What Metropolitan Architecture Studio does

Metropolitan Architecture Studio is a Cleveland-based private architecture, planning, and interior design firm founded in 2000 by principals Kathleen Tark and Michael Hynds. The practice operates as a boutique, principal-led studio of 1–10 employees delivering full-service design from master planning and programming through construction administration, with particular depth in healthcare facility renovations, laboratory design, K-12 and higher education, senior living, corporate, and community/civic work. Notable technical specialization includes FGI Guidelines compliance, USP 797 sterile compounding pharmacy design (ISO-5/ISO-7 cleanrooms), radiation shielding for linear accelerators, phased construction in occupied healthcare facilities, LEED accreditation, and Labs21 sustainable laboratory principles.

The firm's revenue model is professional-services project fees, with projects ranging from $135K to $9M and average project investments of $500K–$3M on multi-year contracts; specific pricing is custom-quoted per engagement. Healthcare accounts for the largest disclosed workstream, with 50+ healthcare projects totaling over $40 million for Cleveland Clinic, University Hospitals, and MetroHealth since 2000. Go-to-market is principal-led direct enterprise sales to institutional clients across Northeast Ohio, supplemented by co-development partnerships with national firms such as Goody Clancy, Elkus Manfredi, Forest City Land Group, and Cleveland Educational Design Alliance. Distribution is limited to a single regional geography with no app, API, or software product surface, and the firm holds small business and local business enterprise certifications with the City of Cleveland and Cuyahoga County.

Name

Metropolitan Architecture Studio

Legal name

Metropolitan Architecture Studio

Website

https://metroarchstudio.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Metropolitan Architecture Studio is a Cleveland-based, principal-led architecture firm founded in 2000 that designs healthcare facilities, laboratories, schools, and senior living projects for Northeast Ohio institutions including Cleveland Clinic and University Hospitals.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Architectural Services

NAICS

Architectural Services (541310), Architectural Services (54131), Interior Design Services (54141)

akta.pro primary industry

Architectural Design Services (BPAHAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Urban Planning & Master Planning (BPAHAKAD)

Keywords

• Healthcare facility design
• Educational architecture services
• Laboratory design services
• Urban planning services
• Adaptive reuse renovation

Headquarters

HQ city

Cleveland

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

Revenue model

1. Architecture and Design Services: Full-service architecture, planning, and interior design firm providing services from master planning through construction administration. Projects range from $135K to $9M with average project sizes of $500K-$3M.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Metropolitan Architecture Studio is a full-service architecture, planning, and interior design firm that delivers services from master planning and programming through construction administration. The firm serves enterprise and institutional clients across healthcare, education, laboratory, senior living, corporate, residential, and community sectors, with a principal-led engagement model and project investments typically ranging from $135K to $9M (average $500K–$3M).

Product overview

Metropolitan Architecture Studio is a full-service architecture, planning, and interior design firm offering professional design services across healthcare, education, laboratory design, urban planning, senior living, corporate, residential, and community sectors. The firm operates as a service-based practice rather than a software product company, providing end-to-end architectural services from programming through construction administration. The core offerings span specialized healthcare facility design (including USP 797 compounding pharmacies and diagnostic imaging), educational facility design (K-12 and higher education), laboratory design (research and teaching), and urban/neighborhood planning. Services are delivered by principal-led teams combining master planning, programming, schematic design, construction documentation, and construction administration under a unified practice model.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Healthcare Architecture Services Comprehensive healthcare facility design services including primary care clinics, diagnostic imaging suites (MRI, mammography, CT, X-ray), cancer treatment centers, sterile compounding pharmacies with ISO-5/ISO-7 cleanrooms, rehabilitation centers, and clinical laboratories. The service specializes in occupied facility renovations with phased construction to maintain operational continuity, addressing enterprise healthcare clients such as Cleveland Clinic, University Hospitals, and MetroHealth.
• Education Architecture Services K-12 and higher education facility design including new construction, renovation, and schools based on the New Tech collaborative learning model. Projects span public, private, and parochial schools, as well as universities including Ohio State University, University of Akron, and Kent State University, with work delivered in collaboration with the Cleveland Educational Design Alliance (CEDA).
• Laboratory Design Services Specialized laboratory design for higher education, K-12 education, research hospitals, and private corporations. Services include corrosion engineering laboratories, tissue engineering laboratories, bio-instrumentation labs, and cleanroom facilities, integrating Labs21 sustainable principles and LEED standards.
• Urban Design and Planning Services New Urbanism-aligned urban design and planning services including walkable neighborhood design, transit-oriented development, traditional neighborhood design, and mixed-use community planning. The firm is an accredited member of the Congress for the New Urbanism, with award-winning projects including Rockport Square Neighborhood Plan and Olmsted Township Lifecycle Neighborhood.
• Senior Living Architecture Services Senior living facility design focused on inspiring and comforting environments with connections to outdoors, open plans, neighborhood community, and pedestrian accessibility. The service combines residential design expertise with healthcare experience for optimal senior environments, including continuing care at communities such as Kendal at Oberlin and Oberlin Green Acres Development.
• Corporate Architecture Services Corporate facility design including new construction, additions, and renovations. Services include design identity creation for multi-facility implementations, working with existing corporate design and construction standards. Clients include major companies such as Kraftmaid Cabinetry and Citizens Bank.
• Residential Architecture Services Residential design services including new custom home design, single-family home additions and renovations, townhome and cluster home design, apartments, spec homes, and retirement home design. The service includes historic renovation and adaptive reuse projects with seamless transitions between old and new construction.
• Community Architecture Services Design services for community-serving clients including hospitality, government, yacht clubs, and religious organizations. Includes renovation, historic preservation, and new construction projects such as the City of Cleveland Kennel Facility, Glidden House Historic Inn preservation, and St. Philomena Church Renovations.
• Comprehensive Design Services Full-service architecture and planning offerings including master planning, programming, schematic design, design development, construction documentation, bidding, construction administration, facilities management, building assessments, code and zoning review, ADA compliance, sustainable design, interior design, and restoration/adaptive reuse. Delivered as an integrated service package across the firm's healthcare, education, laboratory, urban planning, senior living, corporate, residential, and community sector engagements.

Quantifiable outcome

• 50+ healthcare projects completed totaling over $40 million for Cleveland Clinic, University Hospitals, and MetroHealth since 2000
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers9 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

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Goody ClancycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMetropolitan Architecture Studio served as local architect working with nationally recognized planners Goody Clancy on Ohio State University North Residential District redevelopment. MAS conducted Facility Suitability Index Study pilot project assessing programmatic suitability of buildings in the district.
• Elkus ManfredicoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMetropolitan Architecture Studio served as local architect working with Elkus Manfredi on Ohio State University North Residential District redevelopment project including multiple residence halls organized around green spaces.
• Richard L. Bowen and AssociatessupportingImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerMetropolitan Architecture Studio in association with Richard L. Bowen and Associates designed the new 23,000 square foot City of Cleveland Kennel Facility. MAS responsible for programming, schematic design, planning, and interior design.
• Forest City Land GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorking with Forest City Land Group, Metropolitan Architecture Studio designed the Rockport Square Neighborhood Plan which centers on a new urban tree-lined square. Also designed Rockport Square Lofts (54 unit condominium) anchoring the redevelopment district.
• NRP GroupsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerMetropolitan Architecture Studio worked with NRP Group to create a master plan for Oberlin Green Acres Development - 15 acre sustainable neighborhood with 40-50 cottage style residential units for empty nesters and aging in place market.
• Cleveland Educational Design Alliance (CEDA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMetropolitan Architecture Studio collaborated with Cleveland Educational Design Alliance (CEDA) on design of ten schools throughout Cleveland Metropolitan School District. MAS served as design lead for exterior architecture and integration of interior and exterior on multiple school projects.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• SmithGroup: National architecture firm with significant healthcare and lab design practices, including research laboratory facilities comparable to MAS's University of Akron lab work.
• Perkins&Will: Large international architecture firm with strong healthcare and education practices, competing for academic medical center and university campus projects regionally and nationally.
• DLR Group (formerly Westlake Reed Leskosky): Large integrated design firm with strong Cleveland presence (formerly Westlake Reed Leskosky), competing for healthcare, education, and civic projects across the region.
• CannonDesign: Large national architecture firm with major healthcare practice, designing hospitals and academic medical centers. Overlaps directly with MAS's healthcare focus but operates at significantly larger scale.
• HKS Architects: National architecture firm with one of the largest healthcare practices in the U.S., competing for major healthcare system contracts including academic medical centers.

Regional players

• Bialosky Cleveland: Cleveland-based architecture firm with similar regional focus across healthcare, education, and community projects. Most directly comparable peer given shared Cleveland geography and overlapping client base.
• Heapy Engineering: Dayton/Cleveland-based MEP and building design firm serving healthcare and educational institutions in Ohio, comparable as a regional design services competitor.

Direct peers

• Bostwick Design Partnership: Cleveland-based architecture firm providing design services across healthcare, education, and commercial sectors with a similar mid-size professional services model.
• EwingCole: Healthcare and education-focused architecture firm with comparable specialty expertise in medical facility design and complex renovation projects.
• BHDP Architecture: Healthcare and workplace design specialist firm with deep expertise in healthcare facility design, comparable to MAS's healthcare-focused practice.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/metropolitan-architecture-studio-llc

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 Metropolitan Architecture Studio