What WorK Architecture + Design does

Work Architecture + Design (operationally branded Work Architecture) is a privately held, full-service architecture, interior design, and planning firm founded in 2012 and headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky. The firm operates three integrated service lines — Architecture, Interiors, and Framework (planning and development strategy) — with a specialty focus on adaptive reuse, historic preservation, inclusive design, and mixed-use developments. Notable projects include North by Hotel Covington (an 84,700-square-foot, 53-key adaptive reuse hotel combining an 1890 bank and 1912 YMCA), Martin on Main (a 197,000-square-foot mixed-use development with 137 apartments anchored by Nami Korean Steakhouse), The Belknap ($8 million conversion of a 1916 school into 25 apartments qualifying for historic tax credits), Villages at Rose Hill (a 180-unit affordable community in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, with 20% of units reserved for adults with developmental disabilities), the Myriad Hotel (four National Register properties unified into a hospitality destination), and the Pearns Point master plan for a 70-villa luxury resort in Antigua. The firm reports 11–50 employees and operates a single primary office in Louisville.

The firm generates revenue through fee-based, project-by-project professional service engagements across hospitality, residential, commercial, civic, educational, and affordable housing segments. Its customers include hotel operators (Weyland Ventures), universities (University of Louisville), developers (Wilkinson Builders, SOCAYR, Gatesway Foundation, Pearns Point), consumer brands (Rabbit Hole Distilling, Nami/Chef Edward Lee), and government/civic entities (Louisville Downtown Partnership); pricing is bespoke and not publicly disclosed. Go-to-market is direct and relationship-driven, with the firm's portfolio website (wrkarc.com) serving as the principal demand-generation asset; lead inquiry is funneled through [email protected] for projects and [email protected] for recruitment. In February 2026 the firm named its first multiple partners since founding, and in April 2026 it announced a partnership with Louisville Downtown Partnership to deliver an interactive 3D model of Downtown Louisville publicly displayed in the 500 W Building, signaling organizational maturation and a move into civic-scale visualization work.

Name

WorK Architecture + Design

Legal name

Work Architecture

Website

https://wrkarc.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Work Architecture + Design is a privately held Louisville-based architecture, interior design, and planning firm founded in 2012 specializing in adaptive reuse, historic preservation, inclusive design, and mixed-use projects for enterprise hospitality, commercial, residential, civic, and educational clients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Architectural Services

NAICS

Architectural Services (54131), Interior Design Services (541410)

akta.pro primary industry

Architectural Design Services (BPAHAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Interior Design Services (BPAHAKAB), Space Planning & Workplace Design (BPAHAKAI)

Keywords

• Architecture services
• Interior design
• Adaptive reuse
• Historic preservation
• Master planning

Headquarters

HQ city

Louisville

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 Professional Services: The firm generates revenue through fee-based professional services for architecture, interior design, and planning engagements. Projects span new construction, adaptive reuse, historic preservation, and mixed-use developments, with revenue earned on a per-project basis. The firm has delivered projects across residential, hospitality, and commercial sectors.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

WorK Architecture + Design is a full-service architecture, interior design, and planning firm delivering building design, interior design, and master planning services to enterprise and institutional clients. Its practice spans new construction, adaptive reuse, historic preservation, and urban-scale planning under the integrated Framework offering.

Product overview

Work Architecture is an award-winning, full-service Architecture, Interior Design, and Planning firm delivering client-first environments with uncompromising craft and precision. The firm's core offerings consist of three integrated service lines: Architecture (residential, hospitality, and commercial design with expertise in adaptive reuse, historic preservation, and inclusive design), Interiors (craft-focused design prioritizing high-quality materials and intentional details), and Framework (planning and development transforming complex land-use challenges into cohesive environments). Their portfolio demonstrates deep specialization in adaptive reuse and historic preservation projects across Kentucky, Indiana, Oklahoma, and the Caribbean, with notable projects including The Belknap ($8M school conversion), Martin On Main (197,000 sq ft mixed-use), and the North by Hotel Covington (84,700 sq ft hospitality adaptive reuse). The firm also collaborates with Louisville Downtown Partnership on urban visualization tools.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Architecture

Quantifiable outcome

• North by Hotel Covington: 84,700 sq ft, 53-key hotel, 500-person ballroom, connected via basement tunnel and second-floor pedestrian bridge to adjacent hotel.
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers10 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

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered notable and core.

• Louisville Downtown Partnership (LDP)notableStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2026Work Architecture is partnering with the Louisville Downtown Partnership to develop an interactive 3D model of Downtown Louisville. The model is designed as both a planning tool and a community resource, publicly displayed in the 500 W Building. It illustrates the scale, character, and connectivity of downtown Louisville and serves as a platform for civic conversations on growth, development, infrastructure, and placemaking.
• Weyland VenturescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWork Architecture collaborated with Weyland Ventures on the Myriad Hotel and Swim Club project, which integrates four National Register properties into a unified hospitality destination. The project required navigating National Park Service guidelines and significant structural remediation while inserting modern MEP and fire protection systems into historic shells.
• Wilkinson BuilderscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWork Architecture collaborated with Wilkinson Builders on The Belknap adaptive reuse project, converting the historic 1916 William R. Belknap School into a 31,000 sq ft residential complex with 25 apartment units. The partnership was instrumental in achieving historic tax credit qualification and developing immediate design solutions for unexpected structural conditions during construction.
• Gatesway Foundation, Inc.notableStrategic or Co-development PartnerWork Architecture is designing the Villages at Rose Hill development in partnership with Tulsa-based Gatesway Foundation, Inc., which provides critical services for adults with developmental disabilities. Twenty percent of the apartments will have a preference for adults served by Gatesway's Friends of Gatesway program. The project demonstrates the firm's commitment to inclusive design.
• SOCAYR, Inc.notableStrategic or Co-development PartnerWork Architecture is working with SOCAYR, Inc., an experienced developer and owner/operator of affordable housing, on the Villages at Rose Hill project in Broken Arrow, OK. SOCAYR brings development, ownership, and operational expertise to the 180-unit affordable apartment community as a co-development partner.
• Pearns Point (Antigua development entity)notableStrategic or Co-development PartnerWork Architecture led the master planning and design strategy for Pearns Point, a luxury resort development on Antigua's western coast. The project is organized around a land-led design philosophy with a Great House, stone pavilions using local volcanic rock, and 70 villa keys carved into the flanking ridges. The development features a natural valley framing sunset views through a 150-meter corridor.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Gensler: Global architecture and interior design firm with deep hospitality, workplace, and mixed-use practices. Represents the scaled-incumbent competitive threat and benchmark for what enterprise clients may compare boutique firms against.
• HOK: Global architecture firm with major hospitality, commercial, and mixed-use practices. Relevant incumbent that wins large enterprise commissions and may compete for the same regional anchor projects.
• HKS Architects: Large architecture and design firm with significant hospitality, residential, and mixed-use expertise. Represents the scaled competition WorK would face when bidding on larger enterprise hospitality or mixed-use commissions.

Direct peers

• Lake|Flato Architects: San Antonio-based boutique architecture firm with deep expertise in adaptive reuse, hospitality, and contextual regional design. Highly comparable as a similarly-sized firm leveraging place-based design philosophy across hospitality, residential, and mixed-use projects.
• Handel Architects: Multifamily, mixed-use, and hospitality architecture firm with strong adaptive reuse credentials. Directly comparable on the residential/mixed-use/hospitality design services WorK delivers, particularly on podium and urban infill projects.
• Rule Joy Trammell + Rubio (RJTR): Atlanta-based hospitality interior design and architecture firm working on hotels, restaurants, and adaptive reuse. Comparable boutique firm doing integrated architecture and interiors for the hospitality segment.
• Simeone Deary Design Group: Hospitality-focused interior design firm delivering craft-driven interiors for hotels, restaurants, and lounges. Closely comparable to WorK's Interiors service line on hospitality projects like Nami, Rabbit Hole Lounge, and the Myriad Hotel.
• Olson Kundig: Seattle-based boutique architecture and interiors firm specializing in distinctive hospitality, residential, and adaptive reuse projects. Comparable in scale, craft-driven philosophy, and project types — particularly in adaptive reuse and hospitality destinations.

Regional players

• Arrasmith, Judd & Rapp: Louisville-based architecture, planning, and interiors firm with comparable scope across commercial, residential, and adaptive reuse work. The most direct regional competitor operating in the same Louisville/Kentucky market.
• JRA Architects: Louisville-based full-service architecture and interiors firm serving hospitality, healthcare, and commercial clients. Competes for similar regional commissions and shares the Louisville/Kentucky footprint.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/workarc
• Facebookfacebook.com/WORKarc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/work-architecture-design-ltd-

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 WorK Architecture + Design