NaturalWorks

What NaturalWorks does

NaturalWorks is a Lisbon-based private engineering consultancy founded in 2003 by Guilherme Carrilho da Graça, an Assistant Professor at the University of Lisbon and Research Scholar at UCSD. The firm provides integrated building energy systems design, energy certification, and acoustics consultancy across four co-located disciplines: HVAC, electrical systems, thermal envelope and acoustics, and natural ventilation. Its service model is bespoke professional services delivered to architecture firms and building developers, primarily in Portugal with selected international projects in Brazil, the USA, Mozambique, Italy, and France. Notable reference projects include the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation Grand Auditorium, Lisbon Cruise Terminal at Santa Apolónia, San Francisco Federal Building, NY Times Building, Tower FPM41 (a 17-story hybrid ventilation building operating in natural mode ~70% of the year), and 11 Lisbon municipal kindergartens designed without traditional HVAC systems.

The underlying technology stack consists of established engineering simulation tools rather than proprietary software: EnergyPlus, DesignBuilder, Ecotect, and PHOENICS CFD are used in combination to model thermal envelope performance, façade geometry, wind-driven airflow, and energy demand. The firm's value proposition rests on co-locating four engineering disciplines under one roof and on the academic credentials of its eight-person team, which collectively has produced over 40 peer-reviewed publications in building energy analysis, natural ventilation design, thermal simulation, and acoustics. Revenue derives from project-based professional services fees, supplemented by a low-margin recurring line as the official DesignBuilder software reseller in Portugal (handling individual, network, and educational license distribution and support). Marketing and lead generation rely on the firm's published portfolio, professional referrals from architecture partners, and the founder's academic affiliation rather than paid acquisition.

Name

NaturalWorks

Legal name

NaturalWorks

Website

https://natural-works.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

NaturalWorks is a Lisbon-based, 8-person private consultancy founded in 2003 that provides integrated building energy systems design, energy certification, and acoustics services to architecture firms and developers, primarily in Portugal with select international projects.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Building Energy and Acoustics Design Consulting

NAICS

Engineering Services (541330)

SIC

Services-Engineering Services (8711)

akta.pro primary industry

HVAC & Industrial Ventilation (Chillers, AHUs, Exhaust, Filtration) (EUAEAFAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Acoustic & Soundproofing Works (IMAFANAL)

Keywords

• Building energy design
• HVAC consulting
• Energy certification
• Acoustic consulting
• Natural ventilation design

Headquarters

HQ city

Lisbon

HQ country

Portugal

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Building Energy Systems Consultancy: Design and consultancy services for HVAC, electrical systems, thermal envelope, acoustics, and natural ventilation for various building types including residential, hotels, retail, offices, schools, and cultural buildings
2. DesignBuilder Software Resale: Official reseller of DesignBuilder software in Portugal, responsible for license allocation and distribution including individual licenses, network licenses, and educational/student licenses
3. Energy Certification Services: Energy certification of buildings as part of the consultancy services

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

NaturalWorks provides design and consultancy services for building energy systems, energy certification, and acoustics. The firm integrates HVAC systems design, electrical systems design, thermal envelope and acoustics engineering, and natural ventilation design into integrated solutions for architecture firms and building developers across residential, hospitality, educational, cultural, and infrastructure projects. The company also serves as the official reseller of DesignBuilder building energy simulation software in Portugal.

Product overview

NaturalWorks operates as both a design consultancy firm and an official DesignBuilder software reseller in Portugal. The company offers building energy simulation and consulting services across four integrated expertise areas: HVAC systems, Electrical Systems, Thermal Envelope and Acoustics, and Natural Ventilation. As a DesignBuilder reseller, they distribute software licenses (individual and network licenses available in 1/2/3 year terms) alongside their consultancy services for building energy systems, energy certification, and acoustics.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Building Energy Systems Design and Consultancy Integrated design and consultancy services for HVAC systems, electrical systems, thermal envelope and acoustics, and natural ventilation, delivered to architecture firms, building developers, hotel operators, educational institutions, and public sector clients across residential, hospitality, educational, cultural, and infrastructure projects.
• Energy Certification Services Energy certification of buildings, performed by NaturalWorks' Consultancy, Optimization and Energy Certification team led by Maria Malato Lerer, to demonstrate compliance with energy efficiency regulations.
• DesignBuilder Software Resale Official Portuguese reseller of DesignBuilder building energy simulation software, providing individual user licenses, network (multi-user) licenses, and educational/student licenses with 1, 2, or 3 year terms, including license allocation, activation, and customer support for Portuguese architecture firms, engineering practices, and universities.

Quantifiable outcome

• Buildings can operate in natural ventilative cooling mode for 70% of the year in Lisbon's mild climate with optimized design

Named customers12 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• DesignBuildercoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNaturalWorks is the official reseller of DesignBuilder software in Portugal, responsible for license allocation, activation, and support. They handle individual licenses, network licenses, and educational/student licenses for the building energy simulation software.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Arup: Global engineering consultancy with one of the largest sustainability and building performance practices worldwide. Comparable to NaturalWorks in integrated building physics and sustainable design, but serves a much broader portfolio at global scale.
• Stantec: Large multi-disciplinary engineering consultancy (formed in part from Page) with significant MEP, energy, and sustainability practices. Comparable to NaturalWorks in MEP and building performance services, but at global scale across diverse sectors.
• Buro Happold: Global engineering consultancy with established sustainability, MEP, and building physics practices serving cultural and high-performance buildings. Comparable to NaturalWorks in service scope, but operates at much larger scale across many geographies.
• WSP: Global professional services consultancy with a sizeable buildings practice covering MEP, energy, and sustainability advisory. Comparable to NaturalWorks in building services consulting, but operating across a far broader service portfolio and geography.

Direct peers

• Atelier Ten: Environmental design consultancy advising on sustainable building performance, MEP, and energy systems across cultural, hospitality, and high-performance building projects. Directly comparable to NaturalWorks in integrated building physics consulting and premium architectural client base.
• ME Engineers: Mechanical and electrical engineering consultancy with deep practice in HVAC, acoustics, and sustainability for cultural, education, and performing arts venues. Comparable to NaturalWorks in building-services design with a strong acoustics and energy-performance focus.
• Introba (formerly Integral Group): Building engineering consultancy specializing in MEP, energy modeling, and sustainable design for high-performance buildings. Comparable to NaturalWorks in integrated building physics services, energy simulation, and acoustic/acoustic-aware HVAC design.
• Werner Sobek: Engineering and sustainability consultancy focused on energy-efficient building envelopes, HVAC, and integrated building performance. Comparable to NaturalWorks in niche, design-led building physics expertise and culture of academic-quality engineering.
• Elementa Consulting: Building engineering and sustainability consultancy providing MEP, commissioning, energy modeling, and acoustics services. Comparable to NaturalWorks as a smaller, technically-specialized building physics consultancy serving architecture-led projects.
• Transsolar: Munich-based building physics and climate engineering consultancy specializing in natural and hybrid ventilation, energy simulation, and integrated HVAC design. Closely comparable to NaturalWorks in domain focus (natural ventilation expertise, simulation-driven design, sustainable building performance) and boutique consulting model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 NaturalWorks