What Multistudio does

Multistudio is a privately held, employee-owned (ESOP) multidisciplinary architecture, design, and planning practice headquartered in Kansas City, with additional studios in Lawrence, New Orleans, Phoenix, and San Francisco and a headcount in the 101–250 range. The firm traces its origin to Gould Evans (founded circa 1970) and rebranded to Multistudio around 2023 to signal its evolution into a national, multi-studio practice rather than a regional legacy brand. Its service portfolio spans 13 sectors: architecture, interiors, brand experience, city design, cultural and civic, healthcare, higher education, PreK–12 education, justice, mixed-use and urban development, research, science and technology, sports and recreation, and workplace, with sustainability consulting added as a discrete practice area.

The firm's core offering is project-based architecture and design services delivered through competitive proposals, RFPs, and long-running client relationships. Multistudio typically leads as design architect on large institutional projects — for example, the University of Kansas Gateway District and David Booth Memorial Stadium transformation, ASU's 850,000 SF Mountain America Stadium, Tulane's Yulman Stadium, San Francisco State's 245,000 SF Manzanita Square student housing, and Maricopa County's Southeast Justice Center — and partners with firms such as HNTB, Turner Construction, Hunt/Sundt, McCown Gordon, DLR Group, and Lee Ledbetter & Associates on these pursuits. Go-to-market is enterprise field sales targeting institutional buyers (universities, school districts, municipalities, transit authorities, healthcare systems, and cultural nonprofits), supplemented by a website portfolio, an active LinkedIn/Instagram presence, a Perspective thought-leadership blog, and an awards-driven PR strategy.

The business model is fee-for-service professional services: design fees and project contracts priced per project based on scope and complexity, with no productized or recurring SaaS-style revenue stream. The firm has no parent company, no disclosed funding rounds, no subsidiaries, and no public listings. Distribution is delivered through its five regional studios, supported by a formal Director of Climate Positive Design and a Director of Research function that anchor its sustainability and equity positioning.

Name

Multistudio

Legal name

Multistudio

Website

https://multi.studio

Company type

Private

Founded year

1970

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Multistudio is an employee-owned (ESOP) multidisciplinary architecture, design, and planning practice with five US studios serving institutional clients. It delivers project-based design services across 13 sectors including education, justice, healthcare, sports, mixed-use, and urban development.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Kansas City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Architecture and Design Services: Project-based fees for architecture, design, and planning services across multiple sectors including education, healthcare, justice, sports, mixed-use, and commercial development. Revenue is generated through design fees, project contracts, and professional services.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Multistudio is a multidisciplinary architecture, design, and planning practice that provides integrated design services across architecture, interiors, brand experience, city design, and education design. The firm delivers full-service project design for institutional and commercial clients covering campus planning, building design, interiors, and environmental branding, with dedicated sustainability and climate-positive design capabilities. Work is acquired project-by-project through competitive proposals and client relationships and delivered from five U.S. studios.

Product overview

Multistudio is a multidisciplinary architecture, design, and planning practice that operates as a single unified firm with five studios across the United States (Kansas City, Lawrence, New Orleans, Phoenix, and San Francisco). The company offers an integrated portfolio of services spanning Architecture, Brand Experience, City Design, Cultural & Civic, Healthcare, Higher Education, Interiors, Justice, Mixed-Use & Urban Development, PreK-12 Education, Research, Science & Technology, Sports & Recreation, and Workplace design. The practice emphasizes multidisciplinary collaboration, with teams that work across these practice areas to deliver integrated design solutions. Sustainability and climate-positive design are woven throughout their offerings, with dedicated focus on decarbonization, carbon accounting, and equitable community design. Notable project types include stadiums (University of Kansas Gateway District, Tulane Yulman Stadium, ASU Mountain America Stadium), transit-oriented developments, student housing, civic institutions, and branded environments for educational and sports clients.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Architecture Services Full-service architectural design across multiple sectors including commercial, institutional, educational, civic, healthcare, justice, and sports facilities, delivered by Multistudio for institutional and commercial clients.
• Brand Experience Brand identity design, environmental graphics, signage systems, and immersive brand environments for sports venues, educational institutions, and commercial spaces.
• City Design Urban planning, transit-oriented development, master planning, and community engagement for citywide and neighborhood-scale projects.
• Cultural and Civic Design Design of museums, cultural centers, libraries, and civic institutions serving communities.
• Healthcare Design Architecture and interiors for healthcare facilities including hospitals, clinics, and medical office buildings.
• Higher Education Design Campus planning, academic buildings, student housing, and athletic facilities for colleges and universities.
• Interiors Interior design services for workplace, hospitality, retail, and institutional environments.
• Justice Design Architecture for courthouses, justice centers, and public safety facilities.
• Mixed-Use and Urban Development Design of mixed-use developments combining residential, commercial, and civic programming.
• PreK-12 Education Design Architecture and interior design for elementary, middle, and high schools, including early learning centers.
• Research Facility Design Science and technology research facilities, laboratories, and innovation centers.
• Science and Technology Design Architecture for science and technology facilities including research labs and tech company campuses.
• Sports and Recreation Design Athletic facilities including stadiums, arenas, sports complexes, and recreation centers.
• Workplace Design Commercial office design and corporate workplace environments.
• Sustainability Consulting Climate-positive design, carbon neutrality planning, and sustainable building practices including net zero energy, water, and materials strategies for institutional and commercial clients.

Quantifiable outcome

• The stadium will generate nearly $2 billion in spending over 30 years
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers17 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

18 partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• HNTBcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-designer for University of Kansas Gateway District & David Booth Memorial Stadium transformation project. HNTB serves as associate architect alongside Multistudio for this major mixed-use development.
• Turner ConstructioncoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerGeneral contractor for the University of Kansas Gateway District project, building the enhanced stadium and mixed-use development.
• The Nations GroupcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerOwner's representative for the University of Kansas Gateway District project, providing project oversight and management services.
• Lee Ledbetter & AssociatescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAssociate architect for Tulane University Yulman Stadium project, collaborating on the design of the 30,000-seat football stadium.
• HNTBcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAssociate architect for Arizona State University Mountain America Stadium transformation project.
• Hunt Construction & Sundt ConstructioncoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerGeneral contractors for ASU Mountain America Stadium transformation, managing phased construction while maintaining game operations.
• Promise ArizonamajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTeam partner for South Central Equitable Transit-Oriented Development project in Phoenix, AZ. Part of collaborative approach to community engagement.
• Local First ArizonamajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTeam partner for South Central TOD project, contributing to community-driven development planning.
• Center for Neighborhood TechnologiesmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTeam partner for South Central TOD project, bringing neighborhood-level planning expertise.
• Wilson & Co.majorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerEngineering partner for South Central TOD project, providing technical infrastructure expertise.
• J2 Engineering & Landscape ArchitecturemajorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerLandscape architecture partner for South Central TOD project, contributing to sustainable design elements.
• National Organization for Minority Architects (NOMA)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for increasing representation of Black architects and designers. Multistudio is committed to expanding candidate pools through NOMA partnerships.
• Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to expand candidate pool for new and experienced architects and designers from diverse backgrounds.
• American Campus CommunitiescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDeveloper partner for San Francisco State University Manzanita Square student housing project (245,000 SF, 597 beds).
• Pacific Union Development Co.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-developer for SFSU Manzanita Square project, partnering on this public-private student housing development.
• Build GroupcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerGeneral contractor for SFSU Manzanita Square student housing project.
• DLR GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerArchitect of record for Missouri Innovation Campus project, collaborating on this innovative 147,000 SF education facility.
• McCown Gordon ConstructioncoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerGeneral contractor for Missouri Innovation Campus and other projects including Pembroke Hill School.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Gensler: Largest global AE/design firm with scale far beyond Multistudio; relevant overlap in workplace, sports, and higher education but as a much broader, multi-discipline incumbent across all institutional categories.
• HOK: Global AE firm with major sports, education, healthcare, and workplace practices. Multistudio has partnered with HNTB (a related firm) as associate architect on major stadium work, indicating overlapping bid pipelines at the top of the market.
• Perkins&Will: Global AE firm with much larger scale; deeply overlapping education, healthcare, and science practices. Acts as a broader incumbent against which Multistudio competes (and sometimes partners) for institutional commissions.

Direct peers

• Moody Nolan: Largest African-American-owned AE firm in the US, comparable size, with strong higher education, sports, and civic portfolios — directly competes with Multistudio for university and civic commissions, especially on diversity-and-inclusion-weighted RFPs.
• HKS: Strong in sports venues (stadiums), healthcare, and higher education — three of Multistudio's most prominent verticals — and competes for the same institutional mega-projects (stadium transformations, campus developments).
• CannonDesign: Multidisciplinary AE firm with strong higher education, healthcare, and science/research practices; comparable scale and an integrated studio model closely mirrors Multistudio's service-line structure.
• SmithGroup: Comparable-size multidisciplinary AE firm with parallel higher education, healthcare, and workplace practices; similar studio geography and integrated design delivery model make it a close competitor for the same institutional RFPs.
• EwingCole: Mid-size AE firm with strong education, healthcare, and civic portfolios; similar studio geography (East Coast–Midwest) and similar pursuit of integrated institutional commissions make it a direct competitor for many of Multistudio's project types.
• DLR Group: National AE firm of comparable size with deep education, healthcare, and civic portfolios and an integrated design practice model — Multistudio has even partnered with DLR Group on the Missouri Innovation Campus project, indicating directly overlapping market positioning.

Emerging players

• Legat Architects: Smaller Midwest-rooted AE firm with a strong K-12 and higher education focus; competes with Multistudio in the Midwest education segment (e.g., Iowa, Illinois) where Multistudio's Lawrence and Kansas City studios also pursue commissions.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/multistudio
• Instagraminstagram.com/multistudio
• Xx.com/multistudio_
• Facebookfacebook.com/Multistudiodesign

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles17 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 Multistudio