What CO-AP (Architects) does

CO-AP (Architects) is a boutique architectural practice founded in 2005 in Sydney, Australia, by Will Fung and Charles Markell, with Tina Engelen joining as co-principal in 2007 before transitioning to Honorary Designer in 2025. The firm operates as a design-led studio of approximately 6-8 professionals, delivering architectural services across residential (houses, alterations and additions), multi-residential (townhouses, terraces, apartments, mixed-use), educational (childcare centres), commercial/retail (showrooms, hospitality), and public/cultural (pavilions, biennale installations, sculpture gardens) typologies. Core technical expertise includes sustainable design (Passivhaus principles, photovoltaic arrays, rainwater harvesting, reclaimed materials), adaptive reuse and heritage conservation, and contemporary architectural design; the practice holds carbon neutral certification (NO CO2 #NC419).

The business model is professional services fee-based, with revenue generated through project-by-project architectural commissions acquired via design excellence competitions, developer referrals, and reputation-driven direct engagements. Distribution is single-country domestic across Australian states (NSW, Victoria, ACT, South Australia), with project acquisition through competitive tenders (City of Sydney, AIA awards) and repeat developer relationships (notably Mirvac for Green Square Site 15, a $160M mixed-use development). The firm competes on design quality, sustainability credentials, and award recognition rather than price, with 25+ industry awards across AIA, IDEA, Houses Awards, Eat Drink Design, and Dulux Colour Awards validating its positioning. CO-AP is founder-owned, privately held, with no external investment, operating from a single studio at Darlinghurst NSW.

Name

CO-AP (Architects)

Legal name

CO-AP (Architects)

Website

https://co-ap.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

CO-AP is a Sydney-based boutique architectural practice founded in 2005, delivering design services across residential, multi-residential, educational, commercial, and public typologies to homeowners, developers, government, and childcare operators across Australia, with recognized expertise in sustainable design, heritage conservation, and award-winning architectural competitions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Darlinghurst

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Architectural Design Services: Professional architectural services including design, documentation, and project oversight for residential, commercial, educational, and public projects. Revenue is generated through design fees based on project scope and complexity.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

CO-AP is a boutique architectural practice providing professional design services across residential, multi-residential, commercial, educational, and public typologies. The firm delivers architectural design, documentation, and project oversight with specializations in sustainable design (Passivhaus principles), adaptive reuse and heritage conservation, contemporary residential design, and purpose-built educational facilities.

Product overview

CO-AP (Architects) is an architectural practice established in 2005 offering design services across multiple building typologies. The firm's portfolio includes: Houses (standalone residential projects), Housing (multi-residential developments including townhouses, apartments, and terraces), Educational Architecture (childcare centres and schools), Commercial/Retail (showrooms, hotels, hospitality venues), Public Projects (installations, pavilions, and civic spaces), and Competition Entries. Projects range from small residential alterations to large-scale mixed-use developments, often incorporating sustainable design principles, heritage conservation, and collaboration with other design practices and landscape architects.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Rouse Hill Childcare A 154-place childcare centre in north-west Sydney featuring tilt-up concrete construction, green roof, circular skylights, and extensive landscaped playgrounds. Designed for early childhood education operators.
• Lidcombe Childcare A 36-place childcare centre on a residential corner site featuring terraced gardens, outdoor playspaces, semi-basement parking, and a veil facade of timber, face-brick, and concrete.
• Camperdown Childcare An 80-place childcare centre inserted into a former industrial warehouse in Sydney's inner west, featuring natural materials, pop-up clerestory windows, and modularized fabrication system.
• Green Square Site 15 A $160 million, 34,896 sq.m mixed-use development with 323 residences in Green Square Town Centre, designed in collaboration with Smart Design Studio for Mirvac. First Australian residential project seeking WELLv2 Building Standard Certification.
• National Sculpture Garden National Gallery of Australia sculpture garden design featuring seven distinctive landscape gardens celebrating Australian bio-diversity, a pavilion structure, and reflection pond. Winning entry from a multidisciplinary team.
• Jacka Crescent Townhouses Three townhouses on a sloping Canberra site using off-form and precast concrete with bronze anodised aluminium cladding, staggered across topography around courtyard gardens.
• Portman Street Terraces Four four-bedroom terrace houses on former chocolate factory site in Zetland featuring pre-cast concrete, raw finish referencing industrial heritage, and terrazzo kitchens.
• Birdhaus A single-storey two-bedroom Passivhaus-inspired dwelling featuring reclaimed materials, 20kL rainwater harvesting, substantial photovoltaic array, and wildlife-attracting landscape design.
• Moreton Manor Restoration and transformation of Victorian Italianate mansion 'Scarba' (c.1880s) in Bondi into 'The Moreton' residential development, balancing heritage preservation with contemporary additions.
• Beauty Point House A two-storey house integrated into Sydney School design principles, nestled among mature trees on Mosman waterfront with split-level design following natural topography.
• Dedece Melbourne A showroom housed in a former goods warehouse featuring T-shaped mezzanine, corner window bays, and contrasting material palettes for Minotti and Knoll brands.
• Adelaide Festival Pavilion A temporary pavilion for Adelaide Festival events featuring scaffolding kit-of-parts, modular fabric facade, and dynamic projected lighting.

Quantifiable outcome

• 323 residences delivered in Green Square development
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Studio JEFcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMultidisciplinary design team member for NGA National Sculpture Garden competition winning team. Studio JEF led the winning consortium including CO-AP, TARN, and Plus Minus Design.
• TARNcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPart of the winning multidisciplinary team for NGA National Sculpture Garden Design Competition.
• Plus Minus DesigncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPart of the winning multidisciplinary team for NGA National Sculpture Garden Design Competition.
• Smart Design StudiocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with Smart Design Studio on Green Square Site 15 mixed-use development with Mirvac.
• MirvaccoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDeveloper client for Green Square Site 15 - a $160 million mixed-use development. Also collaborated on Moreton Manor project.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Market position

Strengths4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/CoAparchitects
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/co-ap-architects-
• Instagraminstagram.com/coaparchitects

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 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 CO-AP (Architects)