Across the United States, Toronto, and Johannesburg, Black-owned architecture firms design civic buildings, university campuses, sports venues, cultural institutions, and large-scale urban infrastructure.
Operating at this level requires sustained relationships with institutional clients, navigation of public procurement processes, and the capacity to deliver projects over long timelines.
The firms listed here have established that track record.
Hamilton Anderson Associates | Detroit, MI
Hamilton Anderson Associates is a multi-disciplinary design firm based in Detroit and led by principal Rainy Hamilton Jr., FAIA, NOMA. The firm operates across architecture, landscape architecture, urban design, planning, and interior design.
The firm’s practice covers civic buildings, higher education, housing, hospitality, and public space. The firm served as associate architect to HOK for Little Caesars Arena, a multi-purpose venue that opened in downtown Detroit in September 2017 as home to the Detroit Pistons and Red Wings.
The firm is also the architect on the Motown Museum Expansion and the Hilberry Gateway Theatre at Wayne State University. Recent projects include the Aretha Franklin Amphitheatre and mixed-use developments along Detroit’s riverfront.
Stanley, Love-Stanley P.C. | Atlanta, GA
Stanley, Love-Stanley P.C. was founded in Atlanta in 1978 by William J. Stanley III and Ivenue Love-Stanley. Stanley graduated from Georgia Tech’s College of Architecture in 1972 as the school’s first Black graduate.
Love-Stanley graduated in 1977 as the first Black female graduate, and in 1983 became the first Black woman licensed as an architect in the Southeast. Both principals hold the designation of Fellow of the American Institute of Architects.
The firm covers architecture, planning, and interiors, with a practice spanning civic, educational, religious, and cultural projects across the South, New York, the Caribbean, and South Africa. Notable work includes the New Horizon Sanctuary at Ebenezer Baptist Church, the Marcus Nanotechnology Building at Georgia Institute of Technology, and the Olympic Aquatic Center at Georgia Tech.
Smith & Company Architects | Houston, TX
Smith & Company Architects was founded in 1999 by Terry Smith. The Houston-based firm operates with a practice concentrated in educational buildings and multi-family housing, serving school districts, universities, housing authorities, transit agencies, and healthcare systems across Texas.
Projects include TDECU Stadium and the Bert F. Winston Band and Performance Center at the University of Houston, the Football Stadium and Athletic Field House at Prairie View A&M University, multiple facilities for Texas A&M University’s Corps of Cadets, the African American Library at the Gregory School for the City of Houston, transit facilities for Houston METRO, and healthcare-related work for MD Anderson Cancer Center and Harris Health System.
TONAB Architecture PLLC | New York, NY
TONAB Architecture PLLC is a full-service design firm based in New York City, formed through the merger of Terrence O’Neal Architect LLC and ACB Architects PLLC.
The firm is led by managing principals Terrence O’Neal, FAIA, LEED AP, and Anthony C. Baker, RA, FARA.
The firm’s practice spans aviation infrastructure, supportive and affordable housing, educational and cultural institutions, and healthcare. TONAB was formed through the merger of two established practices, combining experience across public sector and nonprofit development with a separate track record in major airport projects.
This structure allows the firm to operate across two distinct project ecosystems, where selection is driven by prior work, agency relationships, and category-specific experience.
MMA Design Studio | Johannesburg, South Africa
MMA Design Studio is a Johannesburg-based architecture practice founded in 1995 by Mphethi Morojele.
The firm operates across architecture, urban regeneration, research, and strategic design, with a focus on how built form responds to social, cultural, and historical conditions across the African continent.
The firm’s work spans government, heritage, civic, higher education, and infrastructure projects. Notable work includes the South African Embassy in Berlin, the Maropeng Cradle of Humankind interpretive centre, and Freedom Park in Pretoria.
Additional projects include the Faraday Market and Transport Interchange in Johannesburg and the Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management building at the University of the Witwatersrand.
Studio of Contemporary Architecture (SOCA) | Toronto, Canada
Studio of Contemporary Architecture (SOCA) is a Toronto-based architecture and urban design practice led by Shane Laptiste and Tura Cousins Wilson.
The firm operates across institutional, cultural, residential, and municipal projects, with work spanning new construction, adaptive reuse, interiors, and public art.
The studio’s project work includes the Centre culturel afro-canadien de Montréal, the Wildseed Centre for Art and Activism in Toronto, and the Fisher Field Soccer Clubhouse in Collingwood. Additional work includes cultural and community-based projects such as the BAND Gallery and Cultural Centre and exhibitions at the Gardiner Museum.
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