H&E Architects
H&E Architects is a Sydney-based architecture and interior design firm founded in 1998, delivering premium hospitality, retail, residential, and mixed-use projects across Australia's east coast for operators and developers.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1998
- HeadquartersSurry Hills, Australia
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What H&E Architects does
H&E Architects is a Sydney-headquartered architecture and interior design practice founded in 1998 by Chris Grinham and Glenn Cunnington. The firm operates as a B2B professional services business with a headcount in the 11-50 range, serving premium hospitality operators, luxury retail tenants, commercial developers, and high-end residential clients across Australia's east coast, with active project delivery in Sydney, Brisbane, and Melbourne.
The firm's portfolio is concentrated in high-end hospitality interiors, anchored by award-winning work including Barangaroo House (2018 INDE Awards), The Prince (2017 AHAA Hotel of the Year), Waterfront Tavern (2022 Australian Timber Design Award), and 13 Bowden (2016 NSW Architecture Awards). Recurring client relationships include Solotel, The Bentley Restaurant Group, The Boathouse Group, Accor Hotels (Sofitel Sydney Wentworth), Frasers Property, Etymon Projects, and Futuro Capital. The firm has extended its design language into high-end retail (Acne Studios) and residential (Avalon House, Fletcher Street), and has moved up-market into precinct-scale mandates through collaboration with Cox Architecture on the Aura Precinct.
H&E generates revenue on a project-based fee model typical of architectural services, with fees generally structured as a percentage of project capital expenditure or fixed project fees. The firm competes in the premium tier of Australia's hospitality and mixed-use design market, where client relationships, portfolio credentials, and design reputation function as the primary competitive levers. Its largest disclosed engagement to date is the A$70 million Wentworth Bar refurbishment for Futuro Capital in partnership with Accor.
H&E Architects firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- H&E Architects
- Legal name
- H&E
- Website
- https://h-e.com.au
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1998
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- H&E Architects is a Sydney-based architecture and interior design firm founded in 1998, delivering premium hospitality, retail, residential, and mixed-use projects across Australia's east coast for operators and developers.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
H&E Architects industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Architectural Design Services
- NAICS
- Architectural Services (54131), Architectural Services (541310), Interior Design Services (54141), Interior Design Services (541410)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Architectural Design Services (BPAHAKAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Interior Design Services (BPAHAKAB), Space Planning & Workplace Design (BPAHAKAI)
Keywords
Where H&E Architects is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Surry Hills
- HQ country
- Australia
- HQ region
- Oceania
Offices1 record
Markets served
H&E 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 Interior Design Services: Project-based fees for architecture and interior design services across hospitality, retail, commercial, and residential sectors. Revenue is generated through design fees, project management, and oversight of construction.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Project-based design services |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels2 records
H&E Architects product offering
Product offeringCore offering
H&E Architects is a Sydney-based architecture and interior design practice founded in 1998 by Chris Grinham and Glenn Cunnington. The firm delivers end-to-end design services including architecture, interior design, spatial planning, material selection, and construction oversight for clients across the hospitality, residential, commercial, and retail sectors. Its work combines Building Information Modelling with hand sketching and engagement of specialist craftspeople to deliver award-winning built outcomes.
Product overview
H&E Architects is an award-winning, Sydney-based architecture and interior design practice operating since 1998. The firm offers comprehensive design services structured around four core specializations: Architecture Services and Interior Design Services as the foundational offerings, with specialized practices in Hospitality Design, Residential Design, Commercial Design, and Retail Design. The practice has completed projects across Sydney, Brisbane, and Melbourne for clients including Solotel, The Feros Hotel Group, The Boathouse Group, Accor Hotels, Frasers Property, and Acne Studios. Led by co-principals Chris Grinham and Glenn Cunnington, H&E's portfolio spans restaurants, bars, hotels, private residences, offices, and retail environments.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Architecture Services End-to-end architectural services including design, spatial planning, and construction oversight for hospitality, residential, commercial, and retail projects.
- Interior Design Services Interior design services covering spatial planning, material selection, and fit-out coordination for hospitality, residential, commercial, and retail clients.
- Hospitality Design Specialised architecture and interior design for hospitality venues including bars, restaurants, hotels, and pubs, balancing brand identity with operational flow.
- Residential Design Bespoke architecture and interior design for premium residential properties, emphasising craftsmanship, material selection, and contextual integration.
- Commercial Design Architecture and interior design for office and commercial environments, including spatial planning, fit-out coordination, and construction oversight.
- Retail Design Architecture and interior design for retail environments, translating brand identity into spatial experience with material specification and fit-out delivery.
Companies that use H&E Architects
Customer profileNamed customers11 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
H&E Architects technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
H&E Architects partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.
- ARC (Architectural Roofing & Wall Cladding)coreCollaborated on The Wentworth Bar project at Sofitel Sydney Wentworth, where ARC fabricated the copper canopy centerpiece. ARC brought expertise in custom metalwork and cladding systems to deliver the complex curved copper structure.
- CASAcorePartnered with CASA on The Wentworth Bar project, contributing to the design execution and build methodology. CASA brought European-standard craftsmanship and attention to detail.
- EticcoreDelivered Barangaroo House in collaboration with Etic. The project required integration with structural design and existing base building architecture in partnership with Collins & Turner.
- Pascale Gomes McNabbsupportingCollaborated with Pascale Gomes McNabb on the Watermans restaurant project at One Sydney Harbour for The Bentley Restaurant Group.
- Cox ArchitecturesupportingCox Architecture developed the look and feel concept for the Aura Precinct Walker Street food and dining development in North Sydney.
- Collins & TurnercoreCollaborated with Collins & Turner on Barangaroo House, working on structural integration and base building architecture coordination.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
H&E Architects competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Jolson: Melbourne/Sydney architecture and interiors practice focused on premium retail, hospitality, and commercial environments. Comparable to H&E in luxury retail and hospitality interiors, with similar boutique positioning.
- Smart Design Studio: Sydney-based architecture and interiors practice focused on luxury residential, hospitality, and commercial projects. Comparable to H&E in boutique scale, premium-residential positioning, and hospitality interiors expertise.
- Fender Katsalidis: Australian architecture firm with strong hospitality, residential, and cultural portfolios including major hotel and mixed-use developments. Comparable to H&E in premium hospitality commissions and multi-city Australian presence.
- Bates Smart: One of Australia's longest-established architecture practices with a strong hospitality, hotel, and commercial interiors portfolio. Comparable to H&E in serving premium hospitality operators and delivering award-winning hotel and restaurant work across Sydney and Melbourne.
- Tonkin Zulaikha Greer: Award-winning Sydney architecture practice with deep experience in adaptive reuse, heritage, hospitality, and cultural projects. Comparable to H&E in boutique scale, heritage-constrained hospitality commissions, and Australian east-coast footprint.
- Richards Stanisich: Sydney-based architecture and interiors practice specializing in hospitality, hotels, and high-end residential. Closest direct competitor to H&E in terms of boutique size, hospitality-led project mix, and design-led positioning in the Australian market.
- McBride Charles Ryan: Award-winning Melbourne architecture practice with strong residential and hospitality portfolios. Comparable to H&E in award-driven design reputation, boutique scale, and multi-sector (residential + hospitality) project mix.
Broad incumbents
- Cox Architecture: One of Australia's largest architecture firms with a broad portfolio spanning hospitality, commercial, residential, and civic work. A larger incumbent overlapping with H&E in the Aura Precinct project; competes for premium hospitality commissions but operates at significantly greater scale.
- Hassell: Major international architecture practice headquartered in Australia with significant hospitality, hotel, and workplace interiors work. Overlaps with H&E on hospitality commissions but operates globally and at materially greater scale.
Emerging players
- Studio Mash: Sydney architecture and interiors studio with a hospitality-leaning portfolio. Comparable to H&E in boutique scale and design-led hospitality work, though smaller and earlier in its trajectory.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
H&E Architects social profiles
Digital presenceH&E Architects financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
H&E Architects leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
H&E Architects funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
H&E 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 H&E Architects
What does H&E Architects do?
H&E Architects is a Sydney-based architecture and interior design practice founded in 1998 by Chris Grinham and Glenn Cunnington. The firm delivers end-to-end design services including architecture, interior design, spatial planning, material selection, and construction oversight for clients across the hospitality, residential, commercial, and retail sectors. Its work combines Building Information Modelling with hand sketching and engagement of specialist craftspeople to deliver award-winning built outcomes.
Is H&E Architects a public or private company?
H&E Architects is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was H&E Architects founded?
H&E Architects was founded in 1998. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is H&E Architects based?
H&E Architects is headquartered in Surry Hills, Australia, in the Oceania region.
How does H&E Architects make money?
One revenue line is on record: architecture and Interior Design Services.
Who are H&E Architects's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Jolson, Smart Design Studio, Fender Katsalidis, Bates Smart, Tonkin Zulaikha Greer, Richards Stanisich and McBride Charles Ryan. Broad incumbents are Cox Architecture and Hassell. Studio Mash is listed as an emerging player.
Does H&E Architects have an API?
No public API is recorded for H&E Architects.
What industry is H&E Architects in?
H&E Architects's product category is Architectural Design Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAHAKAA, Architectural Design Services, with a secondary code of BPAHAKAB, Interior Design Services. Its NAICS code is 54131.