What Snøhetta does

Snøhetta is a transdisciplinary architecture and design practice founded in 1989 in Oslo, Norway, with approximately 250 employees drawn from 40 nationalities and seven regional studios spanning Oslo, New York, Innsbruck, Paris, Melbourne, Hong Kong, and Shenzhen. The firm offers architecture, landscape architecture, interior architecture, product design, and brand experience design under a single integrated practice model that the firm describes as "transpositioning." Its core technology stack combines traditional model-making (CNC robots, 3D rapid prototyping, woodworking) with digital tools including generative algorithms and large language models used as creative co-pilots in design ideation, plus a proprietary soundscape generator that converts dominant image colors into ambient audio. The firm has pioneered the Powerhouse energy-positive building standard, with multiple completed projects backed by BREEAM Excellent certification.

Snøhetta's revenue is generated through project-based professional service fees for large-scale architectural and design commissions, acquired via international design competitions (Busan Opera House, Qasr AlHokm, Harbourside Sydney, Cloud 11), public and government commissions (Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library, Far Rockaway Library, NRK Normannsløkka), and direct repeat-client engagements (MQDC, Tokyu Corporation, Mirvac, UCSF, MDF Italia). Customer segments span cultural and public institutions, real estate developers, hospitality and retail brands, corporate and commercial clients, and product manufacturers licensing Snøhetta designs (Array for MDF Italia, Sequence for BD Barcelona, Bokhus for UniFor, Snow Room for TechnoAlpin). The firm's go-to-market is enterprise field sales through competition wins, public procurement, and direct relationship management, with no consumer-facing product distribution. Distribution beyond services is handled via licensing partnerships with manufacturers who produce, market, and sell physical products.

The firm's strategic posture emphasizes sustainability leadership (UN Global Climate Action Award 2023, WSJ Architecture Innovator of the Year 2016, Cooper Hewitt National Design Award 2020, Monocle Architects of the Year 2023), landmark cultural commissions as brand anchors, geographic diversification across Europe, North America, Asia-Pacific, and the Middle East, and growing licensed product collaborations (five launches at Milan Design Week 2026 including Array, which won the ADI Compasso d'Oro). Ownership remains private and partner-held with no disclosed outside investment, parent company, or subsidiaries.

Name

Snøhetta

Legal name

Snøhetta

Website

https://snohetta.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Snøhetta is a transdisciplinary architecture and design practice founded in 1989 in Norway, employing ~250 staff from 40 nationalities across 7 global studios. It delivers architecture, landscape, interior, product, and brand design services to governments, cultural institutions, real estate developers, hospitality brands, and manufacturers worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Architecture Services

NAICS

Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services (5413), Interior Design Services (54141), Graphic Design Services (541430)

SIC

Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

Industrial/Product & Furniture Design (BPAHAKAM)

Keywords

• Architecture design services
• Landscape architecture
• Interior architecture
• Sustainable building design
• Product design

Headquarters

HQ city

Oslo

HQ country

Norway

HQ region

Europe

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Architecture and Design Professional Services: Snøhetta generates revenue through commissions and fees for architecture, landscape architecture, interior architecture, product design, and brand experience design services. Projects are acquired through design competitions, public commissions, and direct client engagements. Revenue is project-based, typically fixed-fee professional service contracts for large-scale architectural and design commissions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Snøhetta is a transdisciplinary architecture and design practice delivering full-service architecture, landscape architecture, interior architecture, product design, and brand experience design for cultural, public, commercial, and residential clients worldwide. Revenue is generated through fixed-fee project commissions acquired via international design competitions, public and government commissions, and direct enterprise engagements, supplemented by licensed product designs manufactured by partners such as MDF Italia, BD Barcelona, UniFor, and TechnoAlpin.

Product overview

Snøhetta is a transdisciplinary architecture and design practice offering architecture, landscape architecture, interior architecture, and product design services across global projects. The portfolio includes named products and systems: Array modular sofa system (MDF Italia), Sequence shelving system (BD Barcelona), Snow Room (TechnoAlpin), and various visual identity/branding products. The practice also employs generative AI capabilities through a soundscape generator on their website and uses generative algorithms for visual identity creation for clients like Modulize, Recreate, Collective Oslo, and Bokhus. Core services span from building design to furniture to digital brand experiences, unified by the firm's transdisciplinary approach integrating architecture, landscape, interior, product, brand, and experience design.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Architecture Services Full-service architecture practice designing buildings across all scales including libraries, museums, opera houses, stadiums, hotels, residential developments, commercial offices, and public spaces worldwide.
• Landscape Architecture Services Landscape design services shaping land to realize its potential, including parks, public spaces, urban regeneration, and sustainable landscape infrastructure.
• Interior Architecture Services Interior design exploring how people respond to and interact with their surroundings, creating holistic, inclusive, and functional interior spaces.
• Product Design Services Meaningful product development for a world in change, from human-centered tech to circular furniture and optimized architectural solutions.
• Array Modular Sofa System Modular sofa system designed for MDF Italia offering maximum flexibility and comfort with disassembly in mind, using injection molding with recycled materials and bio-foam covering containing 51% recycled material. Awarded the 2026 ADI Compasso d'Oro.
• Sequence Shelving System Sculptural shelving system developed in collaboration with BD Barcelona featuring ultra-thin 6mm Fenix surface with precision-engineered recycled aluminum connectors, available in freestanding and wall-mounted versions.
• Bokhus Bookshelf System Bookshelf system designed for UniFor, exploring AI's role as co-creator in digital design, launched during Milan Design Week.
• Snow Room Immersive snow experience designed for TechnoAlpin's spa and hospitality industry, featuring abstracted landscape forms with modular cube walls that hold snow, used for contrast bathing.
• Soundscape Generator Bespoke generative tool on Snøhetta's website that picks the five most dominant colors from project images and translates them to random notes, octaves, and durations through HSB color values to generate ambient soundscapes.
• Generative Visual Identity Services Generative design services using creative code, generative algorithms, and large language models to produce adaptive visual identities and brand experiences, with bespoke applications for clients such as Modulize, Recreate, Collective Oslo, and Seabird Technologies.
• Cloud 11 Creative Park Mixed-use urban regeneration project spanning 250,000 m² in Bangkok featuring Thailand's largest elevated landscape, climate-responsive design with green roofs, natural ventilation, and water management systems serving as a model for Southeast Asian cities.
• Shibuya Upper West Project 119,000 m² mixed-use development in Tokyo including retail, luxury hotel, rental residences, and cultural experiences, designed as a landform rising from the ground with terraced steps and ceramic facade, targeting the highest possible sustainability ratings.

Quantifiable outcome

• Powerhouse buildings produce more energy over their lifespan than is consumed in construction and operation
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers12 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

AI capability4 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

24 partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Dimensional Innovations (DI)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Dimensional Innovations, a design and fabrication firm, is delivering the exhibit work for the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library in collaboration with Snøhetta and JLG Architects. The project is valued at $450 million and includes immersive experience galleries and environmentally sustainable design elements.
• LINK ArkitekturcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Snøhetta and LINK Arkitektur developed the winning proposal for NRK Normannsløkka — the new headquarters and broadcasting centre for the Norwegian public broadcaster in Oslo, spanning 50,000 sqm above ground and 20,000 sqm below ground.
• BD Barcelona (BD)coreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing Partner · 1 January 2024Snøhetta collaborated with BD Barcelona to design Sequence — a new sculptural shelving system using ultra-thin 6mm Fenix® surface and precision-engineered recycled aluminum connectors, available in freestanding and wall-mounted versions.
• Vectura Fastigheter AB / KFUM Central / White Arkitekter / TyrénscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Snøhetta, in collaboration with Vectura Fastigheter AB, KFUM Central, White Arkitekter, and Tyréns, developed the Mellom mixed-use development in Stockholm's Hagastaden — a 53,000 m² project combining offices, laboratories, sports facilities, and public spaces.
• VærsågodsupportingTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2023Værsågod served as the technical partner for Snøhetta's new sustainable website, developing the technical implementation including low-res filter with dithering, AVIF image compression, and sustainable web design practices that achieved an A+ rating on Website Carbon Calculator.
• DigitalOceansupportingOthers · 1 January 2023Snøhetta's website is hosted by DigitalOcean, which has taken a clear position on social and environmental sustainability and runs on renewable energy — supporting the firm's commitment to green hosting as part of its digital sustainability strategy.
• Tokyu Corporation / L Catterton Real Estate / Tokyu Department StorecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Snøhetta serves as Design Architect for the Shibuya Upper West Project, a 119,000 m² mixed-use development in Tokyo. The project is a collaboration with Tokyu Corporation, L Catterton Real Estate, and Tokyu Department Store, targeting the highest possible sustainability ratings with completion expected in 2029.
• Nikken Sekkei Ltd / Ishimoto Architectural & Engineering FirmcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 January 2022Nikken Sekkei Ltd and Ishimoto Architectural & Engineering Firm serve as Executive Architects for the Shibuya Upper West Project, working alongside Snøhetta as Design Architect to deliver the 119,000 m² mixed-use development in Tokyo.
• MirvaccoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Snøhetta, in collaboration with Hassell, was announced as the winner of an international design excellence competition for the Harbourside redevelopment in Sydney's Darling Harbour. Mirvac, Australia's first property company to achieve net carbon positive, is the developer with ambitious sustainability targets including 5 and 6 Star Green Star and WELL ratings.
• HassellcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Hassell partnered with Snøhetta to win the international design competition for Harbourside in Sydney. The combined team brought together architects, landscape architects, interior designers, product designers, and sustainability experts to deliver the 85,000 m² mixed-use waterfront redevelopment.
• DjinjamasupportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Djinjama, led by Dr. Daniele Hromek, provided Indigenous cultural expertise and Connection to Country guidance throughout the Harbourside design process, ensuring the project honors Gadigal and Wangal First Nations people and integrates Aboriginal perspectives into the design.
• A49 ArchitectscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022A49 Architects collaborated with Snøhetta on Cloud 11 Creative Park in Bangkok, a 250,000 m² mixed-use urban regeneration project for MQDC featuring Thailand's largest elevated landscape.
• MDF ItaliacoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing Partner · 1 January 2022Snøhetta designed the Array modular sofa system for MDF Italia — a sustainable, flexible furniture collection featuring injection-molded bases with high recycled material content, bio-foam covering with 51% recycled material, and disassembly design for repair, replacement, and recycling.
• Postpost Studio / Ambolt AudiosupportingTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2022Postpost Studio provided web design and Ambolt Audio provided sound design services for the Recreate brand identity project developed by Snøhetta.
• ModulizesupportingTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2022Snøhetta created a dynamic visual identity for Modulize — a software company developing a web-based platform for optimized offsite manufacturing design, planning, procurement, and delivery. The identity used a modular grid system and flexible color palette bridging technological and industrial sectors.
• HGA / Hensel PhelpscoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 January 2021Snøhetta partnered with HGA (as architecture co-lead) and Hensel Phelps (as contractor) for the UC San Francisco Barbara and Gerson Bakar Research and Academic Building — a 323,000 sq ft project revitalizing the Parnassus Heights campus, expected completion 2027.
• Magnolia Quality Development Corporation Limited (MQDC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Snøhetta, in collaboration with A49 Architects and Shma Landscape, designed Cloud 11 Creative Park in Bangkok — a 250,000 m² mixed-use urban regeneration project. MQDC commissioned the project as a transformative creative hub for Asia, designed to address Bangkok's urban challenges including heat, air pollution, and flooding through sustainable landscape infrastructure.
• Shma LandscapesupportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Shma Landscape collaborated with Snøhetta and A49 Architects on the Cloud 11 Creative Park project in Bangkok, providing landscape architecture expertise for the 250,000 m² climate-responsive urban development.
• JLG ArchitectscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020JLG Architects collaborated with Snøhetta and Dimensional Innovations on the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library in Medora, North Dakota — a $450 million project scheduled to open July 4, 2026.
• Gewerbepark Heyligenstaedt GmbH & Co. KGsupportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Snøhetta's winning proposal for the 23,000 m² Gießen Heyligenstaedt mixed-use development in Germany was commissioned by Gewerbepark Heyligenstaedt, transforming a former industrial site into a new urban quarter with timber-constructed buildings.
• WERK ArkitektersupportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019WERK Arkitekter partnered with Snøhetta following a design competition in 2019 to develop Esbjerg's new Maritime Center, dubbed 'The Lantern' — a shared space for watersport clubs and visitors along the Danish port.
• illwerke vkw / Falkensteiner Michaeler Tourism Group (FMTG)supportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Snøhetta designed the Falkensteiner Family Hotel in Tschagguns, Austria — a 5-star family hotel in the Montafon alpine region, commissioned by illwerke vkw and Falkensteiner Michaeler Tourism Group (FMTG). The 20,178 m² hotel integrates into the terrain with communal areas, spa, and family-focused design.
• Skanska / Asplan Viak / NokiasupportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Snøhetta, in collaboration with Skanska, Asplan Viak, and Nokia, conducted The Spark feasibility study in 2018, exploring the potential of data centers to serve as energy-generating resources for urban communities, demonstrating that a 200 MW data center could supply 16,000 households with district heating.
• Exigo / GyroscopesupportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017Snøhetta partnered with El Paso architects Exigo and exhibition designers Gyroscope for the La Nube STEAM discovery center in El Paso, Texas — a 77,000 sq ft museum designed as a cloud-like structure floating above the desert.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Perkins&Will: Global architecture and design firm with 25+ studios and strong cultural, civic, healthcare, and education portfolios. Comparable to Snøhetta in pursuing landmark public commissions and emphasizing sustainability leadership (LEED, embodied carbon targets).
• Gensler: Largest global architecture and design firm with thousands of employees across 50+ offices. Overlaps with Snøhetta in offering architecture, interior, brand, and experience design services, but operates at much greater scale with a broader commercial client base.

Direct peers

• Foster + Partners: London-headquartered global architecture and integrated design practice with deep cultural, civic, and commercial portfolio. Comparable to Snøhetta in operating as a large multi-disciplinary firm competing for landmark public commissions worldwide, with sustainability positioning and strong brand recognition.
• Zaha Hadid Architects: London-based global architecture and design firm known for iconic cultural, civic, and infrastructure projects. Directly comparable to Snøhetta in brand-driven design identity, high-profile international competition wins, and product/industrial design extensions beyond core architecture.
• Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG): Global transdisciplinary architecture and design firm founded in Copenhagen, with offices in New York, London, Barcelona, and other cities. Closely comparable to Snøhetta in scale (700+ employees), international design competition wins, brand-led positioning, and integration of architecture, interiors, product, and research.
• Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA): Rotterdam-headquartered global architecture and urbanism practice. Comparable to Snøhetta in operating as a multi-disciplinary, research-driven firm with cultural and civic project portfolios, design competition wins, and a strong thought-leadership brand in contemporary architecture.
• Herzog & de Meuron: Basel-based global architecture firm with a portfolio of cultural, civic, and mixed-use landmarks. Comparable to Snøhetta in operating as a privately held design-led firm competing at the highest end of public architecture competitions and emphasizing material innovation.
• MAD Architects: Beijing-headquartered global architecture practice with offices in Los Angeles, New York, and Rome. Comparable to Snøhetta in pursuing landmark cultural and public commissions across Asia and globally, with a brand-led design philosophy and presence in major design competitions.

Emerging players

• Heatherwick Studio: London-based transdisciplinary design studio working across architecture, product, and public realm. Comparable to Snøhetta in integrating architecture, product design, and brand experience work under a single practice with a strong sustainability and craft narrative.
• Studio Gang: Chicago- and Paris-based architecture and urban design practice founded by Jeanne Gang. Comparable to Snøhetta as a transdisciplinary, research-driven firm working across cultural, civic, and environmental projects, with growing international reach and design-led brand identity.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/snohetta
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/snohetta
• Instagraminstagram.com/snohetta
• Xx.com/snohetta

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

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 Snøhetta