HarrisonStevens
HarrisonStevens is a privately-held Edinburgh-based landscape architecture and urban design practice founded in 2010, serving public sector bodies, private developers, and educational institutions across Scotland and the wider UK through project-based commissions in public realm design, masterplanning, and green infrastructure.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2010
- HeadquartersEdinburgh, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What HarrisonStevens does
HarrisonStevens is a privately-held landscape architecture and urban design practice founded in 2010 and headquartered in Edinburgh, Scotland, operating as a UK-registered private limited company (Companies House registration SC378070). The practice delivers site analysis, concept design, detailed design, and construction oversight across landscape architecture, public realm design, masterplanning, green and blue infrastructure, sustainable drainage systems (SuDS), biodiversity strategy, and active travel integration. The firm is co-led by Martin Stevens (Managing Director) and Mike Harrison (Creative Director) and holds Landscape Institute Registered Practice and Ambassador for Landscape status.
The firm's revenue model is professional services, generating fees through project-based commissions secured via direct appointment or public sector competitive tendering. Customer segments split primarily between public sector and government clients (local authorities, agencies such as Highland and Islands Enterprise) and private developers, with a secondary academic segment led by an ongoing partnership with Edinburgh StevNapier University. Notable engagements include the 35-hectare, £15 million Inverness Campus for HIE (opened May 2015), the 23.7-hectare Lost Shore Surf Resort masterplan for Tartan Leisure Ltd, the £3.5 million New Rotterdam Wharf external works for Scottish Opera (completed 2023), and the Roseburn to Union Canal active travel link for the City of Edinburgh Council with Sustrans. Multi-disciplinary delivery is conducted through established collaborations with Hawkins\Brown, Civic Engineers, WSP, and others.
The practice operates a sales-led go-to-market combining direct client engagement, public tendering, and repeat institutional relationships. Distribution is domestic UK only, with no resellers, agents, or franchise model. The firm invests in internal knowledge development through monthly Tuesday Sharing Sessions, annual international study tours, structured CPD, and a Pathway to Chartership programme, and pursues thought leadership via an active blog, social media presence across Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Pinterest, and a newsletter. Co-founder Mike Harrison additionally serves as an Expert on the Scottish Government's High Streets Task Force.
HarrisonStevens firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- HarrisonStevens
- Legal name
- HarrisonStevens
- Website
- https://harrisonstevens.co.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2010
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- HarrisonStevens is a privately-held Edinburgh-based landscape architecture and urban design practice founded in 2010, serving public sector bodies, private developers, and educational institutions across Scotland and the wider UK through project-based commissions in public realm design, masterplanning, and green infrastructure.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
HarrisonStevens industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Landscape Architecture Services
- NAICS
- Landscape Architectural Services (541320)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Landscape Architecture & Site Design (BPAHAKAC)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Commercial Landscape Design & Installation (HSAIABAJ)
Keywords
Where HarrisonStevens is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Edinburgh
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
HarrisonStevens business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Professional Services - Landscape Architecture: HarrisonStevens generates revenue through project-based professional services engagements, delivering landscape architecture, urban design, masterplanning, and public realm design for public and private sector clients. Projects are typically commissioned via tender or direct appointment, with fees based on project scope, scale, and complexity.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels5 records
HarrisonStevens product offering
Product offeringCore offering
HarrisonStevens is a landscape architecture and urban design practice that delivers site analysis, concept design, detailed design, and contract administration for outdoor environments. Their work spans public realm, masterplanning, campuses, parks, streets, play and leisure spaces, and active travel infrastructure. They serve public sector bodies, developers, and institutions primarily across Scotland and the wider UK.
Product overview
HarrisonStevens is a landscape architecture and urban design practice offering a unified service portfolio centered on landscape architecture. The core offering comprises landscape architecture services, public realm design, and masterplanning. Supporting this are named project sub-products including Inverness Campus (campus landscape), Lost Shore Surf Resort (Wavegarden surf park), New Rotterdam Wharf (opera house landscape), play and leisure spaces, and green infrastructure solutions. Educational offerings include Tuesday Sharing Sessions (TSS) for internal CPD and annual international study tours to study landscape precedents globally. The company operates from Edinburgh serving public, private, and institutional clients across Scotland and the UK.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Landscape Architecture End-to-end landscape architecture services including site analysis, concept design, detailed design, and contract administration for public and private sector clients across the UK.
- Public Realm Design Design of streets, squares, and civic spaces with a focus on people-first, shared surface approaches for local authorities and developers.
- Masterplanning Strategic masterplanning services for campuses, neighbourhoods, and mixed-use developments, integrating landscape, movement, and ecology considerations.
- Green Infrastructure and Biodiversity Design Design of green infrastructure, sustainable urban drainage systems (SuDS), habitat creation, and biodiversity strategies within the public realm and development projects.
- Play and Leisure Space Design Design of play areas, parks, and leisure environments that meet community needs and deliver engaging public experiences.
Quantifiable outcome
- Inverness Campus (35Ha, £15m) completed and opened in May 2015, delivering a campus that has significantly increased footfall and is projected to support 1,300 new jobs and residents.
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use HarrisonStevens
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
HarrisonStevens technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
HarrisonStevens partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- Hawkins\BrownminorHawkins\Brown led the design team for the Heriot-Watt Campus masterplan where HarrisonStevens was the landscape architecture associate, and separately HarrisonStevens contributed landscape expertise to the London Study Trip 2023 reviewing Kings Cross and Battersea Power Station redevelopment projects designed by LDA (among others).
- Delfinity LimitedcoreDelfinity Limited led a consortium appointed to develop a masterplan for Ellisland Farm (Robert Burns' home). HarrisonStevens joined the team as landscape architects alongside Oliver Chapman Architects and heritage expert Lyndsay Clark for this £30k masterplan and viability study commissioned by the Robert Burns Ellisland Trust.
- SustranscoreSustrans supported the Roseburn to Union Canal Path Link project, an active travel route and greenspace improvement scheme in Edinburgh. HarrisonStevens delivered the landscape design with WSP for this Sustrans-supported scheme.
- WSPminorWSP collaborated with HarrisonStevens as engineers on the Roseburn to Union Canal Path Link project, integrating with the City of Edinburgh Council's QuietRoutes network.
- Edinburgh Napier UniversitycoreMike Harrison leads the Design for Public Spaces module on the Spatial Design course at Edinburgh Napier University, delivering annual study trips to international cities (Glasgow, Copenhagen, Lisbon, Barcelona, Berlin) as a core part of the curriculum. This is an ongoing academic partnership where HarrisonStevens contributes industry expertise to design education.
- Hawkins\BrowncoreHarrisonStevens collaborated with Hawkins\Brown on the Stage 2 concept design for the Heriot-Watt Campus masterplan in Edinburgh (153 hectares), providing landscape architecture services alongside Hawkins\Brown's architectural leadership.
- Hawkins\BrowncoreHawkins\Brown is a London-based architectural practice that led the design team for the Custom House Quay and Carlton Place project on Glasgow's waterfront. HarrisonStevens served as an associate landscape architecture partner on this £25m Glasgow City Region City Deal project, contributing public realm and landscape expertise to reconnect Glasgow city centre with the River Clyde.
- Civic EngineerscoreCivic Engineers served as civil and structural engineers on the Custom House Quay and Carlton Place project. The practice co-authored the project vision with HarrisonStevens for reconnecting the Clyde with the city core through coherent nature-based infrastructure.
- Wavegarden\AEcoreWavegarden\AE provides the patented Wavegarden\AE Cove technology used at the Lost Shore Surf Resort (formerly Wavegarden Scotland). HarrisonStevens delivered the masterplanning and landscape design for this world-class inland surf destination, which uses Wavegarden\AE's technology to produce consistent, high-quality surfable waves.
- Tartan Leisure LtdcoreTartan Leisure Ltd is the client and developer of the Lost Shore Surf Resort project. HarrisonStevens was commissioned to provide masterplanning and landscape architecture services for this 23.7ha world-class surf and leisure destination at Craigpark Quarry near Edinburgh.
- Denfind QuarryminorHarrisonStevens visited Denfind Quarry for a site visit as part of CPD learning, understanding how hard landscape materials are excavated, extracted, processed, and finished to client and design specifications.
- Deepdale TreesminorHarrisonStevens visited Deepdale Trees nursery to further understand the process of tree cultivation, maintenance, and specification from the specialists, enhancing the team's knowledge of planting specification.
Scale indicators1 record
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
HarrisonStevens competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Grant Associates: Bath-based landscape architecture practice specialising in ecology-driven design, public realm, and masterplanning for parks and cultural attractions. Comparable in mission-led, sustainability-focused landscape design and track record on landmark public projects.
- Gross Max: Edinburgh-based landscape architecture and urban design practice of comparable size with a strong public realm, park, and masterplanning portfolio across the UK. Closely aligned to HarrisonStevens in geography, scale, service mix, and public sector client base, making it the most directly comparable peer.
- Gillespies: London-based landscape architecture, urban design, and masterplanning practice working on public realm, campus, and large-scale development projects across the UK. Comparable in service offering and typology (public realm, masterplanning, urban design) and a recognised competitor for premium landscape commissions.
- Farrer Huxley Associates: London landscape architecture practice delivering public realm, residential, and masterplanning commissions across the UK. Comparable in scale, specialism, and client mix to HarrisonStevens, and a competitor for premium UK landscape commissions.
- Optimised Environments (OPEN): London-based landscape architecture and environmental design practice with a focus on public realm, green infrastructure, and SuDS-integrated design. Highly comparable to HarrisonStevens on services, technical specialism in sustainable drainage and biodiversity, and project scale.
Broad incumbents
- Churchman Thornhill Finch (Stantec): Long-standing UK landscape architecture practice now part of Stantec, delivering public realm, urban design, and masterplanning. Comparable service offering but with the resources and integrated offering of a global consultancy, positioning it as a broader incumbent competitor.
- HTA Design LLP: Multidisciplinary UK practice combining landscape architecture, urban design, and architecture on residential-led masterplanning and public realm projects. Overlaps with HarrisonStevens on masterplanning and landscape services but operates with broader architectural capability.
- LDA Design (WSP): Formerly an independent UK landscape architecture and masterplanning firm, now part of WSP global consultancy. Comparable as a UK landscape architecture practice but operates at much larger scale and as part of a multidisciplinary engineering and design group, often bidding against HarrisonStevens-led consortia.
- Arup Landscape Architecture: Global engineering consultancy with a dedicated landscape architecture and urban design practice active in the UK on masterplans, campuses, and public realm. Comparable service line but embedded in a multidisciplinary offering that competes for the same large public sector masterplans as HarrisonStevens.
Regional players
- Re-form Landscape Architecture: Edinburgh-based landscape architecture practice focused on public realm, urban design, and environmental planning across Scotland. Comparable in specialism and geography but smaller in scale and portfolio breadth than HarrisonStevens, positioning it as a regional rather than direct competitor.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
HarrisonStevens social profiles
Digital presenceHarrisonStevens compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
HarrisonStevens financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
HarrisonStevens leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
HarrisonStevens funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
HarrisonStevens 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 HarrisonStevens
What does HarrisonStevens do?
HarrisonStevens is a landscape architecture and urban design practice that delivers site analysis, concept design, detailed design, and contract administration for outdoor environments. Their work spans public realm, masterplanning, campuses, parks, streets, play and leisure spaces, and active travel infrastructure. They serve public sector bodies, developers, and institutions primarily across Scotland and the wider UK.
Is HarrisonStevens a public or private company?
HarrisonStevens is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was HarrisonStevens founded?
HarrisonStevens was founded in 2010. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is HarrisonStevens based?
HarrisonStevens is headquartered in Edinburgh, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does HarrisonStevens make money?
One revenue line is on record: professional Services - Landscape Architecture.
Who are HarrisonStevens's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Grant Associates, Gross Max, Gillespies, Farrer Huxley Associates and Optimised Environments (OPEN). Broad incumbents are Churchman Thornhill Finch (Stantec), HTA Design LLP, LDA Design (WSP) and Arup Landscape Architecture. Re-form Landscape Architecture is listed as a regional player.
Does HarrisonStevens have an API?
No public API is recorded for HarrisonStevens.
What industry is HarrisonStevens in?
HarrisonStevens's product category is Landscape Architecture Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAHAKAC, Landscape Architecture & Site Design, with a secondary code of HSAIABAJ, Commercial Landscape Design & Installation. Its NAICS code is 541320.