What Chezweitz does

Chezweitz GmbH is a Berlin-based office for museum and urban scenography founded in 2002 (originally as chezweitz & roseapple), co-led by architects Detlef Daiber-Weitz and Dr. Sonja Beeck. The firm specializes in designing immersive exhibition spaces and developing communication strategies for museums, cultural institutions, cities, and universities. Core services span exhibition scenography (themed, art, and permanent exhibitions), urban scenography for public spaces, strategic consulting and feasibility studies, graphic and visual identity design, and multimedia/media integration including AR, VR, touchscreens, and sound design. Projects follow HOAS (Honorarordnung für Architekten und Ingenieure) service phases from basic investigation through documentation, with a methodology rooted in curatorial dialogue that translates content into spatial-graphic arrangements.

The firm's revenue model is project-based professional services, with commissions typically acquired through competitive public-sector tendering, direct invitations, or consulting engagements that convert into full design commissions. Pricing is negotiated per project and follows multi-year contracts structured around defined HOAS milestones. The firm maintains a stable network of specialist partners across media planning, media technology, lighting, carpentry, steel construction, and printing to deliver projects. Geographic reach spans Germany (the primary market) with international projects in Austria, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, and the United States.

Chezweitz serves four primary vertical segments: museums (including art, history, science, and memorial institutions), cultural foundations and memorial sites, cities and municipalities, and universities. Notable clients include Jewish Museum Berlin (Gold Design Award 2020), Deutsches Schifffahrtsmuseum Bremerhaven (German Design Award 2026), Bauhaus Museum Dessau, Deutsche Kinemathek, Deutsches Historisches Museum, Wien Museum, Moderna Museet Stockholm and Malmö, and the University of Excellence Bonn. The firm is founder-owned, privately held, and operates with approximately 17 full-time staff plus interns and part-time collaborators; there is no evidence of external investment or parent ownership.

Name

Chezweitz

Legal name

chezweitz GmbH

Website

https://chezweitz.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Berlin-based scenography firm designing immersive exhibitions, urban spaces, and communication strategies for museums, cultural institutions, cities, and universities across Europe. Founded 2002, founder-owned, ~17 staff.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Museum and Exhibition Scenography Services

NAICS

Architectural Services (541310), Interior Design Services (541410)

SIC

Services-Mailing, Reproduction, Commercial Art & Photography (7330)

akta.pro primary industry

Exhibition, Retail & Experiential Design (BPAHAKAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Space Planning & Workplace Design (BPAHAKAI), Environmental & Experiential Brand Design (Retail/Exhibit/Signage) (MPAAAEAG)

Keywords

• Exhibition scenography services
• Museum exhibition design
• Urban scenography consulting
• Cultural institution design
• Curatorial exhibition planning

Headquarters

HQ city

Berlin

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Exhibition Scenography and Design: Full-service design and realization of art and themed exhibitions for museums, institutions, and cities, covering concept, design, execution planning, awarding, construction supervision, and documentation across all HOAS service phases.
2. Consulting and Strategic Project Development: Strategy development, feasibility studies, and early-phase project consulting for museums, urban development, and cultural-historical projects, including phase 0 strategic planning for complex projects.
3. Communication Formats and Strategies: Development of new communication formats and strategies for museums, cities, and institutions, often bundled with exhibition design or delivered as standalone consulting engagements.
4. Print and Publication Design: Design and production of exhibition catalogs, publications, and print materials as part of or alongside exhibition projects.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Chezweitz is an office for museum and urban scenography that designs immersive exhibition spaces and develops communication strategies for museums, cities, and cultural institutions. The firm delivers end-to-end exhibition projects from curatorial concept and spatial design through execution planning, awarding, and construction supervision across all German HOAS service phases, while also providing strategic consulting, graphics and visual identity, and multimedia integration. Its work targets art museums, history museums, memorials, foundations, and universities across Germany, Austria, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Scandinavia, and the United States.

Product overview

Chezweitz is an office for museum and urban scenography based in Berlin, Germany. The company offers a unified suite of services centered on designing immersive exhibition spaces and developing communication strategies for museums, cities, and institutions. The core offering consists of exhibition scenography (themed and art exhibitions, permanent collections) and urban scenography, supported by strategic consulting, graphics/visual identity design, and media integration modules. The company works across exhibitions, public space interventions, publications, and consultation projects. Their methodology follows a curatorial dialogue approach, translating content into spatial-graphic arrangements using tools spanning architecture, graphics, media, and sustainability-focused design practices.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Exhibition Scenography Services End-to-end design and creation of immersive exhibition spaces for museums and cultural institutions, encompassing curatorial dialogue, spatial planning, architectural design, graphic integration, multimedia, and construction supervision across all HOAS service phases. Delivered to art museums, history museums, memorials, foundations, and university collections across Germany, Europe, and selected US projects.
• Urban Scenography Services Development of spatial narratives and design solutions for urban environments, public spaces, and city-scale projects including revitalization initiatives, hybrid public spaces, and cultural urban development. Delivered to city governments, municipal development agencies, and regional public-sector bodies (e.g., IBTA Rheinisches Revier feasibility study for Landesregierung NRW).
• Strategic Consulting and Feasibility Studies Advisory services for project development, strategy formulation, feasibility studies, and early-phase project initiation (phase 0) including museum design, urban development, and cultural-historical development projects. Targeted at museums, cultural foundations, cities, and institutions needing clarity at the early stages of complex cultural projects.
• Graphics and Visual Identity Exhibition graphics including spatial texts, key motifs, wayfinding systems, pictograms, and overall visual identity development that creates consistent aesthetic connection between physical and virtual exhibition spaces. Delivered to museums and cultural institutions as part of integrated exhibition projects.
• Media Design and Integration Multimedia landscapes, interactive technologies, touchscreens, virtual reality, augmented reality, and sound design integration used as active spatial design elements rather than mere communication tools. Delivered in collaboration with long-term media planning and media technology partners for museums and cultural institutions.
• Exhibition Publications Design and production of exhibition catalogs, publications, and print materials related to museum and themed exhibition projects, often delivered alongside exhibition design commissions.

Quantifiable outcome

• Gold Design Award 2020 for Jewish Museum Berlin permanent exhibition redesign
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers18 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

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Schnelle Bunte Bilder GbRcoreTechnology or IntegrationLong-term media planning partner for multimedia exhibition design. Responsible for media concept development in collaboration with chezweitz for projects such as P26 Bonn.
• H2 Technik GmbHcoreTechnology or IntegrationMedia technology specialist partner providing technical implementation of multimedia exhibition systems.
• Schreinerei LangnercoreOthersCarpentry workshop responsible for custom interior design and exhibition furniture production for projects including P26 Bonn.
• Metallbau MollminorOthersSteel construction partner for specialized structural elements such as the depot tower at P26 Bonn.
• Julia Burbach (Architect – Renovation Poststraße 26)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerArchitect responsible for the renovation architecture of the Poststraße 26 building, working in close coordination with chezweitz's scenography design.
• Hr. Walden – AG Licht/LichtplanungcoreTechnology or IntegrationLighting design specialist for exhibition projects including P26 Bonn, responsible for atmospheric and dramaturgical lighting concepts.
• Druckerei Thamm, BonnminorOthersPrinting partner for exhibition graphics and materials.
• Centre Pompidou PariscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational museum partner cooperating with Neue Nationalgalerie Berlin on the Brancusi solo exhibition (2026).
• Landesregierung NRW / Köln Bonn Regio e.V.minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerClient/commissioning body for the IBTA Rheinisches Revier memorandum and feasibility study (2019–2022).

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Snøhetta: Norwegian-international design and architecture firm with a cultural-institution portfolio (including Norwegian National Opera and museum projects); relevant for Nordic tenders where Chezweitz also operates.
• David Chipperfield Architects: Internationally acclaimed architecture practice with multiple museum projects (Neues Museum Berlin, James-Simon-Galerie); competes for high-prestige museum commissions and partners on adjacent scenography work.
• HPP Architekten: Large Düsseldorf-headquartered architectural practice with significant cultural-building and museum design work; broader in scope than Chezweitz but competes on German museum tenders.
• gmp Architekten: Hamburg-based global architecture firm with extensive museum and cultural-building portfolio; represents the larger incumbent set competing for the same institutional clients at greater scale.

Emerging players

• Local Projects: New York-based experience-design studio focused on interactive and digital-first museum installations; comparable on the multimedia/AR/VR integration dimension of Chezweitz's offer, especially for technology-led exhibitions.

Direct peers

• Atelier Brückner: Stuttgart-based scenography studio specializing in museum and themed exhibition design; arguably the closest German peer with a comparable curatorial/spatial-design methodology and similar tier of institutional clients.
• Ralph Appelbaum Associates: International museum exhibition-design firm headquartered in New York; comparable in delivering narrative-driven, immersive permanent and temporary exhibitions for major cultural institutions globally.
• Staab Architekten: Berlin-based architecture practice with a strong portfolio of cultural and museum buildings; comparable to Chezweitz for Berlin institutional tenders and museum-adjacent design work.
• Kossmann.dejong: Amsterdam-based exhibition-design studio producing scenography and spatial narratives for museums and cultural institutions across Europe; highly comparable in scale, methodology, and clientele.
• HG Merz: Stuttgart-headquartered firm with a dedicated exhibition-design practice (HG Merz Exhibition Design) producing scenography for major museums, brands, and cultural institutions across Europe.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubevimeo.com/user28750755
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/chezweitz-gmbh
• Instagraminstagram.com/chezweitz.berlin

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 Chezweitz