What STUDIO 397 Architecture PLLC does

STUDIO 397 Architecture PLLC is a privately held, founder-owned architecture and interior design firm established in 2017 and headquartered in Brooklyn, New York. The firm delivers high-end residential architecture and interior design alongside sustainable corporate interiors, with a stated specialty in Passive House and EnerPHit energy-efficient design. Service offerings span design architect, interior designer, custom millwork design, and architectural coordination, executed on projects ranging from roughly 1,200 to 6,700 square feet in residential work to large-scale commercial and public-sector engagements up to 250,000 square feet.

The practice is led by founders Samantha Josaphat-Medina and Luis Medina. Josaphat-Medina, the 397th African American woman licensed as an architect in the United States, sets the design vision; Medina, a Certified Passive House Designer with finance and construction management experience, anchors technical performance and fiscal discipline. The firm holds LEED, Passive House, and NYC/NYS MWBE (Minority/Women-owned Business Enterprise) certifications, and is licensed to practice architecture across New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Georgia, and Tennessee. Production tooling comprises standard industry software including Revit, Enscape, Bluebeam, Adobe Creative Suite, and Miro.

Revenue is generated through project-based professional services fees for design, documentation, and construction administration, with engagement scope and pricing custom-quoted per project. Distribution is direct enterprise and government sales, supplemented by RFP-based public-sector pursuits and consortium partnerships with larger firms. Named engagements include Turner Construction Company's LEED Platinum headquarters at The Spiral in Hudson Yards (with Gensler), the Penn Station reconstruction redesign (with the FXCollaborative-led team), Queens Recreation Center, Flatbush Caton Market, a DUMBO condominium lobby renovation, and AYO Labs at Brooklyn Navy Yard, alongside casino, hospitality, and nonprofit work. Geographic reach is concentrated in the Northeast with active project delivery extending to Colorado.

Name

STUDIO 397 Architecture PLLC

Legal name

STUDIO 397 Architecture PLLC

Website

https://studio397architecture.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

STUDIO 397 Architecture PLLC is a Brooklyn-based architecture and interior design firm founded in 2017, specializing in sustainable corporate interiors and high-end residential projects, with Passive House design expertise and MWBE certification serving enterprise, government, and residential clients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Architecture and Interior Design Services

NAICS

Architectural Services (541310), Interior Design Services (54141)

SIC

General Bldg Contractors - Residential Bldgs (1520)

akta.pro primary industry

Civil & Structural Engineering Consulting (BPAHAIAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Residential Interior Fit-Out (Multi-Family & High-End) (IMAFANAE), Residential Design-Build & Renovation-Integrated Builders (IMAFABAE)

Keywords

• Sustainable architecture design
• Interior design services
• Corporate interior design
• Residential architecture services
• Passive house design

Headquarters

HQ city

Brooklyn Park

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Architecture and Interior Design Services: Professional services for high-end residential and commercial projects including design architect, interior designer, custom millwork design, and architectural coordination services. Revenue generated through project-based fees for design, documentation, and construction administration.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

STUDIO 397 Architecture PLLC is an architecture and interior design firm that delivers full-service design for sustainable corporate interiors and high-end residential projects. Offerings span design architect, interior designer, custom millwork design, and architectural coordination services from concept through construction administration. The firm specializes in Passive House / EnerPHit Retrofit design, leveraging in-house Passive House Designer certification to deliver high-performance, energy-efficient buildings for enterprise, public-sector, and private clients in the U.S. Northeast.

Product overview

STUDIO 397 Architecture PLLC is a service-based architecture and interior design firm, not a software technology company. The firm operates as a single unified practice offering Architecture + Interior Design services. The core offering consists of high-end residential design services (including renovations and new construction) and sustainable corporate interiors for purpose-driven brands. A notable specialty is Passive House / EnerPHit Retrofit design, which provides energy-efficient building solutions. The firm's services span from concept development through construction documentation, with offerings including design architect, interior designer, custom millwork design, and architectural coordination. Projects range from private residences (1,200–6,700 S.F.) to large-scale commercial and public works (up to 250,000 S.F.) including Penn Station Reconstruction, Hudson Yards corporate interiors, and public market developments.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Architecture + Interior Design Services Full-service architecture and interior design offering including design architect, interior designer, custom millwork design, and architectural coordination services delivered from concept through construction documentation and administration for residential and commercial clients.
• High-End Residential Design Thoughtfully crafted private residences where design excellence and environmental responsibility meet, including renovations and new construction for affluent homeowners. Project examples include a 6,700 S.F. Mid-Century Modern home renovation in Denver, CO and an 18,000 S.F. DUMBO condominium lobby and hallway renovation in Brooklyn, NY.
• Sustainable Corporate Interiors Sustainable corporate interior design for purpose-driven brands, focused on designing interiors that shape the future of work. Includes LEED-aligned headquarters and office build-outs such as the 80,000 S.F. LEED Platinum Turner Construction HQ at Hudson Yards.
• Passive House / EnerPHit Retrofit Energy-efficient building design following Passive House principles, providing high comfort and excellent air quality while significantly reducing energy consumption and carbon footprint. Delivered by Luis Medina, a Certified Passive House Designer.

Quantifiable outcome

• LEED Platinum Certification achieved for Turner Construction HQ project
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered major, core and minor.

• R.F. Wilkins ConsultantsmajorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 January 2024Partnered with R.F. Wilkins Consultants and McKissack & McKissack to design and build out AYO Labs at Brooklyn Navy Yard, a $25 million facility for health and beauty businesses.
• McKissack & McKissackmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Black woman-owned architecture firm partnering with Studio 397 on AYO Labs project at Brooklyn Navy Yard to position NYC as leader in health and beauty industry.
• GenslercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Collaborated with Gensler on the architectural design of Turner Construction Company's new headquarters at The Spiral in Hudson Yards. Studio 397 served as interior designer while Gensler provided architectural design services.
• FXCollaborative Architects LLPcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPart of the winning team for Penn Station reconstruction redesign led by FXCollaborative Architects LLP, with WSP USA Inc. and John McAslan + Partners.
• WSP USA Inc.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPart of the winning team for Penn Station reconstruction project alongside FXCollaborative Architects.
• John McAslan + PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcclaimed British architect joining the Penn Station reconstruction winning team led by FXCollaborative Architects.
• Turner Construction CompanycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated on Turner Construction's headquarters relocation to Hudson Yards, with Studio 397 serving as interior designer for the 80,000 S.F. LEED Platinum certified office.
• Passive House NetworkminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSamantha Josaphat and Luis Medina served as judges for the 1st Annual PHN Climate Design Awards, recognizing climate-adaptive design projects.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Perkins&Will: Perkins&Will is a major global architecture practice with prominent sustainability research and LEED-focused delivery across corporate, healthcare, and civic sectors. Its corporate workplace interiors and sustainability leadership make it a direct large-scale comparable for Studio 397's sustainability practice.
• Gensler: Gensler is the world's largest architecture and design firm with deep corporate interiors and workplace practices. Studio 397 collaborated with Gensler on Turner Construction's Hudson Yards headquarters, making Gensler the most directly relevant incumbent peer in Studio 397's core corporate interiors space.
• HOK: HOK is a global architecture, engineering, and planning firm with significant corporate interiors and sustainable design practices. As a large-scale peer with sustainability credentials comparable to Studio 397's LEED Platinum and Passive House positioning, HOK represents the incumbent scale landscape Studio 397 competes against for corporate and civic work.

Emerging players

• Studio Gang: Studio Gang is a Chicago- and New York-based architecture and urban design practice recognized for sustainability-forward, award-winning work across cultural, civic, and residential projects. Its design-led, mission-driven, mid-size practice is structurally comparable to Studio 397's profile.

Direct peers

• FXCollaborative: FXCollaborative is a New York-based architecture, interiors, and planning firm with strong corporate, civic, and residential practices. Studio 397 is part of the FXCollaborative-led winning team for the Penn Station Reconstruction, directly comparable as a fellow NYC design firm with sustainability focus and civic-work experience.
• CetraRuddy: CetraRuddy is a New York-based architecture and interior design firm with strong residential, commercial, and educational practices including major New York condo and office work. Its NYC residential + commercial interiors mix and project scale closely mirror Studio 397's DUMBO Condominium and Hudson Yards-style engagements.
• Deborah Berke Partners: Deborah Berke Partners (now TenBerke) is a New York architecture firm with award-winning residential, cultural, and institutional work and a sustainability-forward ethos. Its NYC base, residential-architecture focus, and design-award reputation place it as a clear peer for Studio 397's high-end residential work.
• Meyer Davis Studio: Meyer Davis is a New York-based design practice known for high-end residential, hospitality, and commercial interiors with award-winning work. Its combination of luxury residential, hospitality interiors, and commercial projects closely matches Studio 397's residential + commercial interiors model in NYC.
• IA Interior Architects: IA Interior Architects is a global firm dedicated exclusively to interior architecture, focusing on workplaces, corporate headquarters, and sustainability-driven interior projects. Its specialization in corporate interiors and LEED-aligned delivery overlaps almost entirely with Studio 397's Sustainable Corporate Interiors vertical.
• Rockwell Group: Rockwell Group is a New York-based interdisciplinary design firm with hospitality, commercial, and high-end residential practices and a reputation for sustainability-forward work. The overlapping mix of NYC-based corporate interiors and high-end residential makes Rockwell Group a tight comparable on Studio 397's core service model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/studio397architecture

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 STUDIO 397 Architecture PLLC