Heim Balp Architects

What Heim Balp Architects does

Heim Balp Architects (legal entity Heim Balp Architekten GmbH) is a Berlin-headquartered architectural practice co-founded in 2006 by German architect Michael Heim and Italian architect Pietro Balp. The firm operates as a small, project-based professional services studio with 1–10 employees, delivering architectural design, urban design, and adaptive-reuse services across Germany, Italy, Spain, Portugal, and Romania. Its core offering is end-to-end architectural design for high-density urban housing, cultural and institutional buildings, and the conversion of historic and industrial structures, underpinned by a stated design philosophy of minimal intervention, modular construction, and sustainable materials.

The studio's service lines comprise residential architecture (urban infill, courtyard redensification, modular villas), cultural and institutional buildings (art studios, exhibition spaces, theaters), industrial and commercial conversions (production facilities, warehouses, offices), and sustainable construction consulting. Its differentiation rests on adaptive-reuse methodology, modular design systems that reduce construction costs, and research into innovative materials adapted to local contexts. Notable projects include the Güldenhof farming-complex-to-art-center conversion, the Stadtwerke Münster administration building, the Teatro alla Scala laboratories competition in Milan, the Bairro do Silva housing project in Porto, and industrial commissions for CMA Professional Coffee Machines and Rocket Espresso.

Revenue is generated through traditional architectural channels: direct client commissions, design competition wins, and municipal procurement. Pricing is project-quoted based on scope and complexity, with fees structured as professional services on residential, cultural, and adaptive-reuse work. The firm has no external funding, no parent company, no subsidiaries, and no disclosed patents or AI/ML capability, and markets itself primarily through architectural publications, competitions, and industry awards rather than paid acquisition channels.

Name

Heim Balp Architects

Legal name

Heim Balp Architekten GmbH

Website

https://heimbalp.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Heim Balp Architects is a Berlin-based architecture studio founded in 2006 by Michael Heim and Pietro Balp, specializing in adaptive reuse, high-density urban design, and cultural/industrial building projects for public and private clients across Germany and southern Europe.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

NAICS

Architectural Services (54131)

akta.pro primary industry

Architectural Design Services (BPAHAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Historic Preservation & Conservation Planning (BPAHAKAH)

Keywords

• Architectural design services
• Urban design planning
• Adaptive reuse architecture
• Residential architecture design
• Sustainable construction consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Berlin

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Architectural Design Services: Professional architecture and design services for residential, cultural, industrial, and adaptive reuse projects. Revenue generated through design fees, competition prizes, and potentially percentage-based fees on construction costs.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Heim Balp Architekten is an architectural design practice offering services in high-density urban design, adaptive reuse and conversion of historic structures, residential architecture, and cultural and industrial building design. The firm provides end-to-end design services from concept through construction, with a philosophy of minimal intervention and sustainable construction methods.

Product overview

Heim Balp Architekten is an architecture studio co-founded in 2006 in Berlin by Pietro Balp and Michael Heim. The practice operates as a single unified design studio offering architectural services rather than a platform or software product. The core offerings include urban design, adaptive reuse and conversion of historic structures, residential architecture, and cultural/industrial building design. Their philosophy emphasizes sustainable construction methods and innovative materials, with projects spanning Germany and across Europe (Italy, Spain, Portugal, Romania). The studio has completed numerous residential projects (Urban Villa, Stadthaus 4, Britzer Damm), commercial and cultural conversions (Güldenhof, Druckwerk), and international projects (Bairro do Silva in Porto, Magnifica Fabbrica in Milan, Casa d'Poço in Cabo Verde).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Pablo Pita ArchitectsminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Collaboration on Bairro do Silva project in Porto, Portugal. Project was nominated for Enor Prize 2023 and published on Archdaily.
• ADEPTminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Collaboration on Kohlenbunkerensemble competition in Gelsenkirchen, transforming part of old coal mine into gastronomic and green site for 2027 International Gardening Exhibition.
• studio futuraminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Collaboration on Magnifica Fabbrica competition for Teatro alla Scala laboratories and Parco della Lambretta in Milan.
• Jo Klein ArchitektenminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Collaboration on Britzer Damm project in Berlin.
• Adept ArchitectsminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Collaboration on Stadthaus 4 project for Stadtwerke Münster administration building.
• Nick AshminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2010Collaboration on Urban Villa project in Berlin.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Sauerbruch Hutton: Berlin-based architecture practice of comparable mid-size scale working across cultural, residential, and adaptive reuse projects in Europe. Highly comparable as a fellow Berlin-headquartered studio pursuing a similar project typology mix and design-led positioning.
• Pablo Pita Architects: Portuguese architecture practice collaborating with Heim Balp on the Bairro do Silva project in Porto. Comparable Iberian/European peer with overlapping cultural and urban regeneration focus.
• ADEPT: Danish/Swiss architecture and urban design practice working on adaptive reuse and public-sector projects across Northern Europe. Already a documented Heim Balp collaboration partner (Kohlenbunkerensemble, Stadthaus 4), making it the closest operational peer in typology and scale.
• Lacaton & Vassal: Paris-based practice widely recognized for minimal-intervention adaptive reuse and social housing. Closely comparable on the 'architecture that rewrites on history' philosophy and adaptive-reuse methodology that defines Heim Balp's identity.
• Max Dudler: German/Swiss architecture practice known for cultural and residential projects including adaptive reuse. Comparable as a DACH-region design-led firm with overlapping cultural-building and urban typologies.
• Barkow Leibinger: Berlin-based architecture firm of similar size and pedigree known for cultural, industrial, and adaptive reuse work in Germany and internationally. Directly comparable on city, scale, and typology of cultural/industrial commissions.

Broad incumbents

• David Chipperfield Architects: Larger global practice with a Berlin office, renowned for major adaptive reuse projects (Neues Museum Berlin, James-Simon-Galerie). Comparable on adaptive-reuse positioning and Berlin/DACH presence, though at materially greater scale.
• MVRDV: Dutch practice specializing in high-density urban design and mixed-use developments across Europe. Comparable on the high-density urban design and residential typologies that form Heim Balp's primary segment.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/203162450230815
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/heim-balp-architekten-gmbh

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 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 Heim Balp Architects