What Hodder+Partners does

Hodder+Partners is a privately held UK architectural practice founded in 1984 and headquartered at SGI Studios, 1 Kelso Place, Manchester. The firm provides full architectural design services spanning concept through completion across seven building sectors — civic and culture, education, healthcare, residential, sport and leisure, workplace, and retail — and works nationally across the UK, with documented projects in the North West, Yorkshire, East Midlands, London, and the South East.

The practice operates as a project-based consultancy rather than a product company; deliverables are bespoke building designs delivered for developer, institutional, and public-sector clients. Core technical competencies include sustainable design (BREEAM Outstanding/NABERS 5*/WELL certifications on commercial work), contextually responsive heritage integration (Oxford colleges, Corporation Street Bridge), and high-rise residential towers (up to 50 storeys at Liverpool Waterfront). The firm has accumulated 60+ major awards including the inaugural 1996 RIBA Stirling Prize and recognition from RIBA, Structural Timber Awards, Civic Trust, BCO, and the Chicago Athenaeum.

Revenue is generated through fee-based project commissions, secured through direct client relationships and invited architectural competitions; the firm has no publicly disclosed financial statements. Customer base spans real estate developers (Student Castle, Watkin Jones, Argent, Dandara), educational institutions (St Catherine's College, St Clare's), cultural/heritage organisations (Royal Horticultural Society), and hospitality operators (Motel One). Leadership is founder-led — Stephen Hodder MBE as Founding Director and Claire Hodder as Managing Director — supported by Associates and Associate Directors. The firm is independently owned with no external investment, parent company, or subsidiaries, and operates with 11–50 employees.

Name

Hodder+Partners

Legal name

Hodder and Partners

Website

https://hodderandpartners.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1984

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Hodder+Partners is a privately held, award-winning UK architectural practice founded in 1984 and based in Manchester, delivering full-service design across civic, education, residential, workplace, and leisure sectors nationally for developers, institutions, and public-sector clients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Architectural Services

NAICS

Architectural Services (541310)

SIC

Real Estate (6500)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Engagement & Participatory Planning (BPAHAKAO)

Keywords

• Architectural design services
• Sustainable building design
• Mixed-use development
• Education sector architecture
• Commercial workplace design

Headquarters

HQ city

Manchester

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, Infrastructure

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Hodder+Partners is an architectural practice providing full-service building design and delivery across civic and culture, education, healthcare, residential, sport and leisure, workplace, and retail sectors. Services span concept design through construction-stage delivery, refurbishment and conversion of existing buildings, masterplanning, and navigation of complex planning and heritage constraints. Each engagement is delivered as a bespoke, commissioned project for developer, institutional, public-sector, or private clients.

Product overview

Hodder+Partners is an established architectural practice offering comprehensive design services across all building sectors (civic, education, healthcare, residential, sport and leisure, workplace, and retail). The practice's portfolio includes major landmark projects such as No.1 St Michael's Manchester (sustainable commercial workspace with NABERS 5*, BREEAM Outstanding, WELL certification), RHS Garden Bridgewater Welcome Building (visitor centre with timber diagrid roof and sustainable features), and various residential, educational, and hospitality developments. The practice has delivered over 60 major awards including the inaugural RIBA Stirling Prize and works nationally across all sectors, providing architectural design, refurbishment, and mixed-use development services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Architectural Design Services

Quantifiable outcome

• 60+ major awards including inaugural RIBA Stirling Prize
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers14 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators3 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Purcell Architects: UK architectural practice with strong heritage/cultural and education portfolios, including Oxford and Cambridge college work overlapping with Hodder+Partners' St. Catherine's and St. Clare's projects.
• AHMM (Allford Hall Monaghan Morris): Mid-sized UK architectural practice with strong portfolios in workplace, residential, and education, multiple RIBA Stirling Prize wins, and similar signature on tall buildings and mixed-use developments.
• WilkinsonEyre: UK practice recognised for design-led civic, transport, cultural, and tall-building projects; named on multiple RIBA award lists and a comparable competitor for high-profile UK competitions.
• Allies and Morrison: London-based architectural practice with comparable UK-wide mixed-use, residential, education, and civic portfolios. Both firms are award-winning, founder-led, and operate at similar scale across similar building sectors.
• Stride Treglown: UK architectural practice of comparable scale with strong education, healthcare, residential, and workplace portfolios — competing for similar mid-sized to large-scale UK commissions.
• Haworth Tompkins: London-based practice widely regarded as a direct UK peer of comparable size and reputation, with sector coverage in residential, education, sport, culture, and heritage — overlapping heavily with Hodder+Partners' brief.
• Feilden Fowles: Yorkshire-based award-winning practice (2020 Stirling Prize) with comparable size, design-led profile, and education/culture focus — a near-analog peer on regional UK landmark commissions.

Broad incumbents

• Foster + Partners: Global UK-headquartered architectural giant with Stirling Prize credentials; while operating at much greater scale and international reach, it competes for the same high-profile UK commercial and cultural commissions.
• Make Architects: Larger UK firm with strong tall-building, workplace, and residential portfolios (e.g., taller and larger-scale mixed-use than Hodder+Partners). Competes for similar enterprise developer briefs at the upper end of the market.
• BDP (Building Design Partnership): Large multidisciplinary UK firm covering architecture, engineering, and masterplanning. Competes on similar education, healthcare, civic, and workplace briefs but at much greater scale and headcount.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/hodderpartners
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hodder---partners
• Instagraminstagram.com/hodderandpartners

Compliance7 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 Hodder+Partners