What Hall McKnight does

Hall McKnight is a privately held architectural practice founded in 2003 by Alastair Hall and Ian McKnight, headquartered in Belfast with a secondary London presence. The firm provides full architectural services across the complete RIBA Stages 0–7 lifecycle — including masterplanning, architectural design, heritage refurbishment, landscape design, planning and listed building consent, and contract administration — and delivers across residential, educational, civic, cultural, and transport building types for institutional clients.

The practice operates as a competition-led, project-based professional services business. Revenue is generated through architectural fees on commissioned projects, with new business primarily won via competitive design contests organized by bodies such as RIBA, RIAI, and Malcolm Reading Consultants. The go-to-market relies on the founders' personal authorship, an award-dense reputation (Downes Medal 2014, Gold BD Architect of the Year 2023, multiple RIBA National Awards), publications in international journals (Architectural Review, Bauwelt, Casabella), exhibition presence (Venice Biennale 2018, Design Museum), and academic engagement.

Project evidence spans the UK and Ireland, Denmark (Vartov Square, Levantkaj masterplan with Entasis), the USA (Gallaudet University), Czech Republic, Tokyo, and Grand Cayman. Notable flagship works include the MAC Arts Centre Belfast (2012, Downes Medal), Vartov Square Copenhagen (2012), King's College London Quadrangle Project (completed October 2022, 4,000 sqm within a Grade I listed environment), Colin Connect Transport Hub Belfast (RIBA National Award 2019), and the St Mary's Convent Wantage refurbishment. The firm is founder-owned with no disclosed external investment, subsidiaries, M&A activity, or funding rounds.

Name

Hall McKnight

Legal name

Hall McKnight

Website

https://hallmcknight.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Hall McKnight is an award-winning Belfast-based architectural practice founded in 2003, providing full RIBA Stage 0–7 design services across heritage, educational, civic, and cultural buildings for universities, municipalities, and cultural institutions in the UK, Ireland, and Europe.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Belfast

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Architectural Services: Hall McKnight provides full architectural services for projects through RIBA Stages 0-7, including design, planning, listed building consent, and contract administration. Revenue is generated through professional architectural fees for commissioned projects.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Hall McKnight provides full architectural services for residential, commercial, educational, civic, cultural, and transport projects through RIBA Stages 0–7. Services include masterplanning, new build design, heritage refurbishment, landscape design, and interior fit-out, with particular expertise in heritage-sensitive and constrained urban sites. Revenue is earned through professional architectural fees on commissioned projects, secured primarily by winning design competitions and direct appointments.

Product overview

Hall McKnight is an architectural practice established in 2003, providing full architectural services across residential, educational, civic, and public space projects in the UK and Europe. The practice offers design services for various building types from houses to large complex public buildings and landscapes, including new construction, refurbishment, and heritage projects. The practice's portfolio spans projects including educational campuses (King's College London), arts venues (MAC), transport hubs, housing developments, and public realm spaces. Hall McKnight does not offer a technology product or software platform — it is a service-based architectural practice.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Full Architectural Design Services (RIBA Stages 0–7) End-to-end architectural design and contract administration delivered across RIBA Stages 0–7 for residential, commercial, educational, civic, cultural, and transport clients, including planning consent, listed building consent, and on-site contract administration.
• Heritage Refurbishment and Conservation Services Architectural design and contract administration for heritage buildings, with a specialist focus on Grade I listed environments and complex constrained urban contexts.
• Masterplanning and Urban Design Services Masterplanning and large-scale urban design for campuses and public realm projects, delivered as part of the practice's RIBA Stages 0–7 service offer.
• Landscape Design Services Landscape and public realm design services delivered alongside architectural commissions for campuses, civic projects, and transport hubs.
• Interior Fit-out Design Services Interior fit-out architectural services, including executive architect roles on fit-out contracts as part of the wider RIBA Stages 0–7 service offer.

Quantifiable outcome

• 4,000 square metres of reclaimed space delivered for King's College London Quadrangle Project
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Rock Townsend ArchitectsminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 October 2022Rock Townsend Architects provided Shell and Core Contract Executive Architect Services for Farrans Construction Limited on the King's College London Quadrangle Project. Hall McKnight retained full architectural services for the project.
• OverburyminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 October 2022Hall McKnight were employed by Overbury as executive architects for the fit-out contract on the King's College London Quadrangle Building project.
• Entasis ArchitectscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHall McKnight was part of the winning team led by Entasis Architects for the Levantkaj urban development competition at Nordhavn in Copenhagen. Team included GHB Landskab, Trafikplan, and NIRAS. The masterplan encompasses 340,000m2 of land and 130,000m2 of open water.
• MadlugminorOthersHall McKnight joined Belfast-based social enterprise Madlug's Corporate Partner Scheme, providing each staff member with a backpack made in Belfast by Usel. For each product sold, Madlug provides an unbranded bag to a young person in care.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• WilkinsonEyre: Major UK practice with award-winning portfolio across cultural, education, transport, and public realm — including heritage-sensitive projects. Competes with Hall McKnight for institutional clients but at significantly larger scale.
• Grafton Architects: Dublin-based practice (Pritzker Prize 2020, RIBA Stirling Prize winner) with deep cultural and educational project portfolio. Conceptually aligned with Hall McKnight's design-led Irish roots but operating at materially larger scale and global reach.
• Purcell: UK's largest heritage architecture specialist, working on listed buildings, cathedrals, and historic estates. Direct overlap in the heritage/refurbishment niche where Hall McKnight competes, but at significantly larger scale.
• Allies and Morrison: Major London architectural practice with broad portfolio including significant heritage, education, and masterplanning work. Larger and more generalist than Hall McKnight but competes for the same institutional commissions.

Direct peers

• Haworth Tompkins: London practice with overlapping specialism in theatre, cultural, and heritage refurbishment projects (repeated Stirling Prize contender). Similar niche focus and competition-led pipeline as Hall McKnight.
• Stanton Williams: London-based award-winning practice with overlapping specialism in cultural, educational, and heritage projects (e.g. Royal College of Music, UCL Student Centre). Comparable size and design-led, competition-winning model to Hall McKnight.
• McCullough Mulvin Architects: Dublin-based practice with parallel focus on cultural, educational, and heritage architecture across Ireland. Directly comparable on geographic overlap (Belfast/Dublin axis), typology mix, and competition-led project acquisition.
• Reiach and Hall Architects: Edinburgh practice of comparable small size with strong awards record in education, civic, and heritage work. Similar profile as a founder-led, design-led boutique competing for the same UK/Scottish institutional competitions.
• Feilden Fowles: Award-winning Yorkshire-based practice with similar heritage in education and cultural buildings (e.g. RIBA Stirling Prize shortlisting). Comparable boutique scale and design-led positioning.

Emerging players

• Mae Architects: London practice focused on sustainable education and community architecture, RIBA award-winning. Comparable in scale and typology mix (education, community, public realm) but earlier in its growth trajectory than Hall McKnight.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hall-mcknight
• Instagraminstagram.com/hall.mcknight

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Hall McKnight