What Smith Architects does

Schmid Architekten, operating in English as Smith Architects, is a sole-proprietorship architecture practice founded and led by Dipl. Ing. Architekt Annabelle Schmid and headquartered at Gneisenaustraße 15 in Augsburg, Bavaria. The firm has been active continuously since at least 1997–1998, with documented projects spanning residential, commercial, public/institutional, and urban planning sectors across Germany (Augsburg, Munich, Wiesbaden) and a single international engagement in Erbil, Iraq (2019). It is registered with the Bayerische Architektenkammer under registration number 175 023 and operates under German architectural law (Bayerische Architektengesetz).

The firm delivers full architectural services under the German HOAI fee framework (phases 1–9), from initial concept through construction supervision, supplemented by Sicherheitskoordination (safety coordination) and Generalplanung (general planning) capabilities. Service lines are organized into four categories on the website: WOHNEN (residential new construction, renovation, conversion, and extensions), GEWERBE (commercial, office, and production facilities), ÖFFENTLICH (public, cultural, healthcare, and educational buildings), and STRUKTUR (urban planning and structural design). Notable commissions include the State Theater Augsburg Interim (2017, 630-seat venue converted from production halls), the 300-unit Augsburg housing study (2016), the Textilviertel new center development (2021), and the Wiesbaden former municipal clinics conversion (2012–2020).

The business model is project-based professional services, with fees structured per HOAI and quoted individually for each commission. Go-to-market is direct client engagement through the Augsburg office via phone, email, and in-person consultation, supported by a project portfolio website and light digital marketing (Google Analytics, Google Ads). The firm is founder-owned, with no external investors, no funding rounds, no disclosed employees beyond the principal, no M&A history, and no app, API, or proprietary technology beyond standard architectural software. Strategic partnerships (e.g., BRS Architectes, Transsolar, Blauwerk Architekten) are formed on a project-by-project basis to support general planning mandates.

Name

Smith Architects

Legal name

Schmid Architekten

Website

https://schmidarchitekten.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Schmid Architekten (Smith Architects) is a founder-owned sole-proprietorship architecture firm in Augsburg, Germany, offering full HOAI 1–9 architectural services, safety coordination, and general planning for residential, commercial, public, and urban development clients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Architectural Services

NAICS

Architectural Services (541310)

SIC

Services-Engineering Services (8711)

akta.pro primary industry

Architectural Design Services (BPAHAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Architectural Reconfiguration & Structural Alterations (HSAPAEAB)

Keywords

• Architectural design services
• Residential building design
• Commercial architecture
• Urban planning services
• Construction project management

Headquarters

HQ city

Augsburg

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Architectural Services (HOAI 1-9): Full architectural services as defined by the German HOAI (Honorarordnung für Architekten und Ingenieure) fee structure, covering all phases from initial concept through construction supervision. Revenue is project-based and typically quoted for individual commissions.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Schmid Architekten (operating as Smith Architects) provides complete architectural services covering all nine HOAI (Honorarordnung für Architekten und Ingenieure) phases — from initial concept and design through construction supervision and project completion. The practice is augmented by in-house safety coordination (Sicherheitskoordination) and general planning (Generalplanung) capabilities, allowing it to coordinate all architectural, engineering, and specialist disciplines under a single firm across residential, commercial, public/institutional, and urban planning projects.

Product overview

Smith Architects (Schmid Architekten) is an Augsburg-based architecture firm offering a unified suite of services anchored by complete architectural work under HOAI phases 1–9, supplemented by safety coordination and general planning. The firm operates across four service lines — residential (WOHNEN), commercial (GEWERBE), public/institutional (ÖFFENTLICH), and urban planning/structure (STRUKTUR) — and executes projects ranging from single-family homes and multi-family residential buildings to medical practices, commercial production facilities, cultural venues, and urban redevelopment. All services are unified under the firm's own coordination and general planning capabilities, rather than distributed as separate product modules.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Vollständige Architektenleistung HOAI 1-9 (Complete Architectural Services HOAI 1-9) Complete architectural services under the German HOAI (Honorarordnung für Architekten und Ingenieure) fee regulations, covering all nine service phases from initial consultation through construction management and completion, delivered by Schmid Architekten for residential, commercial, public, and urban planning clients.
• Sicherheitskoordination (Safety Coordination) Safety coordination services ensuring compliance with occupational safety regulations during construction projects, delivered as a supplementary capability alongside the core architectural services.
• Generalplanung (General Planning) General planning services coordinating all architectural, engineering, and specialist disciplines across a project's full lifecycle, provided as a single-firm coordination offering to clients with complex multi-disciplinary projects.
• WOHNEN (Residential Architecture Services) Residential architecture services for homeowners and residential developers, including new construction, renovation, conversion, and expansion of single-family homes, multi-family housing developments, and extensions.
• GEWERBE (Commercial Architecture Services) Commercial architecture services for businesses, property developers, and industrial companies covering new construction or renovation of office buildings, production facilities, mixed-use commercial and residential developments, and business properties.
• ÖFFENTLICH (Public/Institutional Architecture Services) Public and institutional architecture services for government entities, cultural institutions, and public organizations covering cultural venues, healthcare facilities, educational institutions, and civic buildings.
• STRUKTUR (Urban Planning Services) Urban planning and structural design services including site development, urban renewal projects, and large-scale planning studies for public and private sector clients.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Blauwerk Architekten GmbH, MünchenminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated on residential development project M (300 Wohnungen) in Augsburg, a competitive planning study for transforming a historic production site into a service, culture, and residential quarter.
• Grabner Huber Lipp Landschaftsarchitekten, FreisingminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLandscape architecture partner collaborating on residential development project M (300 Wohnungen) in Augsburg, providing landscape design expertise for the mixed-use development project.
• BRS Architectes, ParisminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGeneral planning partner for urban development project in Erbil (2019), developing an energetically and climate-neutral garden city.
• Transsolar, StuttgartminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEnergy and climate engineering consultant collaborating on the Erbil garden city project, contributing to the energy-neutral urban development design.
• IB Kraft, BerlinminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEngineering consultant partner for the Erbil urban development project, providing technical expertise for the climate-neutral garden city development.
• AB Bachhuber & Prechter, AugsburgminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPre-planning partner for medical practice project ST in Bobingen (2001), providing building massing and integration design as part of the project development phase.

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Transsolar Energietechnik: Stuttgart-based climate and energy engineering consultancy that collaborated with Schmid Architekten on the Erbil garden city project. Not a competing architectural firm but a complementary technical specialist; relevant as ecosystem participant in general-planning commissions.
• Grabner Huber Lipp Landschaftsarchitekten: Freising-based landscape architecture practice that partnered with Schmid Architekten on the M (300 Wohnungen) Augsburg housing development. Adjacent ecosystem participant rather than direct competitor, included because it illustrates the type of specialist partner the firm assembles for mixed-use projects.

Broad incumbents

• HPP Architekten: Cologne-headquartered established German architecture firm with a broad national footprint across offices, cultural, sports, and public buildings. A larger incumbent operating in the same architectural services space, frequently competing for the same Bavarian public and commercial tenders as Schmid Architekten.
• Ingenhoven Architects: Düsseldorf-based international architectural firm known for sustainable, large-scale commercial, public, and mixed-use projects. Comparable general-planning capabilities and sustainability positioning (relevant to Schmid Architekten's Erbil climate-neutral garden city work) make it a like-for-like reference for high-profile sustainable commissions.
• KSP Engel: Hanover-headquartered German architectural firm with offices across Germany delivering office, public, and educational buildings. Comparable in offering complete architectural services for commercial and institutional clients across multiple German cities, serving as a larger but functionally similar competitor.
• gmp Architekten: Hamburg-based international architectural firm with a large German practice covering cultural, public, transportation, and large-scale urban projects. A broad incumbent whose stadium, cultural, and urban commissions overlap directly with Schmid Architekten's institutional and STRUKTUR service line.

Direct peers

• Hascher Jehle Architektur: Berlin- and Munich-based architectural practice working across commercial, public, and cultural buildings. Comparable in offering general planning and full HOAI-style service scope on complex institutional and conversion projects similar to Schmid Architekten's T (State Theater) and Erbil commissions.
• Allmann Sattler Wappner Architekten: Munich-based architecture practice with strong Bavarian roots delivering cultural, educational, and commercial projects. Comparable to Schmid Architekten in regional focus on southern Germany, mixed residential/commercial/public portfolio, and mid-sized multi-disciplinary general-planning model.
• Staab Architekten: Berlin-based practice focused on cultural, public, and residential architecture including complex conversions and museum projects. Comparable to Schmid Architekten in scale, design-led positioning, and emphasis on heritage-sensitive and adaptive reuse commissions.
• BRS Architectes: Paris-based architectural practice that partnered with Schmid Architekten on the Erbil garden city general-planning project. Operates as a mid-sized multi-disciplinary firm across cultural, public, and urban-scale commissions, making it a close functional analogue for general-planning delivery and partnership-driven international work.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Smith Architects