What SHAU does

SHAU is an architecture and urban planning firm founded in 2009, operating as a Dutch general partnership (SHAU V.O.F.) with co-founders Florian Heinzelmann and Daliana Suryawinata. The firm operates three offices — Rotterdam (Netherlands, headquarters), Passau (Germany, led by Tobias Hofmann), and Bandung (Indonesia, operating as PT SHAU Internasional Indonesia) — that collaborate project by project across geographies. SHAU's portfolio spans four interconnected service areas: Microlibraries (a signature series of small public library prototypes including Taman Bima, Taman Tegalega/Fibonacci, Hanging Gardens, Warak Kayu, Selasar, MoKa, and Helicoid); social housing (notably the Muara Angke Vertical Kampung, 660 units across three phases); urban planning and masterplans (including the Jakarta Jaya "Green Manhattan" masterplan designed for 1.9 million inhabitants on 58.1 million m²); and public space design (alun-alun squares, parks, community facilities, markets, mosques).

The firm's underlying design methodology integrates passive climate strategies (cross-ventilation, solar shading, climate-responsive orientation), vernacular tropical building techniques, parametric design (e.g., spirally-arrayed concrete rib structures at Microlibrary Taman Tegalega), modular systems (MoKa plywood modules minimising cutting waste), and cost-efficient upcycling (ice cream bucket facades at Microlibrary Taman Bima). Projects are executed using Zollinger Bauweise timber construction, FSC-certified wood, and kampung-inspired spatial organisation that stacks traditional neighbourhood patterns vertically.

SHAU's business model is project-based professional services: revenue is generated through negotiated fees on commissioned projects plus occasional competition prize money. The firm acquires commissions via open and invited international design competitions, government tenders, direct special commissions, and referrals through its professional and academic network. Primary clients are Indonesian city and provincial governments, the Indonesian national government (including the PUPR Ministry of Public Works and Housing), private developers (Agung Sedayu Group, Kopelland, Beladon B.V.), cultural institutions, embassies, non-profits (Dompet Dhuafa), and individual private clients in Germany and the Netherlands. The firm has been recognised internationally through awards including an Aga Khan Award for Architecture shortlist (2019), LafargeHolcim Silver Award (2017), and multiple Architizer A+ Awards, and has curated work for the Venice Architecture Biennale and IABR Rotterdam.

Name

SHAU

Legal name

SHAU V.O.F.

Website

https://shau.nl

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

SHAU is an architecture and urban planning firm founded in 2009, operating from Rotterdam, Passau, and Bandung, specialising in socially and environmentally sustainable design — microlibraries, social housing, urban masterplans, and public space — for government, developer, and institutional clients across Indonesia, Germany, and the Netherlands.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Rotterdam

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Architecture and Urban Planning Services: SHAU earns revenue through direct project commissions for architecture and urban planning services. Projects range from residential and commercial buildings to large-scale urban masterplans, social housing, public squares, libraries, mosques, and cultural facilities. Fees are negotiated per project based on scope, scale, and client type (government vs. private).
2. Competition Fees and Awards: Revenue is also generated through prize winnings in architectural competitions, including first prizes in design competitions (e.g., St. Franziskus Chapel competition 2008, invited competition for RuBIK 2019) and award prize money.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

SHAU is an architecture and urban planning firm that delivers innovative and sustainable design solutions for built-environment projects. The firm's practice is focused on social housing, microlibraries, urban planning, and public space design, serving public and private sector clients across Europe and Southeast Asia from offices in Rotterdam, Passau, and Bandung.

Product overview

SHAU is an architecture and urban planning firm offering design services across three interconnected areas: Microlibraries (a series of small public library prototypes including Taman Bima, Taman Tegalega, Hanging Gardens, Warak Kayu, Selasar, MoKa, and Helicoid Library), Social Housing Design (vertical kampung concepts integrating traditional neighborhood patterns with modern facilities), Urban Planning Services (masterplanning for mixed-use developments, green infrastructure, and city-scale projects), and Public Space Design (squares, parks, and community facilities). The firm operates offices in Netherlands, Germany, and Indonesia, collaborating on projects that embed social and environmental concepts in design.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Social Housing Design

Quantifiable outcome

• Microlibrary Taman Bima shortlisted for Aga Khan Award for Architecture (2019)
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• KCAP (Rotterdam)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSHAU collaborates with KCAP in Rotterdam as part of their network of professional partners. KCAP is a well-established international architecture and urbanism firm.
• URBANE (Jakarta)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSHAU collaborates with URBANE in Jakarta as part of their interdisciplinary network for projects in Indonesia.
• andramatin (Jakarta)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSHAU has collaborated with andramatin architects on major Indonesian projects, including the Social Mall HI-BRIDge project in Jakarta. This is a significant collaborative relationship.
• mamostudio (Jakarta)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSHAU includes mamostudio in Jakarta in their network of professional partners for Indonesian project collaborations.
• stba (Karlsruhe)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSHAU collaborates with stba in Karlsruhe as part of their interdisciplinary professional network.
• Krill o.r.c.a. (Rotterdam)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSHAU collaborated with Krill o.r.c.a. on the redesign of the Indonesian Embassy in The Hague. Krill is described as an office for resilient cities and architecture.
• Studio APTA (Jakarta)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSHAU collaborated with Studio APTA and Cilaki Studio on the Huma Betang Umai Vice Presidential Palace design competition entry for Nusantara (new capital of Indonesia).
• Studio Cilaki 45 (Jakarta)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStudio Cilaki 45 collaborated with SHAU and Studio APTA on the Nusantara Cathedral and Huma Betang Umai Vice Presidential Palace design.
• TU Delft (Faculty of Built Environment / The Why Factory)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSHAU has strong academic ties with TU Delft. Florian Heinzelmann completed PhD research at TU Eindhoven with Prof. Dr.-Ing. Patrick Teuffel. Daliana Suryawinata pursues PhD-by-design research at The Why Factory at TU Delft with Prof. Winy Maas (MVRDV). SHAU received STW research grant for The Double Face project with TU Delft and TU Eindhoven.
• Berlage Institute (Rotterdam)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBoth founding partners studied at the Berlage Institute and continue teaching master courses there. SHAU maintains ongoing academic collaboration with the institute.
• TU EindhovenminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSHAU collaborated with TU Eindhoven on the STW-funded Double Face research project and Florian Heinzelmann completed PhD research at the Faculty of Built Environment.
• Indonesian Diaspora FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFlorian Heinzelmann is a program liaison and Daliana Suryawinata is a board member of the Indonesian Diaspora Foundation, a registered charity based in Washington. The foundation supported Kota Tua Creative Festival 2014 and various microlibrary projects.
• Dompet DhuafacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDompet Dhuafa is a non-profit foundation and co-client with the City of Bandung for the Microlibrary Taman Bima project — SHAU's first microlibrary pilot. They provide support for community-focused development projects.
• Arkatama Isvara FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerArkatama Isvara Foundation is the client for Microlibrary Warak Kayu in Semarang, Indonesia.
• Various Universities and Governmental Institutions WorldwideminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSHAU collaborates with universities and governmental institutions worldwide for research, competitions, and project commissions. Collaborators include Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember University (ITS) Surabaya for survey work on Banjarejo Market.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• andramatin: Jakarta-based architecture firm and SHAU's core Indonesian collaboration partner; comparable because both focus on socially responsible, climate-responsive Indonesian architecture and have co-delivered major public projects (e.g., Social Mall HI-BRIDge in Jakarta).
• Studio Cilaki 45: Jakarta-based practice and SHAU joint-competition partner for Nusantara Cathedral and Vice Presidential Palace; directly comparable because of overlapping Indonesian public-architecture competition portfolio at similar firm scale.
• KCAP: Rotterdam architecture and urbanism firm listed in SHAU's professional network; directly comparable because both operate Dutch-headquartered practices with international urban-planning portfolios, including city-scale masterplans.
• Vo Trong Nghia Architects: Ho Chi Minh City-based practice specialising in tropical, vernacular, low-carbon architecture using bamboo, timber and passive climate strategies; closely comparable to SHAU's tropical sustainable design ethos applied to community and public buildings across SE Asia.
• WOHA Architects: Singapore-based practice recognized for tropical, climate-responsive, sustainability-driven architecture; highly comparable because of shared focus on passive design, dense tropical urbanism, and award-winning library/community typologies relevant to SE Asia.
• mamostudio: Jakarta architecture practice named in SHAU's core Indonesian network; comparable as a small Indonesian firm working on architecture and urbanism projects that intersect SHAU's social housing and public space typologies.
• Studio APTA: Jakarta architecture studio that collaborated with SHAU on the Huma Betang Umai Vice Presidential Palace and Nusantara Cathedral competitions; directly comparable as a small Indonesian practice competing for the same high-profile public commissions.

Broad incumbents

• UNStudio: Amsterdam architecture practice where co-founder Florian Heinzelmann was project architect and sustainability knowledge group member; broadly comparable as an established Dutch incumbent with international cross-cultural urban commissions.
• MVRDV: Rotterdam-based global architecture and urbanism firm where Daliana Suryawinata previously freelanced and where she is pursuing PhD-by-design under Winy Maas; broadly comparable as a large incumbent competitor that also does tropical urban masterplans and sustainability-led projects.
• Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA): Amsterdam-headquartered global architecture firm where co-founder Daliana Suryawinata worked between 2005–2006; comparable as a Dutch incumbent frequently competing for the same Indonesian and Asian public commissions SHAU targets.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/shauarchitects
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/shau

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about SHAU