QA+M Architecture
QA+M Architecture is a Farmington, Connecticut-based architectural firm with 39 professionals serving education, healthcare, civic, housing, and commercial clients across Connecticut and Western Massachusetts.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1996
- HeadquartersFarmington, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What QA+M Architecture does
QA+M Architecture is a Farmington, Connecticut-based architectural firm providing design, planning, and project management services across institutional, civic, healthcare, residential, commercial, and historical preservation sectors. Founded in 1996 as Paragon Design and rebranded to QA+M in 2017, the firm operates with 39 professionals, including 15 licensed architects, and ranks as the 5th largest architectural practice in the Greater Hartford area. Education is the firm's primary vertical, supplemented by healthcare, housing, community/civic, commercial, historical preservation, and recreation/athletic work for clients in Connecticut and Western Massachusetts. The firm employs BIM, 3D printing, and virtual reality visualization as part of its design workflow.
The business model is project-based fee-for-service revenue tied to architectural commissions, with a client mix weighted toward public-sector and institutional customers such as K-12 districts, municipalities, healthcare systems, and community organizations. Growth has been driven by a deliberate inorganic strategy: the 2017 acquisition of Smith Edwards McCoy Architects deepened K-12 and higher education capabilities, and the 2021 merger with Moser Pilon Nelson added healthcare, recreation, and athletic design expertise while bringing in principal James Bell. The firm has accumulated 24+ industry awards since 2019, including recognition from AIA Connecticut, CREW CT, and the Connecticut Building Congress, reflecting sustained visibility in the regional A&D market.
Operationally, QA+M is positioning for leadership transition and continued expansion, with two new principals appointed in 2024 — Julia McFadden, hired laterally from TSKP, and Rob Davis, promoted internally — alongside the announced 2025 retirement of founding principal Jim Bell. The firm remains privately held with no public funding rounds disclosed.
QA+M Architecture firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- QA+M Architecture
- Legal name
- Quisenberry Arcari Malik LLC
- Website
- https://qamarch.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1996
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- QA+M Architecture is a Farmington, Connecticut-based architectural firm with 39 professionals serving education, healthcare, civic, housing, and commercial clients across Connecticut and Western Massachusetts.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
QA+M Architecture industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Architectural Services
- NAICS
- Architectural Services (54131), Architectural Services (541310)
- SIC
- General Bldg Contractors - Nonresidential Bldgs (1540)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Architectural Design Services (BPAHAKAA)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Building Information Modeling (BIM) & Digital Design Services (BPAHAKAK)
Keywords
Where QA+M Architecture is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Farmington
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
QA+M Architecture business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Architectural Services: Project-based fees for architectural services including programming, planning and interior design for clients in commercial, community, education, healthcare, historical, housing, and recreational/athletic markets.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | — | Project-based architectural services with custom pricing |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels6 records
QA+M Architecture product offering
Product offeringCore offering
QA+M Architecture is a full-service architectural firm delivering programming, planning, interior design, and historic preservation services for building projects across commercial, community, education, healthcare, historical, housing, and recreational/athletic markets. The firm offers comprehensive services from pre-design feasibility through construction administration, including budget development, ADA/code compliance, sustainable design, and project marketing support.
Product overview
QA+M Architecture is a full-service architectural firm offering comprehensive design services including full architectural services, pre-design feasibility and planning, interior design, budget development and cost estimating, existing conditions assessments, historic preservation, space programming and planning, roof replacements and capital improvements, ADA and code upgrades, renovations and facility upgrades, sustainable design, and project marketing support and branding. The firm operates as a single service practice rather than a platform with discrete product modules, delivering its services across commercial, community, education, healthcare, historical, housing, and recreational/athletic market sectors.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Full-Service Architectural Design Comprehensive architectural design services encompassing pre-design feasibility and planning, programming, budget development, code compliance, sustainable design, and construction administration for clients across education, healthcare, commercial, community, historical, housing, and recreational markets.
- Interior Design Services Interior design services directed by Associate Principal Rebecca Sarkosi, creating environments that are functional, meaningful, and thoughtfully tailored to each client's purpose, integrated with architectural design offerings.
- Historic Preservation and Adaptive Reuse Historic preservation and adaptive reuse services for civic buildings, schools, museums, performing arts facilities, and heritage structures, demonstrated through award-winning projects including Wethersfield High School, Bristol Arts and Innovation Magnet School, and Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art.
- Healthcare Facility Design Healthcare architectural design for hospitals, medical centers, surgery centers, outpatient clinics, MRI facilities, behavioral health units, and VA healthcare facilities, balancing patient safety, staff workflows, operational efficiency, and regulatory requirements.
- Educational Facility Design Educational facility design for K-12 public and private schools, higher education institutions including Trinity College and Yale Center for British Art, encompassing new construction, renovations, historic restoration, athletic facilities, and performing arts centers.
- Affordable and Multi-Family Housing Design Residential architectural design for affordable housing developments, multi-family residential, senior living communities, and mixed-use developments including projects such as Berkowitz II (28 affordable housing units) and Quarry Walk Mixed-Use Development.
Quantifiable outcome
- Ranked 5th largest architectural firm in Greater Hartford area
Companies that use QA+M Architecture
Customer profileNamed customers13 records
Segments7 records
Ideal customer profiles6 records
QA+M Architecture technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
QA+M Architecture partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators2 records
Recent moves11 records
Expansion highlights4 records
QA+M Architecture competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- SmithGroup: National integrated design firm with established education, healthcare, and workplace practices — a broad incumbent comparable in service breadth to QA+M but operating across multiple U.S. regions.
- CannonDesign: National architecture and design practice with a major healthcare and education focus — competes with QA+M for healthcare and higher education RFPs in Connecticut but operates at significantly larger scale.
- EwingCole: Philadelphia-headquartered architecture, engineering, and planning firm with strong healthcare and education practices — comparable vertical overlap and institutional client mix though broader geographic reach than QA+M.
- Payette: Boston-based architecture firm with nationally recognized healthcare and science practice — comparable for healthcare design capabilities and institutional client types though operating at larger scale than QA+M.
- Perkins&Will: Global architecture firm with strong healthcare and education practices — a broad incumbent that competes for major institutional work in the Northeast and offers overlapping capabilities to QA+M's vertical mix.
Direct peers
- Svigals + Partners: New Haven, CT architecture firm specializing in education, healthcare, and adaptive reuse — closely mirrors QA+M's regional Connecticut positioning, vertical mix, and mid-size scale.
- JCJ Architecture: Hartford-headquartered architecture, planning, and interiors firm with deep education, healthcare, and hospitality practice — a comparable Connecticut-anchored mid-size peer competing for similar institutional clients.
- The S/L/A/M Collaborative: Glastonbury, CT-based architecture, engineering, and planning firm with strong education and healthcare verticals — a direct regional competitor of similar scale and client overlap.
- TSKP Studio: Hartford, CT-based architecture and planning firm with strong education, civic, and community-focused practice — directly comparable as a Connecticut peer of similar size, notably the firm from which QA+M Principal Julia McFadden joined in 2024.
- Amenta Emma Architecture: Hartford, CT architecture firm with focus on higher education, healthcare, and commercial work — a Connecticut regional peer of comparable scale competing for similar institutional clients.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
QA+M Architecture social profiles
Digital presenceQA+M Architecture financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
QA+M Architecture leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles12 records
QA+M Architecture subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries2 records
QA+M Architecture funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
QA+M Architecture M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about QA+M Architecture
What does QA+M Architecture do?
QA+M Architecture is a full-service architectural firm delivering programming, planning, interior design, and historic preservation services for building projects across commercial, community, education, healthcare, historical, housing, and recreational/athletic markets. The firm offers comprehensive services from pre-design feasibility through construction administration, including budget development, ADA/code compliance, sustainable design, and project marketing support.
Is QA+M Architecture a public or private company?
QA+M Architecture is a private company. It is classified as management employee owned and is currently operating.
When was QA+M Architecture founded?
QA+M Architecture was founded in 1996. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is QA+M Architecture based?
QA+M Architecture is headquartered in Farmington, United States, in the North America region.
How does QA+M Architecture make money?
One revenue line is on record: architectural Services.
Who are QA+M Architecture's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are SmithGroup, CannonDesign, EwingCole, Payette and Perkins&Will. Direct peers are Svigals + Partners, JCJ Architecture, The S/L/A/M Collaborative, TSKP Studio and Amenta Emma Architecture.
Does QA+M Architecture have an API?
No public API is recorded for QA+M Architecture.
What industry is QA+M Architecture in?
QA+M Architecture's product category is Architectural Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAHAKAA, Architectural Design Services, with a secondary code of BPAHAKAK, Building Information Modeling (BIM) & Digital Design Services. Its NAICS code is 54131 and its SIC code is 1540.