What Hudson Architects does

Hudson Architects is a Norwich-based, privately-held architecture studio founded in 2002, operating across Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex and Cambridgeshire. The practice delivers full architectural services across three core sectors: bespoke residential homes (new builds, barn conversions, coastal and Paragraph 84 countryside houses), housing and masterplanning for public and private developers, and community, culture and education buildings (libraries, schools, university campuses). Cross-cutting specialist services include low-energy and Passivhaus-inspired design, heritage adaptive reuse, and deep retrofit targeting EnerPHit-level performance.

The practice's technical differentiation rests on a fabric-first sustainable design methodology emphasising orientation, form and material selection to reduce both embodied and operational carbon. It maintains ISO 14001 environmental management certification, is a signatory to Architects Declare and the RIBA Climate Challenge, and has published a Carbon Reduction Plan targeting 50% operational emission reduction by 2030 and net zero by 2050. Research activities include the CobBauge clay-and-reed composite material programme and the DEFRA/Natural England-funded FibreBroads paludiculture construction materials project (June 2023 - March 2025).

Revenue is generated through professional fees on bespoke project engagements, with project budgets ranging from £250k to over £1m. The practice operates a sales-led go-to-market via direct client engagement, website enquiry capture, and earned media (Grand Designs TV, RIBA awards, AJ, de zeen). The firm is undergoing a formal leadership transition, with Founder Anthony Hudson handing management and ownership to Managing Director Sarah Tunnicliffe alongside new directors Tom Booen and Louise Boddie, with completion targeted by April 2026. Headcount sits between 11-50 employees and the firm has no external investment or parent entity.

Name

Hudson Architects

Legal name

Hudson Architects Ltd

Website

https://hudsonarchitects.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Hudson Architects is a Norwich-based, privately-held architecture studio founded in 2002, delivering low-energy residential, housing masterplanning, and community/education architecture across East Anglia (Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex, Cambridgeshire), with specialist expertise in Passivhaus design, heritage adaptive reuse and bio-based construction material research.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Architectural Design Services

NAICS

Architectural Services (54131), Architectural Services (541310)

akta.pro primary industry

Architectural Design Services (BPAHAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Whole-Home Interior Renovation (Non-Structural) (HSAPAEAC)

Keywords

• Sustainable architecture
• Residential design services
• Heritage adaptive reuse
• Low energy buildings
• Master planning services

Headquarters

HQ city

Norwich

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Architectural Design Services: Full-service architectural design engagements for residential (homes, barn conversions, new builds), housing and masterplanning, and community/culture/education projects. Revenue is generated through professional fees for design, planning, and project oversight services. Projects range from £250k to over £1m in budget, with typical engagement lasting from initial concept through to project completion.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Hudson Architects is an award-winning Norwich-based architecture studio providing bespoke architectural design, planning, and project oversight services for residential, housing masterplanning, and community/culture/education projects. The practice specialises in sustainable, low-energy building design using Passivhaus principles, fabric-first strategies, and heritage adaptive reuse. Projects range from £250k to over £1m in budget and span East Anglia (Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex, Cambridgeshire).

Product overview

Hudson Architects is an award-winning architecture studio offering a portfolio of interconnected architectural services rather than a unified software product. Its core offering spans residential homes (custom new-builds, barn conversions, Paragraph 84 countryside houses), housing and masterplanning, and community/cultural/educational building design. Cross-cutting specialist services include low-energy and Passivhaus design, heritage adaptive reuse, and deep retrofit. The practice also operates a dedicated research arm — Low Energy Buildings Research — which includes the CobBauge and FibreBroads projects investigating sustainable construction materials. Projects are delivered across Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex, and Cambridgeshire, and the studio is undergoing a leadership transition with new directors Sarah Tunnicliffe, Tom Booen, and Louise Boddie taking over from Founding Director Anthony Hudson.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Homes Architecture

Quantifiable outcome

• Feeringbury Barn woodchip boiler saves estimated 56 tonnes of carbon every year
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• PurcellminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 July 2024Architecture and heritage consultancy partner for Norfolk County Council's Future Ready Property Enhancement Initiative alongside MACE, Hoare Lea, GDM Group, Hudson Architects, and Elliot Wood.
• GDM GroupminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 July 2024Project consultancy partner for Norfolk County Council's Future Ready Property Enhancement Initiative.
• MACE (Interiors)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 February 2024Lead partner for King's Lynn community hub project, a sustainable library and neighbourhood focal point. MACE leads the initiative in collaboration with Turner and Townsend, Hudson Architects, Elliott Wood, and Hoare Lea. Project funded through King's Lynn Town Deal.
• Turner and TownsendminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 February 2024Project consultant for King's Lynn community hub providing project management and consultancy services alongside MACE and Hudson Architects.
• Elliott WoodminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 February 2024Structural engineering partner for King's Lynn community hub project providing structural design expertise.
• Hoare LeaminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 February 2024MEP engineering partner for King's Lynn community hub project and Future Ready Property Enhancement Initiative.
• Broads AuthoritycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2023Lead partner in the FibreBroads research project focused on paludiculture (wetland farming) and its applications in sustainable construction. The project runs from June 2023 to March 2025, funded by DEFRA and administered by Natural England, exploring how rewetting land can remediate peat soils and reduce carbon emissions.
• Natural EnglandcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2023Government body administering the FibreBroads research project funding. Provides regulatory guidance on peatland restoration and paludiculture development in the Broads and Norfolk Fens regions.
• Norfolk County CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2023Project partner in FibreBroads research project. Also client for Future Ready Property Enhancement Initiative where Hudson Architects serves as design lead alongside MACE, Purcell, Hoare Lea, GDM Group and Elliot Wood.
• Norwich University of the ArtscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2023Project partner in FibreBroads research focusing on bio-based construction material innovation. Also client for multiple campus refurbishment projects including Boardman House, Guntons Atrium, and Bank Plain.
• Wetland Products Foundation (WPF)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2023Partner in FibreBroads research project focused on developing commercial applications for paludiculture products in construction.
• Norwich Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group (NFWAG)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2023Partner in FibreBroads research project bringing agricultural expertise to paludiculture crop development.
• PalladiumminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2023Partner in FibreBroads research project providing expertise in sustainable development and environmental markets.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves2 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Levitt Bernstein: Mid-size UK practice recognised for housing, community, and education work with a strong sustainability agenda. Highly comparable to Hudson on housing masterplanning, public-sector clients, and low-energy/sustainable design positioning.
• Mikhail Riches: Small-to-mid UK practice specialising in sustainable housing, Passivhaus, and deep retrofit, Stirling Prize winner. Directly comparable on sustainability leadership, residential/housing focus, and similar scale and design-led positioning.
• Proctor & Matthews: UK practice specialising in housing masterplanning and context-sensitive residential design with sustainability focus. Directly comparable on housing and masterplanning services and design-led approach to residential development.
• Feilden Fowles: London-based, similarly sized UK practice focused on sustainable cultural, residential and education architecture with Passivhaus expertise. Comparable in scale, sustainability ethos, and mix of one-off residential and public commissions, and a direct competitor for the same UK cultural/education and sustainability-led briefs.
• Buttress Architects: UK practice with deep expertise in heritage conservation, listed-building restoration, and adaptive reuse. Comparable to Hudson's heritage/listed-building work (Feeringbury Barn, Grade II consents, Dutch barn conversions) and similar regional mid-size positioning.
• Pollard Thomas Edwards: Long-established London practice focused on housing, education and community architecture with strong sustainability credentials. Comparable in sector mix (housing masterplanning, education, community), award profile, and mid-size UK scale.
• Karakusevic Carson Architects: Mid-size London practice with a strong public-sector housing and masterplanning portfolio, RIBA award-winner. Comparable on housing masterplanning expertise, repeat public-sector client base, and similar scale of operation.
• Haworth Tompkins: Mid-size London practice with strong portfolio in education, theatre and community buildings plus heritage retrofit, RIBA award-winner. Closely comparable in headcount, sector mix (education/community), and reputation for low-energy and conservation-led design.

Broad incumbents

• Foster + Partners: Global architecture firm with sustainability, heritage, and masterplanning capability, often engaged on the larger nonresidential briefs Hudson also targets. Substantially larger and broader than Hudson but competes in the same architectural services category.
• Allies and Morrison: Major UK practice with established sustainability, heritage, education, and housing portfolios. Larger and broader than Hudson, but competes for the same institutional and sustainability-led briefs in the same market categories.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/hudsonarch
• Facebookfacebook.com/hudsonarchitects
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hudson-architects

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 Hudson Architects