What Halliday Fraser Munro does

Halliday Fraser Munro is a privately-held UK architectural design and planning practice founded in 1993, headquartered in Aberdeen and operating across seven UK offices (Aberdeen, Belfast, Dundee, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds, London). The firm offers four integrated service lines — architecture, planning consultancy, masterplanning and urban design, and Building Information Modelling (BIM) — delivered across commercial, education, residential, retail, and leisure sectors. Its planning consultancy is described as one of the largest in-house teams in the UK, providing a structural differentiator versus typical architecture practices that outsource planning work.

The practice's revenue model is fee-based professional services, with projects typically secured through framework agreements (e.g., Asda for over 10 years, Aberdeenshire Council term appointments, hub North Scotland), competitive tendering, and direct appointments; over 75% of workload comes from repeat commissions. The firm's core technology stack is BIM Level 2 using REVIT, augmented by its proprietary Replanet sustainability framework aligned with the RIBA 2030 challenge, which delivers carbon assessments, Passivhaus design, and net-zero advisory — capabilities the firm has used to operate its own practice at net zero since 2020. Named clients span major UK developers (Drum Property Group, Miller Developments), corporate occupiers (Barclays, BP, Lloyd's Register, Asda, IKEA), government (Aberdeenshire Council), and education/research institutions (Robert Gordon University, Rowett Institute).

Strategically, Halliday Fraser Munro has expanded through office openings (Leeds, London) and relocations (Glasgow, Edinburgh) tied to large project wins, and has accumulated industry recognition including BCO Best of the Best 2023, multiple Scottish Property Awards, and Homes for Scotland Development of the Year. The firm operates without external investment, public listing, or disclosed parent company, and does not publish revenue figures. Its competitive moat rests on a stable senior talent base, an integrated architecture-plus-planning offering, high repeat-commission rates, and a credentials-rich project portfolio rather than on technology, scale, or pricing power.

Name

Halliday Fraser Munro

Legal name

Halliday Fraser Munro

Website

https://hfm.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Halliday Fraser Munro is a UK-based, privately-held architectural design and planning practice founded in 1993, operating seven offices across Scotland, Northern Ireland, and England. It delivers integrated architecture, planning consultancy, masterplanning, and BIM services to developers, corporates, and public-sector clients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Architectural Services

NAICS

Architectural Services (541310)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Architectural Design Services (BPAHAKAA)

Keywords

• Architectural design services
• Urban masterplanning
• Planning consultancy
• Building information modelling
• Sustainable building design

Headquarters

HQ city

Belfast

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Architectural Services: Full architectural services from inception and feasibility studies through to completion and handover, including design, technical documentation, and project delivery for commercial, residential, education, and community projects.
2. Planning Consultancy: Specialized planning consultancy services including planning applications, public consultations, planning advice, feasibility studies, promotion of land for redevelopment, and land realization.
3. Masterplanning & Urban Design: Masterplanning and urban design services for large-scale developments, business parks, and community regeneration projects.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Halliday Fraser Munro is an award-winning UK architectural design practice delivering full architectural services from feasibility through to completion and handover, alongside specialized planning consultancy, masterplanning, urban design, and Building Information Modelling (BIM) services. The firm serves commercial, educational, residential, retail and leisure sectors with seven offices across the UK.

Product overview

Halliday Fraser Munro is an award-winning architecture and planning practice offering four integrated service streams: Architecture Services, Planning Consultancy, Masterplanning & Urban Design, and Building Information Modelling (BIM). The practice operates across commercial, educational, residential, leisure, and retail sectors throughout the UK. Their Replanet initiative provides specialized sustainability services including carbon assessments and Passivhaus design. Projects range from individual building design to large-scale urban masterplans, with services tailored to individual client needs and project requirements.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Replanet: A sustainable future initiative launched by Halliday Fraser Munro focusing on carbon zero buildings and environmental sustainability.

Products and services

• Architecture Services Full-service architectural design covering feasibility studies through to completion and handover, including residential, commercial, educational, and leisure building projects for developers, local authorities, housing associations, and corporate clients.
• Planning Consultancy Specialized planning consultancy offering advice, planning applications, public consultations, land promotion for redevelopment, and land realization services for property developers and landowners.
• Masterplanning & Urban Design Urban design and masterplanning services for large-scale mixed-use developments, business parks, and residential communities, including waterfront regeneration, brownfield redevelopment, and strategic planning.
• Building Information Modelling (BIM) BIM-enabled design and documentation services using 3D REVIT modeling technology for collaborative project delivery and operational optimization across construction projects.
• Replanet Sustainability Services Sustainable design initiative aligned with RIBA 2030 challenge, offering carbon assessments, Passivhaus design, fabric-first approaches, and net-zero building solutions achieving operational energy savings of up to 90% for existing buildings.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 75% of workload from repeat commissions
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers15 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core, major, notable and minor.

• Asda StorescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFramework architects for Asda for over 10 years, covering all of the UK. Delivers new stores, extensions, and refurbishments with detailed understanding of Asda requirements, standards, and methodology allowing efficient project completion.
• UK Green Building CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner with UKGBC's Built Environment Virtual Pavilion ahead of COP26. Collaborating with nearly 100 organisations on climate action initiatives supporting the journey to carbon zero.
• RIBA (Royal Institute of British Architects)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAligned sustainability policy with RIBA 2030 challenge requiring all buildings starting on site during 2025 to have capacity to operate at carbon zero.
• hub North Scotland LimitedmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDelivery partner for community campus and school projects including Inverurie Community Campus, Countesswells Primary School, and other education projects for Aberdeenshire Council.
• SnohettanotableStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated with award-winning Norwegian architects Snohetta to create Maggie's Aberdeen cancer care centre. Snohetta provided the design vision of a broken pebble which HFM turned into a completed building.
• AecomnotableStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered with Aecom to develop masterplan for Glenrothes town centre approved by Fife Council.
• Grampian Construction SkillsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMain sponsor of Build Your Future challenge, a competition led by Grampian Construction Skills encouraging next generation of Scotland's construction industry workers.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Allies and Morrison: London-headquartered UK architecture practice with a similar commercial, education and masterplanning portfolio. Comparable in design quality and sector reach, though with a stronger London base.
• John McAslan + Partners: UK architecture practice with a portfolio spanning education, culture, masterplanning and commercial sectors. Comparable as a UK design-led practice of similar size with an integrated urban design capability.
• Page\Park Architects: Award-winning Scottish architecture practice of similar size, working across cultural, heritage, education and commercial sectors in Scotland and the UK. Comparable as a fellow Scotland-rooted design-led practice with overlapping client types.
• AHR (formerly Aedas UK): UK architecture and masterplanning practice with comparable sector coverage (education, commercial, residential, healthcare). Comparable in scale, multi-office UK presence and breadth of services.
• Sheppard Robson: UK-headquartered architectural practice with comparable scale and a similarly broad sector mix (commercial, education, residential, masterplanning). Directly comparable as a UK mid-large architecture firm; HFM's Projects Director David Shaw was recruited from Sheppard Robson.
• WilkinsonEyre: UK architecture practice working across commercial, transport, education and masterplanning sectors with strong sustainability credentials. Comparable in scale, design awards profile and integrated service offering.
• Reiach and Hall Architects: Award-winning Scottish architecture practice of similar size working across education, cultural and community sectors. Comparable as a fellow Scotland-based, design-led practice with strong public-sector and masterplanning work.
• Bennetts Associates: UK architecture practice known for sustainability-led commercial, education and residential projects. Comparable to HFM in scale, sector mix and sustainability positioning, with a similar integrated masterplanning approach.

Broad incumbents

• Foster + Partners: Global architecture and integrated design practice founded in London, operating at substantially greater scale and international reach than HFM. Overlaps with HFM in commercial, education and masterplanning work but operates in a much wider portfolio and geography.
• Snøhetta: International architecture, landscape and design practice. Already a collaboration partner with HFM (Maggie's Aberdeen); comparable as a design practice with integrated architecture and masterplanning capability, though at materially larger scale and global footprint.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/hfmarchitecture

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 Halliday Fraser Munro