danny forster design studio

What danny forster design studio does

Danny Forster & Architecture (DF&A), also branded as Danny Forster Design Studio, is a New York-based architecture and design firm founded by architect Danny Forster. The firm delivers architecture, interior design, master planning, branding, and documentary film production as integrated services, and serves enterprise clients across hospitality (Marriott, Hilton), financial services (Rithm Capital), cultural and nonprofit (American Bible Society, Seychelles Islands Foundation), sovereign and indigenous clients (Shinnecock Indian Nation, Republic of Seychelles), and high-end residential markets (432 Park Avenue, Tribeca). Engagements span small-scale cultural and pro-bono work to large commercial commissions such as the $120M Hudson Yards Marriott, the $50M Dallas masterplan, the 11 million-square-foot Charlotte masterplan across nine city blocks, the 317-key World Trade Center Tower hotel, and the $20M Seychelles Museum of Natural History.

The firm's core technical platform is 100% steel modular construction for hotels and multi-family housing, executed through a strategic partnership with MiTek, a Berkshire Hathaway company that provides the industrial fabrication backbone. This modular platform, combined with documented digital fabrication capability and a separately branded "Systems Strategy" service line for civic clients, allows DF&A to pitch both building-level commissions and city-scale planning engagements from a single studio. The firm has an unusual dual identity as a practicing architecture studio and a documentary producer, exemplified by Danny Forster's 45 episodes on Discovery/Science Channel's Build It Bigger, his Emmy-winning collaboration with Steven Spielberg on Rising: Rebuilding Ground Zero (DGA award 2010), and a packaged storytelling/branding service offered alongside design work. Geographic delivery spans the United States, Hungary, Thailand, and the Seychelles.

The business model is fee-based design and project delivery, supplemented by strategic advisory (systems strategy), storytelling/branding, and documentary production. Revenue per engagement varies dramatically — from pro-bono commissions (reported in the $13K–$50K range) to nine-figure project budgets — implying meaningful year-to-year revenue volatility and a concentration on a small number of large commissions each year. Pricing is project-based rather than SaaS or recurring, and there is no disclosed subscription, licensing, or platform revenue stream.

Name

danny forster design studio

Website

https://dannyforsterdesignstudio.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Danny Forster & Architecture is a New York-based architecture and design firm specializing in modular hotel construction, master planning, interior design, and branded storytelling. The studio serves enterprise clients across hospitality, financial, cultural, nonprofit, and sovereign/indigenous sectors, with active projects in the US, Seychelles, Thailand, and Hungary.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Architectural Services

NAICS

Interior Design Services (54141), Interior Design Services (541410), Graphic Design Services (54143), Graphic Design Services (541430)

akta.pro primary industry

Architectural Design Services (BPAHAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Interior Design Services (BPAHAKAB), Hospitality & Entertainment Venue Construction (IMAFACAC), Office & Corporate Building Construction (IMAFACAA), Specialty Finishes & Decorative Installations (Plaster, Stone Veneer, Feature Walls) (IMAFANAM)

Keywords

• Architectural design services
• Modular construction consulting
• Urban master planning
• Interior design services
• Documentary film production

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Architecture Design Services: Project-based fees for architectural design services including master planning, hospitality, residential, cultural, and modular construction projects.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Danny Forster Design Studio (also operating as Danny Forster & Architecture / DF&A) provides full-service architectural design, interior design, master planning, and branding services across residential, hospitality, cultural, and commercial sectors. The firm also produces documentary films and promotional content for landmark buildings, and operates specialized modular construction and digital fabrication practices that enable complex geometric and off-site built work for enterprise clients.

Product overview

Danny Forster & Architecture (DF&A) is an architecture and design studio offering a unified portfolio of services centered on architectural design, documentary filmmaking, and research-driven innovation. The core offering comprises architecture and design services spanning residential, hospitality, cultural, commercial, and urban planning sectors, supported by documentary film production capabilities and three specialized research modules: Storytelling & Branding, Advanced Fabrication, Systems Strategy, and Modular Innovation. The firm's architecture practice encompasses projects from single-family residences (Omena House, Chelsea Apartment) to large-scale modular hotels (Nomad Modular Hotel, Downtown Brooklyn Hotel), cultural institutions (Budapest Museum, Seychelles Museum), hospitality brands (Aloft Hotels, World Trade Center Tower), and urban master plans (Charlotte Masterplan, Dallas Masterplan). The film division produces architectural documentaries (Build It Bigger, Rising: Rebuilding Ground Zero, How China Works) and promotional films for landmark buildings.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Architecture & Design Services Full-service architectural design spanning residential (penthouses, duplexes, lofts), hospitality (hotels, modular construction), cultural (museums, visitor centers), commercial (offices, mixed-use), and urban master planning projects for enterprise clients and high-net-worth individuals in the U.S. and internationally.
• Documentary Film Production Film and documentary production services focused on architecture and engineering subjects, including television series and promotional films for landmark buildings, created and fronted by founder Danny Forster.
• Modular Innovation Consulting Off-site construction consulting and modular building system development, including a platform approach that resolves code compliance, supply chain management, and scope definition for on-site and off-site fabricators and contractors, developed in multi-year collaboration with MiTek (Berkshire Hathaway).
• Advanced Fabrication Services Digital fabrication and complex geometric architectural element design services, including custom millwork, Corian canopy fabrication, ornamental metalwork, and precision staircase engineering, shepherded from design through fabrication.
• Systems Strategy Consulting Spatial organization and activity optimization consulting, including space programming, flexible furniture systems, and modular spatial solutions for commercial and hospitality environments, organized around the Kit of Possibilities system that categorizes parts by user activity.
• Storytelling & Branding Services Brand strategy, narrative development, and visual identity services for hotels, corporations, and organizations, including naming exercises, brand standard redesigns, wayfinding, internal films, and corporate communications support.

Quantifiable outcome

• First private residence in Northern Michigan to achieve LEED-gold certification
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers13 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• MiTek (Berkshire Hathaway)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMulti-year collaboration developing a platform approach to off-site construction resolving code compliance requirements, supply chain management, and scope definition for on-site and off-site fabricators/contractors. DF&A invents processes and products that transform the way modular buildings are built.
• O'Brien ArchitectsflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborator on Dallas Masterplan (Dallas Alpha West) project - a $50M mixed-use complex with Aloft Hotel.
• ARUPcoreTechnology or IntegrationEngineering collaborator on Seychelles Museum project ($20M budget).
• Gallagher & AssociatescoreTechnology or IntegrationExhibition design collaborator on Seychelles Museum project.
• dwgflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerDesign collaborator on Shinnecock Nation Resort - 20-acre, 13-building complex for the Shinnecock Indian Nation.
• Peter Poon ArchitectscoreTechnology or IntegrationCollaborating architect on World Trade Center Tower project (30-story hotel, 317 keys).
• Love & WarflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborator on The Nevisian resort project - a luxury resort on Nevis featuring the world's first 5-star modular hotel.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• SHoP Architects: NYC-based architecture firm of comparable scale with strong modular/innovative construction expertise and a portfolio of large-scale urban and hospitality projects. SHoP and DF&A both operate at the intersection of design ambition and construction innovation, and both compete for similar downtown NYC commercial and hotel clients.
• BIG (Bjarke Ingels Group): Globally recognized, design-forward architecture firm with strong media profile and modular/sustainable innovation. BIG competes directly with DF&A for premium developer and hotel brand clients and shares the celebrity-architect-driven marketing model that DF&A employs through Danny Forster's TV presence.
• Snøhetta: International architecture and design firm spanning cultural, hospitality, and master planning projects with a multi-disciplinary research-driven practice. Snøhetta is a peer for DF&A's cultural institutions (Budapest Museum, Seychelles Museum) and large-scale master planning engagements (Charlotte, Dallas).
• Handel Architects: NYC-based architecture firm focused on large-scale residential, hotel, and mixed-use high-rise towers including luxury developments on Billionaire's Row. Handel competes directly for the same New York residential, hotel, and commercial developer clients as DF&A.
• Studio Gang: Design-led architecture studio of comparable size with sustainability focus and a portfolio spanning cultural, residential, and urban projects. Studio Gang competes with DF&A for marquee cultural institutions and sustainability-driven developer clients.
• COOKFOX Architects: NYC architecture firm specializing in sustainable, LEED-certified high-rise residential and commercial towers. COOKFOX is directly comparable to DF&A's LEED-gold expertise (Omena House) and luxury NYC residential/hospitality work.
• David Rockwell / Rockwell Group: Design-led firm spanning architecture, interiors, and immersive experiences for hotels, restaurants, and cultural venues. Comparable to DF&A in hospitality brand work (Aloft, Marriott contexts), interior design scope, and the integration of architecture with branded experience design.

Broad incumbents

• Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM): One of the largest global architecture and engineering firms with deep experience in supertall towers, hotels, and master planning. SOM is a broad incumbent that competes for the same high-rise developer and institutional clients as DF&A but at far greater scale and with integrated engineering capability.
• Gensler: Largest global architecture and design firm with deep hospitality, commercial office, and corporate interiors practices. Gensler competes with DF&A for corporate brand experience work (Fannie Mae, KPMG engagements) and large-scale commercial developer clients.
• Kohn Pedersen Fox (KPF): NYC-based global architecture firm known for supertall residential towers (including work on 432 Park Avenue context) and large-scale commercial and mixed-use developments. KPF competes for the same New York luxury developer and institutional clients as DF&A.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 danny forster design studio