Salazar Architect

What Salazar Architect does

Salazar Architect, Inc. is a privately held architecture firm founded in 2007 by Alex Salazar and headquartered in Portland, Oregon, with a secondary office in Sacramento. The firm provides architecture, interior design, urban design, and community engagement services focused on affordable housing, permanent supportive housing, community centers, and mixed-use developments for nonprofit developers, community development corporations, public housing authorities, and local governments across Oregon, Washington, and California. As of 2020, the firm operated with 16 staff organized into three specialized Design Labs: Community Design (participatory methods sharing decision-making power with marginalized communities), Wellbeing Design (Trauma Informed Design and biophilic approaches), and Sustainable Design (AIA 2030 Commitment signatory using Sefaira, Autodesk Insight 360, and Cove.tool for energy modeling).

The firm's revenue model is project-based professional services fees contracted through RFPs and direct relationships with housing authorities and nonprofit developers, with no disclosed pricing or recurring subscription structure. Salazar Architect has designed approximately 3,000 affordable apartments cumulatively and has launched Mass Casitas, a modular mass plywood panel housing system manufactured with Freres Engineered Wood and the Port of Portland. The firm is MBE certified across California, Oregon, and Washington, holds an internal ownership track for key staff, and operates a pro bono Catalyst Design Grant program offering up to $15,000 in design services to nonprofit housing organizations. Recognition includes AIA Oregon, IIDA, ENR West, Earth Advantage, Housing Oregon, and Sacramento Housing Alliance awards, with multi-project partnerships across Hacienda CDC, Mutual Housing California, BRIDGE Housing, CASA of Oregon, and Latino Network.

Name

Salazar Architect

Legal name

Salazar Architect, Inc.

Website

https://salazarch.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Salazar Architect is a Portland-based architecture firm specializing in affordable housing, permanent supportive housing, and community facilities for nonprofit developers, housing authorities, and local governments across Oregon, Washington, and California.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Architecture Services

NAICS

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

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Architectural Design Services (BPAHAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Community Engagement & Participatory Planning (BPAHAKAO), Urban Planning & Master Planning (BPAHAKAD), Interior Design Services (BPAHAKAB)

Keywords

• Affordable housing architecture
• Community design services
• Urban design planning
• Interior design services
• Sustainable building design

Headquarters

HQ city

Portland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel

Revenue model

1. Architecture and Design Services: Provides architecture, interior design, urban design, and community design services for affordable housing, community developments, and public interest projects. Revenue generated through professional service fees for design work on new construction and renovation projects.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Salazar Architect is an architecture and design firm providing full-service architecture, interior design, urban design, and community engagement services for affordable housing developments, permanent supportive housing, community facilities, and mixed-use projects across Oregon, Washington, and California. The practice is organized around three Design Labs (Community Design, Wellbeing Design, and Sustainable Design) and serves developers, housing authorities, nonprofits, and public agencies through project-based professional service contracts.

Product overview

Salazar Architect is an architecture and design firm offering a comprehensive suite of services organized around three Design Labs (Community Design, Wellbeing Design, and Sustainable Design), plus specialized project types including Mass Casitas modular housing and the Catalyst Design Grant pro bono program. The firm provides architecture, interior design, and urban design services with a focus on affordable housing, permanent supportive housing, community centers, and mixed-use developments across Oregon, Washington, and California.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Architecture and Interior Design Services Full-service architecture and interior design for affordable housing, community developments, and mixed-use projects with a focus on equity and sustainability. Services new construction and renovation projects for developers, housing authorities, and nonprofit clients.
• Urban Design Services Urban design services including master planning, site feasibility, and community visioning for neighborhoods and commercial districts. Includes community visioning projects such as the Hillsboro 10th Avenue multicultural business district work.
• Catalyst Design Grant

Quantifiable outcome

• Designed nearly 3,000 affordable apartments in Oregon, Washington, and California
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• Hacienda CDCcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary development partner for affordable housing projects including Las Adelitas, Mass Casitas modular housing, Small Homes NW ADU development. Hacienda CDC leads the Mass Casitas pilot to model solutions to Oregon's housing crisis while ensuring underrepresented communities have access to safe and affordable housing.
• CASA of OregoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDevelopment partner for Talent Mobile Estates Cooperative (wildfire recovery) and Summit Gardens (farm worker housing). Working on mobile home park cooperative ownership models.
• Coalición FortalezacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner with CASA of Oregon on Talent Mobile Estates and Summit Gardens for farm worker and Latino/x community housing projects.
• Walsh ConstructionmajorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerGeneral contractor partner for Mass Casitas modular housing construction, Williams Plaza, and other projects.
• Mutual Housing CaliforniacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerClient and development partner for Mutual on the Boulevard (127 units) and Cornerstone projects in Sacramento, CA. Mutual provides supportive housing services to residents.
• BRIDGE HousingcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerClient for Altura (Goldcrest Apartments) - 75-unit affordable family housing in Beaverton, Oregon achieving Earth Advantage Platinum certification.
• Latino NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerClient for La Plaza Esperanza - 16,500 sq.ft. mass timber community center in Gresham, Oregon serving Latino/a/x community with early education and social services.
• Portland State University Research Based Design InitiativemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOngoing collaboration on environmental design expertise and net zero energy research. Students assist with energy modeling and post-occupancy evaluations.
• ZGF ArchitectsmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartnered with ZGF on La Plaza Esperanza where ZGF led building shell design and Salazar Architect provided interior design and community engagement.
• Peter Meijer ArchitectmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPrime architect partnership on Fountain Place and Dahlke Manor projects where Salazar Architect provided apartment renovations and Peter Meijer led common areas.
• Community VisioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for Mass Casitas urban infill sites in Portland, providing land and ensuring universal accessibility for units.
• Freres Engineered WoodmajorOthersManufacturer of mass plywood panels (MPP) made with Oregon-grown timber for Mass Casitas modular housing prototypes.
• Port of PortlandmajorOthersManufacturing location for Mass Casitas units at Terminal 2 facility. Project lays groundwork for new modular home factory at the Port.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• PIVOT Architecture: Eugene, Oregon-based architecture firm with substantial affordable housing, education, and community design practice. Comparable to Salazar on Oregon footprint, nonprofit developer clients, and similar firm scale and sustainability orientation.
• Holst Architecture: Portland architecture firm with strong multifamily, affordable housing, and community-oriented practice. Directly comparable to Salazar as a Portland peer with similar firm size, sustainability focus, and affordable housing developer clients.
• SERA Architects: Portland-based architecture and urban design firm with significant affordable housing, mixed-use, and community design practice. Directly comparable as a PNW peer with similar size, mission orientation, and overlapping client base including local housing authorities.
• Leddy Maytum Stacy Architects: San Francisco architecture firm widely recognized for affordable, supportive, and transitional housing design with strong sustainability credentials. Comparable to Salazar on affordable housing specialization, nonprofit developer clients, and West Coast footprint, with similar firm scale.
• Torti Gallas and Partners: National urban design and architecture firm with deep affordable housing and community planning practice. Highly comparable to Salazar's community-engaged urban design work, and founder Alex Salazar previously collaborated with the firm in Washington, DC.
• Paulett Taggart Architects: San Francisco architecture firm focused on affordable and supportive housing, multifamily residential, and community-serving projects. Comparable to Salazar on mission alignment, client overlap with Bay Area nonprofit developers, and firm scale.
• Pyatok: Oakland-based architecture firm specializing in affordable and supportive housing design, with deep community engagement roots. Highly comparable to Salazar on mission, client base (nonprofit housing developers), and Bay Area/PNW regional overlap, plus founder Alex Salazar apprenticed with firm principal Mike Pyatok.

Broad incumbents

• ZGF Architects: Major Pacific Northwest architecture firm with broad portfolio including civic, healthcare, and housing. Salazar partners with ZGF as subconsultant (e.g., La Plaza Esperanza), and they share PNW geography and affordable housing project overlap, but ZGF operates at materially larger scale and broader scope.
• Mithun: National architecture, urban design, and interior design firm with strong social mission and sustainability practice. Comparable to Salazar on values alignment and PNW presence, but operates at much larger scale with broader client base beyond affordable housing.

Regional players

• Hacker (formerly Hacker Group): West Coast architecture firm with strong multifamily, affordable housing, and community-serving portfolio. Comparable to Salazar on affordable housing design expertise and West Coast focus, but operates at larger scale and broader geography (Portland, Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles).

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Salazar_Arch
• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/salazararchitect

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 Salazar Architect