AARIS Design Architects

What AARIS Design Architects does

AARIS Design Architects, PLLC is a New York-based, privately held, Minority/Women-Owned (MWBE) architectural practice founded in 2012 by Nicole Hollant-Denis, FAIA, NOMA, NCARB. The firm delivers full-service architectural design, planning, and interior services across institutional, commercial, residential, educational, cultural, healthcare, transportation, and aviation sectors, with a notable portfolio including the African Burial Ground Memorial (commission 2004), Columbia Business School's $500 million Manhattanville campus, a $3.5 million Met Life Fifth Avenue renovation, and NASA Goddard Institute offices at Columbia University. AARIS also serves as Associate Architect on the $4.2 billion JFK Terminal 6 development alongside Corgan Architect, managing Revit information, production support, and Navisworks clash detection for a 1.2M sq ft terminal targeting LEED Gold certification.

The firm's technical stack centers on industry-standard BIM and structural modeling tools — primarily Autodesk Revit for documentation and production support, Navisworks for multi-discipline clash detection, and RISA 3D for structural modeling of features like self-bracing curved walls (used on the Haiti House for Life prototype). Leadership includes a small team of credentialed professionals (FAIA, NOMA, NCARB, LEED AP) and AARIS emphasizes biophilic design, sustainable/LEED-certified building, historic preservation, and culturally relevant design, with founder Hollant-Denis being one of only 502 licensed African American women architects in the U.S.

AARIS earns revenue through project-based professional services fees, structured as architectural design services (master planning, schematic design, design development, construction documents, construction administration) and associate-architect services on larger projects led by firms such as DS+R, FXCollaborative, and Corgan Architect. Go-to-market is enterprise field sales targeting institutional, government, and commercial clients in the New York metro area, with work secured through competitive bidding, RFPs, MWBE set-aside programs, and partnership-led distribution. The firm operates from a single headquarters at 5 Penn Plaza, New York, with project reach extending to Haiti and the broader U.S. East Coast. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and is negotiated per project scope.

Name

AARIS Design Architects

Legal name

AARIS Design Architects, PLLC

Website

https://aarisny.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

AARIS Design Architects is a New York-based MWBE-certified architectural practice delivering full-service design, planning, and interior services across institutional, commercial, aviation, and cultural sectors for enterprise and government clients in the New York metro area.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Architectural Services

NAICS

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

SIC

Services-Engineering Services (8711)

akta.pro primary industry

Architectural Design Services (BPAHAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Interior Design Services (BPAHAKAB)

Keywords

• Architectural design services
• Master planning
• Institutional architecture
• Interior design services
• Sustainable building design

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

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, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Architectural Design Services: Project-based fees for architectural design services including master planning, schematic design, design development, construction documents, and construction administration for institutional, commercial, and residential projects. Revenue is earned through contracts for specific projects ranging from interior renovations to large-scale campus developments.
2. Associate Architect Services: Serving as associate architect on large projects led by other firms (e.g., Columbia Business School Manhattanville campus with DS+R and FXCollaborative; JFK Terminal 6 with Corgan Architect), generating revenue as part of the project team.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

AARIS Design Architects provides full-service architectural design, master planning, schematic design, design development, construction documents, and construction administration across residential, commercial, institutional, educational, cultural, healthcare, transportation, and aviation projects. The firm also serves as an associate architect on large-scale developments led by other firms, providing BIM/Revit production support, Navisworks clash detection, and biophilic design expertise.

Product overview

AARIS Design Architects is a Minority/Women-Owned (MWBE) architectural practice offering comprehensive design services across residential, commercial, institutional, educational, cultural, healthcare, transportation, and aviation sectors. The firm operates as a unified practice providing iterative design approach with tailored solutions for each project. Key offerings include signature memorial design (African Burial Ground Memorial), institutional projects (Columbia University campuses with living walls, NASA Goddard Institute), aviation design (JFK Terminal 6 as Associate Architect), sustainable housing (Haiti House for Life with hurricane/earthquake resistance), and urban revitalization (La Marqueta Plaza). The firm specializes in obtaining regulatory approvals and has expertise in biophilic design, historic preservation, and LEED-certified sustainable building.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Architectural Design Services Full-service architectural design encompassing residential, commercial, institutional, educational, cultural, healthcare, transportation, and aviation projects, including master planning, schematic design, design development, construction documents, construction administration, and regulatory approvals.
• Associate Architect Services Serving as associate architect on large-scale projects led by other firms, providing specialized services such as Revit information management, production support, clash detection (Navisworks), and biophilic design within a partner ecosystem.

Quantifiable outcome

• Won $500 million Columbia Business School contract for Manhattanville campus expansion (17 acres, 450,000 SF)
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Corgan ArchitectcoreTechnology or IntegrationAARIS serves as Associate Architect alongside Corgan Architect on the $4.2 billion JFK Terminal 6 project. AARIS is responsible for managing Revit information and production support for interiors and core/shell development, providing clash detection services using Navisworks.
• DS+R (Diller Scofidio + Renfro)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAARIS was named Associate Architect on Columbia Business School's $500 million Manhattanville campus expansion. DS+R serves as design architects on this 17-acre, 450,000 square foot expansion project.
• FXCollaborativecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFXCollaborative serves as executive architects on the Columbia Business School Manhattanville campus project, working alongside AARIS as associate architect and DS+R as design architects.
• Creative Front and Cross Winds DevelopersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVirginia Key Beach Museum design team was led by AARIS in collaboration with Creative Front and Cross Winds Developers. The project required translating the feeling of social freedom into the building program with international appeal.
• Gerville R. LarsenminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHaiti House for Life was designed by Nicole Hollant-Denis in collaboration with Gerville R. Larsen, a practicing architect in St. Croix, US Virgin Islands.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Market position

Strengths4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/aarisnyc

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 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 AARIS Design Architects