Karsten Huneck & Bernd Truempler

What Karsten Huneck & Bernd Truempler does

KHBT (Karsten Huneck & Bernd Truempler) is a London- and Berlin-based architecture and design studio founded in 2002, operating as KHBT LTD in the United Kingdom. The practice delivers public art installations, exhibition design, urban interventions, and high-end residential transformations for a mixed client base of municipal bodies, cultural institutions, private developers, and individual homeowners. The studio is led by its two founding principals, Karsten Huneck (also Professor at Berlin International University of Applied Sciences since 2020) and Bernd Truempler, and employs between 11 and 50 staff across its two studios. KHBT has completed more than 50 projects since inception across the UK, Germany, and continental Europe, with notable works including The Gathering Place (Inverness), Maindee Triangle (Newport), UN-VEILED (Liverpool), and the ongoing Supercharger (Portugal, 2023-2026).

The studio's underlying methodology centers on conceptual architecture that interrogates the boundaries between public and private, natural and artificial, and monumental and everyday spaces. Technical differentiators include bespoke interactive mechanisms (e.g., the Ness Pier tilting structure), material experimentation (translucent fabric partitions, melamin-coated plywood, corten steel), and participatory design processes that embed community engagement into project delivery. KHBT is structured as a two-founder partnership with no external investors, no parent company, and no disclosed subsidiaries; the firm operates as a traditional principal-led architecture practice with project-based professional services revenue.

The business model is project-fee-based, with revenue drawn from architectural design services for residential and commercial clients, public art commissions from municipalities and cultural institutions, exhibition design fees from galleries and museums, and prize money plus follow-on commissions from competition wins. Go-to-market is event-driven: the studio acquires most of its work through architectural competitions (Culture Mile Wayfinding, London Festival of Architecture, Aldgate Playspace, Museum of the 20th Century) and direct commissions from cultural institutions and public bodies. Marketing relies on earned media through architectural press coverage and award recognition rather than active campaigns. Pricing is project-quoted and not publicly disclosed.

Name

Karsten Huneck & Bernd Truempler

Legal name

KHBT LTD

Website

https://khbt.eu

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

KHBT is a London- and Berlin-based architecture and design studio founded in 2002 that delivers public art installations, exhibition design, urban interventions, and residential transformations for municipalities, cultural institutions, and private clients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Architecture Services

NAICS

Architectural Services (54131)

SIC

Services-Engineering Services (8711)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Engagement & Participatory Planning (BPAHAKAO)

akta.pro secondary industry

Residential Design-Build & Renovation-Integrated Builders (IMAFABAE)

Keywords

• Architecture services
• Public art installations
• Exhibition design
• Urban design
• Residential architecture

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Architectural Design Services: Fees from architectural design projects including residential transformations, extensions, and refurbishments
2. Public Art Commissions: Public artwork installations commissioned by municipalities, cultural institutions, and government bodies
3. Exhibition Design: Design of exhibition spaces for galleries, museums, and cultural institutions
4. Competition Winnings: Prize money and subsequent commissions from winning architectural competitions

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

KHBT (Karsten Huneck & Bernd Truempler) is an architecture and design studio operating studios in London and Berlin that delivers architectural design services across public art installations, urban interventions, exhibition design, and residential transformations. The practice acquires work primarily through architectural competitions and direct commissions from municipalities, cultural institutions, housing associations, and private clients. Since 2002 the studio has completed more than 50 projects spanning public space design, installations, residential refurbishments, and exhibition design across the UK, Germany, and broader Europe.

Product overview

KHBT (Karsten Huneck & Bernd Truempler) is an architecture and design studio operating from London and Berlin, delivering public art installations, residential transformations, cultural projects, and urban interventions. Their portfolio spans diverse typologies including public space design, exhibitions, residential work, commercial projects, and cultural installations. The studio functions as a unified practice rather than a platform architecture, with projects ranging from small-scale interventions to large public art commissions. Notable projects include The Gathering Place (tilting river pier in Inverness), Supercharger (reservoir public artwork in Portugal), Lunch Break (golden angels installation in London), and numerous residential transformations across Germany and the UK.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• W445 Housing Housing block design in Berlin Köpenick, Germany, following the footprint of the former Restaurant Waldschloss and situated in a green neighbourhood close to the River Spree. Commissioned for a residential development client.
• Supercharger Interactive public artwork at the Bouçã Reservoir in Pedrógão Grande, Portugal, forming a battery symbol with plus and minus poles to communicate themes of energy storage and human gathering. Commissioned by Município de Pedrógão Grande as part of the Landscape Together Consortium project.
• The Gathering Place Public art installation on the River Ness in Inverness featuring a thin ribbon of stone along the river that transforms into path, bench, viewing point, and back rest elements, including a tilting pier extending the promenade. Commissioned by Inverness City Council.
• Maindee Triangle Public space intervention in Newport, Wales featuring yellow melamine resin-coated concrete shuttering plywood panels creating distinctive elements and defining arrival areas. Commissioned by Maindee Unlimited.
• RM17 Transformation and extension of a town house in North London featuring white render facades with minimal openings, contemporary refurbishment with vertical timber fins, and a new basement. Private residential commission.
• Aufbruch - Area BEE 51 Conversion of a former American military barrack parking lot in Mannheim, Germany into a multi-functional public space featuring basketball pitch, boules court, performance stage, and bee observation hut.
• Lunch Break Public art installation featuring forty golden Guardian Angels on swings outside St Paul's Cathedral in London, creating a conceptual link to the Cathedral's golden cross and interior ornamentation.
• UN-VEILED Pavilion installation for the opening of RIBA North in Liverpool using mesh fabric curtains to create sections through iconic Northern architecture buildings. Commissioned by RIBA.
• ZDM9 Freestanding private residence on the banks of the River Main in Offenbach, Germany, featuring a solid hammered concrete base and volumes oriented toward the river and nature reserve.
• Haus B Transformation of a 1970s villa into a contemporary residence in Offenbach, Germany, featuring a triple-height internal staircase, diagonal views, and a folded roof structure with timber stripe facade.
• Human Condition of Clay Exhibition design for Chapter Gallery in Cardiff featuring translucent fabric partition walls that play with texture and materiality in dialogue with clay artworks.
• Inside Cities Exhibition design at Arup's Gallery in London featuring string curtain installations unifying space and creating a permeable volume representing the city. Commissioned by Arup.
• Aldgate Place Play Space

Quantifiable outcome

• Multiple RIBA award recognitions including regional and MacEwen Award shortlists
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers10 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

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Landscape Together ConsortiumcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023European project funded by Creative Europe (CREA) bringing together heritage and contemporary art in rural Portugal. Partners include Museo Chillida Leku (Spain), Portuguese municipalities, Instituto Politécnico de Castelo Branco, Politecnico di Milano, Universidade de Coimbra, Atelier Yok Yok (France), Aedes Architecture Forum (Berlin), and Turismo Centro de Portugal.
• Ottmar HoerlminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Collaboration with artist on Lunch Break installation for London Festival of Architecture.
• Grant AssociatesminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016Collaboration on Museum of the 20th Century international competition (2nd round).
• Alexandra StaraminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2010Collaboration on British Pavilion proposal for Venice Biennale 2010.
• Sans FaconcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOngoing collaboration with landscape architecture practice Sans Facon on public art projects including The Gathering Place in Inverness.
• Studio MyerscoughminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on Postmodernism at V&A exhibition design.
• Cheapside Business AllianceminorOthersClient for Lunch Break public art installation.
• Linda Duan, James Matthews, Chris MatthewsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on Victoria Chambers roof extension project.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Haworth Tompkins: Established UK practice with a strong cultural and public-building portfolio; overlaps with KHBT in serving theatres, galleries and municipalities but at meaningfully larger scale.
• Snøhetta: International architecture firm with a flagship public-realm and cultural-installation practice; competes with KHBT for high-prestige European cultural commissions but operates globally and at much greater scale.
• Heatherwick Studio: London design+architecture studio operating at much larger scale across public installations, cultural and residential work; competes for the same high-profile public-realm commissions and cultural-institution clients as KHBT.

Direct peers

• Mae Architects: London studio specialising in public-realm and cultural architecture with comparable team size and project types to KHBT, including community-led installations and competition-winning schemes.
• Assemble: London-based collective practice known for public-realm installations and Turner Prize-winning socially-engaged architecture. Directly comparable to KHBT in size, mission and competition-led project acquisition for cultural and municipal clients.
• Tonkin Liu: Design-led London architecture studio of comparable size with a portfolio stretching from residential and cultural projects to public installations and exhibition design, sharing KHBT's award-recognition and press profile.
• Studio Weave: London practice focused on public-realm and community-engagement architecture, with comparable scale and project typologies including installations, public-space design and high-end residential.
• Carmody Groarke: London architecture studio with a similarly small team and parallel portfolio spanning cultural buildings, exhibition design and public-realm installations. Strong RIBA/architectural-press footprint mirrors KHBT's positioning.
• vPPR Architects: UK small practice with deep specialism in public-realm, play space and community engagement projects, comparable in scale to KHBT and competing in similar RIBA and public-sector tender pools.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/khbt_studio
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/khbt-llp

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 →

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