HOK
HOK is a privately held global architecture, engineering, and planning firm founded in 1955 with 27 offices serving enterprise, government, healthcare, higher education, sports, and aviation clients through integrated design and consulting services.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1955
- HeadquartersIstanbul
- Headcount1,001–5,000
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What HOK does
HOK (legal entity HOK Group, Inc.; previously Hellmuth, Obata & Kassabaum) is a privately held global design, architecture, engineering, and planning firm headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri, founded in 1955. The firm operates 27 studios across North America, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia-Pacific, with disclosed legal entities spanning the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, India, Hong Kong, China, the UAE, Thailand, and Singapore. HOK provides integrated professional services spanning architecture, interior design, landscape architecture, lighting design, experience design, planning and urban design, sustainable design, structural/MEP engineering, and consulting, organized around market sectors including aviation and transportation, civic and justice, corporate and commercial, federal government, healthcare, higher education and science + technology, sports + recreation + entertainment, and lifestyle/hospitality.
The firm's technical capabilities center on an evidence-based design methodology, building information modeling (BIM), sustainable and regenerative design targeting BREEAM Excellent/Outstanding and net-zero-carbon outcomes, workforce phenotyping studies of more than 500 laboratory rooms, and a neuroinclusive design blueprint informed by a 2024 study with Advanced Research Clusters and the University of the West of Scotland. HOK participates in the Innovation Design Consortium (IDC) with peer AEC firms on open-format data infrastructure using Apache Parquet and Iceberg. Its revenue model is project-based professional services with fees negotiated per commission; the firm pursues work through direct enterprise relationships, joint ventures (e.g., HNTB-HOK for Penn Station), and design-build partnerships with contractors such as Gilbane and Turner. Notable engagements include the $1.7 billion Wadsworth Center Public Health Laboratory for DASNY, the £300 million University of Glasgow Advanced Research Centre, the St Mary's Paddington Hub clinical life sciences facility, the Detroit City FC 15,000-seat stadium (AlumniFi Field), and headquarters for Honeywell, BCG, Norfolk Southern, LG North America, Shiseido Americas, and WPP.
HOK firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- HOK
- Legal name
- HOK Group, Inc.
- Website
- https://hok.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1955
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1,001–5,000 employees
- Short description
- HOK is a privately held global architecture, engineering, and planning firm founded in 1955 with 27 offices serving enterprise, government, healthcare, higher education, sports, and aviation clients through integrated design and consulting services.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
HOK industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Architectural and Engineering Design Services
- NAICS
- Architectural Services (541310), Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services (5413), Interior Design Services (54141), Landscape Architectural Services (54132)
- SIC
- Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Sustainable/Green Building & LEED Consulting (BPAHAKAG)
Keywords
Where HOK is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Istanbul
Offices28 records
Markets served
HOK business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Architecture and Design Professional Services: HOK generates revenue by providing architecture, interior design, landscape architecture, lighting design, experience design, planning and urban design, sustainable design, engineering, and consulting services on large-scale building and infrastructure projects. Revenue is project-based, earned through professional fees on design commissions across commercial, civic, healthcare, sports, transportation, and other sectors.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels7 records
HOK product offering
Product offeringCore offering
HOK is a global architecture, engineering, and planning firm providing professional design services including architecture, interior design, landscape architecture, lighting design, experience design, urban planning, sustainable design, engineering (structural, MEP), and consulting. The firm delivers building and infrastructure projects across aviation, civic, corporate, federal government, healthcare, higher education, science and technology, lifestyle, and sports sectors for enterprise and government clients worldwide.
Product overview
HOK is a global architecture and design firm offering professional services rather than a software product company. The firm operates as a single integrated service offering across multiple disciplines including Architecture, Landscape Architecture, Lighting Design, Experience Design, Interiors, Planning + Urban Design, Sustainable Design, Engineering, and Consulting. These services are organized around market sectors: Aviation + Transportation, Civic + Justice, Corporate + Commercial, Federal Government, Healthcare, Higher Education, Lifestyle, Mixed-Use, Renovation + Refurbishment, Science + Technology, and Sports + Recreation + Entertainment. The firm has 27 global offices across North America, Europe, Middle East, and Asia-Pacific.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- HOK + ROSSETTI: Combined entity during integration period following ROSSETTI acquisition
Products and services
- Architecture Comprehensive architectural design services spanning building design, master planning, and design development for diverse project types across aviation, civic, corporate, healthcare, higher education, and science sectors.
- Interiors Interior design services covering workplace, healthcare, hospitality, and residential interiors with focus on human experience, including HOK's neuroinclusive design framework.
- Landscape Architecture Landscape architectural design for outdoor spaces, urban environments, and site-specific landscapes integrated with building design.
- Lighting Design Architectural lighting design services for interior and exterior spaces, focusing on functionality, aesthetics, and energy efficiency.
- Experience Design Immersive experience design creating engaging environments for brands, museums, and public spaces.
- Planning + Urban Design Urban planning and city planning services including master planning, urban regeneration, and strategic development consulting.
- Sustainable Design Sustainable and regenerative design services focused on net-zero carbon, LEED certification, BREEAM Excellent/Outstanding ratings, and environmentally responsible building practices.
- Engineering Integrated engineering services including structural, mechanical, electrical, and plumbing (MEP) engineering for building systems.
- Consulting Professional consulting services including workplace strategy, change management, ESG consulting, and design technology advisory.
- Aviation + Transportation Design Airport terminal design and transportation hub architecture including terminals, concourses, and transit-oriented developments for airport authorities, transit agencies, and rail operators.
- Civic + Justice Design Government and justice facility design including courthouses, civic centers, detention facilities, and public safety buildings for federal, state, and local government clients.
- Corporate + Commercial Design Corporate office headquarters and commercial building design for major corporations and commercial real estate developers, addressing hybrid work, talent attraction, and brand expression.
- Federal Government Design Federal government building design including courthouses, government offices, embassies, consulates, and federal campus facilities for agencies such as GSA.
- Healthcare Design Healthcare facility design including hospitals, medical centers, research facilities, and clinical environments for hospitals, healthcare systems, and medical research institutions.
- Higher Education Design University campus design including academic buildings, research centers, student housing, and athletic facilities for universities and research institutions.
- Science + Technology Design Science and technology facility design including laboratories, research centers, technology campuses, and life sciences facilities, applying evidence-based design, workforce phenotyping, and neuroinclusive design.
- Sports + Recreation + Entertainment Design Sports venue and entertainment facility design including stadiums, arenas, and sports performance centers, delivered through the HOK + ROSSETTI practice following the April 2026 ROSSETTI acquisition.
Quantifiable outcome
- Francis Crick Institute researchers published nearly 2,000 papers including work mapping COVID-19 spike protein and advancing gamma delta T-cell therapies
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use HOK
Customer profileNamed customers25 records
Segments9 records
Ideal customer profiles6 records
HOK technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature5 records
HOK partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- ROSSETTIcoreHOK acquired ROSSETTI, a Detroit-based architecture firm with 57 years of sports venue design expertise. The combined entity operates as HOK + ROSSETTI during integration. The acquisition establishes HOK's first office in Detroit and significantly expands its Sports + Recreation + Entertainment practice. ROSSETTI's portfolio includes Formula 1 Crypto.com Miami Grand Prix, USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, Ford Field, and ongoing work on Arthur Ashe Stadium and Cosm Detroit. All 87 ROSSETTI employees joined HOK, and founder Matt Rossetti became a Director within HOK's Sports + Recreation + Entertainment practice.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights6 records
HOK competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- HKS: US-headquartered global architecture firm with deep practices in healthcare, sports (AT&T Stadium, SoFi Stadium, U.S. Bank Stadium), and civic markets. Direct competitor to HOK in sports venue design and large-scale healthcare facility commissions.
- SmithGroup: Integrated design firm with comparable science + technology, healthcare, and higher education practices. Frequently pursues the same university and research-institution clients as HOK (Caltech, Clemson, Washington University-style programs).
- Gensler: The largest global architecture and design firm, with comparable breadth across workplace, healthcare, aviation, sports, and science + technology. Identified alongside HOK as a top-10 player in the global interior design services market and consistently ranked together on BD+C Top 200 lists.
- Corgan: US-headquartered architecture firm with significant aviation, data center, and corporate workplace practices. Direct competitor in aviation terminal design (a HOK core segment) and large corporate headquarters commissions.
- Perkins&Will: Global architecture firm with strong healthcare, science + technology, and higher education practices. Frequently co-ranked with HOK on BD+C Top 200 and shares overlap in life sciences facility design.
- Populous: Specialist sports and entertainment venue architecture firm (Wembley Stadium, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Yankee Stadium). Closest direct competitor to the expanded HOK + ROSSETTI sports practice following the April 2026 acquisition.
Broad incumbents
- Foster + Partners: Global architecture firm with signature airport, commercial, and cultural commissions. Co-listed with HOK in BOND's EMEA Top 50 luxury hotel design firms and competes in aviation and large civic/infrastructure design.
- Stantec: Global engineering, architecture, and consulting firm with strong healthcare, civic, and water infrastructure practices. Competes with HOK on large public-sector and healthcare design pursuits and is consistently co-ranked in BD+C Top 200.
- HDR: Global architecture and engineering firm with strong healthcare, civic, and transportation practices. Frequently co-ranked with HOK on BD+C Top 200 and competes on healthcare campus and transit design commissions.
- AECOM: Diversified infrastructure consulting firm with a large global architecture and engineering practice spanning transportation, healthcare, civic, and corporate markets. Competes with HOK on mega-projects and integrated design-build pursuits; named together with HOK as a top BIM and interior design market leader.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
HOK social profiles
Digital presenceHOK financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
HOK leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles18 records
HOK subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries6 records
HOK funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
HOK M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A1 record
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about HOK
What does HOK do?
HOK is a global architecture, engineering, and planning firm providing professional design services including architecture, interior design, landscape architecture, lighting design, experience design, urban planning, sustainable design, engineering (structural, MEP), and consulting. The firm delivers building and infrastructure projects across aviation, civic, corporate, federal government, healthcare, higher education, science and technology, lifestyle, and sports sectors for enterprise and government clients worldwide.
Is HOK a public or private company?
HOK is a private company. It is classified as management employee owned and is currently operating.
When was HOK founded?
HOK was founded in 1955. It employs 1,001 to 5,000 people.
Where is HOK based?
HOK is headquartered in Istanbul.
How does HOK make money?
One revenue line is on record: architecture and Design Professional Services.
Who are HOK's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are HKS, SmithGroup, Gensler, Corgan, Perkins&Will and Populous. Broad incumbents are Foster + Partners, Stantec, HDR and AECOM.
Does HOK have an API?
No public API is recorded for HOK.
What industry is HOK in?
HOK's product category is Architectural and Engineering Design Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAHAKAG, Sustainable/Green Building & LEED Consulting. Its NAICS code is 541310 and its SIC code is 8700.