What Austin Design Works does

Austin Design Works is a privately held architecture and landscape architecture studio headquartered in Nailsworth, Stroud, in the Cotswolds region of South West England. The practice traces its origin to 1993 when founder David Austin established offices at Ruskin Mill College; the firm was later rebranded from David Austin & Associates and is now co-led by Rachael Austin and Matt Austin. Austin Design Works delivers integrated design services across residential, community, cultural, educational, and sports segments, with particular specialism in Passivhaus and low-energy design, listed buildings and heritage conservation, biodiversity net gain, woodland management, and projects in complex planning contexts including AONB, Green Belt, and Paragraph 84 country houses. The firm holds RIBA Chartered Practice status, Landscape Institute Chartered Member credentials, and ARB registration, and is a certified B Corporation.

The firm's offering is organised around two interconnected service lines. Architecture Services cover new build homes (including Para 84 country houses), extensions, renovations, low-energy design and Passivhaus retrofit, listed buildings and heritage conservation, and community/cultural/sports facility work. Landscape Architecture Services include garden design, landscape master planning, public realm projects, biodiversity net gain assessments, BS5837 tree surveys, woodland management, and Landscape Visual Impact Assessments. Technical differentiators include in-house Passivhaus Planning Package (PHPP) modelling and dedicated biodiversity net gain expertise. Revenue is generated through project-based professional services fees aligned to RIBA work stages, with all services delivered directly to clients; no pricing is publicly disclosed.

The practice markets itself through a content-led approach — a blog with educational content, a monthly newsletter, a portfolio-driven website, and selective industry event participation including the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2025 where co-founder Rachael Austin won a four-star RHS award for designing the Society of Garden Designers' trade stand. Distribution is regional, concentrated in the Cotswolds, Gloucestershire, Wiltshire, and adjacent South West England counties, with client acquisition driven by direct engagement, referrals, and community involvement. Customer segments are diversified across residential homeowners, cultural and heritage organisations, educational institutions, community organisations and local government, and sports and recreation clubs.

Name

Austin Design Works

Legal name

Austin Design Works Ltd

Website

https://austindw.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Austin Design Works is a Cotswolds-based architecture and landscape architecture studio delivering integrated design services for residential, community, and institutional clients across South West England, with specialist expertise in Passivhaus, heritage conservation, and biodiversity net gain.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Architectural Services

NAICS

Architectural Services (54131), Landscape Architectural Services (541320), Landscape Architectural Services (54132)

SIC

Services-Engineering Services (8711)

akta.pro primary industry

Architectural Design Services (BPAHAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Landscape Architecture & Site Design (BPAHAKAC), Residential Landscape Design (HSAIABAA)

Keywords

• Architecture services
• Landscape architecture
• Residential design
• Passivhaus design
• Biodiversity net gain

Headquarters

HQ city

Nailsworth

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Architectural Design Services: Full architectural services for residential and commercial projects including new build, renovations, extensions, listed building work, and sustainable design. Revenue generated through project-based fees for RIBA stages of work.
2. Landscape Architecture Services: Landscape design services including garden design, public realm projects, woodland management, and biodiversity net gain planning. Provided as standalone service or integrated with architectural projects.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Austin Design Works is an architecture and landscape design studio offering integrated design services for residential, community, cultural, and institutional clients. Core offerings span architectural design (new builds, Para 84 country houses, extensions, renovations, Passivhaus/low-energy design, listed buildings and heritage work, community and sports facilities) and landscape architecture (garden design, landscape master planning, public realm projects, biodiversity net gain, woodland and tree management). Services are delivered through RIBA work stages with project-based fees.

Product overview

Austin Design Works is an architecture and landscape design studio offering integrated services for residential and commercial projects in the Cotswolds region. The company operates two interconnected service lines: Architecture Services (covering new builds, extensions, renovations, Passivhaus/low-energy design, heritage conservation, and community projects) and Landscape Architecture Services (including garden design, landscape planning, biodiversity net gain, woodland management, and public realm projects). Services are delivered holistically, with landscape design offered alongside architectural work to provide clients with comprehensive site solutions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Architecture Services Full-service architectural design for residential and commercial clients, covering new build projects, Paragraph 84 country houses, home extensions and renovations, low energy design and Passivhaus standards, listed buildings and heritage conservation, and community, cultural and sports facilities.
• Landscape Architecture Services Comprehensive landscape design including garden design, landscape master planning, public realm and community space projects, biodiversity net gain assessments, and woodland and tree management for residential and commercial clients.
• Garden Design

Quantifiable outcome

• RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2025 four-star award by RHS for Society of Garden Designers trade stand
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Nailsworth Town CouncilminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Nailsworth Town Council and Nailsworth in Bloom for community garden projects. Austin Design Works volunteers design time for Jubilee Garden pocket park transformation and Mortimer Gardens civic space redesign, providing oak pergola and archway designs, landscape planning, and community placemaking expertise.
• Fair Shares Community Time BankminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerB Corp community engagement initiative. Practice administrator visited Fair Shares in Gloucester to explore how the team could contribute skills and time to various community projects, including potential redesign of City Farm facilities.
• Ruskin Mill CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHistoric partnership with Ruskin Mill Trust dating back to 1993 when David Austin established offices at the college. Practice grew from this relationship into what is now Austin Design Works. Ongoing collaborative projects including campus refurbishments, therapeutic landscape design, and woodland kitchen. College provides vocational education through landscape for students with complex needs.
• Nailsworth in BloomminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVolunteer partnership supporting community gardens important to the Nailsworth community, taking sensitive and sustainable approach to placemaking, encouraging community engagement, improving biodiversity, and creating spaces for people and nature.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Haworth Tompkins: London-based architecture practice known for heritage and conservation-led projects, including theatre and cultural buildings. Comparable to Austin Design Works in the heritage specialization and RIBA-recognized quality, with a slightly larger project scale.
• Proctor & Matthews: London-based architecture practice with strong residential and masterplanning portfolio, including listed building and heritage work. Comparable to Austin Design Works in selective residential expertise and design-led culture, though larger in scale.
• Levitt Bernstein: London-based architecture and urban design practice with strong sustainability, housing, and public realm credentials. Comparable to Austin Design Works in integrated architecture/landscape and sustainability positioning, though operating at a larger scale across multiple sectors.
• Pollard Thomas Edwards: London-based architecture practice with strong residential, housing, and community project portfolio. Comparable to Austin Design Works in design-led residential and community architecture, though larger and more diversified across housing tenures.
• Gillespies: UK-wide landscape architecture and urban design practice. Comparable to Austin Design Works' landscape design division in expertise in public realm, masterplanning, and biodiversity-driven design, with a much larger team and broader geographic reach.
• Cullinan Studio: Bristol-based architecture practice with integrated landscape architecture capability and a strong sustainability agenda. Comparable to Austin Design Works in combining architecture and landscape design, with regional UK focus and a portfolio spanning cultural, educational, and heritage projects.
• Grant Associates: Bath-based landscape architecture practice with strong credentials in ecological design, public realm, and biodiverse projects. Comparable to Austin Design Works' landscape side in regional UK focus, sustainability specialism, and engagement with cultural/community clients.
• Maccreanor Lavington: London-based architecture practice with strong residential, education, and public sector portfolio. Comparable to Austin Design Works in design quality and RIBA-recognized project delivery, with a comparable focus on contextual, sustainable design.
• Foster Reeve + Associates: Independent UK architecture and landscape practice headquartered in Sussex with rural/regional project focus. Comparable to Austin Design Works in combining architecture and landscape under one practice, with strong emphasis on craft, sustainability, and contextual design.

Broad incumbents

• BDP (Building Design Partnership): Major UK multidisciplinary architecture, engineering, and landscape design practice. Comparable to Austin Design Works across the same architectural and landscape disciplines, but at vastly larger scale, with broader sectoral and geographic reach and integrated engineering capability.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ADWarchitecture
• Facebookfacebook.com/adwarchitecture
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/austin-design-works

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 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 Austin Design Works