alma-nac
alma-nac is a UK collaborative architecture practice (London and Sheffield) delivering sustainable, net zero and participatory design across residential, education, workplace, and community sectors for private, public, and charity clients.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2009
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What alma-nac does
alma-nac is a London-headquartered collaborative architecture practice founded in 2009, operating as a UK private limited company with a secondary studio in Sheffield and a team of approximately 10 staff. The firm delivers full-service architectural design across four primary typologies — residential (Live), workplace (Work), education (Learn), and community/public (Gather) — serving a mixed client base that includes private individuals, independent schools (notably Dulwich College), local authorities (Bexley Council), NHS bodies, charities (Trelya, L8 Matters CLT), and commercial occupiers (Magdrive). Its work is organized through a participatory design methodology that engages clients and end users from concept through completion, with stated principles of joyful, innovative, and sustainable design.
Core technical capabilities centre on sustainable and low-carbon architecture, including Certified Passive House design, net zero carbon new build and retrofit (e.g. Dulwich College Lower School Library), and conservation of heritage structures (Dulwich Barry Buildings). The practice operates BIM-based digital workflows under a dedicated sustainability lead and runs the externally facing 'Design for All' pro-bono programme for charities and the Net Zero Accelerator programme for the Department for Education spanning 25 schools. The practice holds RIBA Chartered Practice status and B Corp certification (achieved 2024), and has accumulated a dense portfolio of industry recognition including RIBA National Awards, AJ Retrofit Awards, and 2025 Architect of the Year Awards in both Net Zero and Education categories.
The business model is professional services revenue, with fees typically structured as a percentage of construction cost or fixed-fee per project scope, billed against multi-year contracts. Go-to-market relies on direct client engagement, competitive tendering (notably in public-sector education and community work), and referrals, supplemented by organic digital presence (website portfolio, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter) and earned media through award coverage in industry publications such as the Architects' Journal, RIBA Journal, Dezeen, and the Financial Times. The firm is founder-owned with no external investment, no subsidiaries, and no disclosed M&A or funding activity.
alma-nac firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- alma-nac
- Legal name
- alma-nac ltd.
- Website
- https://alma-nac.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2009
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- alma-nac is a UK collaborative architecture practice (London and Sheffield) delivering sustainable, net zero and participatory design across residential, education, workplace, and community sectors for private, public, and charity clients.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where alma-nac is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
alma-nac business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Architectural Services: Full-service architectural design from concept through construction completion, serving residential, commercial, educational, and community clients. Revenue is project-based, typically a percentage of construction cost or fixed fee for scope of services.
- Retrofit and Conservation: Specialized retrofit architectural services focusing on energy efficiency improvements and heritage conservation, including Passive House upgrades and net zero carbon retrofits.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Project-based architectural services |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels5 records
alma-nac product offering
Product offeringCore offering
alma-nac is a collaborative UK architecture practice delivering full-service architectural design from concept through completion across residential, education, workplace, and community sectors. The practice emphasises participatory design, sustainability, and net zero carbon solutions, including Passive House-certified and retrofit projects. Services are organised into typologies of Live, Work, Learn, and Gather.
Product overview
Alma-nac is a collaborative architecture practice offering comprehensive architectural design services across residential, education, workplace, and community sectors. The practice operates as a unified service model where architectural expertise is delivered through participatory design processes, with individual projects organized by typology (Live, Work, Learn, Gather). The portfolio includes named projects such as the award-winning House-within-a-House retrofit, Net Zero schools programme, Passivhaus-certified housing, and community facilities. The practice also runs the 'Design for All' pro-bono support programme for charitable organisations. Key service categories span residential architecture (new build and retrofit), education architecture (mainstream and SEND schools), workplace/commercial spaces, and community/public projects.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Architectural Design Services Full-service architectural design practice offering participatory design, sustainable architecture, and innovative solutions across all work stages from concept through construction completion.
- Residential Architecture
Quantifiable outcome
- Barking Energy Centre powers 10,000+ homes, saving 12,000 tonnes of Carbon
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use alma-nac
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
alma-nac technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
alma-nac partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- ErectminorCollaboration on Imperial College 'Commons' competition project at White City campus, working together on design featuring dynamic light installations and sparkling materials
- Jason Bruges StudiominorCollaboration on Imperial College 'Commons' competition project, providing light installation expertise for the design celebrating cathedral-like spaces beneath the Westway
- Design for All ProgrammecoreProud participant in Design for All programme providing professional expertise to small charities and community organisations for building projects. First recipients were L8 Matters CLT for Lodge Lane affordable housing project. Also supported Trelya Nursery and Deeplish Community Centre through this programme.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
alma-nac competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Mikhail Riches: Award-winning UK practice specialising in sustainable, Passivhaus and net-zero residential and housing projects; closest peer to alma-nac on sustainability credentials and residential/retrofit expertise.
- Cullinan Studio: London-based practice focused on sustainable architecture, conservation and education projects, sharing alma-nac's net-zero and heritage retrofit orientation.
- Haworth Tompkins: Independent London-based architecture practice of comparable mid-size scale with strong education, theatre and cultural-sector portfolios and RIBA award track record — directly comparable to alma-nac in size, market and award positioning.
- Proctor & Matthews: Independent UK architecture practice with notable education, residential and conservation work and strong RIBA award record — overlapping UK mid-market positioning with alma-nac.
- Haworth Tompkins (alternate) / Coffey Architects: Independent UK mid-size architecture practice active across residential, education and community sectors — comparable in scale, breadth and project typologies to alma-nac.
- Project Orange: Mid-size UK architecture practice operating across residential, workplace and community briefs with a similar RIBA-recognised award profile.
- RCKa: Independent London practice with a community-driven, social-housing and public-realm focus — comparable to alma-nac's Design for All community participation approach.
- Featherstone Young: Small UK architecture practice with a participatory-design ethos and community/regeneration portfolio; similar size and methodology to alma-nac.
Broad incumbents
- Allies and Morrison: Major London practice with established education, residential and conservation portfolios — a broader, larger incumbent competing for the same award-tier and public-sector briefs.
- Make Architects: Large UK architecture practice where alma-nac co-founder Chris Bryant previously worked; serves as a benchmark incumbent operating across sectors including education and workplace.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
alma-nac social profiles
Digital presencealma-nac compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
alma-nac financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
alma-nac leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
alma-nac funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
alma-nac 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 alma-nac
What does alma-nac do?
alma-nac is a collaborative UK architecture practice delivering full-service architectural design from concept through completion across residential, education, workplace, and community sectors. The practice emphasises participatory design, sustainability, and net zero carbon solutions, including Passive House-certified and retrofit projects. Services are organised into typologies of Live, Work, Learn, and Gather.
Is alma-nac a public or private company?
alma-nac is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was alma-nac founded?
alma-nac was founded in 2009. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is alma-nac based?
alma-nac is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does alma-nac make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Architectural Services are the primary driver. The others are retrofit and Conservation.
Who are alma-nac's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Mikhail Riches, Cullinan Studio, Haworth Tompkins, Proctor & Matthews, Haworth Tompkins (alternate) / Coffey Architects, Project Orange, RCKa and Featherstone Young. Broad incumbents are Allies and Morrison and Make Architects.
Does alma-nac have an API?
No public API is recorded for alma-nac.