Tennent Brown Architects

What Tennent Brown Architects does

Tennent Brown Architects is a privately held, Wellington-headquartered architecture firm of approximately 20 staff, founded by co-directors Hugh Tennent and Ewan Brown in 2006 (Ewan having joined the original practice in 2003). The firm provides full-service architectural design across commercial, educational, residential, heritage, sports, sacred/spiritual, and Māori cultural projects, with a deliberately differentiated practice grounded in regenerative sustainability and bicultural design. Its core technical differentiators are Living Building Challenge (LBC) certification expertise — with Pā Reo Campus achieving Full Living Certification in 2025 and Ngā Mokopuna also LBC-certified — and deep proficiency in mass timber construction using cross-laminated timber (CLT) and engineered wood products, alongside a distinctive bicultural practice that integrates tikanga Māori through collaboration with Māori artists, carvers, and iwi clients.

The firm monetizes primarily through percentage-of-construction-cost professional fees on individually tendered commissions, supplemented by hourly rates on smaller projects and a standalone LBC Materials Consultancy service that monetizes its proprietary repository of LBC-compliant materials. Customer acquisition is reputation-driven — the firm is the first New Zealand architecture practice to achieve B Corp certification and JUST label, and its co-directors received the 2024 NZIA Gold Medal — with project flow anchored by a 100+ project, multi-decade relationship with Victoria University of Wellington and supplemented by institutional, government, healthcare, religious, and private-residential clients across New Zealand. Projects span commercial office fitouts, university and primary-school campuses, marae and wānanga, airports, wineries, heritage seismic strengthening, and wellness/retreat facilities, with all design and construction administration delivered from the single Wellington office across regions including Wellington, Christchurch, Gisborne, Nelson, Hawkes Bay, Northland, and the West Coast.

Name

Tennent Brown Architects

Legal name

Tennent Brown Architects

Website

https://tennentbrown.co.nz

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Tennent Brown Architects is a Wellington-based architecture firm of approximately 20 staff providing full-service design across commercial, educational, Māori cultural, heritage, residential, and public-sector projects throughout New Zealand, with a differentiated specialization in Living Building Challenge certified regenerative design, mass timber construction, and bicultural Te Ao Māori practice.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Architectural Design Services

NAICS

Architectural Services (54131), Architectural Services (541310)

akta.pro primary industry

Architectural Design Services (BPAHAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Green Building & Energy-Efficient Construction (LEED, Weatherization) (EDAOAAAO)

Keywords

• Architectural design services
• Sustainable architecture
• Bicultural design
• Living building challenge
• Commercial architecture

Headquarters

HQ city

Wellington

HQ country

New Zealand

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Architectural Design Services: Full-service architectural practice providing design, documentation, and construction oversight for commercial, institutional, residential, and cultural projects. Revenue generated through professional fees calculated as percentage of construction cost or hourly rates for smaller projects.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Tennent Brown Architects is a New Zealand-based architectural practice providing full-service design, documentation, and construction oversight across commercial, educational, residential, Māori cultural, heritage, sports, and spiritual projects. The firm is differentiated by deep expertise in Living Building Challenge certification, mass timber construction, and bicultural design incorporating Te Ao Māori principles. Revenue is generated through professional architectural fees calculated as a percentage of construction cost or hourly rates.

Product overview

Tennent Brown Architects is a New Zealand-based architecture firm offering comprehensive architectural design services across multiple sectors including commercial, Māori cultural, educational, residential, heritage, sports, and spiritual architecture. Their portfolio includes projects such as Pā Reo Campus, Bowen Campus, various commercial buildings, residential houses, and educational facilities. The firm specializes in Living Building Challenge certified sustainable design, offering LBC Materials Consultancy Services alongside their core architectural practice. They have delivered award-winning projects across New Zealand, with particular expertise in bicultural collaboration and regenerative design principles.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Architecture and Design Services Full-service architectural design covering commercial, residential, educational, Māori cultural, heritage restoration, sports facilities, religious spaces, and urban planning projects across New Zealand, for institutional and private clients.
• Living Building Challenge (LBC) Design Services Specialised regenerative design services implementing the Living Building Challenge standard across seven performance petals (Place, Water, Energy, Health & Happiness, Materials, Equity, Beauty), delivering self-sufficient and toxic-free buildings.
• LBC Materials Consultancy Services Consultancy service assisting clients in reaching Living Future NZ goals for Declare and LBC Compliant products per project, including documentation support for Living Building Challenge project certification.

Quantifiable outcome

• Pā Reo achieved 105% energy generation through 180kWp solar array
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers13 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Wraight & AssociatescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLandscape architecture collaboration on numerous projects including Kopua Masterplan, Waiwhero Farmhouse, Torea House, Home of Compassion, and Lake Matheson Visitors Centre. Long-standing professional relationship contributing to integrated design outcomes.
• Izzard DesigncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInterior design collaboration on Willis Lane hospitality fitout project - restoring and revitalising precinct to create new eating experience in Central Wellington.
• Bevin Slessor ArchitectsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint architecture partnership on Seatoun School project with Bevin Slessor Architects collaborating on school design.
• International Living Future InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCertification partnership for Living Building Challenge projects. Tennent Brown has achieved LBC certification on multiple projects and serves as LBC materials consultant for other projects. Pā Reo became certified Living Building Challenge Full Living project.
• XLAM NZcoreTechnology or IntegrationCross-laminated timber (CLT) panel supplier for Torea Studio project. XLAM NZ's CNC bridge machine enabled precise cutting of each CLT panel direct from computer model for folded triangular panels.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Architectus: Trans-Tasman architecture and urban design firm with comparable focus on education, public, and cultural buildings across New Zealand and Australia. Wider portfolio and larger headcount than Tennent Brown.
• Jasmax: New Zealand architecture and design firm (now part of Warren and Mahoney) with comparable institutional and bicultural design expertise. Larger scale and broader portfolio than Tennent Brown.
• Warren and Mahoney: One of New Zealand's largest architecture practices, now trans-Tasman through the Jasmax merger. Comparable in institutional and education work (universities, civic buildings) but operates at a much larger scale and broader portfolio.
• Bates Smart: Australian architecture and design firm with portfolio overlap in education, public, and heritage buildings. Larger scale than Tennent Brown but comparable in commercial and institutional design.

Direct peers

• Fearon Hay Architects: New Zealand design-forward architecture practice with similar scale, comparable high-end residential and hospitality work, and a shared awards record (NZIA National Awards). Direct peer in NZ boutique architecture market.
• Athfield Architects: Wellington-based architecture practice with similar size and a long-standing reputation across commercial, residential, public, and cultural projects. Directly comparable to Tennent Brown across service mix and Wellington market presence.
• Studio Pacific Architecture: Wellington-based architecture practice with similar size and a strong portfolio in civic, cultural, and public architecture. Direct peer in Wellington market for institutional and government commissions.
• RTA Studio: New Zealand architecture practice with comparable scale and a recognized portfolio in sustainability-led public and community architecture. Directly comparable in award-winning small firm segment.
• Bossley Architects: Auckland-based architecture firm with similar scale and a comparable portfolio across public art galleries, civic, and residential work. Direct peer in NZ boutique architecture with strong NZIA award record.

Regional players

• Breathe Architecture: Australian architecture practice with a strong sustainability and regenerative design focus comparable to Tennent Brown's LBC orientation. Not a direct competitor (different geography) but highly relevant peer on sustainability credentials.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/tennentbrownarchitects
• Instagraminstagram.com/tennentbrown
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/tennent-brown-architects-ltd

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 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 Tennent Brown Architects