ARQ Architects

What ARQ Architects does

ARQ Architects is a privately held architectural firm founded in 1985 by Lucinda Schlaffer (MArch, UC Berkeley) and Paul Bonacci (BArch, Rhode Island School of Design), headquartered in Kittery, Maine with a second office in Baltimore, Maryland. The firm employs 89 people and holds architectural licenses across eight states (California, New York, New Jersey, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Maryland, Connecticut, Maine), serving institutional, civic, and residential clients across the United States.

The firm's core practice is sustainable architectural design, with all architectural staff LEED AP accredited and the firm holding US Green Building Council membership since 2002. ARQ integrates passive design strategies, vegetated roofs, rain gardens, solar thermal systems, geothermal heating, and high-performance building envelope systems into projects spanning adaptive reuse of historic structures, museums, animal welfare facilities, veterinary clinics, commercial/hospitality spaces, and custom residential homes. The firm holds 9+ LEED certifications and pioneered the first LEED Silver (Tompkins County SPCA, 2004) and first LEED Gold (Potter League for Animals, 2009) certifications for animal care projects in the United States, along with proprietary innovations such as solid-surface cat "condominiums" with integrated air systems deployed at the ASPCA Urban Habitats project.

ARQ generates revenue through project-based professional service fees for architectural design, programming, master planning, and community engagement. Pricing is quote-based and negotiated per project, with no publicly disclosed rates. Clients are primarily not-for-profit organizations (ASPCA, Tompkins County SPCA, Potter League for Animals, San Francisco SPCA, Children's Museum of New Hampshire), along with select government (Smithsonian, Berkeley Animal Care Services), commercial (Black Birch, Dutch Courage), and residential engagements. The go-to-market is relationship-driven through decades-long professional networks, AIA participation, design publication coverage, and community involvement rather than any intermediary channel.

Name

ARQ Architects

Legal name

ARQ Architects

Website

https://arqarchitects.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1985

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

ARQ Architects is a privately held, 89-person sustainable architecture firm founded in 1985, headquartered in Kittery, Maine with a Baltimore office, specializing in LEED-certified design for not-for-profit, animal welfare, museum, and adaptive reuse clients across the United States.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sustainable Architectural Services

NAICS

Architectural Services (54131), Interior Design Services (541410), Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services (5413)

akta.pro primary industry

Architectural Design Services (BPAHAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Sustainable/Green Building & LEED Consulting (BPAHAKAG), Interior Design Services (BPAHAKAB)

Keywords

• Sustainable architectural design
• LEED certified buildings
• Animal welfare facilities
• Adaptive reuse architecture
• Institutional building design

Headquarters

HQ city

Kittery

HQ country

United States

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

Revenue model

1. Architectural Services: ARQ Architects generates revenue through professional architectural service fees for project design, programming, masterplan, and community engagement services. The firm serves commercial, civic, institutional, residential, and not-for-profit clients with full architectural services.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

ARQ Architects provides full architectural design services—including programming, master planning, community engagement, and design—for institutional, museum, residential, commercial, animal care, and veterinary projects throughout the United States. The firm integrates sustainable design strategies (LEED certification, passive design, renewable energy systems, vegetated roofs, and rain water management) into every project and is recognized as a pioneer of LEED certifications for animal welfare organizations.

Product overview

ARQ Architects is an architectural firm founded in 1985 by partners Lucinda Schlaffer and Paul Bonacci, offering a portfolio of architectural services, sustainable design solutions, and community engagement. The firm's core offering is full architectural services encompassing programming, masterplanning, and design for institutional, residential, commercial, animal care, and veterinary projects. Their work integrates sustainable design strategies including passive design, renewable energy (solar thermal, photovoltaic, geothermal), vegetated roofs, and rain water management as critical components. The portfolio includes notable projects such as the Children's Museum of New Hampshire (LEED Silver), Potter League for Animals (LEED Gold), ASPCA facilities, Riverview Net Zero House, and various residential projects. The firm is a US Green Building Council member since 2002 with all staff LEED AP accredited.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Architectural Design Services
• Sustainable Design Services
• LEED Certification Consulting
• Passive Design Consulting
• Community Engagement Services

Quantifiable outcome

• First LEED Gold certification for animal care project in the United States (Potter League for Animals)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Old Goucher Community Association (OGCA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerARQ Baltimore office participates actively in the Old Goucher Community Association and has taken a leadership role in developing the Old Goucher Vision Plan, the first comprehensive planning document for the neighborhood.
• Neighborhood Design Center (NDC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerARQ collaborates with Baltimore's Neighborhood Design Center (NDC) on neighborhood planning initiatives including the Old Goucher Vision Plan. Also collaborated on the 'Design for Distancing' ideas competition during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Soren Deniord (Landscape Architect)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated with landscape architect Soren Deniord on creation of rain garden for New Hampshire SPCA project and landscape design for Kittery Point House.
• O'Connell & AssociatesminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerARQ developed project design for 52 Poplar Street in collaboration with O'Connell & Associates to support Maryland Historic Revitalization Tax Credit application.
• Richard L. Bowen + AssociatesminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerCollaborated with Richard L. Bowen + Associates (principal architect) on City of Cleveland Kennel project to bring high-quality sheltering practices to a municipal facility.
• Burks-Toma ArchitectsminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerARQ served as consultant to principal architects Burks-Toma Architects on Dona Springs Animal Shelter project.
• ZGF ArchitectsminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerCollaborated with ZGF Architects (principal architect) on completion of redesign study for Animal Medical Center Renovation Master Plan in New York City.
• Marvel ArchitectsminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerARQ served as consultant to principal architects Marvel Architects on Bronx Animal Care Center project.
• AIA Committee on the Environment (COTE) BaltimoreminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerARQ participates in the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Committee on the Environment Baltimore Chapter to support sustainable design initiatives locally.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• BNIM Architects: Mid-sized sustainability-led architecture firm with deep LEED/high-performance building expertise and an institutional/non-profit client base, directly comparable to ARQ's sustainable design focus and project mix.
• Payette: Boston-based architecture firm with similar size and a strong sustainable, high-performance building portfolio across institutional and science/research clients, closely matching ARQ's design philosophy and scale.
• KieranTimberlake: Philadelphia-based firm with comparable scale and a nationally recognized sustainable design practice spanning cultural, institutional, and adaptive reuse projects — a near-direct analog to ARQ's positioning.
• Lake|Flato Architects: San Antonio-based architecture firm with a comparable size (~150 staff) and similar mission-driven sustainable design practice across institutional, residential, and adaptive reuse projects. Closely aligned on values and project typology.
• CookFox Architects: NYC-based sustainable architecture firm known for high-performance, LEED-oriented design across cultural, commercial, and residential projects; directly comparable on sustainability expertise and East Coast presence.
• Leddy Maytum Stacy Architects: San Francisco firm specializing in sustainable, mission-driven design for cultural, educational, and community clients — closely mirrors ARQ's not-for-profit/civic orientation and small-firm sustainable practice.

Broad incumbents

• ZGF Architects: Large architecture firm with strong sustainability credentials and active presence in animal care facilities (collaborated with ARQ on Animal Medical Center). Competes for overlapping mission-driven institutional clients at a larger scale.
• Perkins&Will: Large global architecture firm with a well-known sustainability practice and significant institutional/healthcare/education work. Overlaps with ARQ in sustainable and institutional projects, but at much greater scale and project scope.

Emerging players

• Marvel Architects: NYC-based firm with a growing animal care and community design portfolio (Bronx Animal Care Center with ARQ as consultant); an emerging player overlapping with ARQ in animal welfare and adaptive reuse.
• Burks-Toma Architects: Animal care architecture specialist that ARQ served as consultant to on the Dona Springs Animal Shelter; represents a focused emerging player in the same niche ARQ helped define.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/arq-architects

Compliance9 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 ARQ Architects