What Fender Katsalidis does

Fender Katsalidis (FK) is an Australian architecture practice founded in 1988, headquartered in Melbourne with regional offices in Sydney and Brisbane. The firm delivers integrated services across three disciplines — architecture, interior design, and urban design — for property developers, government agencies, and cultural institutions across Australia and selectively internationally. Its project portfolio spans supertall mixed-use towers, multi-family residential, cultural facilities, hotels, commercial offices, adaptive reuse and heritage conservation, education buildings, and large-scale precinct master planning. Notable commissions include Merdeka 118 (a 600-metre mixed-use tower in Kuala Lumpur, the world's second-tallest structure), the MONA museum in Hobart, Eureka Tower, Australia 108, and major precinct work for Transport for NSW, Lendlease, and Mirvac.

Underlying technology is conventional architecture practice tooling — Graphisoft Archicad as primary BIM/CAD platform, supplemented by 3D modeling, rendering, and sustainable design methodologies including Passive House fabric-first retrofit, carbon-neutral delivery (the firm is carbon neutral certified for its Australian operations), and adaptive reuse. A specialist sustainability lead (Jim Stewart) co-chairs the AIA National Residential Sustainability Advisory Group and sits on the GBCA Energy & Carbon Expert Reference Panel, signaling embedded technical depth in performance-driven design.

The revenue model is professional services: fees negotiated per project as a percentage of construction cost or fixed deliverable fees, with a horizontal go-to-market targeting enterprise developers, government, and institutional clients via direct pitches, competitive tender, and repeat relationships. There is no parent company, private equity backing, or public listing — ownership rests with the partnership of Craig Baudin, Nicky Drobis, James Pearce, and Rob Mirams alongside senior principals. The firm is project-driven rather than recurring-revenue, which makes revenue inherently lumpy and tied to the Australian construction cycle.

Name

Fender Katsalidis

Legal name

Fender Katsalidis

Website

https://fkaustralia.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1988

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Fender Katsalidis is an Australian architecture, interior design, and urban design practice founded in 1988, headquartered in Melbourne with offices in Sydney and Brisbane. It serves property developers, government, and cultural institutions across Australia and internationally, with landmark commissions including Merdeka 118 and MONA.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Architectural Services

NAICS

Architectural Services (541310), Architectural Services (54131), Interior Design Services (54141)

akta.pro primary industry

Landscape Architecture & Site Design (BPAHAKAC)

Keywords

• Architectural design services
• Urban design planning
• Interior design services
• Sustainable architecture
• Adaptive reuse design

Headquarters

HQ city

Southbank

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Architectural Services: FK generates revenue through professional architecture and design fees for projects including master planning, architectural design, interior design, and urban design services. Fees are typically structured as a percentage of construction cost or fixed project fees for specific deliverables.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Fender Katsalidis is a professional architecture and design practice delivering full-service architectural design, interior design, and urban design and masterplanning across residential, commercial, mixed-use, cultural, hospitality, education, and adaptive-reuse typologies. The firm also provides specialist sustainability and heritage conservation services, with carbon-neutral certified Australian operations and Passive House retrofit expertise. Services are delivered from concept through construction documentation for landmark projects across Australia and Southeast Asia.

Product overview

Fender Katsalidis (FK) is an Australian architecture and design practice offering integrated services across urban design, architecture, and interior design. The firm does not sell a standalone software product; its offering is a portfolio of professional design services delivered across multiple typologies including tall residential towers, cultural institutions, hospitality venues, commercial offices, adaptive-reuse projects, and large-scale urban precincts. Key project types span Merdeka 118 (a 600-metre mixed-use supertall tower in Kuala Lumpur), MONA (a subterranean museum in Hobart), Eureka Tower (a 90-storey residential tower in Melbourne), Paragon (a heritage-integrated residential tower in Melbourne), the Australian Institute of Music Sydney campus, Midtown Centre Brisbane (adaptive-reuse office), Flinders West Precinct, and numerous mixed-use, build-to-rent, and hospitality developments across Australia and internationally. The practice also provides sustainability services, holding carbon-neutral certification for its Australian operations, and has delivered Passive House retrofits. The firm's expertise is organized around three disciplines — urban design, architecture, and interior design — and is delivered through its offices in Melbourne, Sydney, and Brisbane.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Architecture Services
• Interior Design
• Urban Design
• Sustainability Services
• Heritage and Adaptive Reuse

Named customers13 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered major and supporting.

• Tonkin Zulaikha Greer Architects (TZG)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFK collaborated with Tonkin Zulaikha Greer Architects (TZG) on the Central Station precinct and Western Gateway urban design study for Transport for NSW. This was a major government engagement involving multiple stakeholders and heritage advisors.
• Denton Corker MarshallmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDenton Corker Marshall served as architects for the commercial component of Melbourne Quarter Precinct, with FK responsible for master planning and urban design alongside residential towers.
• Aspect/ OculussupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerAspect/ Oculus responsible for landscape architecture as part of Melbourne Quarter Precinct master planning.
• Sasaki AssociatessupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerSasaki Associates designed the lineal park for the Merdeka 118 development, providing both concourse for stadium attendees and formal access to the tower's upper lobby level.
• Eckersley Garden ArchitecturesupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated with local landscape architect Eckersley on Noetic Place residential development, including landscape plans and communal garden design.
• GraphisoftsupportingTechnology or IntegrationFK uses Graphisoft Archicad as their primary CAD software. Daniel Goldin presented Merdeka 118 as a signature project for Graphisoft's Archicad 24 premiere.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Cox Architecture: Australian architecture firm with strong cultural and commercial portfolios including public buildings and large-scale precincts. Direct competitor in Australian design-led architecture with similar scale and typology mix.
• Bates Smart: Australian architecture firm with comparable commercial, residential and heritage portfolios across Sydney and Melbourne. Similar scale, design-led positioning, and direct competitor for Tier-1 developer commissions.
• Foster + Partners: UK-based global architecture firm known for supertall towers and cultural landmarks. Comparable in landmark project portfolio, international reputation, and design-led positioning; co-architect on Merdeka 118 in some capacity.
• Hassell: Major Australian architecture practice with overlapping typologies (commercial, residential, cultural, transport) and similar geographic footprint. Hassell is a direct competitor in the Australian design-led market with comparable size and award profile.
• Zaha Hadid Architects: UK-based architecture firm renowned globally for iconic supertall and parametric design. Comparable in profile to FK for landmark supertall commissions and award-winning cultural projects.
• Tonkin Zulaikha Greer Architects (TZG): Australian architecture firm with comparable cultural, heritage and public architecture expertise. Partnered with FK on the Transport for NSW Central Station precinct, and a direct competitor for similar institutional and adaptive reuse commissions.
• BIG (Bjarke Ingels Group): Danish-headquartered international architecture firm with landmark cultural and residential portfolio. Comparable in design innovation, international reach, and tier-one developer client base to FK.
• Woods Bagot: Global architecture firm with Australian roots (Adelaide HQ) operating across commercial, hospitality, residential and transport sectors. Direct competitor with comparable international reach and typology mix.
• Jackson Clements Burrows (JCB): Australian architecture firm known for cultural, residential and mixed-use projects with strong award-winning portfolio. Comparable in design philosophy, scale, and Australian market positioning to FK.

Broad incumbents

• SOM (Skidmore, Owings & Merrill): Global architecture and engineering firm specializing in supertall buildings and large-scale urban design. Competes with FK for the largest international supertall commissions but at significantly larger scale and broader service portfolio.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInau.linkedin.com/company/fender-katsalidis
• Instagraminstagram.com/fenderkatsalidis

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 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 Fender Katsalidis