shedkm
shedkm is a 100% employee-owned UK architectural design studio founded in 1997, specialising in urban regeneration, MMC/modular housing, and heritage retrofit for property developers, local authorities, housing associations, and private clients across Liverpool, London, Manchester, and Hastings.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1997
- HeadquartersLiverpool, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What shedkm does
shedkm is a UK-based architectural design studio founded in 1997 in Liverpool, operating as a 100% employee-owned practice under an Employee Ownership Trust since October 2022. The firm delivers urban regeneration, masterplanning, retrofit, and socially responsive architecture services to a client base spanning commercial property developers (Urban Splash, Capital&Centric, Common Projects, HUB, Related Argent), local authorities and housing associations (Royal Borough of Greenwich, The Regenda Group), educational institutions (Sheffield Hallam University), and private individuals. Revenue is generated through project-based professional services fees on bespoke engagements rather than productised offerings.
The firm's technical differentiators centre on pioneering expertise in Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) and modular housing — extending back to the 2005 MoHo project, the UK's first pre-fabricated apartment building for private sale — and the proprietary House Portfolio of modular typologies (Town House, Mansion House, Row House) developed with Urban Splash. shedkm operates a BSI-verified BIM delivery platform backed by ISO 9001 certification, and applies offsite timber construction methods achieving net-zero carbon targets and high air-tightness ratings (e.g., 2.94 m3/h.m2 at Greenwich Builds, with 105.78% positive onsite energy generation). The practice maintains deep specialisation in heritage retrofit, converting Victorian mills, factories, and warehouses into contemporary residential and commercial space — exemplified by Crusader Works Manchester, where the conversion saved over 2,400 tonnes of embodied carbon.
The firm operates from four UK studios (Liverpool headquarters, London, Manchester, Hastings) with 45 employees, generating brand recognition through AJ100 listing (#82 in 2022), multiple Housing Design Awards, B Corp certification (July 2023), and Living Wage Employer status. Recent strategic activity centres on major masterplanning commissions (Brent Cross Town £8Bn development with Related Argent, Wandsworth Gasworks 640-home scheme, Greenwich Builds 750+ social rent homes), expansion into new UK geographies (Swansea, Hull, Stockport, Newcastle-under-Lyme), and ongoing generational leadership transition following co-founder Dave King's passing in 2024.
shedkm firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- shedkm
- Legal name
- shedkm
- Website
- https://shedkm.co.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1997
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- shedkm is a 100% employee-owned UK architectural design studio founded in 1997, specialising in urban regeneration, MMC/modular housing, and heritage retrofit for property developers, local authorities, housing associations, and private clients across Liverpool, London, Manchester, and Hastings.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
shedkm industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Architectural Services & Urban Design
- NAICS
- Landscape Architectural Services (541320)
- SIC
- Services-To Dwellings & Other Buildings (7340)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Custom Home Building (IMAFABAC)
Keywords
Where shedkm is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Liverpool
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices4 records
Markets served
shedkm business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Architectural Design Services: shedkm generates revenue through providing architectural design services including masterplanning, urban regeneration projects, residential and commercial building design. Services are delivered to developers, local authorities, housing associations, and private clients.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels7 records
shedkm product offering
Product offeringCore offering
shedkm is an architectural design studio providing masterplanning, urban regeneration, and building design services for property developers, local authorities, housing associations, and private clients across the UK. The practice delivers residential, commercial, cultural and heritage-retrofit projects, and is distinguished by pioneering expertise in Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) and modular housing design through its 'House Portfolio' product range (Town House, Mansion House, Row House typologies). Services are delivered by a 45-strong team across four UK studios, with BSI-verified BIM and ISO 9001 certified delivery processes.
Product overview
shedkm is an architectural practice offering a unified design service focused on urban regeneration, placemaking, and socially responsive architecture. Their portfolio encompasses diverse project types including residential developments (social housing, private homes, modular/MMC housing), commercial workspace, cultural buildings, and masterplanning. Key branded offerings include: the House Portfolio (Town House, Mansion House, Row House modular typologies developed with Urban Splash); major regeneration schemes like Circus Street (Brighton), Kampus (Manchester Victorian warehouse conversion), Crusader + Phoenix (Manchester mill conversion), Brent Cross Town (London); and specialized projects such as the Littlewoods Project (film campus), Wandsworth Gasworks masterplan, and Greenwich modular housing for social rent. The practice operates from studios in Liverpool, London, Manchester, and Hastings, delivering projects UK-wide with a distinctive approach combining bold design with social and commercial value.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Architectural Design Services Full architectural design service covering residential, commercial, cultural and mixed-use buildings for developers, local authorities, housing associations and private clients across the UK.
- Urban Regeneration and Placemaking Design Design of transformational urban regeneration and placemaking schemes, including masterplans and complex brownfield redevelopment for developers and public sector clients.
- Masterplanning Services Strategic masterplanning for large-scale urban developments, including site frameworks, public realm, transport interfaces and phased delivery plans.
- House Portfolio Modular Housing Design Branded modular housing typologies - Town House, Mansion House and Row House - combining modern construction methods with traditional terraced house familiarity, delivered via volumetric prefabrication for both private sale and social housing.
- Heritage Retrofit and Building Adaptation Design of retrofit and heritage adaptation schemes that transform historic Victorian, industrial and listed buildings into contemporary residential, commercial and creative workspace while preserving heritage features.
- Social and Affordable Housing Design Design of high-quality, sustainable, affordable and social housing for local authorities and housing associations, often employing MMC / offsite timber construction to achieve net-zero-carbon outcomes at scale.
- Bespoke Private House Design One-off bespoke private residential design for individual clients, delivering personalised homes designed to stand the test of time.
Quantifiable outcome
- Converting Crusader saved over 2,400 tonnes of embodied carbon equivalent to 20 million car miles
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use shedkm
Customer profileNamed customers11 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
shedkm technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
shedkm partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
19 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.
- Urban SplashcoreLong-term collaboration on modular housing product 'House' combining modern construction techniques with terraced house familiarity. Ongoing collaboration since early 2000s on various MMC developments including New Islington, Port Loop, Smith's Dock, and Irwell Riverside.
- Capital&CentriccoreSocial impact developer collaboration on multiple regeneration projects including Crusader, Phoenix, Kampus, Eyewitness Works Sheffield, Cannon Brewery, Littlewoods Liverpool, and Neighbourhood Bolton. 12-year relationship delivering mill conversions and new residential communities.
- Common ProjectscoreCollaboration on socially-responsive regeneration projects including Zodiac House Croydon (200-home scheme converting 1960s office to flats) and Wandsworth Gasworks (646-home mixed-use development). Steve Sanham has worked with shedkm for nearly 20 years across various developer roles.
- Civic EngineerscoreLong-standing engineering partnership on retrofit projects. Both companies originated in North of England, united by dedication to quality placemaking, environmental responsibility, and discerning conservation. Joint sponsors and key speakers at NLA Retrofit Conference.
- HUBmajorDevelopment partner for Digbeth Birmingham mixed-use masterplan creating creative community built on industrial heritage, and Arthouse Edinburgh project with Bridges Fund Management.
- HBDmajorJoint venture partner with Capital&Centric on the £250 million Kampus development in Manchester.
- Related ArgentmajorLead developer partner for £8Bn Brent Cross Town new park town development in London. shedkm designing commercial buildings and new station entrance.
- Studio Egret WestmajorCollaboration on Brent Cross Town new station entrance design in partnership with Related Argent.
- Exterior ArchitecturemajorLandscape architect collaboration on public realm and planting at Kampus Manchester, winning Housing Design Award 'Building with Nature'.
- Whitby WoodmajorStructural engineers collaboration on retrofit projects including Wandsworth Gasworks and various regeneration schemes.
- MAX ArchitectsmajorWandsworth Gasworks masterplan collaboration responsible for gas holder renewal at heart of scheme. Partnership includes MAX Architects, Carmody Groarke, BD Landscape Architects, Atelier Ten, and Whitby Wood.
- Carmody GroarkemajorArchitecture collaboration on Wandsworth Gasworks riverside plots designed as family of buildings with shedkm.
- BD Landscape ArchitectsmajorLandscape architecture for Wandsworth Gasworks creating new linear park and riverside public realm.
- Atelier TenmajorSustainability consultants driving design to exceed London Plan and LETI standards on Wandsworth Gasworks project.
- BCA LandscapemajorLandscape architects for Grove Street Liverpool redevelopment creating green public realm with retained and new tree planting.
- CurtinsminorHistorical engineering collaboration on early retrofit projects.
- JouleminorHistorical engineering collaboration on early retrofit projects.
- ArupminorHistorical engineering collaboration on retrofit projects.
- WML ConsultingminorHistorical engineering collaboration on retrofit projects.
Scale indicators10 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights4 records
shedkm competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- dMFK Architects: Mid-sized London practice with strong credentials in housing, education and adaptive reuse, including social housing and modular projects — directly comparable in scale, project types and target public/developer clients.
- Mikhail Riches: London-based architecture practice of comparable size with a parallel focus on housing, B Corp certification and award-winning residential and retrofit work — directly competitive on affordable and sustainable housing briefs and similar in scale and culture.
- Haworth Tompkins: Established mid-sized UK practice renowned for housing, theatre and adaptive reuse projects including several Housing Design Award winners — closely comparable in client mix (housing associations, developers), project scale and AJ100-style recognition.
- Pitman Tozer: London housing-focused practice known for co-designed cohousing schemes and council estate regeneration, operating at a similar scale and competing directly for the same housing association and local authority briefs as shedkm.
- Proctor & Matthews: UK residential architecture practice of comparable size with a strong reputation in housing, masterplanning and regeneration, regularly shortlisted for the same Housing Design Awards and competing for similar developer-led residential commissions.
- Feilden Fowles: Mid-sized UK practice with parallel expertise in heritage-led contemporary design, education and cultural projects, and a similar award pedigree including RIBA and Housing Design recognition — a direct competitor for design-led regeneration briefs.
- Mae Architects: Housing-focused London practice of comparable scale with deep expertise in modular construction, CLT and Passivhaus residential — competing for the same modular/MMC and affordable housing commissions and overlapping in client base with London housing associations.
- Karakusevic Carson Architects: Specialist social housing and regeneration practice operating at a similar scale in the UK, frequently competing for the same housing association and local authority briefs and sharing shedkm's focus on high-quality, design-led affordable housing.
Broad incumbents
- Allies and Morrison: One of the UK's leading mid-to-large architecture practices with extensive work in housing, masterplanning and regeneration — frequently competing with shedkm on developer-led regeneration briefs but at a larger scale and with a broader portfolio.
- Pollard Thomas Edwards: Larger and longer-established London practice with a strong housing, regeneration and neighbourhood renewal portfolio — competing for many of the same local authority and housing association frameworks shedkm targets but with broader capacity and longer history.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
shedkm social profiles
Digital presenceshedkm compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance6 records
shedkm financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
shedkm leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
shedkm funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
shedkm M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about shedkm
What does shedkm do?
shedkm is an architectural design studio providing masterplanning, urban regeneration, and building design services for property developers, local authorities, housing associations, and private clients across the UK. The practice delivers residential, commercial, cultural and heritage-retrofit projects, and is distinguished by pioneering expertise in Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) and modular housing design through its 'House Portfolio' product range (Town House, Mansion House, Row House typologies). Services are delivered by a 45-strong team across four UK studios, with BSI-verified BIM and ISO 9001 certified delivery processes.
Is shedkm a public or private company?
shedkm is a private company. It is classified as management employee owned and is currently operating.
When was shedkm founded?
shedkm was founded in 1997. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is shedkm based?
shedkm is headquartered in Liverpool, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does shedkm make money?
One revenue line is on record: architectural Design Services.
Who are shedkm's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are dMFK Architects, Mikhail Riches, Haworth Tompkins, Pitman Tozer, Proctor & Matthews, Feilden Fowles, Mae Architects and Karakusevic Carson Architects. Broad incumbents are Allies and Morrison and Pollard Thomas Edwards.
Does shedkm have an API?
No public API is recorded for shedkm.
What industry is shedkm in?
shedkm's product category is Architectural Services & Urban Design. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMAFABAC, Custom Home Building. Its NAICS code is 541320 and its SIC code is 7340.