What Spacelab does

Spacelab is a London-based exploratory architectural design studio founded in 2002, operating under B Corp certification and structured around a four-stage research-driven methodology (Understand, Imagine, Create, Build). It serves enterprise and mid-market clients across workplace, commercial, retail, residential, education, and healthcare sectors, with publicly visible engagements for ASOS, Boden, Haymarket Media Group, VCCP, Ted Baker, Warner Bros, Moore Kingston Smith, Oliver Bonas, Ralph Lauren, and the Royal Veterinary College. Notable deliverables include Working Walls, Wave Walls, Pivot Pockets, and Community Capsules, signalling a productised design language alongside bespoke project work.

The studio differentiates on proprietary tooling — including spatial analysis instruments that predict movement patterns and organisational network analysis tools that inform team positioning — and on a 15-year knowledge transfer partnership with UCL that anchors academic credibility and talent pipeline. Headcount appears to be in the mid-sized boutique range, with named senior designers, architects (e.g., ARB-registered), and interior designers operating from a single London location, complemented by a newly opened flagship studio at 41 Tabernacle Street (May 2025).

The business model is project-based professional services: fees are earned per engagement on enterprise and mid-market design mandates, with no disclosed subscription, licensing, or external funding. Go-to-market is direct enterprise sales supplemented by founder-led relationships (e.g., VCCP since 2007) and a newly formalised Strategic Partnerships function. Revenue concentration risk is moderate, anchored by repeat enterprise clients such as ASOS and VCCP, but diversified across multiple industry verticals.

Name

Spacelab

Legal name

SpacelabUK Ltd

Website

https://spacelab.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Spacelab is a London-based exploratory architectural design studio founded in 2002 that delivers workplace, commercial, retail, residential, and education design to enterprise clients including ASOS, Boden, VCCP, and Haymarket Media Group.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Architectural Design Services

NAICS

Architectural Services (541310), Interior Design Services (541410)

akta.pro primary industry

Space Planning & Workplace Design (BPAHAKAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Hybrid Work Enablement & Desk/Room Booking Operations (BPABAFAH), Space Planning & Test Fits (BPABAFAB)

Keywords

• Architectural design services
• Spatial analysis consulting
• Exploratory design studio
• Commercial interior design
• Workspace design consultancy

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Architectural Design Services: Full-service architectural design studio providing end-to-end services from concept to construction delivery. Revenue is generated through project-based fees for workplace, commercial, residential, retail, education, and healthcare design projects. Engagements span initial research and spatial strategy through to construction oversight and handover.
2. Workplace Consultancy: Consulting services including spatial analysis, organisational network analysis, and strategic workplace planning. Often bundled with architectural design projects but may be delivered as standalone advisory engagements.
3. Exploration and Research: The studio conducts speculative design explorations and research projects (e.g., community capsules, sustainable housing concepts, eco-home pavilion) which serve as thought leadership and may lead to paid client engagements.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Spacelab is an exploratory architectural design studio based in London that provides spatial analysis, architectural design, and consultancy services to commercial clients in retail, media, advertising, and publishing sectors. The studio applies analytical tools to inform design outcomes for office, retail, and brand environments.

Product overview

Spacelab is an exploratory architectural design studio offering a diverse portfolio of design services rather than a unified software product. The company specializes in workplace, commercial, retail, education, and residential design projects. Their offering encompasses both completed projects (Work) and exploratory concepts (Exploration). Key named design concepts and systems include Community Capsules (adaptive modular units), Wave Walls (architectural curtain systems), Pivot Pockets (flexible space systems), Working Walls (modular furniture systems), and Modular Timber Environments. The studio also employs proprietary methodologies including Spatial Analysis Tools (for predicting movement patterns) and Organisational Network Analysis (for positioning team neighbourhoods). The company operates across sectors including workplace, retail, education, residential, and adaptive reuse projects.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Exploratory Architectural Design Services
• Spatial Analysis Consulting

Quantifiable outcome

• Reduced client footprint from 90,000 sqft to 45,000 sqft for Haymarket Media Group (1,000+ employees), releasing significant capital and maximising spatial efficiency
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers20 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Me, Him & HercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSpacelab collaborated with Me, Him & Her (Ian Pitt) on the depot_ branding project, developing a flexible brand identity for the converted art gallery and creative hub. Me, Him & Her designed a bold, letterpress-inspired typography and messaging system that can highlight individual events while speaking holistically about the depot_ as a whole. The partnership extended to website animations for Spacelab's 'About' section.
• 113 / Creative (Matt Dew)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated with Me, Him & Her and Spacelab on the depot_ branding project. 113 / Creative contributed to the flexible brand identity across print, signage, and digital touchpoints including gallery promotion, exhibition catalogues, cafe packaging, and social media content.
• Andy SturgeonminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSpacelab worked with multi award-winning gardener Andy Sturgeon on the Friends Garden at Great Ormond Street Hospital. Andy Sturgeon is known for award-winning garden design and created the calm, green oasis on the roof of the children's hospital.
• Ian Chalk ArchitectscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSpacelab worked alongside Ian Chalk Architects on the Chart Street Studios project (Heyne Tillett Steel). Ian Chalk Architects were the lead architects on this redevelopment of a 1930s masonry warehouse, with Spacelab providing workplace consultancy and design.
• Synchronized StudiominorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerWebsite design and build partner for Spacelab's new website. Synchronized Studio delivered the editorial-style website that brings all stories to the forefront.
• Two at Six (James White)minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerJames White from Two at Six provided design advice and colour consultation for Spacelab's new website, helping select pops of carefully selected colours to define each content category.
• Rebuild Southwest / OffStreetcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSpacelab volunteered time to partner with Rebuild Southwest / OffStreet — an organisation in Cornwall committed to helping the most vulnerable street homeless people. Spacelab is designing a sustainable housing project using shipping containers for people who have completed drug rehabilitation. The project includes communal kitchen/dining areas and opportunities for residents to renovate empty homes.
• Single Homeless Project (SHP)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSpacelab has been supporting the Single Homeless Project (SHP), which helps vulnerable and socially excluded people. Spacelab has volunteered time and design skills to support SHP's mission.
• The Trussell TrustminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSpacelab has been supporting The Trussell Trust, a network of food banks providing food to people in crisis. Part of Spacelab's broader community support initiative alongside SHP.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• M Moser Associates: M Moser is a global workplace strategy and design firm delivering end-to-end workplace consultancy and interior design for enterprise clients. It is directly comparable to Spacelab as both firms occupy the workplace strategy / interior architecture niche for blue-chip corporate clients, using proprietary workplace analytics tools to drive design decisions.
• BDG architecture + design: BDG is a London-based architecture and design studio focused on workplace, retail, and hospitality interiors for UK enterprise clients. It is a close peer to Spacelab given its similar size, UK focus, workplace specialism, and enterprise client base including media and professional services firms.
• Peldon Rose: Peldon Rose is a UK workplace design consultancy that combines interior design, workplace strategy, and change management for enterprise clients. It directly competes with Spacelab in the London workplace design market and shares a similar emphasis on research-driven, human-centred design methodologies.
• Oktra: Oktra is a UK office interior design and fit-out specialist serving enterprise and mid-market clients. It is comparable to Spacelab as a similarly-sized UK workplace design firm with a project-based delivery model, hybrid-work expertise, and a focus on employee-experience-driven design.
• MoreySmith: MoreySmith is a London interior design studio delivering workplace, hospitality, and residential projects for a mix of corporate and creative clients. Comparable to Spacelab as a similarly-sized UK studio with award-winning workplace projects, premium positioning, and a portfolio spanning creative and enterprise sectors.
• Unispace: Unispace is a global workplace strategy and design firm combining interior design, construction, and change management. Comparable to Spacelab through shared workplace specialism, enterprise client base, and emphasis on evidence-based workplace strategy; it represents a larger scaled competitor.
• DesignLSM: DesignLSM is a UK-based strategic design agency specialising in retail, hospitality, and commercial interiors with a strong brand-driven approach. Comparable to Spacelab as a similarly-sized UK design firm with overlapping retail, workplace, and brand-experience design capabilities for premium enterprise clients.

Broad incumbents

• Sheppard Robson: Sheppard Robson is a major UK architecture practice with offices in London, Manchester, and Glasgow, delivering architecture and interior design across workplace, residential, healthcare, and education. Comparable to Spacelab as a London-headquartered firm active in workplace design, but operating at significantly larger scale and broader scope.
• Foster + Partners: Foster + Partners is a global architecture and integrated design practice with deep workplace, commercial, and masterplanning expertise. It is comparable to Spacelab at the category level (architectural design for workplace/commercial clients) but operates as a much larger global incumbent with a fundamentally different scale.
• Gensler: Gensler is the world's largest design firm with a dedicated workplace practice serving global enterprise clients with research-driven design strategies. Comparable to Spacelab through shared emphasis on evidence-based workplace design and proprietary research tools, but at vastly greater scale and global footprint.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/spacelab-uk1
• Instagraminstagram.com/wearespacelab_
• Pinterestuk.pinterest.com/spacelab_
• Xx.com/WeAreSpacelab_
• Facebookfacebook.com/spacelabuk

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Spacelab