Fenton Holloway

What Fenton Holloway does

Fenton Holloway is a privately-held specialist structural and civil engineering consultancy headquartered in Bristol, with a second office in London, founded in 1995 by Neil Holloway. The firm focuses on the concept, analysis, and design of unique and unusual structures across ten interconnected service areas: building structures, civil structures, historic structures, historic ships, tensile and lightweight structures, sports venue design, art installations, temporary demountable structures, temporary works engineering, and specialist (computational/parametric) engineering. Its underlying technology stack centres on computational and parametric design, bespoke software scripting, 3D modelling and laser scanning, specialist tensile fabric software, form-finding techniques, and finite element structural analysis — applied particularly to complex geometries, heritage conservation, and long-span lightweight construction.

The firm generates revenue on a project-based professional services model, with fees tied to individual commissions rather than recurring subscriptions. Its go-to-market is relationship-driven and content-led: direct engagement with architects (notably Wilkinson Eyre, Zaha Hadid Architects, ABD Architects), specialist contractors, sports clubs and associations (Chelsea FC, Tottenham Hotspur, Wolverhampton Wanderers), heritage and public-sector clients (NMRN/BAE Systems, SS Great Britain Trust, Plymouth City Council), and leisure operators (Eden Project, Freestyle Park Moscow). Pricing is quote-driven and not publicly disclosed. The practice holds ISO 9001:2015 and ISO 14001:2015 certifications and counts Conservation Accredited Engineers (ICE-accredited) on its team, enabling it to compete for regulated heritage and public-sector work.

The firm's customer base spans enterprise, government, and nonprofit clients across the UK and internationally (US, Russia, Malaysia). Notable commissions include the 11,000 m² London 2012 Olympic Basketball Arena — the largest demountable building ever used at an Olympic Games — Zaha Hadid's 40m sculptural tunnel on Manhattan's High Line, and structural conservation of HMS Victory, SS Great Britain, and HMS Unicorn. The business is founder-controlled, with Neil Holloway (Director) and Richard Fowles (Director, Conservation Accredited Engineer) leading a small team alongside Associates Javier Gutierrez and Adam Magrill, and Consultant Richard Fenton.

Name

Fenton Holloway

Legal name

Fenton Holloway Ltd

Website

https://fentonholloway.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Fenton Holloway is a Bristol-based specialist structural and civil engineering consultancy serving architects, sports clubs, heritage institutions, and public-sector clients with end-to-end design for unique and unusual structures, particularly tensile fabric, historic buildings, historic ships, and temporary demountable buildings.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Structural Engineering Consultancy

NAICS

Engineering Services (54133)

akta.pro primary industry

Civil & Structural Engineering Consulting (BPAHAIAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Construction Engineering & Constructability Consulting (BPAHAIAN)

Keywords

• Structural engineering services
• Tensile fabric structures
• Historic structure conservation
• Civil engineering design
• Temporary demountable buildings

Headquarters

HQ city

Bristol

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Structural Engineering Consultancy: Professional services revenue from providing structural engineering design services for unique and unusual structures, including consultation, analysis, detailed design, and construction oversight.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Fenton Holloway is a specialist structural and civil engineering consultancy providing design, analysis, and construction information services for unique and unusual structures. Its core offering spans building structures, civil structures, historic building and historic ship conservation, tensile and lightweight fabric structures, sports venue design, art installation engineering, and temporary demountable structures, delivered through direct project engagement with architects, contractors, clubs, associations, and end clients in the UK and internationally.

Product overview

Fenton Holloway is a structural engineering consultancy providing specialist engineering services for unique and unusual structures. The company operates as a unified service offering rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture, with expertise concentrated in ten interconnected service areas: Building Structures, Civil Structures, Historic Structures, Historic Ships, Tensile & Lightweight Structures, Sports Venue Design, Art Installation Design, Temporary Demountable Structures, Temporary Works Engineering, and Specialist Engineering (including computational/parametric design and façade engineering). The company is particularly renowned for its specialist expertise in tensile fabric structures, historic ship conservation, and temporary demountable buildings, including delivering the largest demountable building for the London 2012 Olympic Games.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Building Structures Structural engineering services for residential, commercial, and institutional buildings, providing detailed structural analysis, design, and assessment for clients including private developers, architects, and building owners.
• Civil Structures
• Historic Structures
• Historic Ships
• Tensile & Lightweight Structure Design
• Sports Centre Design
• Art Installation Design
• Temporary Demountable Structures
• Temporary Works Engineering
• Specialist Engineering
• GeoDome Event Structures

Quantifiable outcome

• Largest ever demountable building for an Olympic Games - 11,000 m² London 2012 Basketball Arena
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers15 records

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core, major and minor.

• Wilkinson EyreflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2012Architectural collaboration on the London 2012 Olympic Basketball Arena project. Fenton Holloway provided alternative structural design while maintaining the architectural concept developed by Wilkinson Eyre.
• Barr Construction LtdcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 January 2012Design and build contractor for the London 2012 Olympic Basketball Arena. Fenton Holloway provided structural engineering and membrane services as part of the Barr-led project team.
• Zaha Hadid ArchitectsflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on the Allonge sculptural installation along Manhattan's High Line - a 40m dramatic pedestrian tunnel. Fenton Holloway designed an extremely lightweight structure with Zaha Hadid Architects, achieving a 'floating' sensation with minimal connections and slender steelwork.
• MGPImajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on the Freestyle Park Moscow project (280,000 m², 100m-high, 420m-long complex) working alongside ABD Architects.
• ABD ArchitectsmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on Freestyle Park Moscow project alongside MGPI for this massive entertainment complex with snow zone, aquapark, and hotel.
• Gillespie Yunnie ArchitectscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerClose collaboration on Cricklepit Mill restoration project working on confined and archaeologically sensitive site to add a second building with connecting staircase.
• Locker ArchitecturalcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerSpecialist mesh contractor partnership on Redcar Seafront Beacon project. Fenton Holloway developed and detailed the support steelwork and coloured aluminium panel system.
• Acer Snowmec LtdminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSnow-making technology provider for the 37,000 m² snow zone at Freestyle Park Moscow.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Buro Happold: UK-headquartered global engineering consultancy with deep structural engineering expertise and a portfolio of complex, high-profile buildings and tensile/lightweight structures, making it the closest comparable specialist consultancy to Fenton Holloway in terms of project type, even though Buro Happold is significantly larger.
• Expedition Engineering: UK structural engineering consultancy founded on tackling challenging, non-standard projects with a lean specialist team, including sports stadia, bridges, and complex structural systems. Shares Fenton Holloway's positioning as a small specialist consultancy competing on technical reputation for complex commissions.
• Format Engineers: London-based structural engineering consultancy with comparable specialist positioning on architecturally ambitious, complex, and unusual buildings, including tensile structures and complex geometries. Direct UK peer of similar scale and project philosophy to Fenton Holloway.
• Price & Myers: Long-established London structural engineering practice serving architects on heritage, commercial, cultural, and high-end residential projects. Comparable to Fenton Holloway in its close architect-collaboration model, conservation capability, and role on UK heritage commissions.
• AKT II: London-based structural engineering consultancy renowned for parametric/computational design and architect-led collaborations on complex and unusual buildings (including Zaha Hadid Architects' work). Mirrors Fenton Holloway's niche positioning in computational design for architecturally ambitious projects.
• Schlaich Bergermann Partner: German specialist structural engineering firm globally recognised as the leading consultancy in lightweight, tensile, and cable-net structures (stadium roofs, membranes, footbridges). Closest direct peer for Fenton Holloway's tensile/lightweight practice and the company's primary international benchmark in this niche.

Broad incumbents

• Arup: Global multidisciplinary engineering giant that, like Fenton Holloway, has specialist practices in complex structural design, heritage conservation, sports venues, and tensile structures. Far larger and more diversified, but overlaps meaningfully on Fenton Holloway's marquee project types.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/fentonholloway
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/fenton-holloway

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 Fenton Holloway