2026 Top Multifamily Architects and Designers

Survey respondents reported on their specializations and design activities between Oct. 1, 2024, and Sept. 30, 2025.

Note: Though we make every effort to include all major multifamily architecture and design firms, several notable firms did not participate.

Key:
Areas of Expertise: UD=Urban Design, BD=Building Design, ID=Interior Design, Hr/Ar=Historic Renovation/Adaptive Reuse, X=Other
Property Sectors: A=Affordable Housing, C=Condo, L=Luxury, MR=Market Rate, Mi=Military Housing, Se=Senior Housing, SFR=Single-Family Rentals, St=Student Housing, X=Other

To be included in upcoming rankings, email Agota Felhazi at agota.felhazi@cpe-mhn.com. 

Community + Sustainability = Responsive Design

Multi-Housing News has revealed the 2026 Top Architects and Designers, a new ranking among the seven annual lists put together by the publication. The 10 companies on this list demonstrate that architecture currently fuses multi-layered sustainability with performance‑driven design. Leading architects and designers need to be able to emphasize experience and community in sought-after mixed-use districts, deliver resilient projects as the frequency of extreme weather is increasing, keep in mind that residents’ main concern is affordability and be flexible when facing mounting construction costs and an impacted supply-chain.

Below MHN profiles the 10 ten leading companies and highlights one of their recent projects.

1. Arrowstreet

Arrowstreet secured the top spot for MHN’s inaugural Top Architects and Designers ranking. The Boston-based firm brought a multidisciplinary approach covering urban design, building design, interior design as well as historic renovation/adaptive reuse and other areas. Arrowstreet’s recent noteworthy multifamily projects include the five-story Blue Hill Avenue taking shape in Boston. Developed for Lincoln Avenue Communities, the development is aiming for LEED Silver, Phius CORE and Passive House certification.

2. Bergmeyer

Among the firms on MHN’s list, Bergmeyer stands out for the highest number of architects with LEED certification and the highest number of professionals with NCIDQ certification. The firm is also one of the most diversified with a heavy focus on retail alongside work in a number of other sectors, including education. Its approach—rooted in research-driven, context-specific design shaped by local market analysis and resident expectations–is exemplified by Toll Brothers Apartment Living’s Piper project in Norwalk, Conn. The project balances Toll Brothers’ brand standards with a distinct identity, resulting in a high-quality, strategically positioned multifamily community.

3. Rule Joy Trammell + Rubio

Rule Joy Trammell + Rubio also blends a wide range of design categories with a large scope of practice areas. While the firm maintains a heavy focus on multifamily, it has also branched out to office, hospitality and other areas such as arenas and education. Among its recent multifamily projects is Marketplace Apartments, an efficient multifamily development using repeatable layouts, straightforward construction methods and durable materials. Well-placed amenities and streamlined building methods were needed to balance feasibility and resident experience across the 300-unit budget-conscious project.

4. Niles Bolton Associates

Niles Bolton Associates had the largest total architecture and design staff and the highest number of landscape architects. The firm was also noted for its large focus on the multifamily sector and within that the student housing subsector. Niles Bolton Associates’ contribution to this subsector included Oak Hall at New Jersey Institute of Technology taking shape in Newark, N.J. The 154-unit development will replace an outdated residence hall with NJIT’s first design‑build project. The 191,000-square-foot Oak Hall will deliver modern student housing and marked Terminal Construction and Niles Bolton Associates’ second such project at NJIT since 2020.

5. CetraRuddy Architecture

The New York-based CetraRuddy Architecture demonstrated expertise across multiple disciplines, including building design, interior design and historic renovation/adaptive reuse. The firm has a focus on multifamily but also takes on projects in the civic and mixed-use spaces. Clarkson Estates, developed by CAMBA Housing Ventures, is rising in the Flatbush neighborhood of Brooklyn. The Passive House‑designed project highlights CetraRuddy Architecture’s strength in sustainability, as it features a ductless heating and cooling system, an innovative step for Passive House construction. Clarkson Estates will include 328 affordable and supportive units, and also community‑centered spaces promoting health and wellness.

6. Market Square Architects

Like many firms on the list, the national full-service architecture firm excelled across multiple disciplines, including urban design, building design, interior design and historic renovation/adaptive reuse. Market Square Architects had a focus on multifamily, including single-family and other multifamily niches. But the company was also active in the industrial, office and hospitality sectors. The 299-unit Epicurian in Salem, N.H., was Market Square Architects’ ambitious addition to the Tuscan Village, a large-scale, mixed-use district. The nearly 500,000‑square‑foot luxury development weaved together retail, residential and public spaces.

7. JHP Architecture/Urban Design

JHP Architecture/Urban Design ranked second among the firms for converting submitted project proposals into awarded projects. The firm also was the most dedicated to the senior housing and SFR subsectors. Lantower Midtown totaling 350 units in Dallas was JHP’s answer to contemporary urban multifamily project with refined detailing. The end result combines a distinctive stacked-amenities corner with resort-inspired shared spaces and courtyards, the design places clear emphasis on fostering community and supporting resident well-being.

8. Beatty Harvey Coco Architects

With more than 140 years of experience, Beatty Harvey Coco Architects old firm has helped bring to fruition more than 10,000 multifamily units, over 150 civic projects while working across the urban design, building design, interior design and historic renovation/adaptive reuse spaces. Among MHN’s Top 10 firms, Beatty Harvey Coco had the highest win rate (share of submitted proposals that result in awarded projects) among the companies on the list. Half of the projects the company took on centered on multifamily and most were market rate, followed by affordable housing, luxury development, senior housing and condos. Among recent notable projects, Beatty Harvey Coco redesigned and resized The Arden to meet Glen Cove’s zoning requirements, demonstrating adaptability while maintaining design intent. Developed for RXR and Chuo-Nittochi Group, the five-story building totaling 101 units includes 2,400 square feet of retail space in Garvies Point, N.Y.

9. ID Studios

Founded in 2025, the interior architecture and design firm is a WBENC certified woman-owned business. For ID Studios the education sector remained central, as understandably the firm’s multifamily work also reached out to student housing. Among recent notable projects, ID Studios collaborated with KTGY Architecture on a ground-up off-campus student housing project taking shape in San Diego for Pierce Education Properties. Near the San Diego State University campus, the six-story, 300-bed College View Apartments will feature flexible open common areas, bold ceiling design and abundant natural.

10. Hooker DeJong

Hooker DeJong Inc. is one of the more prolific companies on MHN’s ranking. The firm works across key disciplines, from urban design to renovation/adaptive reuse but also offers other services, such as professional design services in support of LIHTC. Among the companies on the list, HDJ had the largest focus on the affordable housing subsector. The company’s recent noteworthy projects included Aspire at Church St. Apartments, an 85-unit affordable housing community in Norfolk, Va. Commissioned by The Richman Group, the project replaced the former Willis Office Building in the Tidewater Gardens District.

Methodology

Multi-Housing News’ 2026 Top Architects and Designers ranking utilized self reported data for all firms. Results were derived from a weighted formula based on a variety of factors (only a few of which are specified here), including revenue, multiyear revenue momentum, the percentage of proposals won, staff credentials and focused or diversified participation across sectors and geographies. The ranking was designed to reflect a balanced combination of firm scale, growth, market presence and practice breadth. All data reflect the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, 2025.

— Agota Felhazi, Senior Associate Editor, Yardi Matrix

Read the April 2026 issue of MHN.