Atelier Heiss

What Atelier Heiss does

Atelier Heiss Architekten is an Austrian architecture firm (legally Atelier Heiss ZT GmbH) founded in 1997 by Christian Heiss in Vienna. Operating as a state-authorized civil engineer firm (Ziviltechniker GmbH), the studio provides full-lifecycle architectural and interior design services across three core verticals: hotels and hospitality (4- and 5-star hotel design, conversions, and renovations), office and corporate (headquarters, campuses, and fit-outs), and residential and living (luxury villas to large-scale residential complexes and heritage building refurbishments). The firm serves enterprise clients including real estate developers (BUWOG Group, ARE Austrian Real Estate, Bank Austria Real Invest), corporations (TÜV Austria Holding, Schindler Aufzüge, BDO Austria, Erste Group), international hotel chains (Hilton, Radisson, Kempinski), media firms (Die Presse Verlags-Gesellschaft), and insurance brokerages (HUGO Rückversicherungsmakler).

The firm's practice is built on a unified design philosophy characterized by "clear and conscious line direction" with emotional and narrative-driven accents that differentiate each project, often incorporating commissioned artworks by named artists. Sustainability is treated as a foundational prerequisite rather than a feature, integrated across ecological, economic, and social dimensions with particular focus on the longevity of architectural concepts. The firm operates as a single studio rather than a modular platform, delivering projects from concept through completion under one practice. Notable completed projects include BUWOG Headquarters (10,000 m² for 350-person event capacity), TÜV Austria Headquarters (7,400 m² for 300+ employees with a two-storey entrance hall and academy), doppiodue (5,500 m² of converted Gründerzeit office space, German Design Award Winner 2025), Inside XIX (116 exclusive apartments, European Property 5-Star-Award winner), Hilton Vienna Danube event area expansion (capacity for 1,500 guests), and Kempinski Residences St. Moritz (15 luxury apartments). The team comprises 25 employees plus three partners (Christian Heiss as Senior Partner and MD, Michael Thomas as Partner, and Evelyn Mayer as Junior Partner), supported by a multidisciplinary group of architects and designers.

The firm generates revenue through project-based professional service fees for architecture, interior design, general planning, and related consulting services. Pricing is determined by individual project scope, complexity, and client requirements, with no public pricing tiers or rate cards disclosed. The go-to-market motion is enterprise field sales, with projects acquired through design competitions, direct client engagement, and industry reputation rather than through aggressive outbound sales or paid marketing channels. Geographic reach is anchored in Austria (primary market, with the headquarters at Schleifmühlgasse 1A/14 in Vienna's 4th district) and extends selectively to Switzerland and Croatia through flagship hospitality engagements. The firm is privately held, founder-owned, and operates without disclosed external investors, private equity, or parent company involvement.

Name

Atelier Heiss

Legal name

Atelier Heiss ZT GmbH

Website

https://www.atelier-heiss.at

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Atelier Heiss Architekten is a Vienna-based Austrian architecture firm founded in 1997 by Christian Heiss, delivering architectural and interior design services across hotel, office, and residential sectors for enterprise clients including BUWOG, TÜV Austria, Erste Group, Schindler, Hilton, and Kempinski.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Architectural Services

NAICS

Architectural Services (541310), Interior Design Services (54141), Engineering Services (54133)

SIC

Services-Engineering Services (8711)

akta.pro primary industry

Design-Build / EPC General Contracting (IMAFAAAD)

Keywords

• Architectural services
• Sustainable architecture
• Hotel design
• Interior design
• Residential architecture

Headquarters

HQ city

Wiener Neustadt

HQ country

Austria

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Architecture and Design Services: Atelier Heiss provides architectural and interior design services as a licensed civil engineer firm (Ziviltechniker). Revenue is generated through project-based professional service fees for architecture, interior design, general planning, and related consulting services across hotel, office, and residential sectors.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Atelier Heiss Architekten is a licensed civil engineering firm (Ziviltechniker) that delivers full-service architectural and interior design across hotels, offices, and residential projects. The firm provides concept development, architectural design, interior design, and general planning from initial vision through completion. Revenue is generated through professional services fees on a project-by-project basis for clients including hotel operators, corporate enterprises, real estate developers, and private individuals.

Product overview

Atelier Heiss Architekten is an Austrian architectural firm offering comprehensive architectural design services across three core areas: Hotel Architecture & Design (luxury hotels and hospitality), Office Architecture & Design (commercial headquarters and office spaces), and Residential Architecture & Design (housing complexes to luxury villas). The company provides full-service offerings including concept development, architectural design, interior design, and project management. Their portfolio spans over 500 completed projects, ranging from international hotel chains (Kempinski, Hilton, Radisson Blu) to corporate headquarters (BUWOG, TÜV Austria, Schindler) and residential developments. The firm operates as a unified studio rather than a modular platform, delivering projects from initial vision through completion under one practice.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Hotel Architecture & Design Full-service architectural design for 4-star and 5-star hotels, including renovations, interior design, heritage conversions, and hospitality-specific solutions. Delivered for hotel operators and chains including Kempinski, Hilton, Radisson, Hotel Daniel Vienna, and Hotel Grand Ferdinand.
• Office Architecture & Design Commercial office building design and interior architecture services, including corporate headquarters, office campuses, and office fit-outs. Delivered for enterprise clients including BUWOG, TÜV Austria, Schindler, Erste Group, BDO, and Bank Austria Real Invest.
• Residential Architecture & Design Housing and residential development design services ranging from affordable housing complexes to luxury villas and high-end apartments, including heritage building refurbishments (Gründerzeit conversions). Notable projects include Inside XIX (116 apartments) and Perfektastrasse (110 apartments).
• Interior Design Services Comprehensive interior design services including furniture selection, lighting design, and artistic installations, delivered as part of integrated architecture projects across hotel, office, and residential typologies. Includes gallery corridors, museum walls, and custom installations referencing project context.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 500 completed architectural projects across hotel, office, and residential sectors.
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers16 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Bank Austria Real InvestcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Executed the doppiodue project (German Design Award Winner 2025) — the conversion of two Gründerzeit buildings into approximately 5,500 m² of modern connected office space for Bank Austria Real Invest. The firm acted as general planner and interior designer.
• BUWOG Group GmbHcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Atelier Heiss has executed multiple projects for BUWOG, including the Inside XIX residential project (116 apartments, European Property 5-Star-Award winner) and the BUWOG Headquarters (10,000 m² office in Vienna). The firm serves as general planner and interior designer for these projects, with Atelier Heiss functioning as the lead architectural partner on major real estate developments.
• Erste Group Bank AGcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Atelier Heiss has completed multiple projects for Erste Group: IKI restaurant (hotel concept within Erste Campus), Erste Campus Cafeteria, and LAS DREI entrance redesign. The firm functions as designer and general planner on these campus and food service interior projects.
• Hotel Babenbergerhof (Babenbergerhof C. Breyer GmbH)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Complete interior and exterior redesign of the traditional hotel's ground floor (lobby, restaurant, bar), including new façade, photovoltaic installation, and redesigned guest garden. The firm handled architecture and interior design.
• BDO AustriacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Delivered both BDO Headquarters (interior design across five levels with 15 meeting rooms and event hall) and BDO Cafeteria (externally accessible, artist-designed by Claus Prokop). Jabornegg & Pálffy Architekten were the building architects for BDO Headquarters.
• Schindler Aufzüge und Fahrtreppen GmbHcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017Designed and delivered the Austrian headquarters for Schindler — an L-shaped building for 300 employees on Wienerbergstraße, featuring a prominent glass-walled foyer and floating cafeteria. The firm served as general planner.
• TÜV Austria Holding AGcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016Designed and delivered the TÜV Austria Headquarters in Brunn am Gebirge — a six-storey, 7,400 m² office building for 300+ employees with two-storey entrance hall and academy. Atelier Heiss was the general architect, with apm Architekten handling interior design.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Studio Daniel Libeskind: Internationally recognized architecture studio led by a single principal with a comparable signature-design approach and a project roster spanning cultural, commercial, hospitality, and residential works at premium tier.
• Gensler: Largest global architecture and design firm with deep hospitality, workplace, and residential practices. Represents the incumbent scale-tier ceiling that benchmarks what a boutique like Atelier Heiss competes against for enterprise mandates.
• BIG (Bjarke Ingels Group): Copenhagen/New York architecture practice with a global commercial, residential, and hospitality portfolio originating from a boutique ethos similar to Atelier Heiss. Now substantially larger but a frequent comparator for narrative-driven premium architecture.
• Snøhetta: Norwegian-rooted, internationally recognized architecture and design practice with a comparable design ethos around sustainability, narrative-driven design, and integrated interior/architecture. Has scaled well beyond Atelier Heiss's boutique tier but operates in the same design space.
• Foster + Partners: Global architecture and integrated design practice operating across hospitality, commercial HQ, residential, and urban-mixed-use developments. Operates at significantly larger scale but routinely competes for the same tier-one enterprise briefs as Atelier Heiss.
• Coop Himmelb(l)au: Vienna-headquartered architecture firm with strong international reputation and cultural, commercial, and residential projects. Significantly larger and globally marketed but shares the Austrian design pedigree and premium positioning that anchors Atelier Heiss's brand.
• MVRDV: Rotterdam-based architecture practice of established international reputation with commercial, residential, and cultural buildings. Operates at a larger scale but competes for the same enterprise, hospitality, and luxury briefs.

Direct peers

• Dietrich | Untertrifaller Architekten: Austrian architecture practice headquartered in Bregenz/Dornbirn with offices in Vienna and Zurich, operating at a comparable scale and sharing a similar focus on hotels, residential, and cultural buildings across the DACH region. Directly comparable on project type, tier, and client profile.
• Studio Gang: Chicago-based architecture and urban design practice with a comparable premium, sustainability-led, narrative-driven portfolio spanning cultural, civic, and hospitality projects. Closely matches Atelier Heiss's boutique model and design-philosophy positioning.
• PPAG architects: Vienna-based contemporary architecture practice of similar scale, working on cultural, residential, and educational projects with a comparable design-led, narrative-forward approach to Atelier Heiss. Same local talent market and client overlap.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/atelier-heiss

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 Atelier Heiss