NOVA

What NOVA does

NOVA Michael Beck Architekten GmbH is a Munich-based architectural firm founded in 2004 by Michael Beck, Karuna Dewan, and Martin Friedenberger as plan|4 architekten and rebranded to NOVA. The firm provides comprehensive architectural planning services across all HOAI Leistungsphasen 1-9, including new construction, renovation, conversion, and heritage conservation, delivered through a team of approximately 25 architects, project managers, and BIM coordinators. Its practice is concentrated in three technically demanding vertical segments: healthcare facilities (hospitals, clinics, rehabilitation centers), research and science buildings (Max Planck and Fraunhofer institutes, university labs), and educational institutions (universities, colleges, schools).

The firm's core technology is Building Information Modeling (BIM) using Nemetschek Allplan, with firm-wide BIM office standards under active development. NOVA's business model is professional services revenue, billed according to the regulated German HOAI fee schedule, with projects acquired primarily through architectural competitions (Wettbewerbe) and VgV (Vergabeverfahren) public procurement procedures. Customers are almost exclusively German public-sector and institutional clients — universities, state construction offices, Max-Planck-Gesellschaft, Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, and healthcare providers such as Deutsches Herzzentrum München and BGU Frankfurt am Main.

Operational scope is predominantly Germany, with a single documented Austrian competition entry and no activity in North America. NOVA's strategic positioning is built on a strong competition win rate (three first prizes in 18 months; 24th of 32,000 firms on CompetitionLine 2020), repeat institutional clients, and procedural fluency with German public procurement, rather than on technology differentiation or scale.

Name

NOVA

Legal name

NOVA Michael Beck Architekten GmbH

Website

https://novaarchitekten.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

NOVA is a Munich-based architectural firm specializing in planning complex healthcare, research, and educational buildings for German public-sector clients, acquired through architectural competitions and VgV procurement under HOAI fee structures.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Architectural Services

NAICS

Architectural Services (54131), Interior Design Services (54141), Landscape Architectural Services (54132)

SIC

Services-Engineering Services (8711)

akta.pro primary industry

Architectural Design Services (BPAHAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Interior Design Services (BPAHAKAB), Landscape Architecture & Site Design (BPAHAKAC), Space Planning & Workplace Design (BPAHAKAI)

Keywords

• Architectural planning services
• Healthcare facility design
• Research building architecture
• Educational institution design
• BIM architectural planning

Headquarters

HQ city

Munich

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Architectural Services: NOVA generates revenue through architectural planning services for buildings in the healthcare, research, and educational sectors. Services span from feasibility studies and competition entries through to full project execution (Leistungsphasen 1-9 according to German HOAI standards). Revenue is project-based and comes primarily from public sector clients through competitive tendering processes.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

NOVA is an architectural planning firm delivering full-scope design services (Leistungsphasen 1-9 per German HOAI) for healthcare, research, and educational buildings. Work spans feasibility studies, competition entries, new construction, renovation, conversion, heritage conservation, project management, and construction supervision. The firm acquires nearly all projects through architectural competitions and formal public-sector tendering procedures.

Product overview

NOVA is an architecture firm (NOVA Michael Beck Architekten GmbH) providing architectural planning and design services. The firm specializes in buildings for research, education, and healthcare sectors, as well as community facilities. Their service offering consists of architectural project development spanning all phases of planning (Leistungsphasen 1-9 according to German HOAI standards), including new construction, renovation, conversion, and heritage conservation projects. The firm does not offer a software product but rather delivers architectural services, project management, and construction supervision. Their portfolio includes completed projects, competition entries, and ongoing constructions across educational institutions, research facilities, hospitals, and civic buildings.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Architectural Planning and Design Services (HOAI Leistungsphasen 1-9) Full architectural service delivery across the nine German HOAI planning phases for healthcare, research, education, and community buildings, covering new construction, renovation, conversion, and heritage conservation, targeted at institutional and public-sector clients.
• Architectural Competition Entries (Wettbewerbe) Preparation and submission of design proposals for open and invited architectural competitions to win commissions for public and institutional building projects.
• Public-Sector Tendering (VgV Procedures) Participation in formal German VgV public-sector procurement procedures to secure contracted architectural planning services with universities, state construction offices, and similar institutional bodies.
• BIM-Based Architectural Planning (Nemetschek Allplan) BIM-enabled architectural planning using Nemetschek Allplan, applied across complex healthcare, research, and educational building projects to deliver detailed building models and documentation.

Quantifiable outcome

• Completed Kindertagesstätte MPI Göttingen in only 10 months
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• DEWAN FRIEDENBERGER ARCHITEKTENminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNOVA collaborates with DEWAN FRIEDENBERGER ARCHITEKTEN as a joint soccer team ('Joint Soccerteam') for the annual Coppa Oliva football tournament among Munich architecture firms. The firms also share historical roots as DEWAN FRIEDENBERGER includes former colleagues from plan|4 architekten, NOVA's predecessor firm.
• mk.landschaftminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with landscape architecture firm mk.landschaft for the Bürger- und Jugendzentrum Geretsried competition, which they won together with the 1st prize.
• kadawittfeld architekturminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint participation with kadawittfeld architektur in the competition for Innere Medizin Graz, winning 3rd prize.
• 03ArchitektenminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with 03Architekten for the Nano Institut München competition, winning 3rd/4th prize with additional recognition for urban design (3rd prize Ideenteil Städtebau).

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• kadawittfeld architektur: Aachen-based architecture firm with strong healthcare and university research portfolio. Directly comparable vertical specialization; has even co-competed with NOVA (Innere Medizin Graz 3rd prize).
• Nickl & Partner Architekten: Munich-based architecture firm with deep healthcare and research building portfolio (university hospitals, research labs). Directly comparable to NOVA in specialization, geography, and HOAI-driven services.
• Auer Weber: Munich-headquartered architecture firm known for educational, cultural, and public buildings. Direct competitor for Bavarian university and public-sector VgV mandates.
• Heinle, Wischer und Partner: German architecture firm specializing in research, teaching, and healthcare facilities with offices including Berlin and Dresden. Competes directly with NOVA for VgV tenders in the same verticals.
• Staab Architekten: Berlin-based architecture firm known for cultural and educational/institutional buildings. Comparable in competition-driven GTM and German public-sector client base.
• Behnisch Architekten: Stuttgart-based practice specializing in research, education, and sustainable building design. Comparable in research/healthcare vertical and sustainability positioning to NOVA.
• Hascher Jehle Architektur: Berlin-based firm with strong portfolio in research, education, and museum buildings. Comparable in CompetitionLine-style positioning and architectural competition participation with NOVA.

Broad incumbents

• KSP Engel: Hamburg-based architecture firm with significant research, education, and public-sector portfolio in Germany. Competes for similar HOAI-billed public mandates at greater scale than NOVA.
• HPP Architekten: Large German architecture firm with national coverage across healthcare, education, and workplace. Larger scale than NOVA but competes for similar institutional mandates with broader delivery capacity.
• ATP Architekten Ingenieure: Austrian-headquartered integrated design firm with research, healthcare, and industrial building practice. Active in DACH VgV landscape and overlaps with NOVA on Austrian client work.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xxing.com/pages/novamichaelbeckarchitektengmbh
• Facebookfacebook.com/novaarchitekten
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/novaarchitekten
• Instagraminstagram.com/nova_architekten

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 NOVA