What Jestico + Whiles does

Jestico + Whiles is a London-headquartered architecture and interior design studio founded in 1977, operating as a private, employee-owned practice with 101–250 staff and an additional studio in Edinburgh. The firm delivers architecture, interior design, and masterplanning services across ten named sectors — Culture, Education, Hospitality, Interior Design, Masterplanning, Residential, Retail, Retrofit, Science & Technology, and Workspace — serving institutional, public-sector, developer, and luxury hospitality clients in the UK and internationally (Switzerland, Oman, Qatar, Malta, Poland, Tanzania). Revenue is generated through project-based professional fees on individual commissions, including repeat engagements with clients such as the University of Cambridge and a partnership with housing association L&Q on the Kodak Factory redevelopment.

The studio's core production technology centers on BIM-led design and documentation workflows, supported by in-house R&D through the AddLabs+ initiative and an internal mentoring programme ('Access to Architecture') for talent development. The business has invested in formal governance credentials — B Corp certification achieved in 2024 and ISO 27001 implementation in progress — which function as procurement-access differentiators in sustainability- and security-sensitive tenders. The employee-ownership structure, in place since 2000, is a structural feature of the operating model rather than a commercial offering.

Name

Jestico + Whiles

Legal name

Jestico + Whiles + Associates Limited

Website

https://jesticowhiles.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Jestico + Whiles is a London-based, employee-owned architecture and interior design studio founded in 1977, delivering projects across ten sectors for institutional, public-sector, and luxury hospitality clients in the UK and internationally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Architectural and Interior Design Services

NAICS

Architectural Services (54131), Interior Design Services (541410)

SIC

Services-Engineering Services (8711)

akta.pro primary industry

Architectural Design Services (BPAHAKAA)

Keywords

• Architectural design services
• Interior design services
• Masterplanning services
• Retrofit design
• Sustainable architecture

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Architectural and Interior Design Services: Project-based professional fees for architectural design, interior design, masterplanning, and retrofit services delivered to institutional, commercial, hospitality, education, and residential clients. Revenue is earned through design fees, project stages, and associated consultancy services.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Jestico + Whiles is an employee-owned architecture and interior design practice delivering full-service design commissions across 10 sectors: Culture, Education, Hospitality, Interior Design, Masterplanning, Residential, Retail, Retrofit, Science and Technology, and Workspace. The practice provides services from concept through completion, encompassing new build, adaptive reuse/retrofit, and interior design, supported by in-house model-making, BIM-based design methodology, and a dedicated research and innovation initiative (AddLabs+).

Product overview

Jestico + Whiles is an architecture and interior design practice offering a comprehensive portfolio of design services across distinct sectors: Culture, Education, Hospitality, Interior Design, Masterplanning, Residential, Retail, Retrofit, Science and Technology, and Workspace. The practice operates across multiple service lines including new build, retrofit/adaptive reuse, and interior design, supported by AddLabs+ for research and innovation. Beyond project work, the firm runs an Access to Architecture mentoring programme and embeds sustainability principles across all projects through net-zero carbon design strategies.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Culture Sector Design Specialised architecture and interior design services for cultural institutions including museums, galleries, and heritage buildings, involving sensitive restoration, extension, and adaptive reuse of listed structures.
• Education Sector Design Design of educational facilities for universities, schools, colleges, and sixth-form institutions, including new campuses, masterplans, and specialised learning environments.
• Hospitality Sector Design Hotel, restaurant, bar, cruise ship, and private members' club interior design services for luxury and boutique hospitality operators worldwide.
• Interior Design Services Dedicated interior design practice delivering scheme design, FF&E specification, and fit-out coordination for commercial, hospitality, and residential interiors.
• Masterplanning Services Large-scale urban planning and masterplanning for mixed-use developments, residential quarters, and campus expansions, including incremental phasing strategies.
• Residential and Housing Design Residential architecture including large-scale housing developments, apartment buildings, and private residences for developers, housing associations, and local authorities.
• Retail Sector Design Design of retail environments and market regeneration projects, including heritage-led adaptive reuse of historic market buildings.
• Retrofit Services Adaptive reuse and retrofit design services transforming existing buildings for modern use, with deep expertise in heritage-sensitive interventions.
• Science and Technology Facilities Design Specialist laboratory and research facility design, including cleanrooms, nanotechnology buildings, and physics research centres for universities and research institutions.
• Workspace Design Commercial workspace and office design services for corporate occupiers and commercial developers.
• AddLabs+ Research and Innovation Research and innovation initiative advancing architectural practice through prototyping, including the FlexEd Academy hybrid school concept.
• Sustainability Services Sustainable design consulting incorporating environmental considerations, BREEAM/LEED targeting, Passivhaus principles, and net-zero carbon strategies into architectural projects.

Quantifiable outcome

• Old Spitalfields Market regeneration attracted up to 180,000 visitors per week
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• L&QcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with housing association L&Q for the Kodak Factory development in Harrow, delivering 772 new homes, a community health centre, and commercial spaces on the former Kodak photography plant site.
• Open City AccelerateminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJestico + Whiles collaborates with Open City Accelerate to help young people from non-traditional backgrounds access careers in architecture and the built environment.
• RIBA Mentoring ProgrammeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe practice works with the RIBA Mentoring Programme as part of its commitment to widening access to the architecture profession for young people from non-traditional backgrounds.
• Matt + FionaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJestico + Whiles has supported the award-winning social enterprise Matt + Fiona since 2018, serving as industry champions by providing financial support, staff time, resources, and expertise to inspire young people in shaping the spaces they inhabit.
• Steed EducationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-organiser of the Reimagining Secondary Schooling Conference, a unique education conference hosted by Jestico + Whiles exploring hybrid school typologies.
• British School MuscatminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the Reimagining Secondary Schooling Conference exploring the FlexEd Academy prototype purpose-built hybrid school concept.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Foster + Partners: Global architecture incumbent and frequent competitor on flagship UK cultural, education and science projects. Sets the benchmark for jury and client comparisons against which J+W's award submissions are evaluated.
• David Chipperfield Architects: Larger London-founded practice with global cultural and institutional portfolio. Overlaps with J+W's Culture, Heritage and Masterplanning sectors at the higher end of the brief-size spectrum and competes for the same award recognition.

Direct peers

• Grimshaw Architects: London-founded international architecture practice with a comparable multi-sector portfolio spanning transport, education, hospitality, science and workplace. Direct competitor on design competitions and direct appointments of similar brief complexity.
• Sheppard Robson: London-rooted architecture studio of comparable size covering commercial, healthcare, education, residential and workplace. Overlaps with J+W's ten-sector mix and competes on similar UK institutional briefs.
• WilkinsonEyre: London-headquartered architecture practice of similar size working across culture, education, transport and sport. Overlaps with J+W on cultural-institution, education and masterplanning briefs and competes in the same RIBA award circuits.
• Allies and Morrison: London-headquartered, mid-sized (~200 staff) architecture practice covering housing, education, culture, masterplanning and retrofit across the UK and internationally. Highly comparable scale, multi-sector spread, and competition set to J+W on public-sector design competitions.
• Hawkins\Brown: UK architecture practice with deep education, housing and adaptive-reuse credentials. Direct peer for university and heritage retrofit commissions that J+W targets through its Retrofit and Education sectors.
• EPR Architects: Specialist UK architecture practice with strong hospitality, retail and residential credentials. Most direct competitor on J+W's hospitality interior design commissions (hotels, members' clubs, restaurants).
• tp bennett: London-headquartered architecture and interior design practice covering workspace, residential, education and leisure. Most direct overlap with J+W's Interior Design and Workspace sectors, and competing on similar-tier UK commercial commissions.

Emerging players

• Feilden Fowles: Smaller but award-recognised London architecture practice with strong cultural, education and sustainability credentials. Competes with J+W on RIBA-recognised education and heritage briefs at the mid-size studio tier.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/jestico---whiles
• Instagraminstagram.com/jesticowhiles
• Xx.com/jesticowhiles
• Facebookfacebook.com/JesticoandWhiles

Compliance2 records

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 Jestico + Whiles