What Spaceworks does

Spaceworks is a New Zealand-based commercial interior architecture firm operating across five verticals: retail, office/workplace, hospitality, aged care, and sustainability. Founded in November 2000 by Jane Eyles-Bennett and acquired by current CEO Lizzi Whaley in November 2006, the firm provides end-to-end design-and-delivery services spanning workplace strategy, interior design, project management, procurement, FF&E, and turnkey construction, structured as modular engagements that can be unbundled or bundled. Headquartered in Auckland with offices in Wellington, Christchurch, and Queenstown (the last launched July 2025), the firm operates with a team of approximately 20 specialists organized into sector-led practices.

The firm's core technology and product surface centers on the proprietary Spaceworks Carbon Calculator — a market-leading embodied carbon measurement tool that quantifies fit-out carbon emissions across the building lifecycle — alongside free downloadable playbooks (Retail Design Playbook, Office Relocation Survival Guide, Build Me A Shop, Neurodiversity and Productivity Guide) used as top-of-funnel lead generation. The firm itself is Toitū carbon zero certified, providing it with credibility to monetize ESG advisory and net-zero consulting services tied to fit-out deliveries, with documented average carbon reduction outcomes of 40% on projects.

Spaceworks generates revenue through professional services fees (design, project management, procurement) and construction delivery on a project-by-project, quote-based model with multi-year relationships on repeat engagements such as PMG (20+ projects), Hoppers, and Good Spirits Hospitality. The customer base is vertically diversified across enterprise (Spark, 2degrees, Summerset, realestate.co.nz, Silky Otter cinema chain) and SMB clients across New Zealand. The firm is privately held under Whaley's ownership with no external institutional investors, and trade recognition includes a 2024 NZIA John Scott Award for Public Architecture (Te Taumata o Kupe) and 2015 Best/Red Awards for Spark retail.

Name

Spaceworks

Legal name

Spaceworks

Website

https://spaceworks.co.nz

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Spaceworks is a New Zealand-based commercial interior architecture firm delivering end-to-end design and fit-out services across retail, office, hospitality, aged care, and sustainability verticals, serving enterprise and SMB clients through offices in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, and Queenstown.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Commercial Interior Design & Fit-Out Services

NAICS

Interior Design Services (541410), Architectural Services (54131)

akta.pro primary industry

Commercial Interior Fit-Out (Offices & Corporate) (IMAFANAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Space Planning & Workplace Design (BPAHAKAI), Space Planning & Test Fits (BPABAFAB), Workplace Strategy & Space Standards (BPABAFAA)

Keywords

• Commercial interior design
• Retail fit-out services
• Office workplace design
• Hospitality interior design
• Aged care design procurement

Headquarters

HQ city

Auckland

HQ country

New Zealand

HQ region

Oceania

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Commercial Interior Design & Fit-Out Services: Project-based professional services revenue model. Spaceworks offers modular services — clients can engage just for concept design, documentation, or strategy, or bundle for full turnkey design-and-delivery. Services span workplace strategy, interior design, project management, procurement, construction, and sustainability consulting. Revenue is generated through design fees, project management fees, procurement services, and construction delivery.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Spaceworks is a multi-disciplinary commercial interior architecture firm offering design and fit-out services across Retail, Office, Hospitality, Aged Care, and Sustainability sectors. Services span workplace strategy, interior design, project management, procurement, and construction, delivered either as individual modules (design-only) or bundled as full turnkey design-and-delivery. The firm also provides a proprietary Carbon Calculator and ESG Design Strategies to support carbon-reduced fitouts and Toitū carbon zero certification pathways for NZ businesses.

Product overview

Spaceworks is a New Zealand-based commercial interior architecture firm offering a comprehensive suite of design and delivery services. Their core offering spans five main sectors: Retail, Office, Hospitality, Aged Care, and Sustainability interior design and fit-outs. The company provides turnkey design delivery solutions including strategy and design, project management, procurement, and construction services. Spaceworks has developed proprietary sustainability tools including the Carbon Calculator for measuring embodied carbon emissions and ESG Design Strategies for net zero consulting. They also offer design resources including The Retail Design Playbook, The Office Relocation Survival Guide, and Neurodiversity guides. Additional services include a Client Portal for project collaboration. The company operates as a single integrated offering rather than a modular software platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Office Interior Design & Fit-Outs Commercial office interior design services focused on productivity, employee wellbeing, and creating workspaces that work for businesses. Covers workplace strategy, interior design, project management, procurement, and construction.
• Retail Interior Design & Fit-Outs Full-service retail interior design for boutique retailers, big box retailers, and multi-site retail rollouts including concept development, architectural drawings, visual merchandising, signage, and turnkey construction. Spaceworks has completed more than 50 store rollouts.
• Hospitality Interior Design & Fit-Outs Design services for hospitality establishments from local venues to boutique bars, cafes, and flagship venues, including front-of-house customer experience and back-of-house kitchen design.
• Aged Care Interior Design & Procurement Specialized interior design for retirement and aged care facilities including dining areas, social spaces, cafes, gyms, theatres, and retail spaces, with FF&E procurement expertise. Spaceworks has completed 15 villages with 10 under development.
• Sustainability Interior Design & Fit-Outs Sustainable design solutions helping businesses enhance their sustainability profile through thoughtful interior design, including carbon-zero design and low-waste fitouts.
• Spaceworks Carbon Calculator A proprietary environmental impact solution designed to measure the embodied carbon emissions of a fitout, enabling New Zealand businesses to measure, track, and reduce carbon impact across a building's lifecycle. Certified by global leaders in sustainability best practice.
• ESG Design Strategies Net zero consulting services providing Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) strategies tailored to businesses, analysing every aspect of ESG in relation to design and fitout projects.
• Client Portal An online portal for Spaceworks clients to access project information, documents, and collaboration tools throughout their fitout engagement.

Quantifiable outcome

• Average 40% carbon reduction achieved on projects without budget or timeline compromise
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers17 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• ToitūcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSpaceworks is a Toitū carbon zero certified company, using Toitū's recognised sustainability framework and certification process for their own operations and for facilitating client sustainability objectives through carbon measurement and reduction.
• Pride PledgeminorOthersSpaceworks participates in the Pride Pledge initiative, demonstrating commitment to LGBTQ+ inclusion and diversity in the workplace.
• Rainbow TickminorOthersSpaceworks holds Rainbow Tick certification, recognising ongoing commitment to rainbow inclusion and diversity in the workplace.
• Cooper and CompanyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSpaceworks relocated its headquarters to Britomart Place in Auckland, managed by Cooper and Company. The move reflects alignment with the Britomart neighbourhood's design and business community.
• Ben EitelbergminorOthersBen Eitelberg is cited as a project manager and advocate for long-term sustainable solutions, contributing thought leadership commentary on carbon reduction and Jevon's Paradox in Spaceworks' sustainability content.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Studio Pacific Architecture: Wellington-based NZ architecture and interior design practice with comparable size and sector breadth (commercial, workplace, hospitality, public). Directly competes with Spaceworks for NZ design commissions and shares similar multi-disciplinary positioning.
• Unispace: Global workplace strategy and interior design firm with offices in Australia/NZ, offering strategy, design, and construction services for corporate clients — directly comparable to Spaceworks' office fitout and turnkey delivery model across the ANZ region.
• M Moser Associates: Global workplace design and build firm delivering integrated strategy, design, and construction for enterprise clients. Comparable to Spaceworks across office, retail, and hospitality fitouts with similar turnkey positioning.
• Schiavello: Australian furniture systems manufacturer and turnkey workplace fitout operator with ANZ-wide delivery. Comparable to Spaceworks in delivering integrated design, furniture procurement, and construction for office and retail clients across the trans-Tasman market.

Regional players

• HASSELL: Australian-headquartered architecture and interior design practice with trans-Tasman presence. Operates across workplace, retail, hospitality, and health sectors with a multi-disciplinary design-and-delivery model similar to Spaceworks, primarily across APAC rather than NZ specifically.
• Patterson Architects: NZ architecture and interior design firm with comparable size and multi-sector reach across commercial, retail, and hospitality in the NZ market. Direct competitor for the same client pool Spaceworks serves, though with stronger presence in the South Island.

Broad incumbents

• Warren and Mahoney: Largest NZ-owned architecture practice offering architecture, interior, and urban design across commercial, civic, healthcare, and education sectors. Broader scope than Spaceworks (full architecture plus interior) and includes the named property award Spaceworks has won alongside.
• Gensler: Global architecture and design firm with a large workplace, retail, and hospitality practice. Competes with Spaceworks for multi-national enterprise clients (e.g. 2degrees, Spark category) but at vastly larger scale and with broader service breadth.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/Spaceworks
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/2020342
• Instagraminstagram.com/spaceworks_nz
• Xx.com/spaceworks_nz

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 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 Spaceworks