Future Firm Pllc
Future Firm Pllc is a Chicago-based, woman- and minority-owned architecture and design research practice of six professionals serving civic, cultural, non-profit, and mission-driven clients through adaptive-reuse, affordable-housing, and community-development projects augmented by a Future Lab research arm.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2015
- HeadquartersChicago, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Future Firm Pllc does
Future Firm Pllc is a Chicago-based architecture and design research practice founded in 2015 by Ann Lui and Craig Reschke, joined by principal Linda Chávez Baca in 2023. The firm operates with a stated team of six professionals, 87% of whom are licensed architects and 87% of whom identify as women or people of color, and is registered as a woman- and minority-owned business. Its work spans arts and culture institutions (South Side Community Arts Center renovation, Arts of Korea Gallery at the Art Institute of Chicago), education and non-profit facilities (Revolution Workshop, Mobile Makers Chicago, Nike School Chicago), civic and community development (Indo-American Center, South Side Sanctuary, Roseland Theater), affordable and missing-middle housing (Hem House, Readymade Row), and retail/hospitality (Bronzeville Winery, Justice of the Pies). The firm pairs architecture services with a Future Lab research arm producing speculative urbanism, policy proposals, and exhibitions.
Core technical work integrates 3D building scans with BIM models and is combined with archival and oral-history research for adaptive-reuse and landmark projects; eight projects carry landmark or other historical status. A construction-innovation playbook using prefabricated trusses, slab-on-grade foundations, and pre-engineered steel systems is applied to affordable-housing typologies, with Hem House recognized as the 5th least expensive new-construction home in Chicago and Readymade Row winning the Come Home Missing Middles competition at the Chicago Architecture Center.
Revenue is generated through project-based professional-services fees for civic, cultural, residential, and commercial commissions, supplemented by grants supporting client projects (>$30M in public funding awarded to clients across 2022-2026) and recognition income from competitions and awards. Go-to-market relies on direct client engagement, competition wins, exhibitions, and a referral network of preservation architects, structural/MEP engineers, and builders; thought-leadership distribution runs through publications (Mas Context, Dwell, Wallpaper, Chicago Tribune), podcast and film appearances, and professional affiliations such as the Architectural League of New York and Graham Foundation.
Future Firm Pllc firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Future Firm Pllc
- Legal name
- Future Firm Pllc
- Website
- https://future-firm.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2015
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Future Firm Pllc is a Chicago-based, woman- and minority-owned architecture and design research practice of six professionals serving civic, cultural, non-profit, and mission-driven clients through adaptive-reuse, affordable-housing, and community-development projects augmented by a Future Lab research arm.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Future Firm Pllc industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Architectural Services
- NAICS
- Architectural Services (54131), Architectural Services (541310), Interior Design Services (54141)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Building Information Modeling (BIM) & Digital Design Services (BPAHAKAK)
Keywords
Where Future Firm Pllc is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Chicago
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Future Firm Pllc business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Architectural Services: Full-service architectural design services for civic, cultural, residential, and commercial projects. Revenue generated through project-based fees for design, renovation, and new construction projects.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
Future Firm Pllc product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Future Firm provides full-service architectural design for civic, cultural, residential, and commercial projects, with a research-driven design process and a focus on serving mission-driven organizations. The practice specializes in adaptive reuse, integrating 3D building scans with BIM models and archival research to transform existing structures, and develops innovative construction strategies such as prefabricated trusses and pre-engineered steel systems for affordable housing prototypes.
Product overview
Future Firm is a Chicago-based architecture and design research practice operating as a single unified offering—architecture and design services—augmented by its Future Lab research initiative. The practice delivers projects across spatial scales with emphasis on arts and culture organizations, non-profits, and mission-driven businesses. Notable project types include: affordable housing (Hem House, Readymade Row), workforce development (Revolution Workshop), cultural institutions (South Side Community Arts Center, Arts of Korea Gallery), community spaces (South Side Sanctuary, Indo-American Center), and hospitality/retail (Bronzeville Winery, Justice of the Pies). The firm also conducts speculative and policy-driven design research through projects like Rebel Garages, Storm-Speed City, and Where the Borough Ends.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Architecture and Design Services Full-service architectural design for civic, cultural, commercial, and residential projects, with a focus on community-driven and mission-aligned organizations including arts institutions, non-profits, civic groups, and small businesses.
- Adaptive Reuse Services Specialized architectural service that transforms existing buildings for new uses through the integration of 3D scanning, BIM modeling, archival research, oral history, and early consultant coordination to honor historical context while creating contemporary spaces.
Quantifiable outcome
- $30M+ public funding awarded to client projects in 2022-26
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Future Firm Pllc
Customer profileNamed customers11 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
Future Firm Pllc technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Future Firm Pllc partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
20 partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and supporting.
- Hem DevelopmentcoreJoint venture between Future Firm's Craig Reschke and Joseph Root to bring contemporary residential projects to market with design-forward projects that reimagine the housing industry through architecture, construction, and user experience.
- PRODUCTORAcoreCollaboration with PRODUCTORA on Roseland Theater project, combining architectural expertise for community hub development.
- Chicago Architecture Center (CAF)minorCollaboration with Chicago Architecture Center on Rebel Garages project, supported by Chicago DCASE grant.
- wrkSHäp | kiloWattsupportingHistoric Preservation Architect for South Side Community Arts Center renovation and expansion.
- URBAN ReSOLVEsupportingDevelopment advisor for South Side Community Arts Center project.
- Trellis GroupsupportingLighting consultant for Arts of Korea gallery at Art Institute of Chicago.
- Goppion TechnologysupportingCasework provider for conservation-grade display cases in Arts of Korea gallery.
- Kattara ConstructionsupportingBuilder for Justice of the Pies bakery renovation project.
- B. Leonard ConstructionsupportingBuilder for Bronzeville Winery restaurant buildout.
- CoHab ConstructionsupportingBuilder for Hem House single-family home project.
- Revolution WorkshopcoreFlagship project client - workforce development organization with mutual commitment to equitable design and construction training.
- Nation BuilderssupportingBuilder for South Side Sanctuary community space project.
- StantecsupportingConsulting engineer for South Side Sanctuary project.
- Rockey StructuressupportingStructural engineer for Indo-American Center project.
- Calor Design GroupsupportingMechanical, Electrical & Plumbing engineer for Indo-American Center project.
- Chicago ScenicsupportingBuilder for Nike School Chicago student center project.
- VMR ConstructionsupportingConstruction partner for Mobile Makers Chicago first brick-and-mortar location.
- MilhousesupportingMechanical, Electrical & Plumbing and Structural Engineering for Roseland Theater project.
- site design groupsupportingLandscape architecture for Roseland Theater project.
- BOWAsupportingBuilder for Roseland Theater project.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Future Firm Pllc competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Brooks + Scarpa: Architecture practice known for affordable housing, civic buildings, and social-impact design with multiple AIA awards. Comparable mission-driven, research-led approach to community-serving architecture.
- Lamar Johnson Collaborative: Chicago-based architecture firm with strong civic, commercial, and multifamily portfolio and explicit diversity leadership. Geographic peer with overlapping institutional and developer clients.
- Wheeler Kearns Architects: Chicago-based small architecture firm focused on residential, civic, and adaptive reuse projects. Comparable in scale, region, and emphasis on community-oriented, design-research-led practice.
- Interface Studio Architects: Philadelphia-based practice focused on civic, educational, and community-serving architecture with comparable small-firm scale and design-research orientation.
- LTL Architects: New York-based small practice known for material research, civic buildings, and exhibition design. Comparable in scale, research-driven methodology, and craft orientation.
- MASS Design Group: Boston-based nonprofit architecture practice focused on justice-centered civic, health, and education buildings. Direct peer in mission-driven design research serving changemaker clients, with comparable scale and adaptive-reuse emphasis.
- nARCHITECTS: Brooklyn-based practice recognized for missing-middle housing innovation and adaptive reuse. Comparable scale and direct overlap in housing-typology experimentation (e.g., Carmel Place) that mirrors Future Firm's Hem House and Readymade Row work.
- Moody Nolan: Largest African-American-owned architecture firm in the U.S., with a strong civic, education, and community development portfolio. Direct peer in mission-driven practice, diversity positioning, and public-sector client base.
- Studio Gang: Chicago-based architecture practice known for civic, cultural, and sustainability-driven projects. Closest geographic peer with shared civic-mission orientation and overlapping institutional client base (museums, universities).
- WORK Architecture Company: New York-based practice with mission-driven civic, cultural, and educational work. Comparable in firm scale, public-interest positioning, and integration of research with built work.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses6 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Future Firm Pllc social profiles
Digital presenceFuture Firm Pllc financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Future Firm Pllc leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Future Firm Pllc funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Future Firm Pllc M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Future Firm Pllc
What does Future Firm Pllc do?
Future Firm provides full-service architectural design for civic, cultural, residential, and commercial projects, with a research-driven design process and a focus on serving mission-driven organizations. The practice specializes in adaptive reuse, integrating 3D building scans with BIM models and archival research to transform existing structures, and develops innovative construction strategies such as prefabricated trusses and pre-engineered steel systems for affordable housing prototypes.
Is Future Firm Pllc a public or private company?
Future Firm Pllc is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Future Firm Pllc founded?
Future Firm Pllc was founded in 2015. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Future Firm Pllc based?
Future Firm Pllc is headquartered in Chicago, United States, in the North America region.
How does Future Firm Pllc make money?
One revenue line is on record: architectural Services.
Who are Future Firm Pllc's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Brooks + Scarpa, Lamar Johnson Collaborative, Wheeler Kearns Architects, Interface Studio Architects, LTL Architects, MASS Design Group, nARCHITECTS, Moody Nolan, Studio Gang and WORK Architecture Company.
Does Future Firm Pllc have an API?
No public API is recorded for Future Firm Pllc.
What industry is Future Firm Pllc in?
Future Firm Pllc's product category is Architectural Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAHAKAK, Building Information Modeling (BIM) & Digital Design Services. Its NAICS code is 54131.