KAMEN

What KAMEN does

KAMEN, legally operating as Ateliers Kamen, is a multidisciplinary architecture, urban planning, engineering, and project management practice founded in 2020 by architect-urbanist Thierno SOW and engineer Ibrahima DIALLO. The firm operates from offices in Conakry, Guinea and Dakar, Senegal, delivering an integrated service model in which architectural conception, urban design, multidisciplinary technical engineering (structural, civil, electrical, plumbing, HVAC), and owner representation (assistance a maitrise d'ouvrage) are developed jointly from project inception — a delivery approach modeled on Anglo-Saxon integrated practices and uncommon in West African markets where these disciplines are typically siloed.

The firm's core technology and methodology centers on three differentiated elements: an integrated project delivery model that co-constructs architectural, urban and technical dimensions together; applied research and prototyping on sustainable construction using locally available materials (earth, straw, wood) as substitutes for concrete, aimed at affordable and low-carbon housing; and an iterative design process drawing on field experimentation through renovation and rehabilitation projects. Underpinning all three is a documented design philosophy — decolonial African urbanism — that engages informal urban dynamism, self-construction, and the articulation of local materials and traditional know-how, rather than importing Western planning templates.

KAMEN serves two parallel client segments: the public sector (government ministries, municipalities, and public development agencies in Senegal and Guinea seeking urban housing, public buildings, and infrastructure) and the private sector (developers, corporations, and real estate investors requiring residential, commercial, and mixed-use design and engineering). The firm acquires clients through direct engagement, project tenders, and professional referrals, with no public pricing or rate card; revenue is generated entirely through negotiated professional service fees on a project-by-project basis. The firm is privately held by its two founders with no disclosed external investment.

Name

KAMEN

Legal name

KAMEN

Website

https://ateliers-kamen.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

KAMEN is an integrated architecture, urban planning, engineering, and project management practice serving public sector clients and private developers across Guinea and Senegal with a decolonial African urbanism methodology and applied research into local-material construction.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Architectural and Engineering Services

NAICS

Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services (5413)

SIC

Services-Engineering Services (8711), Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Engagement & Participatory Planning (BPAHAKAO)

akta.pro secondary industry

Urban & Regional Planning (Land Use, Zoning, Master Planning) (BPAIANAD)

Keywords

• Architectural design services
• Urban planning
• Engineering consulting
• Project management
• Sustainable construction

Headquarters

HQ city

Conakry

HQ country

Guinea

Offices2 records

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: Fees charged for architectural conception — including residential, tertiary, institutional, industrial buildings and public facilities — from schematic design through construction supervision.
2. Urban Planning and Territorial Advisory: Engagements for urban planning, neighborhood design, land development, and public space programming, billed as professional service contracts.
3. Engineering and Technical Consulting: Structural, civil, electrical, plumbing, and HVAC engineering services, provided as part of integrated project delivery or standalone technical mandates.
4. Project Management and Owner Representation (AMO): Assistance a maitrise d'ouvrage services including feasibility studies, program structuring, real estate operation setup, and complex project management from strategy through delivery.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

KAMEN is an integrated architecture, urbanism, and engineering practice operating in Guinea and Senegal. It provides architectural design (residential, commercial, institutional, industrial, public buildings and rehabilitation), urban planning and territorial development, multidisciplinary technical engineering (structural, civil/VRD, electrical, plumbing, HVAC), and project management/owner assistance (AMO) services. Service mandates are billed as professional-service contracts to public-sector masters of work (government, municipalities) and private developers, with disciplines co-designed from project inception rather than delivered in silos.

Product overview

KAMEN is an integrated architecture, urban planning, and engineering consultancy offering a unified service model where architectural, urban, and technical dimensions are developed together from project inception. The company operates across four interconnected service lines: Architecture & Design (building conception and architectural services), Villes & Territoires (urban planning and territorial development), Ingénierie (multidisciplinary technical engineering), and Conseils & Management (project management and owner assistance). Rather than separate software products or modules, KAMEN's offering is a service-based practice combining these disciplines in an integrated approach modeled after Anglo-Saxon practices, serving both public and private clients in Guinea and Senegal.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Architecture & Design Architectural design services for residential, commercial, institutional, industrial, and public buildings, including interior design, facade design, rehabilitation of existing structures, and architectural visualization, delivered to public and private clients in Guinea and Senegal.
• Villes & Territoires (Cities & Territories) Urban planning and territorial development services including urban planning strategies, neighborhood design, land development, public space landscaping, and territorial programming studies, delivered to public authorities and private developers in Guinea and Senegal.
• Ingénierie (Engineering) Multidisciplinary engineering services covering structural engineering, VRD (roads and utilities), electrical engineering, plumbing, HVAC systems, and technical coordination for building projects, provided as part of integrated project mandates or standalone technical commissions in Guinea and Senegal.
• Conseils & Management (Advisory & Management) Project management and consultancy services including owner assistance (AMO / assistance à maîtrise d'ouvrage), feasibility studies, real estate development structuring, complex project management, and construction supervision, delivered to public and private clients in Guinea and Senegal.

Quantifiable outcome

• Approximately 70% of households in Senegal and Guinea rely on self-construction, representing the dominant housing delivery model and the primary addressable market for KAMEN's accompaniment approach

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Tropism (Architecture & Design): Dakar-based architecture and design studio operating in Senegal. Directly comparable as a contemporary Senegalese/West African architecture practice serving both private and institutional clients in the same geographic market.
• Kéré Architecture: Burkina Faso-founded, Berlin-based architecture firm led by Pritzker Prize–winning Diébédo Francis Kéré. Most direct peer given shared African-rooted, locally material-driven, socially engaged design philosophy applied to buildings and public infrastructure in West Africa.
• Adjaye Associates: London-based practice founded by Sir David Adjaye, with significant portfolio across West Africa and the African diaspora. Closely comparable integrated architecture and urbanism work targeting cultural, public, and residential commissions.

Broad incumbents

• Artelia: France-based international engineering and project management group (former employer of co-founder Ibrahima DIALLO). Competes with KAMEN on the integrated engineering and project management services in francophone West Africa.
• Arup: Global engineering and design firm with strong presence in Africa. Relevant peer for the engineering and technical-consulting component of KAMEN's integrated offering, particularly on complex building and infrastructure mandates.
• AECOM: Global architecture, engineering, and infrastructure consultancy with active West African public-sector mandates. Competes with KAMEN on integrated design-engineering delivery, particularly for donor-financed programs.
• Worley: Global engineering and project delivery firm operating across African energy, infrastructure, and urban sectors. Comparable as a broad incumbent whose integrated services overlap with KAMEN's engineering and project management streams.

Emerging players

• MASS Design Group: Architecture and research practice with deep African operations (notably Rwanda) focused on mission-driven, contextually responsive design. Comparable mission orientation and applied-research methodology, though geographically distinct.
• Studio-MLA / MASS & MASS: Emerging practices combining landscape architecture, urbanism, and socially engaged design. Comparable in scope (urban + landscape + built form) and decolonial/mission orientation, though operating in different geographies.

Regional players

• Co-Design Studio: Cape Town-based urban design and research studio focused on African informal-city dynamics. Closely comparable thematic and methodological overlap—urban planning, informal-settlement strategy, and contextual African urbanism—though primarily active in Southern Africa.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ateliers-kamen

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 KAMEN