What Runa Workshop does

Runa Workshop is a privately held architecture and interior design firm headquartered in Austin, Texas, with a secondary office in Rollingwood. The firm was founded by Jean Pierre Trou and Aaron Vollmer as a collaborative design practice; the name "Runa" derives from the Quechua word for "people," reflecting the firm’s emphasis on stakeholder-driven design. The current leadership team includes Studio Director Simon McGown (Columbia University, Morphosis alumnus), Senior Project Architect Cathrine Tait, and Project Architect Jordan Coslett.

The firm delivers integrated services across architecture, interior design, furniture/fixtures/equipment (FFE), master planning, and environmental graphics for commercial, hospitality, healthcare/wellness, institutional, residential, and mixed-use projects. Project scope spans small boutique coffee shops and offices of approximately 5,000 square feet to large-scale commercial developments such as 801 Barton Springs (217,000 SF) and Waterloo Central (39,000 SF). Notable repeat clients include YMCA of Austin, Caffè Medici (multiple locations including South Lamar, Austonian, and Roasting Facility), Epoch Coffee, ViaSat, BCG, Hippo Insurance, AQUILA Commercial, The Escape Game, Tengo Internet, and Generational Commercial Properties. The firm has won multiple industry awards from ASID (2018, 2020, 2021), AIA Austin (2012), TSA (2013), and the A' Design Award (2017).

Runa Workshop monetizes through project-based professional services fees, with quotes determined by scope, complexity, and project size rather than published pricing tiers. Go-to-market is sales-led, built on direct relationships, referrals from developers and property owners, and project-based engagements concentrated in Austin and Central Texas, including Texas Hill Country. Marketing leverages a portfolio website, Instagram (@runaarchitecture), and direct outreach by founding principals. The firm is founder-owned, with no external parent, private equity backing, or institutional investment identified.

Name

Runa Workshop

Legal name

Runa Workshop

Website

https://runaworkshop.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Runa Workshop is a privately held Austin, Texas architecture and interior design firm delivering integrated architecture, interiors, FFE, master planning, and graphics services for commercial, hospitality, healthcare, institutional, and mixed-use clients in the Austin metro and Central Texas region.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Austin

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

Revenue model

1. Architectural Services: Project-based fees for architecture and interior design services including concept development, design documentation, construction administration, and project management for commercial, institutional, and residential projects.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Runa Workshop is an architecture and interior design firm offering integrated design services including architectural design, interior design, master planning, FFE procurement, and environmental graphics. The firm operates as a single unified practice where these services are delivered collaboratively across commercial office, hospitality, residential, institutional, and mixed-use projects primarily in the Austin, Texas market.

Product overview

Runa Workshop is an architecture and interior design firm offering integrated design services including architectural design, interior design, master planning, FFE procurement, and environmental graphics. The firm operates as a single unified practice where these services are delivered collaboratively across project types including commercial office, hospitality, residential, and institutional projects. Notable project types include Caffé Medici coffee shop locations, YMCA facilities, office buildings, mixed-use developments, and specialty projects like The Escape Game and Speed Shop fitness facility.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Architecture Services Full-service architectural design for commercial, residential, mixed-use, and institutional projects including new construction and adaptive reuse, delivered to developers, property owners, corporations, and organizations primarily in the Austin, Texas market.
• Interior Design Services Interior architecture and design services encompassing space planning, material selection, millwork design, and environmental graphics, delivered to commercial, hospitality, retail, and corporate clients.
• FFE (Furniture, Fixtures, and Equipment) Procurement and specification of furniture, fixtures, and equipment for commercial and hospitality projects, including custom furniture design.
• Master Planning Large-scale site analysis and master planning services for mixed-use campuses and urban developments.
• Graphics and Signage Design Environmental graphics, wayfinding, and signage design services integrated with interior architecture projects.

Named customers12 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• TMDAminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerCollaborated with California-based designers TMDA on the BCG creative office project. TMDA brought life and functionality into focal areas, enhancing the end user experience through materiality, texture and color.
• AQUILA CommercialminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorking with AQUILA Commercial on Highland Tech Center facade remodel project. AQUILA Commercial is handling the commercial real estate aspect while Runa Workshop provides architecture services.
• Pure Austin FitnessminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint venture partnership for Speed Shop project - combining Pure Austin Fitness fitness expertise with Runa Workshop design services for a premier training facility.
• Rogue RunningminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint venture partnership for Speed Shop project - combining Rogue Running's coaching and running retail expertise with Runa Workshop design services.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Gensler: Global architecture and design firm with a substantial workplace and interiors practice that competes for the same corporate clients (e.g., BCG, ViaSat, Hippo) as Runa Workshop. Significantly larger and broader in scope; relevant as a competing incumbent.
• SHoP Architects: Design-led architecture firm with integrated interiors and master planning capabilities serving commercial, residential, and institutional clients. Comparable on integrated practice and design-driven positioning, though operating at significantly larger scale and broader geographic footprint.
• Page: Large Texas-headquartered architecture firm (formerly Page Southerland Page) offering architecture, interiors, and engineering across a much broader portfolio. Overlaps on Austin market presence and core architecture/interiors services but at significantly larger scale.
• Perkins&Will: Global architecture firm with a strong design excellence reputation and significant workplace, healthcare, and institutional practices. Competes with Runa for the same corporate and institutional clients (e.g., healthcare, YMCA-type nonprofit work) at much larger scale.
• HKS: Dallas-headquartered large architecture firm with broad practice across commercial, hospitality, and institutional sectors. Comparable as a Texas-based competitor with similar segment exposure but materially larger scale.

Direct peers

• Andersson-Wise Architects: Austin-based architecture studio with similar scale and award-winning design approach. Comparable as a local direct competitor pursuing the same Austin commercial, institutional, and residential clients.
• Lake|Flato Architects: San Antonio-based architecture and interiors firm of comparable size and regional Texas focus, known for design excellence across commercial, institutional, and hospitality projects. Most directly comparable peer given shared Texas geography, integrated practice model, and award-driven positioning.
• Olson Kundig: Design-driven architecture and interiors firm with similar award profile and integrated architecture/interiors practice. Comparable on design-led positioning and craft-oriented delivery, though operating at larger scale and in different geographies.
• Michael Hsu Office of Architecture: Austin/Houston architecture and interiors firm with a similar integrated architecture + interiors practice and strong regional reputation. Comparable on size, design-led positioning, and target segments (hospitality, workplace, residential).
• BNIM: Design-driven architecture firm with comparable integrated architecture/interiors practice and similar size. Comparable on craft-oriented design approach and award-winning positioning across mixed-use and institutional projects.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/runaarchitecture
• Xx.com/runaworkshop
• Facebookfacebook.com/runaworkshop
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/runa-workshop

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 Runa Workshop