Nickl & Partner

What Nickl & Partner does

Nickl & Partner Architekten AG is a Munich-headquartered, privately held architecture firm founded in 1979 by Prof. Hans Nickl and now led in its next generation by the Nickl family together with Norbert Schachtner. The firm specializes in healthcare (hospitals, intensive care, medical centers), research and science buildings (laboratories, research institutes), and educational facilities for institutional clients in Germany, Switzerland, France, China, and Denmark. Its go-to-market is enterprise field sales executed through public tenders, invited architectural competitions, and direct commissions, with revenue generated from project-based professional services fees on multi-year commissions.

The firm's core technical platform is BIM-based digital planning combined with openBIM processes and IoT sensor integration, enabling interdisciplinary collaboration between architects, engineers, and contractors and supporting intelligent building management in delivered projects. Notable proprietary features include integration of over 7,000 IoT sensors in Kantonsspital Baden, hybrid timber construction and a 70% CO2 reduction at Roche Diagnostics Innovation Center Penzberg (LEAP), a biosourcé level-3 / passive house medical faculty building in Strasbourg, the DGNB Gold-certified BSS Laboratory at ETH Zürich, and the 'Urban Forest' healthcare interior concept deployed at Dalian Women and Children's Medical Center. These features consistently emphasize sustainability (DGNB Gold, biosourcé, passive house), modularity, and digitally enabled building operations.

The business operates through wholly-owned subsidiaries in Germany, Switzerland, France, and China, employs over 200 international staff across six offices, and pursues demand generation through architectural competitions, industry awards (World Architecture Festival, German Design Award, European Healthcare Design Award, DGNB Gold, BIM Preis Bayern), academic publication, and a foundation-supported student award pipeline. Strategic consortium partnerships with engineering and specialist firms (Inros Lackner SE, idpp ag/Ghisleni Partner AG, VAMED, Worldwide Hospitals, 3XN, Dreicon AG, Gresham Smith) underpin delivery on large, complex institutional and humanitarian healthcare projects.

Name

Nickl & Partner

Legal name

Nickl & Partner Architekten AG

Website

https://nickl-partner.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1979

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Nickl & Partner Architekten AG is a Munich-based, family-owned architecture firm founded in 1979, specializing in healthcare, research, and educational building design across Germany, Switzerland, France, China, and Denmark using BIM-based digital planning and sustainable construction methods.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Healthcare and Research Architecture

NAICS

Architectural Services (54131), Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services (5413), Interior Design Services (54141)

SIC

Services-Engineering Services (8711), Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

Building Information Modeling (BIM) & Digital Design Services (BPAHAKAK)

Keywords

• Healthcare architecture
• Research facility design
• Educational building design
• BIM architectural planning
• Healing environment design

Headquarters

HQ city

Munich

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Architecture and design project fees: Nickl & Partner generates revenue through fees charged for architectural design, planning, and project management services on healthcare, research, and educational building projects. Revenue is project-based, typically procured through public tenders, invited competitions, and direct commissions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Nickl & Partner is an international architectural firm that plans, designs, and delivers healthcare, research, and educational building projects from concept through construction supervision. The firm combines traditional architectural expertise with BIM-based digital planning and IoT/sensor integration to support real-time post-completion building performance monitoring. Its services span planning, interdisciplinary integration of structural and building-services engineering, construction process management, and client consulting across six offices in Germany, Switzerland, France, China, and Denmark.

Product overview

Nickl & Partner Architekten AG is an internationally active architecture firm founded in 1979 by Prof. Hans Nickl, offering comprehensive architectural services. The firm specializes in healthcare architecture (hospitals, medical centers, intensive care facilities), research and science buildings (laboratories, research institutes, campus facilities), educational facilities (universities, schools), and specialized projects (embassies, hotel ateliers, hospital ships). The portfolio includes over 200 employees across six offices (Munich, Berlin, Düsseldorf, Zürich, Paris, Beijing). Key service offerings encompass planning, integration, construction process management, and consulting, with a focus on healing architecture, modular construction, holistic sustainability, and BIM-based digital planning methods. Notable projects include Kantonsspital Baden (Switzerland), Roche Diagnostics Innovation Center Penzberg (Germany), BSS Laboratory at ETH Zürich (Switzerland), Bâtiment de Recherche Biomédicale BRB in Paris (France), and the Dalian Women and Children's Medical Center (China).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Hans and Christine Nickl Foundation: Foundation established in 2007 focused on research, teaching, and promoting young talent in socially relevant architecture

Products and services

• Healthcare architecture design and project management End-to-end architectural services for hospitals, university medical centers, women's clinics, and specialised healthcare facilities, from feasibility and concept design through construction supervision, with a focus on Healing Architecture principles.
• Research and laboratory architecture design Architectural design, BIM coordination, and project management for research buildings, BSL-2/BSL-3 laboratories, vivaria, and high-containment scientific facilities, integrating complex MEP and vibration-control requirements.
• Educational and academic facility architecture Architectural design and project delivery of academic buildings, lecture halls, and university infrastructure for universities and educational institutions.
• BIM-based digital planning services OpenBIM and Building Information Modeling-enabled design coordination that integrates architecture with structural and building-services engineering for technically complex projects.
• IoT and sensor-based building performance integration Integration of IoT sensor technology and post-completion building performance monitoring into architectural designs to enable real-time operational insight across the building lifecycle.
• Construction process management and on-site supervision On-site construction supervision and construction process management delivered alongside design commissions to ensure quality execution through project completion.
• Architecture and planning consulting Strategic advisory and consulting services covering architectural programming, planning methodology, and project advisory for institutional clients in healthcare, research, and education.

Quantifiable outcome

• Kantonsspital Baden won World Architecture Festival 2025 in the 'Health' category and European Healthcare Design Award 2025 in the Healthcare Design (>25,000 m²) category.
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers11 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

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Inros Lackner SEcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 January 2026Nickl & Partner is collaborating with Inros Lackner SE on the University Medicine Rostock project, one of Mecklenburg–Western Pomerania's largest construction projects. This partnership combines architectural design with engineering and planning expertise for the phased transformation of the Schillingallee campus.
• idpp ag / Ghisleni Partner AGcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with idpp ag / Ghisleni Partner AG on the Kantonsspital Baden project, one of the firm's flagship healthcare projects featuring BIM, IoT sensors, and DGNB-compliant sustainability.
• Dreicon AGminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with Dreicon AG on the BSS Laboratory and Research Building at ETH Zürich, DGNB Gold certified project.
• 3XN / Aarhus Architects / Grontmij / Kristine Jensen StudiocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerConsortium partnership on the Rigshospitalet North Wing extension in Copenhagen. Nickl & Partner worked alongside 3XN, Aarhus Architects, Grontmij, and Kristine Jensen Studio on this major hospital expansion completed in 2021.
• Gresham SmithminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with Gresham Smith on the interior design concept for Taikang International Hospital in Ningbo, China.
• Worldwide Hospitals (WWH)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNickl & Partner is collaborating with Worldwide Hospitals (WWH) and VAMED on the Worldwide Hospital Ship project — a humanitarian infrastructure initiative bringing medical care wherever urgently needed. The floating hospitals feature modular, container-based medical units.
• VAMEDcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with VAMED on the Worldwide Hospital Ship project, developing modular medical infrastructure for humanitarian deployment worldwide.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• HDR Architects: Large US architecture and engineering firm with a top-tier healthcare design practice; competes directly with Nickl & Partner for European and international hospital projects and brings comparable BIM-led delivery and clinical planning expertise.
• NBBJ: US-based architecture firm specializing in healthcare and research facility design; comparable to Nickl & Partner in serving academic medical centers and research institutes with research-driven, technically advanced design.
• SmithGroup: US-based integrated design firm with leading healthcare and science & technology practices; comparable to Nickl & Partner in serving academic medical centers, research institutes, and complex laboratory clients with sustainability-driven design.
• HPP Architekten: German architecture firm with a leading healthcare practice (Cologne/Düsseldorf) and comparable track record in German hospital commissions; directly competes with Nickl & Partner for German public-sector hospital tenders.
• Perkins&Will: Global architecture firm with a strong healthcare and research-science practice; comparable to Nickl & Partner in serving premier hospital and academic medical center clients with sustainability-focused design and integrated BIM workflows.
• gmp Architekten: Major German architecture firm with healthcare, cultural, and public-sector portfolio; competes with Nickl & Partner on German institutional tenders and shares comparable scale, BIM expertise, and international footprint.
• HKS: US-headquartered architecture firm with one of the world's largest healthcare practices; competes with Nickl & Partner for major hospital commissions globally and serves similar institutional client base with comparable design-led, research-driven healthcare expertise.

Regional players

• 3XN: Danish architecture firm with strong healthcare and public-sector portfolio; partnered with Nickl & Partner on the Rigshospitalet North Wing and competes in the Nordic healthcare architecture market with comparable BIM-driven delivery.

Broad incumbents

• Foster + Partners: Global architecture firm with diversified portfolio including healthcare, research, and public-sector projects; overlaps with Nickl & Partner on premier institutional clients but at a substantially larger scale and broader market scope.
• Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM): Global architecture and engineering firm with healthcare, research, and large-scale institutional practice; competes with Nickl & Partner on mega-project tenders where SOM's scale and integrated engineering are differentiators.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/nicklpartner

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries4 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 Nickl & Partner