Planen & Bauen

What Planen & Bauen does

Planen & Bauen GmbH is a German architecture and engineering firm headquartered in Bensheim (Hesse), founded in 1997 by Dieter Blumenschein and operating today as a wholly-owned subsidiary of SPIE Germany Switzerland Austria following its December 2020 acquisition. The firm functions as a Generalplaner delivering the full HOAI service spectrum (Leistungsphasen 1-8) for highly complex technical buildings, with two clear specializations: mission-critical data centers and high-voltage substations (Umspannwerke). It employs approximately 60 staff across four German offices (Bensheim, Frankfurt, Düsseldorf on the EUREF-Campus, and Hamburg) and reports completed delivery of more than 70,000 m² of data center white space and 150 MW of IT load, alongside 110-kV to multi-hundred-MVA substation projects.

The firm's core methodology is HOAI-compliant general planning executed on a BIM foundation built on Autodesk Revit for authoring and Autodesk Construction Cloud as the Common Data Environment, supplemented by photorealistic visualization and virtual reality walkthroughs. Service lines extend from architecture, structural engineering, fire protection, accessibility, and energy consulting through to project management, expert witness work, feasibility studies, and LEED/DGNB sustainability certification. Two named integration capabilities — combined data center and substation planning — are marketed as a structural cost advantage to clients integrating on-site power.

Revenue is generated on a project basis under HOAI fee structures, billed through multi-year contracts to enterprise customers. Customer evidence is concentrated in two verticals: data center operators such as Interxion/Digital Realty (multiple Frankfurt sites plus Copenhagen CPH3) and Mainova WebHouse (MWH01 campus), and energy utilities such as Syna GmbH and Stadtwerke Wiesbaden Netz. Industrial and healthcare/senior-living work appears as secondary, with named commissions including a Freudenberg Real Estate electrolysis/fuel cell production facility visit by Chancellor Olaf Scholz in November 2023. Go-to-market is direct enterprise field sales targeting decision-makers at these operators and developers, supplemented by trade show presence (Data Centre World Frankfurt, GDACon, OneSPIE) and digital content channels. In 2025-2026 the firm has transitioned from founder-led governance to a three-person executive team (Peter Wenzel as Chairman, Tino Gölz and Timo Richter as Managing Directors), positioning for the next growth phase within the SPIE group.

Name

Planen & Bauen

Legal name

Planen & Bauen GmbH

Website

https://planen-bauen.eu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Planen & Bauen GmbH is a German HOAI Generalplaner specializing in mission-critical data centers and high-voltage substations, serving enterprise customers such as Interxion/Digital Realty, Mainova WebHouse, and German utilities from four offices as a SPIE subsidiary.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Architecture and Engineering Services

akta.pro primary industry

Construction Management & Delivery (EPCM/CMAR/Design-Build Oversight) (EUANALAE)

Keywords

• Data center planning
• General planning services
• Substation engineering
• Building information modeling
• Architecture engineering services

Headquarters

HQ city

Bensheim

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Generalplanung Architektur- und Ingenieurleistungen: Project-based professional services for architecture and engineering planning, providing complete project delivery from initial concept to turnkey handover. Revenue is generated through HOAI-compliant fee structures for object planning, structural engineering, fire protection, and specialist consulting services.
2. Projektsteuerung und Bauleitung: Project management and construction supervision services for complex technical construction projects, coordinating all specialist disciplines.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Planen & Bauen is a German general planner (Generalplaner) delivering full HOAI-compliant architecture and engineering services for highly complex technical buildings, with core specialization in data centers and electrical substations. The firm handles complete project delivery from feasibility studies and concept design through structural engineering, BIM management, fire protection, project management, and LEED/DGNB certification to turnkey handover. It is part of the SPIE Group and operates from offices in Bensheim, Frankfurt, Düsseldorf, and Hamburg, with over 70,000 m² of data center white space and 150 MW IT-load delivered across Germany and Europe.

Product overview

Planen & Bauen GmbH is an established architecture and engineering firm offering a comprehensive portfolio of services as a general planner. The core service offerings include Architecture, Structural Engineering (Statik/Tragwerksplanung), Building Information Modeling (BIM) using Autodesk Revit and Autodesk Construction Cloud, Fire Protection (Brandschutz), Expert Witness Services (Sachverständige), Accessibility Planning (Barrierefreiheit), Energy Consulting (Energieberatung), Project Management (Projektsteuerung), Feasibility Studies (Machbarkeitsstudien), and Visualization. The firm specializes in two key sectors: Data Center Planning (Rechenzentrumsplanung) as general planner for complex data center projects with over 70,000 m² white space and 150 MW IT-load realized, and Substation Planning (Umspannwerksplanung) since 2015 for facilities ranging from extensions to new builds with several hundred MVA capacity. Additional offerings include LEED and DGNB sustainability certification services. The company operates from offices in Bensheim (headquarters), Frankfurt, Düsseldorf, and Hamburg, employing approximately 60 staff members.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Architektur (Architecture)
• Statik / Tragwerksplanung (Structural Engineering)

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 70,000 m² White Space completed
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 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

Feature3 records

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• AtkinsRéalis: AtkinsRéalis is a global engineering and project management firm with mission-critical and data center capabilities serving operators and public infrastructure — comparable to Planen & Bauen's general planning offerings, but as part of a much broader portfolio.
• Arcadis: Arcadis is a global design, engineering, and consultancy firm with a dedicated Data Center Solutions practice that delivers planning and design for hyperscale and colocation projects — overlapping with Planen & Bauen's data center general planning scope, but at much larger scale and broader portfolio.
• HDR: HDR is a global architecture/engineering firm with a dedicated Mission Critical and Data Center practice serving colocation, hyperscale, and enterprise operators — closely comparable to Planen & Bauen's data center planning capability, with a much larger geographic footprint.
• Ramboll: Ramboll is a Nordic-headquartered engineering, design, and consultancy firm with significant mission-critical facilities and data center work across Northern Europe — comparable to Planen & Bauen's data center focus, with a stronger Nordic platform.
• AECOM: AECOM is a global infrastructure consulting firm with a dedicated Data Center practice covering planning, design, and program management for hyperscalers and operators — broadly comparable to Planen & Bauen's planning work, but at enterprise scale across many verticals.
• Arup: Arup is a global engineering firm with a strong mission-critical facilities and data center design practice, providing multidisciplinary planning services for operators worldwide — comparable to Planen & Bauen's complex technical building expertise, but with global reach.
• WSP: WSP is a global engineering consultancy with a Mission Critical and Data Center team delivering design, project management, and advisory services — comparable in service breadth to Planen & Bauen, but operating at a much larger global scale.

Direct peers

• Drees & Sommer: Drees & Sommer is a German engineering and consulting firm with a substantial data center and mission-critical facilities practice, providing general planning, project management, and sustainability certification — directly comparable to Planen & Bauen's HOAI-compliant general planning model.
• Page (Page Southerland Page): Page is a US architecture and engineering firm with a dedicated Data Center practice delivering full planning, MEP, and structural design — directly comparable to Planen & Bauen's data center general planning specialization.
• Corgan: Corgan is a US-headquartered architecture and engineering firm widely recognized as one of the most specialized data center design practices globally, with a deep mission-critical team — directly comparable to Planen & Bauen's data-center-focused general planning offering.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/planen-bauen-gmbh
• Instagraminstagram.com/planen.und.bauen

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 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 Planen & Bauen