What Casanova & Hernandez Architects does

Casanova & Hernandez Architects is a privately held international architecture and urban-design firm founded in 2001 and headquartered in Rotterdam, Netherlands. The firm's practice is built around "hybrid typologies" that combine landscape, architecture, and public space interventions, with core services spanning museum design and renovation, large-scale public park and landscape architecture (notably 176 Ha Mosaic Park in Jinzhou, China, and Eco Park Durres), urban masterplanning (Lichterfelde Süd in Berlin, Hiedanranta District in Tampere), and collective housing design with social and accessibility considerations. Revenue is generated through winning international design competitions and securing direct commissions from governments, municipalities, and selected real-estate developers; pricing is not publicly disclosed because each project is custom and bid on a tender or competition basis. The firm operates with 11-50 employees and has delivered projects across at least 17 countries in Europe, Asia, and North America, drawing repeat and adjacent work from institutional clients such as the Municipality of Tirana, Municipality of Tampere, Municipality of Rotterdam, Korea Land & Housing Corporation, Groth Development, and the Albanian Development Fund. Co-founders Helena Casanova and Jesus Hernandez maintain active academic and jury roles, and the firm has accumulated multiple EU Mies van der Rohe nominations and a notable 2024 awards sweep for Eco Park Durres, signaling a brand anchored in international recognition rather than scale.

Name

Casanova & Hernandez Architects

Legal name

Casanova+Hernandez Architects

Website

https://casanova-hernandez.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Casanova & Hernandez Architects is a Rotterdam-based international architecture firm specializing in museum design, public park and landscape architecture, urban masterplanning, and collective housing for government, institutional, and developer clients worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Architecture Services

NAICS

Architectural Services (541310), Landscape Architectural Services (54132)

akta.pro primary industry

Architectural Design Services (BPAHAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Landscape Architecture & Site Design (BPAHAKAC), Historic Preservation & Conservation Planning (BPAHAKAH), Architectural Reconfiguration & Structural Alterations (HSAPAEAB)

Keywords

• Architectural design services
• Urban planning
• Landscape architecture
• Cultural building design
• Public space design

Headquarters

HQ city

Rotterdam

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Architectural Design Services: The firm generates revenue through winning international architectural competitions, direct commissions from government and private clients, and public tenders for urban planning, landscape design, and building projects.

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Casanova+Hernandez Architects is an international architecture firm that designs museums, public parks, urban masterplans, and collective housing. The practice focuses on cultural buildings, landscape interventions, and urban regeneration projects, often integrating sustainability and the 'Hybrid City' design approach that merges architecture with landscape.

Product overview

Casanova & Hernandez Architects is an international architectural practice offering a portfolio of design services centered on cultural, public, and residential architecture. Their core offerings include museum design and renovation, large-scale public park and landscape architecture, urban planning and masterplanning, and collective housing design. The practice is particularly recognized for projects in Albania, the Netherlands, Germany, China, and South Korea, often incorporating sustainable design principles and the 'Hybrid City' urban concept. They also produce scholarly publications documenting their architectural methodologies.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Museum Design and Renovation Services

Quantifiable outcome

• Eco Park Durres won 5 international awards in 2024 alone including GADA Design Awards, Global Awards Community, Loop Awards, Master Prize Awards, and Architizer A+ Special Mention
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers13 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• MetroPOLIScoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 January 2019Joint venture partner for the Design and Supervision of the System of Museums of the UNESCO City of Gjirokastra, financed by Albanian Development Fund. Includes restoration of castle, museums, and cultural heritage sites.
• SRP Schneider & Partner Ingenieur-Consult GmbHcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGerman engineering firm and joint venture partner for multiple projects including Buna Park Shkodra, Drin River Cascade development, and Experimental University Farm Tirana.
• SRP Albanian EngineeringcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAlbanian subsidiary of SRP Schneider & Partner. Joint venture partner for projects in Albania including Buna Park Shkodra and Shkodra entrance masterplan.
• iRI (International Research Institute or local partner)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal partner for National Historical Museum Tirana project. Collaborated on restoration, reconstruction, and musealization of the museum.
• SON engineering & constructionmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal partner in Albania for winning National Historical Museum competition and transformation of Toptani House into museum.
• Albanian Development FundmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerImplementing partner for multiple EU-funded projects in Albania including Shkodra Lake requalification, Gjirokastra Castle masterplan, and Durres masterplans.
• ArupminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated with CHA and Municipality of Amsterdam on research project 'Public Space Acupuncture after the corona crisis' investigating impact of corona measures on public space design.
• B+B urban plannersmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUrban planning partner for Blaricummermeent housing development in Netherlands.
• Karres & BrandsmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLandscape architecture partner for Blaricummermeent housing project.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Mecanoo: Dutch architecture firm headquartered in Delft with a globally recognized portfolio of public buildings, museums, libraries, and housing. Comparable to Casanova+Hernandez for museum commissions (Marubi Museum parallels Mecanoo's reputation for cultural projects) and Dutch public-sector competitions, both vying in the same international jury circuit.
• KCAP: Rotterdam-headquartered firm specializing in large-scale urban planning, masterplans, and mixed-use development. Direct overlap with Casanova+Hernandez's masterplanning practice (Lichterfelde Süd, Hiedanranta) and shared positioning in EU and Dutch public tenders.
• West 8: Rotterdam-based urban design and landscape architecture practice with extensive public space and park projects across Europe, Asia, and the Americas. Direct overlap with Casanova+Hernandez's landscape architecture and hybrid landscape-urbanism practice, including competitive bids on municipal public space commissions.
• UNStudio: Amsterdam-based architecture network active in public buildings, infrastructure, and masterplans worldwide. Comparable in scale, geography, and project mix (mixed-use housing, cultural buildings, urban regeneration), and competes in similar EU Mies-relevant international tenders.
• Snøhetta: International practice with strong portfolio of cultural buildings, museums, and landscape interventions (Alexandria Library, SFMOMA expansion, Lascaux IV). Overlaps with Casanova+Hernandez's museum and public landscape commissions and competition circuit, particularly across European Union-funded cultural projects.
• MVRDV: Rotterdam-headquartered firm with a strong portfolio of masterplans, mixed-use developments, public buildings, and cultural projects. Comparable in its hybrid urban/architecture positioning, Rotterdam origin, and participation in high-profile international competitions and masterplans (e.g., Lichterfelde Süd adjacent work in Berlin).
• Powerhouse Company: Rotterdam- and Amsterdam-based firm with a strong portfolio of residential, public, and sustainable architecture. Comparable on Dutch-rooted sustainability narrative, public-housing and cultural commissions, and participation in EU/international competition juries.
• Benthem Crouwel Architects: Amsterdam-based practice specializing in public buildings, museums, and infrastructure across the Netherlands and abroad. Comparable in museum and public-sector commissions, EU Mies-relevant cultural projects, and Dutch competition ecosystem.
• BIG (Bjarke Ingels Group): Copenhagen- and New York-based practice known for sustainability-led public buildings, masterplans, and cultural facilities. Comparable in pitching sustainability narratives (zero-emissions, social integration) for municipal and EU-funded tenders.

Broad incumbents

• OMA: Rotterdam-headquartered incumbent with a much broader portfolio spanning cultural, civic, residential, and masterplanning work globally. Comparable in Dutch architecture pedigree, Rotterdam base, and competition circuit but materially larger and more diversified across building types and geographies.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

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 Casanova & Hernandez Architects