Sundberg Kennedy Ly-Au Young Architects

What Sundberg Kennedy Ly-Au Young Architects does

Side x Side Architects (formerly Sundberg Kennedy Ly-Au Young Architects, originally SKL Architects) is a Seattle-based architecture firm founded in 2012 that designs socially and environmentally responsible buildings for mission-driven clients. Its portfolio spans affordable and supportive housing (Phinney Nest, White Center HUB, U-lex, Nuwe Reis Village, Salmonberry), cultural and community facilities (Station Space, Friends of Little Saigon Cultural Center, Eng Family Homestead), educational projects (Olympic High School, Westside School, Kingsgate Library, Renton High School), and adaptive reuse (Chophouse Row, Uplift Climbing Gym, White Center Food Bank, St Edward EERC). The firm differentiates through community-led design processes, expertise in healthy non-toxic and Red-List-free materials, and proficiency with LEED and Living Building Challenge certifications.

The firm operates as a private partnership led by majority owner Gladys Ly-Au Young (AIA, NOMA) and founding partner John Kennedy (AIA, LEED AP), following Rick Sundberg's 2023 retirement. With approximately 15 team members, it generates revenue through project-based professional services fees, complemented by community engagement and planning work. Its go-to-market relies on direct, long-term relationships with nonprofit developers, community development associations, and government entities in Washington State and the broader Pacific Northwest, supplemented by referrals within the mission-driven development ecosystem.

The firm has expanded its credential stack with Washington State OWMBE certification (2024), the JUST 3.0 Label (2025), and pilot involvement in ILFI's Living Building Challenge for Affordable Housing via U-lex. In 2024 it rebranded to Side x Side Architects and relocated to a storefront office in Seattle's Chinatown-International District, embedding community gathering into its physical footprint. The firm has no external institutional funding, no parent company, and no disclosed technology product.

Name

Sundberg Kennedy Ly-Au Young Architects

Legal name

Sundberg Kennedy Ly-Au Young Architects

Website

https://sklarchitects.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Side x Side Architects is a Seattle-based, private architecture firm of ~15 people designing socially responsible buildings — affordable housing, civic, cultural, and educational facilities — for nonprofit developers and government clients across the Pacific Northwest.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Architectural Services

NAICS

Architectural Services (54131), Interior Design Services (54141), Landscape Architectural Services (54132)

SIC

Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

Architectural Design Services (BPAHAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Interior Design Services (BPAHAKAB), Landscape Architecture & Site Design (BPAHAKAC)

Keywords

• Architectural design services
• Affordable housing design
• Adaptive reuse architecture
• Sustainable building design
• Community-centered architecture

Headquarters

HQ city

Seattle

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Architectural Design Services: Professional architectural services including design, interior design, and landscape architecture for multifamily residential, community/cultural, and educational projects
2. Community Engagement and Planning: Community-led design processes, engagement sessions, and workshops to translate community priorities into physical form for development projects

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Side x Side Architects provides professional architectural design services, including interior design, landscape architecture, and community-led planning, for multifamily residential, community/cultural, and educational projects. The firm delivers design with deep expertise in healthy, non-toxic materials, LEED certification, and Living Building Challenge standards, primarily to nonprofit developers, government entities, and community organizations in Washington State and Oregon.

Product overview

Side x Side Architects (formerly Sundberg Kennedy Ly-Au Young Architects) provides architectural design services centered on socially and environmentally responsible design that gives back more than it takes. The firm's portfolio includes affordable housing projects (Phinney Nest, White Center HUB, U-lex, Nuwe Reis Village), cultural and community facilities (Friends of Little Saigon Cultural Center, Salmonberry, Station Space, Eng Family Homestead), adaptive reuse projects (Chophouse Row, Uplift Climbing Gym, Westside School, White Center Food Bank), educational facilities (Olympic High School, Kingsgate Library, Renton High School Science Classrooms, Lewis and Clark Law School, St Edward EERC), and specialized advisory services on healthy building materials. The practice emphasizes environmental justice, non-toxic materials, LEED certification, Living Building Challenge standards, and community-led design processes.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Architectural Design Services Socially and environmentally responsible architectural design services focused on mission-driven projects including affordable housing, community facilities, adaptive reuse, and cultural institutions. Available to nonprofit developers, government entities, and community organizations.
• Healthy Materials Advisory Advocacy and advisory services for non-toxic architectural materials, including development of healthy materials matrices for affordable housing projects. Available to affordable housing developers and provided in collaboration with Toxic Free Future and Habitable.
• PVC and Resilient Flooring Resource Educational resource and regulatory advocacy on PVC and resilient flooring alternatives for affordable housing, advocating for regulation of toxic materials in building products and provided as part of the firm's Healthy Materials advisory.

Quantifiable outcome

• Olympic High School uses 70% less energy than code allows, receiving $112,000 conservation grant from Puget Sound Energy
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

21 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Homesight WAcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2025Co-hosted Vision to Reality Workshop with Side x Side, OAC, and Washington State Department of Commerce - outlining capital building processes for mission-driven organizations.
• OACcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2025Co-hosted Vision to Reality Workshop with Side x Side, Homesight WA, and Washington State Department of Commerce.
• Washington State Department of CommercecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2025Co-hosted Vision to Reality Workshop on capital project processes for mission-driven organizations.
• White Center Community Development Association (WCCDA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLead partner for White Center HUB project - a community-led development combining 76 affordable homes with childcare, small business space, and essential services. WCCDA initiated the extensive outreach process identifying community priorities.
• Community Roots HousingcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration partner for White Center HUB, working with WCCDA to develop affordable housing component (Canopy Apartments) as part of the integrated campus.
• Homestead Community Land TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDeveloper of Phinney Nest project - nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting affordable housing through community land trusts, separating land cost from housing cost to ensure long-term affordability.
• Cultural Space AgencycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMission-driven public development authority (PDA) that partnered with City of Seattle to develop Station Space - a 60-year lease creative hub for five youth arts organizations.
• The Foundation for Homeless and Poverty Management (FHPM)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEmerging nonprofit leading Nuwe Reis Village in Kitsap County - responds to critical housing gap where affordable units accounted for less than 1% of new development over past decade.
• Friends of Little Saigon (FLS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for Vietnamese Cultural and Economic Center in Little Saigon - project deeply informed by FLS's vision and values with ongoing community advisory committee involvement.
• Chief Seattle ClubcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOperator of Salmonberry - 66-unit permanent supportive housing serving Native individuals and families with culturally responsive social health and wellness services.
• King County Health Through HousingcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInitiative that acquired building for conversion to Salmonberry permanent supportive housing - addressing needs of formerly homeless individuals.
• International Living Future Institute (ILFI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerU-lex is a pilot project with ILFI's Living Building Challenge for Affordable Housing - pursuing LBC Petal goals including healthy materials and social equity.
• Kitsap Regional LibraryminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for Nuwe Reis Village - will activate space through events like story time and educational programming.
• Washington State ParkscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for St Edward Environmental Education and Research Center - adaptive reuse of former seminary shower facility for environmental education programs.
• University of Washington BothellminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for St Edward EERC - will utilize facility for environmental education and research courses.
• Toxic Free FuturecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAdvocacy organization collaborating on healthy materials matrix for affordable housing - worked with Gladys Ly-Au Young on Washington State PVC regulation advocacy.
• Housing Development Consortium (HDC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWashington State non-profit for whom Side x Side developed Healthy Materials Matrix - collective advocacy on affordable housing policy.
• HabitablecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated on development of Healthy Materials Matrix for affordable housing - provides informed product guidance.
• King County Green ToolminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner connected with St Edward EERC project team - sustainability program for King County projects.
• Wing Luke MuseumminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSponsored JAMFEST community wellness event at Side x Side office opening - only pan-Asian Pacific American community-based museum in the US.
• Westside SchoolcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAdaptive reuse of Hillcrest Presbyterian Church into energy-efficient school - co-location partnership enabling school to secure facility funding.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• KieranTimberlake: Philadelphia-based innovation-driven architecture firm with leadership in sustainable building technology and research. Comparable emphasis on environmental performance but at a larger scale and broader typology.
• Olson Kundig: Established Seattle-based architecture firm with broad portfolio including civic and residential projects. Comparable geography but a much larger and more design-centric practice serving higher-budget clients.
• Perkins&Will: Global architecture firm with strong sustainability and social purpose practices across healthcare, education, and civic markets. Competes for the same mission-driven RFPs but operates at significantly larger scale.

Direct peers

• Lake|Flato Architects: San Antonio-based firm known for sustainability, regional modernism, and community-responsive design. Comparable in its emphasis on environmental stewardship and place-based architecture across civic and residential typologies.
• David Baker Architects: San Francisco firm specializing in affordable and mixed-income housing, with deep expertise in sustainable, community-focused multifamily design. Most directly comparable on the affordable housing typology.
• Jones Studio: Phoenix-based mission-driven architecture firm working at the intersection of community, environment, and culture. Comparable niche focus on affordable housing, tribal/cultural projects, and adaptive reuse.
• Moody Nolan: Largest African-American-owned architecture firm in the US with a portfolio spanning civic, educational, and community projects. Comparable mission orientation and minority-owned credentials, though much larger scale.
• MASS Design Group: Mission-driven architecture firm focused on health equity, social impact, and community-led design processes. Comparable in its commitment to underserved communities and integration of research with design practice, though larger and national in scope.
• Leddy Maytum Stacy Architects: San Francisco firm with deep expertise in sustainable, equitable design across housing, civic, and educational typologies. Comparable in Living Building Challenge involvement and social/environmental mission.
• Mithun: Seattle-based architecture, interior, and landscape design firm with a parallel mission-driven orientation, sustainability focus (LBC experience), and similar size and project typologies (housing, civic, education). Closest peer given shared geography, scale, and values.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sidexside-architects
• Instagraminstagram.com/sidexsidearchitects

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 Sundberg Kennedy Ly-Au Young Architects