What Tianhua Group does

Tianhua Group (天华集团) is a privately held Chinese architectural design firm founded in 1997 and headquartered in Shanghai, operating through its principal legal entity Shanghai Tianhua Architectural Design Co., Ltd. (上海天华建筑设计有限公司). The company provides full-cycle architectural design services — concept design through construction administration — spanning residential, commercial, office, cultural, educational, healthcare, hospitality, supertall, urban planning, landscape, and interior design. Its client base is concentrated in enterprise-grade real estate developers (Shui On Land, China Merchants Shekou, Yanlord, China Overseas, China Resources Land, Jinmao, Jinhui, Chongbang) and government/institutional buyers, with marquee engagements including Shanghai urban renewal programs, the Chinese Academy of Sciences Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica headquarters, and the Ping An Life Insurance Jing'an No.8 senior living project. Tianhua is structured as a platform-plus-specialized-units architecture: the core architecture practice is supplemented by the THEA (天华医养) healthcare/elderly-care sub-brand, Tianhua Yizhu (天华易筑) interior design-build EPC team, and the Shanghai Tianhua Low-Carbon Sustainability Research Institute.

The firm monetizes through project-based professional services fees tied to engagement scope and complexity, with multi-year contracts typical. It operates a direct enterprise field-sales motion from a network of 10 regional offices across East, North, South, Central, Southwest, Northwest, and Northeast China (Shanghai, Beijing, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Chongqing, Chengdu, Xi'an, Nanjing, Hangzhou, Qingdao, Tianjin), executing projects in more than 40 Chinese cities. Revenue is not publicly disclosed.

On the technology layer, Tianhua maintains a proprietary AI Research Center tasked with intelligent construction services spanning the full building lifecycle — including generative design, predictive analytics for building performance, and process automation — and offers BIM full-process consulting, ultra-low energy building design, smart city consulting, and VR-enabled visualization as add-on services. It also holds WELL + LEED dual Gold certifications on at least one project (Jing'an No.8). The firm ranks #17 globally and #2 in China on the 2026 WA100 (5th consecutive year), #37 on the 2025 ENR China Engineering Design Enterprises 60 Strong, and #1 in residential, commercial complex, and office architectural design in China's 2025 Top Professional Leading Enterprises list. Headcount is reported in the 1,001-5,000 range.

Name

Tianhua Group

Legal name

上海天华建筑设计有限公司 (Shanghai Tianhua Architectural Design Co., Ltd.)

Website

https://thape.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Tianhua Group (天华集团) is a privately held Shanghai-based architectural design firm founded in 1997 providing full-cycle architecture, urban planning, interior, landscape, and sustainable design services to enterprise real estate developers, government, and institutional clients across 40+ Chinese cities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Architectural Design Services

NAICS

Architectural Services (54131), Interior Design Services (541410), Landscape Architectural Services (54132), Engineering Services (541330)

SIC

Services-Engineering Services (8711), Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

Architectural Design Services (BPAHAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Building Information Modeling (BIM) & Digital Design Services (BPAHAKAK), Sustainable/Green Building & LEED Consulting (BPAHAKAG), Community Engagement & Participatory Planning (BPAHAKAO), Residential Interior Fit-Out (Multi-Family & High-End) (IMAFANAE)

Keywords

• Architectural design services
• Urban planning
• Interior design
• Landscape architecture
• Sustainable building design

Headquarters

HQ city

Shanghai

HQ country

China

HQ region

Asia

Offices10 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Architectural Design Services: Full-cycle architectural design services including concept design, schematic design, design development, construction documentation, and construction administration for residential, commercial, cultural, healthcare, hospitality, and mixed-use projects.
2. Interior Design Services: Interior design services for commercial spaces, residential interiors, and hospitality projects.
3. Urban Planning Services: Urban planning and urban design services including conceptual planning, urban design, and city planning for large-scale developments.
4. Landscape Architecture: Landscape design services for residential communities, commercial complexes, and public spaces.
5. Sustainability Consulting: Sustainable design consulting, BIM full-process consulting, ultra-low energy building design, and smart city consulting services.
6. Visualization Services: VR technology and visualization services for project presentation and design communication.
7. Drawing Review & Technical Consulting: Drawing review (vetting) and technical consulting services for design quality control and regulatory compliance.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Tianhua Group is a comprehensive architectural design firm providing full-cycle design services from concept through construction administration. Its offerings span architectural design, interior design, urban planning, landscape architecture, drawing review/vetting, BIM and technical consulting, sustainable/low-carbon design, and VR visualization. The firm serves real estate developers, government entities, and institutional clients across more than 30 cities in China, supported by specialized sub-brands for healthcare/elderly living architecture (THEA), interior EPC (Tianhua Yizhu), and low-carbon sustainability research.

Product overview

Tianhua Group is a comprehensive architectural design firm operating as a platform-plus-specialized-units architecture. The core offering centers on architectural design services (建筑设计) as the primary platform, supplemented by dedicated sub-brands and specialized modules: Interior Design (室内设计) delivered through Tianhua Yizhu EPC team, Urban Planning (城市规划), Landscape Design (景观设计), Drawing Review/Vetting (审图), Technical Consultation (技术咨询) including BIM consulting, Sustainable/Low-Carbon Design (可持续设计), and Visualization/VR-Tech (可视化). Tianhua also operates domain-specific sub-brands including THEA (Healthcare & Elderly Living Architecture 天华医养) and the Shanghai Tianhua Low-Carbon Sustainability Research Institute. A proprietary AI Research Center (AI研究中心) provides intelligent construction and generative AI capabilities across the full building lifecycle. Projects span residential, commercial, cultural, educational, healthcare, hospitality, supertall, urban planning, landscape, and interior categories across more than 30 cities in China.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Architecture Design (建筑设计) Full-range architectural design services covering residential, commercial, office, cultural, educational, healthcare, hospitality, and supertall building types delivered through regional offices across China for enterprise clients including real estate developers, government agencies, and institutional owners.
• Interior Design (室内设计) Comprehensive interior design services including residential interiors, commercial interiors, and specialized interior construction drawing design, delivered through the Tianhua Yizhu (天华易筑) EPC team for commercial and residential projects.
• Urban Planning (城市规划) Urban planning services including concept planning, master planning, and strategic urban design for new districts, transit-oriented development (TOD), and mixed-use districts.
• Landscape Design (景观设计) Landscape architecture covering public spaces, residential communities, commercial complexes, and cultural venues, including landscape scheme design, construction drawings, and planting plans.
• Drawing Review / Vetting (审图) Professional drawing review and design vetting services to ensure compliance with regulatory standards and quality requirements for building projects.
• Technical Consultation (技术咨询) Specialized technical consulting services including BIM (Building Information Modeling) full-process consulting, sustainable/low-carbon design, and intelligent construction advisory for AEC clients.
• Sustainable Design (可持续设计) Green building and sustainable design services including ultra-low energy buildings, near-zero energy buildings, BIM full-process consulting, and smart city solutions aligned with China's dual carbon strategy.
• Visualization / VR-Tech (可视化) Advanced visualization and VR technology services for architectural presentations, immersive project experiences, and digital twin representations of building projects.
• Tianhua Healthcare and Elderly Living Architecture (THEA / 天华医养) Specialized sub-brand focusing on senior care communities, rehabilitation facilities, and medical complex architectural design for healthcare institutions, insurance companies, and elderly care operators.
• Tianhua Yizhu (天华易筑) Interior EPC Interior design EPC (Engineering Procurement Construction) team providing integrated interior design, construction, and after-service for commercial and residential interior projects.
• Shanghai Tianhua Low-Carbon Sustainability Research Institute (上海天华低碳可持续研究所) Research institute focused on intelligent construction and building industrialization, awarded '2025 Shanghai Intelligent Construction and Building Industrialization Advanced Collective' by Shanghai Construction Association.
• AI Research Center (AI研究中心) Proprietary AI research initiative developing intelligent construction service systems covering the full building lifecycle, generative design, predictive analytics, and process automation for architecture, engineering, and construction workflows.

Quantifiable outcome

• Ranked #17 globally and #2 in China in 2026 WA100 ranking
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability6 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Building Design Magazine (UK)minorOthers · 1 January 2026UK-based Building Design Magazine conducts the annual WA100 global ranking of top 100 architectural design firms. Tianhua has been listed for 5 consecutive years, ranked #17 in 2026 and #2 among Chinese firms.
• Shanghai Urban Renewal Research Association (上海市城市更新研究会)coreOthers · 1 January 2025Tianhua's urban renewal projects and personnel received recognition from the Shanghai Urban Renewal Research Association in 2025. Five Tianhua projects were awarded 'Shanghai Urban Renewal Excellent Demonstration Project' status, and five Tianhua architects were designated as 'Shanghai Urban Renewal Experts' or 'Professional Talents' by the association.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• AECOM: Global infrastructure and design consultancy with significant China operations. AECOM is comparable to Tianhua in urban planning, landscape, sustainable design, and large-scale mixed-use and infrastructure projects.
• Arup: Global engineering and design consultancy with significant China presence. Arup overlaps with Tianhua in structural engineering consulting, sustainable design, and integrated architecture-engineering services for complex buildings.
• Gensler: Largest global architecture and design firm, operating in China for major commercial, hospitality, and mixed-use projects. Comparable to Tianhua as a full-service design platform serving enterprise clients across multiple building types.
• Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM): Global architecture, urban planning, and engineering firm with supertall and large-scale mixed-use expertise. SOM directly competes with Tianhua in supertall, commercial, and cultural/institutional projects in China.
• HPP Architects: German-headquartered international architecture firm with projects across Asia. HPP competes with Tianhua in supertall, office, and cultural architecture, particularly for premium mixed-use developments in Chinese tier-1 cities.

Direct peers

• Aedas: Global architecture firm with a strong Asia-Pacific and Greater China footprint, ranked on WA100 alongside Tianhua. Aedas competes directly in mixed-use, residential, hospitality, and commercial design for the same leading Chinese developer clients.
• China Architecture Design & Research Group (CAG): Major state-owned national architectural design group. CAG is a direct peer to Tianhua in large-scale public, cultural, healthcare, and urban planning projects in China, and was ranked ahead of Tianhua on the 2025 ENR China Engineering Design 60.
• East China Architectural Design & Research Institute (ECADI): One of China's largest state-owned architectural design institutes, also headquartered in Shanghai. ECADI competes with Tianhua across the same residential, commercial, urban renewal, and supertall project categories for the same leading Chinese clients.
• Benoy: International architecture and design firm with deep China operations. Benoy is directly comparable to Tianhua in retail architecture, mixed-use developments, and commercial complexes for Chinese and Asian real estate clients.
• CCD (Cheng Chung Design): Leading Chinese hospitality and interior design firm. CCD overlaps with Tianhua's Yizhu interior EPC and Tianhua's hospitality/hotel design work, serving many of the same leading Chinese hotel and resort developers.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/thape

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 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 Tianhua Group