Frey Architects
Frey Architects is a Freiburg-based, family-owned architecture and urban development firm specializing in passive house and sustainable timber design, serving municipal and large developer clients across Germany, China, the Middle East, and the Americas.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1959
- HeadquartersFreiburg Im Breisgau, Germany
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Frey Architects does
Frey Architects (Frey Architekten) is a German architecture and urban development firm founded in 1959 and headquartered in Freiburg, Germany. The firm operates as part of the diversified, family-owned Frey Gruppe (Frey Group), and is led by Wolfgang Frey of the second generation. With 51–100 employees, Frey Architects specializes in sustainable and passive house design, with active operations in Germany, China, the Middle East, and the Americas.
The firm's core offering is professional architectural design services spanning urban planning, building design, and execution oversight, with a technical focus on energy-efficient, passive house, and timber high-rise construction. Its flagship product, the Smart Green Tower — a modular sustainable timber high-rise concept — was launched in Qingdao in 2022, signaling a shift from bespoke commissions toward replicable, branded building products. Additional product initiatives include the Terra Projekt (Korntal-Münchingen) and the Beyond Projekt (Suzhou).
Revenue is generated through project-based architectural fees supplemented by real estate investment and development activity via the broader Frey Group. Go-to-market relies on government delegations, industry conferences, academic lectures, and direct enterprise sales to municipal authorities and large developers. Visible counterparties include Vanke Group, Deeprock Group, Boyada, the China Academy of Building Research, the Shenzhen Institute of Building Research, and the Qingdao Municipal Government.
Frey Architects firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Frey Architects
- Legal name
- Frey Architekten
- Website
- https://freyarchitekten.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1959
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Frey Architects is a Freiburg-based, family-owned architecture and urban development firm specializing in passive house and sustainable timber design, serving municipal and large developer clients across Germany, China, the Middle East, and the Americas.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Frey Architects industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Architecture & Urban Planning Services
- NAICS
- Architectural Services (541310), Real Estate Property Managers (53131)
- SIC
- Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700), Operative Builders (1531), Real Estate Agents & Managers (For Others) (6531)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Architectural Design Services (BPAHAKAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Office & Corporate Building Construction (IMAFACAA), Residential Design-Build & Renovation-Integrated Builders (IMAFABAE)
Keywords
Where Frey Architects is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Freiburg Im Breisgau
- HQ country
- Germany
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Frey Architects business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Architecture and Design Services: Professional architectural design and urban planning services for sustainable buildings and city districts, including passive house certification consulting, project development advisory, and design services for both private and public sector clients.
- Real Estate Investment and Development: The firm operates as investor and project developer alongside its architecture practice, developing properties in Germany and internationally (China, Europe). The Frey Gruppe encompasses investment, property management, and architectural services under one umbrella.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
Frey Architects product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Frey Architects is an architecture and urban planning firm that designs sustainable buildings, districts, and real estate developments using Passivhaus standards and its proprietary Five-Finger Principle. The firm provides architectural design, urban planning, sustainable construction consulting, and integrated real estate development for residential, commercial, and mixed-use projects, primarily serving developers, municipalities, and institutional clients across Germany, China, the Middle East, and the Americas.
Product overview
Frey Architects is an architecture and urban planning firm specializing in sustainable architecture and Passivhaus (passive house) design. Founded in 1959 and based in Freiburg, Germany, the firm operates internationally in Germany and China. The company offers architectural design services, urban development planning, and sustainable building consulting. Their portfolio includes residential complexes, commercial buildings, and urban districts, with notable projects such as Heidelberg Village (residential/commercial Passivhaus development), Terra Projekt (mixed-use vertical development), Smart Green Tower in Qingdao (carbon-free building), Beyond Projekt in Suzhou (commercial complex with photovoltaic roof), and the Passivhaussiedlung in the Sino-German Ecopark. The firm also publishes architectural thought leadership through books including Das Fünf-Finger-Prinzip (their foundational sustainability philosophy), Free Energy, Freiburg Green City, Vom Bauen, and Die neue Architektur der Pflege. Projects emphasize Passivhaus standards, renewable energy integration, green facades, and integrated community spaces.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Fünf-Finger-Prinzip: The company's sustainability philosophy encompassing five principles: ecology, economy, society, design will, and incentive systems
Products and services
- Architectural Design Services End-to-end architectural design of sustainable residential, commercial, and mixed-use buildings, applying Passivhaus standards and the firm's Five-Finger Principle for developer, municipal, and institutional clients across Germany, China, the Middle East, and the Americas.
- Urban Development Planning District- and city-scale sustainable urban planning services, designing carbon-neutral, mixed-use neighborhoods for municipalities, large developers, and research institutions, including engagements with the Qingdao Municipal Government and the Shenzhen Institute of Building Research.
- Integrated Real Estate Development
Quantifiable outcome
- Smart Green Tower achieves 80% renewable energy self-consumption rate through integrated photovoltaics and battery storage
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Frey Architects
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Frey Architects technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Frey Architects partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Qingdao Municipal GovernmentcoreMayor Zhao Haozhi of Qingdao led a delegation to Stuttgart for the Sino-German Cooperation Exchange Conference. Wolfgang Frey discussed the development of extremely low-energy buildings with Mayor Zhao. The mayor praised Frey Group's efforts and reaffirmed the municipal government's support for green architecture and sustainable development.
- Baden-Württemberg China NetworkminorRepresentatives of the Baden-Württemberg China Network participated in the Sino-German Cooperation Exchange Conference organized by Qingdao city government, emphasizing the importance of multi-sector cooperation between China and Germany.
- China Academy of Building Research (CABR)minorRepresentatives from 19 Chinese enterprises including the China Architecture Research Institute visited the Frey Group headquarters for a project tour and exchange on green and energy-efficient buildings. The visit marked a milestone in resuming Sino-German business exchanges after the pandemic and opened possibilities for achieving carbon neutrality goals in the construction industry.
- Shenzhen Institute of Building Research Co., Ltd.minorA delegation led by Secretary Ye Qing of Shenzhen Institute of Building Research visited the Frey Group headquarters in Freiburg to exchange experiences on carbon-free buildings. Both parties reached consensus on strengthening future cooperation and exploring potential international R&D collaboration on ecological zero-carbon technology.
- Boyada Survey Planning and Design Co., Ltd. (Suzhou)coreFrey Group provides sustainable architectural design and green building certification advisory services for Boyada's new headquarters in Suzhou. The project aims to integrate multiple passive, green, energy-efficient, and carbon-neutral building technologies, creating a globally leading green building technology demonstration zone. Both parties plan to conduct professional training for staff in passive house and green building technologies.
- Deeprock GroupcoreDeeprock Group (founded by Vanke Group founder Wang Shi) signed a cooperation agreement with the Qingdao Sino-German Ecological Park to advance development on the carbon-neutral pathway. Both parties visited the carbon-neutral 'Biosphere 3' community in Dameisha, Shenzhen, and discussed Passivhaus implementation in high-rise buildings in China.
- China Vanke Co., Ltd. (Vanke Group)coreVanke Group founder Wang Shi visited Frey Group headquarters in Freiburg and met with Wolfgang Frey to exchange views on ultra-low-energy passive buildings and zero-carbon building technology. Both sides discussed cooperation in green development and carbon neutrality. Vanke Group has been developing green buildings since the 1990s and holds LEED certifications across multiple project types.
- Duale Hochschule Baden-Württemberg (DHBW)minorFrey Architekten became an official dual partner of DHBW, Germany's first higher education institution to implement dual study programs over 40 years ago and today the largest university in Baden-Württemberg. The partnership provides practical training opportunities for students.
- China Architecture Design and Research Institute (Cui Kai Architectural Design Studio)coreCollaboration on the Smart Green Tower project in the Sino-German Future City D2 within the Qingdao Sino-German Ecological Park. The local design and research center of CADRI served as the designer of the Green Tower, while Frey Group provided consulting for passive house technology, carbon-free building technology, production capacity technology, energy storage technology, and smart grid systems.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Frey Architects competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Sauerbruch Hutton: Berlin-based architecture firm known for sustainable, color-forward buildings (e.g., Brandhaus Munich). Comparable mid-sized German practice with international commissions and strong sustainability orientation, similar scale to Frey.
- Behnisch Architekten: German architecture firm with deep sustainability and Passivhaus credentials (e.g., DGNB-certified, designed HBF Berlin). Comparable to Frey as a German-headquartered studio specializing in sustainable, energy-efficient building design with international project delivery.
- HPP Architekten: Major German architecture firm (Düsseldorf) operating across residential, commercial, and urban planning with international offices including China. Comparable in scale and project typology to Frey's diversified portfolio of mixed-use and sustainable urban districts.
- gmp Architekten: Hamburg-headquartered firm with extensive work in China (e.g., Tianjin, Shanghai projects) and large-scale urban/commercial architecture. Comparable to Frey's Germany-China dual-track model and integrated urban district commissions.
Broad incumbents
- Snøhetta: International architecture practice known for sustainability-led projects. Comparable in mission and Passivhaus-adjacent expertise, with broader geographic reach and larger headcount than Frey.
- Perkins&Will: Global architecture firm with deep sustainability credentials (LEED Platinum portfolio, dedicated sustainability practice). Comparable in integrated urban-design and sustainable building services, though operating at much larger scale and serving more commercial/healthcare clients.
- BIG (Bjarke Ingels Group): Global architecture firm with strong sustainability profile (e.g., CopenHill waste-to-energy plant). Comparable integrated urban design practice with similar vision of sustainability + community, though at substantially greater scale and with more diversified global pipeline.
- Snøhetta: International architecture practice known for sustainability-led projects (e.g., Powerhouse Brattørkaia, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art expansion). Comparable in mission and Passivhaus-adjacent expertise, with broader geographic reach and larger headcount.
- Foster + Partners: Global architecture firm with extensive sustainability portfolio including Bloomberg HQ (BREEAM Outstanding). Operates at much larger scale than Frey but competes for the same flagship sustainability commissions and offers similar integrated urban-design services.
Emerging players
- Transsolar KlimaEngineering: Stuttgart-based climate engineering consultancy specializing in passive and low-energy building design. Closely comparable to Frey's expertise in green double facades, passive cooling, and integrated energy modeling for flagship sustainability projects.
Market position
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Frey Architects social profiles
Digital presenceFrey Architects financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Frey Architects leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
Frey Architects subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Frey Architects funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frey Architects M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Frey Architects
What does Frey Architects do?
Frey Architects is an architecture and urban planning firm that designs sustainable buildings, districts, and real estate developments using Passivhaus standards and its proprietary Five-Finger Principle. The firm provides architectural design, urban planning, sustainable construction consulting, and integrated real estate development for residential, commercial, and mixed-use projects, primarily serving developers, municipalities, and institutional clients across Germany, China, the Middle East, and the Americas.
Is Frey Architects a public or private company?
Frey Architects is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was Frey Architects founded?
Frey Architects was founded in 1959. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Frey Architects based?
Frey Architects is headquartered in Freiburg Im Breisgau, Germany, in the Europe region.
How does Frey Architects make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Architecture and Design Services are the primary driver. The others are real Estate Investment and Development.
Who are Frey Architects's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Sauerbruch Hutton, Behnisch Architekten, HPP Architekten and gmp Architekten. Broad incumbents are Snøhetta, Perkins&Will, BIG (Bjarke Ingels Group), Snøhetta and Foster + Partners. Transsolar KlimaEngineering is listed as an emerging player.
Does Frey Architects have an API?
No public API is recorded for Frey Architects.
What industry is Frey Architects in?
Frey Architects's product category is Architecture & Urban Planning Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAHAKAA, Architectural Design Services, with a secondary code of IMAFACAA, Office & Corporate Building Construction. Its NAICS code is 541310 and its SIC code is 8700.