What RIVETNA ARCHITECTS, INC. does

Rivetna Architects, Inc. is a privately held, founder-owned architecture firm established in 2005 by Cyrus Rivetna, headquartered in Studio 3210 of the Bridgeport Art Center on Chicago's Southside. The firm is a full-service practice with a 7-person team led by three principals (Cyrus Rivetna, Stephen Poston, Eileen Schoeb) holding collectively more than 95 years of design and construction experience and licenses across five U.S. states (IL, IN, KY, FL, TX). Its project portfolio spans religious institutions (including rare Zoroastrian Fire Temple expertise), mixed-use and multi-family residential developments with affordable housing components, commercial interiors and adaptive reuse, industrial facilities, and high-end single-family residences. Notable engagements include the ~$35M Galleria 89 mixed-use development for 548 Capital under the City of Chicago's Invest South/West initiative, the ~$6M Shrine of Christ the King renovation, the Zoroastrian Fire Temple in Houston, and a Crain's-recognized firehouse-to-office conversion for Turf Design.

Name

RIVETNA ARCHITECTS, INC.

Legal name

Rivetna Architects, Inc.

Website

https://rivetna.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Rivetna Architects is a 7-person Chicago-based architecture firm founded in 2005 serving religious institutions, mixed-use developers, and private clients across the U.S., with niche expertise in sacred architecture, Chicago ADU and permitting, and adaptive reuse.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Architectural Design Services

NAICS

Architectural Services (541310), Architectural Services (54131), Interior Design Services (54141)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Architectural Design Services (BPAHAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

ADU Design, Architecture & Engineering (HSAPAMAF), Historic Preservation & Conservation Planning (BPAHAKAH), Interior Design Services (BPAHAKAB)

Keywords

• Architectural design services
• Sacred architecture design
• Adaptive reuse architecture
• Permit expediting services
• Affordable housing design

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Architecture and Design Services: Professional architecture services for projects including new construction, renovations, adaptive reuse, and interior design. Revenue is generated through design fees for completed projects.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Rivetna Architects is a full-service Chicago-based architecture firm providing architectural design, renovation, adaptive reuse, historic restoration, and interior design services for residential, commercial, institutional, and mixed-use projects. The firm holds specialized expertise in sacred/religious architecture (including Zoroastrian fire temples), Chicago ADU design under the local ADU Ordinance, and licensed permit expediting with the City of Chicago. It serves developers, religious institutions, and private clients across Chicago, the broader Midwest, the U.S., and select international locations.

Product overview

Rivetna Architects is a full-service architecture firm offering comprehensive architectural design services for residential, commercial, institutional, and mixed-use projects. The firm provides design services spanning single-family residences, multi-family residential developments, religious institutions, commercial interiors, and industrial facilities. The portfolio includes specialized offerings such as ADU (Additional Dwelling Unit) design services with expertise in Chicago's ADU Ordinance, permit expediting services, sacred architecture design, affordable housing development support, and curated interior design services. Projects range from small-scale micro-developments and renovations to large mixed-use developments and historic restorations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Full Architectural Design Services End-to-end architectural design for new construction, including programming, schematic design, design development, construction documents, and construction administration. Serves developers, institutions, religious organizations, and private clients across residential, commercial, institutional, mixed-use, and multi-family project types in Chicago, the U.S., and select international markets.
• Sacred / Religious Architecture Design Specialized architectural design for temples, prayer halls, and ceremonial spaces for Zoroastrian, Hindu, Jain, and other faith communities. Differentiated by Cyrus Rivetna's training under B.V. Doshi, giving the firm rare cultural design fluency in Eastern-sacred typologies at a time when immigrant-faith communities are undertaking major temple and prayer-hall projects.
• Chicago ADU Design Services Architectural design of accessory dwelling units — including detached ADUs, internal conversions, and basement apartments — under Chicago's local ADU Ordinance. Serves homeowners and developers seeking additional dwelling units on existing lots, including in-law additions and Chicago-basement-conversion projects.
• Permit Expediting Services City of Chicago-licensed permit expediting, including self-certification authority, sold to developers, property owners, and other architects who need expedited building-permit review. The license is held by Cyrus Rivetna and enables materially shortened permit-approval timelines versus conventional review.
• Affordable Housing Design Architectural design for affordable housing and low-income residential developments, including both new construction and renovations. Targets developers and nonprofits executing affordable and mixed-income projects, often in combination with the firm's MBE/DBE certifications and Chicago permitting expertise.
• Adaptive Reuse and Historic Restoration Architecture Architectural design for adaptive reuse of non-historic and historic-status buildings, plus renovation and historic restoration work. Serves developers and property owners repurposing older commercial or industrial buildings for new uses, particularly within the City of Chicago.
• Commercial Interior Architecture Architecture and interior design for offices, retail, and food/processing facilities, including tenant improvements and commercial buildouts. Serves small-to-mid commercial enterprises seeking design-build-out services in Chicago.
• High-End Custom Residential Design Custom home design for affluent private clients, including net-zero-energy-certified residences and integrated ADU/primary-dwelling configurations. Serves private residential owners commissioning architect-led single-family or high-end custom projects.

Quantifiable outcome

• Gulf Retreat project aligned seven specialty consultants ensuring cohesive execution from interiors to systems
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 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

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Farr AssociatesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAssociate Architect on the Galleria 89 mixed-use development project. Farr Associates acted as architects for new construction while Rivetna Architects executed design for renovation of existing building and new courtyard as part of the City of Chicago's Invest South/West initiative.
• William Heyer ArchitectminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDesign Architect on the Shrine of Christ the King project. William Heyer Architect served as design architect while Rivetna Architects handled renovation and restoration work.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• OKW Architects: Chicago area architecture firm where Rivetna Senior Architect Eileen Schoeb previously worked. Comparable scale and practice areas including residential, commercial, and institutional design in the Chicago market.
• Lamar Johnson Collaborative: Chicago-based architecture and interior design firm with strong portfolio in adaptive reuse, hospitality, residential, and commercial interiors. Directly comparable to Rivetna's overlapping work in interior design, adaptive reuse, and Chicago-based commercial projects.
• Wheeler Kearns Architects: Chicago-based architecture firm delivering high-end custom residential, religious, and community-based projects. Wheeler Kearns is a direct peer given its similar scale, religious/educational portfolio, and emphasis on thoughtful design for local clients.
• Booth Hansen: Chicago architecture firm with strong portfolio in adaptive reuse, historic preservation, religious and institutional buildings. Booth Hansen is directly comparable given Rivetna's similar service mix of restoration, institutional, and mixed-use work in the Chicago market.
• Farr Associates: Chicago-based architecture firm with deep expertise in sustainable, transit-oriented, and affordable housing design. Farr Associates is directly comparable as Rivetna's actual collaborator on the Galleria 89 mixed-use development, with overlapping practice areas in urban revitalization and affordable housing.
• bKL Architecture: Chicago architecture firm with strengths in multi-family residential, mixed-use, and urban infill projects. Comparable to Rivetna through shared focus on Chicago-based residential and mixed-use developments, including relevant ADU and urban density experience.

Broad incumbents

• Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture: Chicago-headquartered architecture firm specializing in tall buildings, mixed-use, and sustainable design. Broad incumbent relevant to Rivetna's mixed-use and large-scale development work, though operating at international mega-project scale.
• Studio Gang: Renowned Chicago architecture firm with broad portfolio across cultural, civic, residential, and mixed-use projects. Studio Gang is a broad incumbent with overlapping urban design and community-focused values, though operating at significantly larger scale than Rivetna.
• Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM): Global architecture and engineering firm with significant Chicago presence and historic preservation practice. Broad incumbent relevant to Rivetna's historic restoration referencing Pritzker Prize-influenced training, though at vastly different scale and scope.
• Perkins&Will: Large global architecture firm with significant Chicago presence and expertise across healthcare, education, civic, and commercial projects. Broad incumbent with overlapping capability in institutional and adaptive reuse projects, though active at much larger scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/rivetna-architects-inc.
• Instagraminstagram.com/rivetna_architects

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 RIVETNA ARCHITECTS, INC.