Architekturbüro Paul Böhm

What Architekturbüro Paul Böhm does

Architekturbüro Paul Böhm GmbH is a fourth-generation, family-owned architecture practice headquartered in Köln, Germany, tracing its origins to the firm founded by Dominikus Böhm in 1921. The current owner, Prof. Paul Böhm, took over leadership in 2001 following the era of his father Gottfried Böhm (Pritzker Prize 1986, the first German recipient). The firm operates a single office in Köln and delivers architectural design services across five verticals: religious institutions (churches, mosques, community centers), educational facilities, commercial retail, public government, and residential projects. Notable commissions include the DITIB Zentralmoschee Köln, the Evangelisches Gemeindezentrum Berlin Biesdorf, the Seminargebäude Universität zu Köln, Peek & Cloppenburg department stores in Wuppertal and Berlin, the Hans-Otto-Theater Potsdam, and the Jame'unnas Culture Complex in Dammam, Saudi Arabia.

The firm constructs its projects using industry-standard software tools (Revit, AutoCAD, Photoshop) and develops what it describes as "personal architecture for people, place, and specific use," characterized by sculptural forms combining concrete, steel, and glass. There is no proprietary technology platform, software product, or AI capability — the offering is purely design-led professional services. Internally, the firm is structured with a Managing Director (Geschäftsführer) Johannes Beeh handling operations, Paul Böhm as owner, and Maria Bienefeld leading public relations, alongside a broader team of architects and designers.

The business model is project-based professional services billed under Germany's HOAI fee regulations (Honorarordnung für Architekten und Ingenieure). Go-to-market is sales-led and executed through two primary channels: winning open architectural competitions (Realisierungswettbewerbe) for public and institutional clients, and securing direct commissions for residential and smaller commercial projects via reputation and referral. Customer segments are diverse — government, religious nonprofits, universities, and retail enterprises — with no single client dominating. The firm has no external investors, no funding rounds, and no parent company, maintaining full operational independence as a private GmbH.

Name

Architekturbüro Paul Böhm

Legal name

Architekturbüro Paul Böhm GmbH

Website

https://boehmarchitektur.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1921

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Architekturbüro Paul Böhm is a fourth-generation, family-owned architecture firm in Köln, Germany, delivering sculptural design services across religious, educational, commercial, public, and residential buildings, with a portfolio spanning Germany and Saudi Arabia.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Architectural Services

NAICS

Architectural Services (54131), Architectural Services (541310)

SIC

General Bldg Contractors - Residential Bldgs (1520)

akta.pro primary industry

Architectural Reconfiguration & Structural Alterations (HSAPAEAB)

Keywords

• Architectural design services
• Sacred architecture design
• Urban planning services
• Building renovation design
• Competition architecture

Headquarters

HQ city

Köln

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Architectural Design Services: Project-based professional services revenue from architectural design, competitions, and urban planning commissions. Fees are regulated under HOAI (Honorarordnung für Architekten und Ingenieure).

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Architekturbüro Paul Böhm is a Cologne-based architecture firm providing full-service architectural design across religious, educational, commercial, public-administration, and residential buildings. The firm delivers competition entries, master planning, new construction, conversions, and adaptive reuse projects for institutional and private clients, with fees regulated under the German HOAI fee ordinance.

Product overview

Architekturbüro Paul Böhm is an architecture firm offering comprehensive architectural design services rather than a software product. The firm provides specialized design services across multiple building typologies including mosques and Islamic cultural centers (e.g., Zentralmoschee Köln), Catholic and Protestant churches (e.g., Pfarrkirche St. Theodor, Evangelisches Gemeindezentrum Berlin Biesdorf), commercial retail buildings (e.g., Peek & Cloppenburg Wuppertal and Berlin), public administration facilities (e.g., Arbeitsamt Trier, Generaldirektion Deutsche Post), educational buildings (e.g., Seminargebäude Universität zu Köln), and residential housing (e.g., Wohnhaus Bonn, Zweifamilienhaus Köln-Braunsfeld, Konrad Quartier Neuss). The portfolio also includes theaters (Hans-Otto-Theater Potsdam), open-air stages (Freilichtbühne Gärten der Welt Berlin), and urban planning concepts (Neue Mitte Köln, Synagogue reconstruction in Hamburg). Projects range from new construction and competitions to conversions and adaptive reuse of existing structures.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Architectural Design Services

Quantifiable outcome

• Pritzker Prize 1986 - first German architect to receive this honor
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• JSWD Architekten GmbH & Co.KGcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Collaboration on Masterplan zum Wiederaufbau der Synagoge am Bornplatz in Hamburg competition, resulting in 4th prize in 2025.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• HPP Architekten: Established German architecture firm with strong public-sector, cultural, and commercial portfolios. Comparable to Paul Böhm in competing for institutional clients and large public commissions across Germany.
• Peter Zumthor: Swiss architect renowned for sacred and contemplative architecture (e.g., Bruder Klaus Field Chapel, Kolumba museum). Directly comparable niche to Paul Böhm's specialization in churches and sacred buildings.
• KSP Engel: German architecture firm with a broad portfolio across public, commercial, educational, and residential buildings. Comparable to Paul Böhm in competing for institutional and public-sector commissions in Germany.
• Barkow Leibinger: Berlin-based practice with strong portfolios in cultural, commercial, and public architecture. Comparable mid-sized German peer competing for similar cultural and public commissions.
• David Chipperfield Architects: Internationally renowned practice with landmark cultural and public projects including museum and sacred-space work. Comparable to Paul Böhm as a cultural/public architecture specialist with comparable design-led positioning.
• gmp Architekten: Major German architecture practice headquartered in Hamburg with a deep portfolio of public, cultural, religious, and sports venues. Direct comparable to Paul Böhm on civic, cultural, and large-scale public commissions in the German market.
• JSWD Architekten: Cologne-based practice active in cultural, public, and residential projects. Direct comparable as a regional German peer; the firm is also Paul Böhm's documented collaboration partner on the Hamburg Synagogue competition.
• Staab Architekten: Berlin-based practice recognized for museums, cultural buildings, and public architecture. Comparable to Paul Böhm in pursuing cultural and public-sector commissions and operating at a similar mid-sized scale in Germany.

Broad incumbents

• Foster + Partners: Global architecture incumbent with extensive public, cultural, and commercial portfolios. Overlaps with Paul Böhm in cultural and public-sector commissions but at materially larger scale and broader geographic footprint.

Regional players

• Hascher Jehle Architektur: Berlin-based practice with documented work in civic and cultural architecture. Comparable regional peer active in the German cultural/public sector, with portfolio overlap on institutional buildings.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/architekturbueropaulboehm
• Instagraminstagram.com/boehmarchitektur
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/architekturb%C3%BCro-paul-b%C3%B6hm

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Architekturbüro Paul Böhm