closely with the City of Chandler to produce a design differentiated from the historic context while maintaining compatibility with the city's vision.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Regional players

• Steinberg Hart: California-based architecture firm with higher education and civic practice areas; competes regionally with MIAA on Southern California community college and public-sector projects.
• Orcutt | Winslow: Phoenix-headquartered architecture firm with a long-standing K-12 and higher education practice across the Southwest — a direct regional peer competing for the same Arizona institutional commissions.
• Weddle Gilmore: Phoenix-based architecture firm working across commercial, civic, and adaptive reuse projects in the Arizona market — a local peer competing in the same desert-climate Southwest design market.

Direct peers

• LPA Design Studios: California-headquartered architecture firm with deep K-12 and higher education sector expertise and a strong sustainability focus — a direct geographic and typology peer for MIAA's California community college work.
• BNIM Architects: Mid-sized architecture firm with a national reputation in high-performance, net-zero, and LEED-driven design; comparable awards trajectory (AIA Committee on the Environment Top Ten) and overlapping public-sector education and civic client base.
• Lake|Flato Architects: San Antonio–based sustainable architecture firm of comparable size, recognized for climate-responsive and award-winning design across education, civic, and residential typologies — directly overlapping MIAA's sustainability-led, public-sector profile.
• Mithun: Integrated design firm with strong sustainability credentials and an education / civic portfolio, of similar size to MIAA and frequently cited alongside it in ARCHITECT Top 50 and AIA sustainability rankings.

Broad incumbents

• Perkins&Will: Large global architecture firm with a leading sustainable design practice and substantial higher education and civic portfolio; competes with MIAA for the same institutional RFPs but at significantly larger scale.
• CannonDesign: Large architecture firm with deep education and healthcare sector practices and growing sustainability commitments; overlaps MIAA's higher education client base while operating at much greater scale.
• SmithGroup: National integrated design firm with major higher education, civic, and science & technology practices, plus a robust sustainability agenda — a broader incumbent against which MIAA competes for community college and civic commissions.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/marlene-imirzian-architects

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Marlene Imirzian and Associates, Architects, Ltd.