West Work

What West Work does

West Work is a Boston-based, Women-Owned Business Enterprise (WBE) certified architecture firm founded in 2020 by Katie Faulkner (AIA Fellow, former founding partner at NADAAA and VP of Design at Katerra) and Nick Elton (30+ years of housing and community design). The firm provides full-service architectural design across four primary verticals: affordable and supportive housing, higher education, civic and municipal facilities, and retail/interiors. Its work is distinguished by integration of Passive House certification, building performance modeling using WUFI Passive software, and deep energy retrofit (DER) methodologies targeting at minimum 50% energy savings while allowing residents to remain in place. The project portfolio includes Passive House-certified multifamily housing (31 Tufts Street, 1 Elmwood Street), LEED Platinum deep energy retrofits at scale (Castle Square Apartments, 500 units), and civic commissions such as Haverhill Public Library, which engaged over 1,000 community members in its design process.

The firm's core technology stack centers on building performance simulation, certification consulting, and physical fabrication rather than proprietary software development. Multiple staff hold Certified Passive House Consultant (CPHC) credentials, and NADLab operates as an in-house fabrication arm supporting retail installations. An affiliated R&D entity, Highland Park Technologies (HPT), is developing a mass-producible high-performance insulated panel system for triple-decker retrofits, funded by grants from MassCEC, MassVentures, and the US Department of Energy; the panel system remains in R&D phase and is not yet a commercial product.

West Work operates a project-based professional services revenue model, earning design fees through commissioned engagements spanning schematic design through construction administration. Project acquisition occurs through competitive RFP/RFQ processes with municipalities and institutions, repeat client relationships within the Massachusetts affordable housing and civic ecosystem, and the firm's WBE certification that qualifies it for public-sector diversity mandates. Geographic focus is primarily the Northeastern United States, with select projects in Toronto, Cleveland, Denver, and international retail commissions for clients including Aesop. Revenue streams are predominantly fee-for-service architectural design, with affiliated HPT R&D grants representing a separate, modest non-dilutive funding source.

Name

West Work

Legal name

West Work LLC

Website

https://west-work.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Boston-based WBE-certified architecture firm specializing in sustainable design, Passive House certification, and deep energy retrofits, serving affordable housing developers, higher education institutions, and municipal clients across the Northeast.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Boston

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Architectural Design Services: West Work generates revenue through professional architectural design fees on commissioned projects spanning housing, higher education, civic, and retail/interior projects. Revenue is earned through project-based contracts from schematic design through construction administration phases. Projects range from new construction to adaptive reuse and deep energy retrofits. The firm also embeds energy design consulting services as part of its design delivery.
2. R&D / Technology Licensing (Affiliated): Through its affiliated entity Highland Park Technologies (HPT), West Work participates in grant-funded R&D for building envelope technologies (high-performance retrofit panels). Funding has come from MassCEC, MassVentures, and the US Department of Energy. Any commercializing of HPT's panel system would represent a separate revenue stream.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

West Work is an architecture collaborative providing full-service architectural design spanning affordable housing, higher education, civic, retail/interiors, and planning sectors, with integrated energy design consulting. The firm specializes in Passive House certification, energy modeling using WUFI Passive software, and Deep Energy Retrofits targeting 50%+ energy savings for existing buildings. Services are delivered from schematic design through construction administration as project-based commissions.

Product overview

West Work is a design collaborative offering architectural design services across housing, higher education, civic, retail/interiors, and planning sectors. The firm provides integrated energy design consulting including energy modeling (WUFI Passive), Passive House certification management, and Deep Energy Retrofit services. An affiliated R&D group, Highland Park Technologies, is developing a high-performance retrofit panel system for existing buildings. Projects like 31 Tufts Street (Passive House-certified affordable housing) and Castle Square Apartments (LEED Platinum deep energy retrofit) serve as reference implementations demonstrating the firm's sustainable design capabilities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Architectural Design Services
• Energy Design Consulting
• Passive House Certification Services
• Deep Energy Retrofit Services
• High-Performance Retrofit Panel System (via Highland Park Technologies)

Quantifiable outcome

• Passive House-certified buildings are up to 60-85% more efficient than a 2009 IECC code-compliant building, depending on climate zone and building type
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Highland Park Technologies (HPT)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023HPT is an affiliated R&D group of West Work developing a mass-producible insulated panel system for deep energy retrofits of triple-decker homes. West Work is directly involved in the R&D and design of this technology. HPT was recognized as a Winner for Sustainable Construction Innovation at the 2023 BE+ Green Building Showcase and operates at the Autodesk Technology Center in Boston's Seaport District. Grant funding from MassCEC, MassVentures, and US Department of Energy.
• NESEA (Northeast Sustainable Energy Association)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNESEA provides a business support network for women-owned businesses with sustainability missions. West Work principal Katie Faulkner participates in NESEA-funded cohorts. West Work also attends NESEA Pro Tours (e.g., Castle Square Eva White Apartments) and educational programs.
• OverUndercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOverUnder is a recurring project collaborator with West Work on civic and institutional projects. The firms collaborated on the Haverhill Public Library ('Library for the Future') and the UMass Boston Clark Athletics Center projects.
• Elton Hampton ArchitectscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNick Elton and Bruce Hampton previously operated as Elton Hampton Architects, which completed landmark projects including Castle Square Apartments (LEED Platinum DER) and Madison Melnea Cass Apartments. These projects are now credited to West Work, representing continuity of the team.
• Habitat for HumanityminorGTM or Marketing PartnerWest Work staff volunteer with Habitat for Humanity as part of the firm's community engagement programs. Staff member Raina Shroff served as Service Director and volunteer for Habitat for Humanity and as AIAS Mentorship Representative at Northeastern University.
• WinnCompaniescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWinnCompanies is a repeat client of West Work, partnering on affordable housing developments including Castle Square Apartments (deep energy retrofit, LEED Platinum) and Quincy Street Apartments (permanent supportive housing). The firm also hosted NESEA Pro Tours of the Castle Square Eva White Apartments.
• NADAAAminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNADAAA is a prior firm of principal Katie Faulkner. West Work maintains the NADAAA legacy on several projects (Aesop stores, Parcel 9, RISD North Hall, Daniels Building) where Katie Faulkner was Principal-in-Charge. NADAAA and West Work share staff, expertise, and project history.
• Riverstone SustainabilityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRiverstone Sustainability, founded by Deb Shepard, provides LEED project management and sustainable building consulting. West Work principal participates in a NESEA-funded business support group with Riverstone. Deb Shepard was interviewed by West Work on LEED vs Passive House, demonstrating cross-pollination of expertise.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Elton Hampton Architects: Predecessor firm of Nick Elton and Bruce Hampton; projects including Castle Square Apartments and Madison Melnea Cass are credited to this lineage under West Work. Closest historical and project-lineage peer.
• NADAAA: Founded by Katie Faulkner and other partners, this is the most direct peer/legacy firm of West Work's principal. NADAAA continues to operate as an architecture and design collaborative with a similar design philosophy around beauty, performance, and sustainability, and shares several project credits with West Work (Aesop, RISD North Hall, Daniels Building, Parcel 9).
• TenBerke (formerly Deborah Berke Partners): New York-based architecture firm with comparable design ethos around beauty, sustainability, and institutional/higher-ed work; named AIA Firm of the Year (2024). Comparable in design philosophy and project types.
• Bruner/Cott Architects: Cambridge, MA-based architecture firm of comparable size with strong affordable housing, civic, and sustainable design practices (LEED, PHIUS credentials). Direct competitor for Massachusetts institutional, civic, and housing RFPs.
• ARC / Architectural Resources Cambridge: Cambridge, MA-based architecture firm of similar size and profile, with strong sustainable design and cultural/institutional project work. Competes in the same Massachusetts civic, cultural, and institutional RFP landscape.

Emerging players

• ZeroEnergy Design: Boston-area Passive House-focused architecture firm of similar size with deep building-science expertise. Direct overlap on Passive House new construction and deep energy retrofit commissions.

Broad incumbents

• Payette: Boston-based architecture firm with a well-established sustainable design practice and higher-ed/healthcare focus. Competes for institutional commissions in the Northeast and shares a high-performance building ethos with West Work.
• Shepley Bulfinch: Boston-based architecture firm where Katie Faulkner was an Associate Principal; operates a broad higher-education, healthcare, and civic portfolio with sustainability commitments. A larger incumbent competing for many of the same institutional clients.
• Perkins&Will: Global architecture firm with strong higher-education, civic, and sustainable-design practices. Competes for large institutional commissions and brings deep Passive House/LEED expertise at much larger scale.

Others

• Passive House Accelerator: Media and advocacy organization in the Passive House community that has featured West Work's principals on its podcast. Acts as an ecosystem/advertising partner rather than a direct competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/west-work-bos
• Instagraminstagram.com/west__work

Compliance10 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 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 West Work