Smee + Busby Architects

What Smee + Busby Architects does

Smee + Busby Architects, P.C. is a privately-held, Knoxville, Tennessee-based professional architecture firm founded in 2005 when co-founder J. Scott Busby joined Gregor R. Smee's existing practice (Smee Architecture Inc., 2004). The firm employs approximately 11 people across principals, senior architect, architects, project manager, architectural designers, and administrative staff, operating from a renovated 1916 church on Sutherland Avenue that also houses Seed Coffee on the ground floor. Gregor R. Smee holds architectural licenses in 40 states, providing a regulatory platform that materially exceeds the firm's current geographic concentration.

The firm delivers full-service architecture across the standard professional lifecycle: feasibility studies, architectural programming, schematic and concept design, design development, construction documents, bidding/negotiation support, and construction administration. Practice areas span six verticals — Government/Federal Labs (notably Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Manhattan Project National Historical Park), Commercial/Corporate (UT Federal Credit Union branches, office buildouts), Residential/Multi-family (affordable, student, luxury), Education/Daycare (K-12, university, early learning), Civic/Religious (churches, museums, community facilities), and Retail/Restaurant (coffee shops, restaurants, adaptive-reuse retail). The firm has a documented specialty in adaptive reuse and historic preservation, reflected in multiple Knox Heritage awards, two USGBC Green Light Awards, an AIA Young Architects Award, and a 2026 national Metal Architecture Design Award for K-25 Interpretive Center.

Revenue is generated through professional service fees quoted on a per-project basis — pricing is not publicly disclosed and varies by scope, complexity, and service level. The go-to-market is sales-led, relying on direct client engagement, repeat-client relationships, referrals from a strong base of satisfied customers, and active involvement in AIA, CSI, and Knox Heritage. The firm maintains no proprietary technology platforms and operates as a regional professional services firm serving the Southeast U.S. from a single Knoxville headquarters, with over 40 named projects completed since inception.

Name

Smee + Busby Architects

Legal name

Smee + Busby Architects, P.C.

Website

https://smeebusby.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Smee + Busby Architects is a privately-held, Knoxville, Tennessee-based full-service architecture firm of approximately 11 staff, founded in 2005. It serves government, commercial, residential, education, civic, and retail clients across the Southeast, with particular depth in adaptive reuse and federal-laboratory work.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Architectural Services

NAICS

Architectural Services (541310)

SIC

Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

Architectural Design Services (BPAHAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Sustainable/Green Building & LEED Consulting (BPAHAKAG)

Keywords

• Architectural design services
• Adaptive reuse architecture
• Historic preservation design
• Construction administration
• Commercial architecture firm

Headquarters

HQ city

Knoxville

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, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Architectural Design Services: Full-service architectural firm providing concept design, design development, construction documents, bidding/negotiation support, and construction administration. Revenue generated through professional service fees on a project-by-project basis. Services span schematic design, design development, construction documents, and construction administration phases.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Smee + Busby Architects is a full-service architectural firm providing concept design, schematic design, design development, construction documents, bidding/negotiation support, and construction administration for commercial, residential, civic, educational, retail, and government clients. Practice areas include feasibility studies, project management, adaptive reuse of historic buildings, LEED-certified sustainable design, and tenant finish-outs. Services are delivered on a project-by-project basis with pricing specific to scope and complexity.

Product overview

Smee + Busby Architects is an architecture and design firm based in Knoxville, TN, offering a comprehensive range of architectural services across multiple project categories: Residential (single-family homes, multi-family apartments, affordable housing), Commercial/Office (corporate offices, adaptive reuse, tenant finish-outs), Retail/Restaurant (coffee shops, restaurants, retail spaces, event venues), Civic (museums, libraries, churches, community facilities), Education/Daycares (schools, early learning centers, university facilities), Government (Oak Ridge National Laboratory facilities, federal credit union branches). The firm's practice spans full-service architecture from concept design through construction administration, with notable expertise in adaptive reuse, historic preservation, and community-focused design. Projects range from small-scale residential renovations to large institutional facilities, with services including feasibility studies, architectural programming, project management, schematic design, design development, construction documents, bidding/negotiation, and construction administration.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Full-Service Architectural Design End-to-end architectural design services spanning schematic design, design development, construction documents, bidding/negotiation support, and construction administration for commercial, residential, civic, educational, retail, and government clients.
• Adaptive Reuse and Historic Preservation Design Specialized architectural design for adaptive reuse of historic buildings and contextually compatible new construction in historic neighborhoods, including facade restoration, sanctuary modernization, and community-focused preservation. Recognized by multiple Knox Heritage and AIA East Tennessee awards.
• Sustainable and LEED-Certified Design LEED-certified sustainable architectural design integrating energy upgrades, storm water management, and environmentally responsible building practices; recognized by USGBC East Tennessee Green Light Awards in 2014 and 2015.
• Government and National Laboratory Facility Design Architectural design for federal government and Department of Energy facilities, including Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Y-12 National Security Complex projects, addressing complex regulatory compliance, security requirements, and large-scale facility needs.
• Multi-Family and Affordable Housing Design Architectural design for multi-family residential developers, affordable housing developers, and student housing near universities, with focus on design quality that elevates affordable housing to market-rate aesthetic standards.

Named customers7 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• MHM ArchitectscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSmee + Busby has collaborated with MHM Architects on multiple major projects including the ORNL 4500 Library Modernization (10,000 SF) and the Vintage Cal Luxury Apartments (261,023 SF mixed-use development in downtown Knoxville with developer Buzz Goss and TDK Companies). The partnership involves joint design and architectural services on large-scale projects.
• Hilferty & AssociatescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSmee + Busby Architects collaborated with Hilferty & Associates as the exhibit designers for the K-25 History Center Museum. The partnership integrated SBA's architectural design with Hilferty's museum exhibit design expertise to create seamless interactive exhibits within the existing fire station building structure.
• Reagan Design + ConstructionminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerReagan Design + Construction served as the builder for the K Brew West Hills project (2019, 3,096 SF), an expansion of a Knoxville coffee shop to a new suburban location.
• VarnerHomes and DevelopmentminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorVarnerHomes and Development, led by developer David Varner, engaged SBA for the Burlington Commons Affordable Housing project (2020, 28,523 SF) in East Knoxville. Developer made quality design choices resulting in 9ft ceilings, spacious hallways, large windows, and quartz countertops in affordable housing.
• McNabb Modern ConstructionminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerMcNabb Modern Construction served as the builder for the Jaynes Residence project (2015, 2,534 SF), a new contemporary home in Louisville, TN.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Bullock Smith & Associates: Mid-sized Knoxville architecture firm with overlapping practice in commercial, healthcare, education, and civic projects; competes for similar institutional and developer RFPs in the region.
• MBI Companies: East Tennessee architecture, engineering, and interior design firm with broader services but overlapping competition for civic, commercial, and industrial architecture work in the region.
• McCarty Holsaple McCarty: Knoxville-based architecture firm with similar size and a comparable mix of higher education, civic, and adaptive reuse projects in the East Tennessee market.
• BarberMcMurry Architects: Knoxville-based architecture firm of comparable scale, offering a similar mix of civic, educational, residential, and commercial projects in the East Tennessee market. Closest direct competitor for local RFPs.
• Sanders Pace Architecture: Knoxville architecture firm with comparable practice areas including residential, commercial, and adaptive reuse work in the same East Tennessee market and competitive set.
• HHM Architects: Chattanooga-based architecture firm with overlapping practice in civic, educational, and healthcare projects; active partner with Smee + Busby on joint pursuits, illustrating direct peer status in the regional market.
• Hastings Architecture Associates: Nashville-based architecture firm with similar practice focus on civic, educational, religious, and adaptive reuse projects; competes for institutional clients across Tennessee.
• Cope Associates Architects: Knoxville architecture firm with comparable small-firm practice spanning commercial, residential, and institutional projects in the same local market.

Broad incumbents

• Lord Aeck Sargent: Regional architecture firm with stronger higher education, healthcare, and adaptive reuse specialties that occasionally overlap with Smee + Busby's institutional and civic portfolio in the Southeast.
• Barge Design Solutions: Larger Nashville-headquartered multi-disciplinary design firm offering architecture, engineering, and planning across the Southeast; competes for the same institutional and developer work but at a much larger scale.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/smeebusby
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/smee---busby-architects

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 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 Smee + Busby Architects