OAB Office of Architecture in Barcelona

What OAB Office of Architecture in Barcelona does

OAB (Office of Architecture in Barcelona) is a privately held architectural practice headquartered in Barcelona, Spain, founded in 1980 by Carlos Ferrater and operating as a Sociedad Limitada Profesional (SLP). With approximately 15 employees, the firm is structured as a boutique multi-disciplinary studio led by Carlos Ferrater alongside partners Xavier Martí, Lucía Ferrater, and Borja Ferrater. Its service portfolio spans architecture, interior design, urban planning, industrial design, graphic design, and architectural publishing.

The firm's revenue model is built on professional service fees tied to design commissions across hospitality, cultural, residential, and public-infrastructure sectors. Client concentration spans international luxury hospitality groups — notably Ian Schrager and Marriott's Edition brand (Barcelona Edition, Hotel Edition Madrid), Mandarin Oriental, Six Senses, and Maxx Royal Resorts — alongside Spanish corporates (Bon Preu, Caser Seguros, Castell d'Or, Tasaciones Hipotecarias) and public-sector institutions (Generalitat de Catalunya, Ministerio de Fomento, Autoritat Portuària de Barcelona). Pricing follows standard architectural fee structures, typically a percentage of construction value, with international projects commanding premium fees.

OAB has executed projects across Europe, Latin America, North America, Asia, and the Middle East, including the Kaplankaya Clubhouse in Turkey, the Museum of Modern Art in Almaty (Kazakhstan), the AA House in Mexico, the Castellón Auditorium, and the Tenerife Seafront. The firm has accumulated multiple industry recognitions including the 2025 CSCAE Spanish Architecture Awards, the A+ Awards Extraordinary Architecture Award (2022), ENR Best Global Residential and Tourism Project (2017), and nominations for the European Prize for Public Space (2024), with its work also documented in published monographs.

Name

OAB Office of Architecture in Barcelona

Legal name

OFFICE OF ARCHITECTURE IN BARCELONA, SLP

Website

https://ferrater.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1980

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

OAB is a Barcelona-based boutique architectural practice of 15 employees founded in 1980 by Carlos Ferrater, delivering architecture, interior design, urban planning, and publishing services to international luxury hospitality groups, Spanish corporates, and public-sector clients across Europe, the Americas, Asia, and the Middle East.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Architectural Design Services

NAICS

Architectural Services (54131), Interior Design Services (541410), Landscape Architectural Services (541320)

akta.pro primary industry

Architectural Design Services (BPAHAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Landscape Architecture & Site Design (BPAHAKAC)

Keywords

• Architectural design services
• Urban planning services
• Landscape architecture design
• Sustainable building design
• Cultural facility architecture

Headquarters

HQ city

Barcelona

HQ country

Spain

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Architecture and design services: OAB generates revenue through professional architecture and design services rendered on a project-by-project basis, including competition prizes, public commissions, and private hospitality and residential projects. Revenue is earned through design fees, project management, and consultancy services across facilities, hotels, residential, and landscape typologies.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

OAB provides complete architectural design services, from concept to delivery, across multiple building typologies including hotels, single-family and multi-housing residences, office buildings, cultural facilities (museums, libraries, botanical gardens, auditoria), landscape architecture, urban planning, and interior design. The practice is committed to build quality, cultural heritage of each site, technological innovation, and sustainability, with each commission delivered by the partner team.

Product overview

OAB Office of Architecture in Barcelona is an international award-winning architecture partnership offering architectural design services across multiple typologies including hotels, residential buildings, cultural facilities, landscape projects, and urban planning. The firm's portfolio encompasses projects of various scales across multiple countries including Spain, Turkey, Kazakhstan, France, Germany, Mexico, Morocco, and others. Key project types include hotels (such as The Barcelona Edition Hotel, Hotel Juan Carlos I, Kaplankaya Clubhouse), residential projects (AA House, Binisafua House), cultural facilities (Museum of Modern Art in Almaty, Barcelona Botanical Garden), and public/urban spaces. The firm was founded by Carlos Ferrater and later incorporated Xavier Martí, Lucía Ferrater, and Borja Ferrater. OAB operates from Barcelona and commits to build quality, cultural heritage, technological innovation, and sustainability in their projects.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Architectural Design Services (Multi-Typology) End-to-end architectural design services across all building typologies, from concept to delivery, for hotels, residences, cultural facilities, and corporate projects worldwide.
• Urban Planning Services Urban planning and large-scale public space design services, including waterfronts, promenades, and civic infrastructure.
• Landscape Architecture Services Landscape and public-park design services integrated with architectural projects and standalone landscape commissions.
• Interior Design Services Interior design services for hotels, restaurants, residential, and cultural facilities, including furniture, finishes, and lobby programming.

Quantifiable outcome

• LEED Gold sustainable certification achieved for Barcelona Edition Hotel through vented ceramic façade system
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers10 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

Feature5 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Ian Schrager / Edition HotelscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2014OAB designed The Barcelona Edition Hotel for Ian Schrager, the renowned hotelier who created New York's Studio 54 in the 1970s. The project involved complete rehabilitation of an existing office building in Barcelona's Ciutat Vella, constructing a new skin responsive to the urban context. OAB also designed the Hotel Edition Madrid for the same operator.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Caruso St John: London/Zurich-based boutique architecture firm working on cultural, residential, and hospitality projects at premium scales. Comparable to OAB in firm size, typology range, and design-led positioning in the luxury European architecture market.
• RCR Arquitectes: Catalan (Olot-based) boutique architecture studio founded by Rafael Aranda, Carme Pigem, and Ramon Vilalta; 2017 Pritzker Prize laureate. Most direct peer — same geography, similar boutique scale, comparable typology mix across cultural, hospitality, and residential commissions.
• EMBT (Enric Miralles Benedetta Tagliabue): Barcelona-based practice continuing Benedetta Tagliabue's work; known for cultural and public architecture (e.g., Santa Caterina Market). Comparable to OAB as a Barcelona-headquartered boutique firm with cultural/infrastructure typology emphasis.
• Peter Marino Architect: New York-based firm specialized in luxury retail, hospitality, and residential interiors for fashion and hospitality brands (Dior, Louis Vuitton, Edition Hotels). Comparable to OAB in serving the same luxury hospitality/residential client base.
• Studio Vincent Van Duysen: Antwerp-based practice combining architecture and interior design for high-end residential and hospitality clients (e.g., The Standard hotel projects). Comparable to OAB in integrated architecture + interior design delivery and luxury hospitality/residential focus.
• Studio MK27: São Paulo-based boutique studio led by Marcio Kogan, working across residential, hospitality, and cultural typologies in Latin America and globally. Comparable in firm size, premium positioning, and portfolio emphasis on tropical/Mediterranean residential and resort commissions.
• John Pawson: London-based studio renowned for minimalist residential, hospitality, and cultural interiors (e.g., Calvin Klein flagship, The Jaffa Hotel). Comparable to OAB in boutique scale and luxury hospitality/residential design authorship, though stylistically distinct.
• Arquitectura-G: Barcelona-based emerging practice led by Jonathan Arnabat and Jordi Urbea, working across residential, hospitality, and retail with similar Mediterranean-modernist design language to OAB at boutique scale.

Broad incumbents

• David Chipperfield Architects: Berlin/London-based internationally established practice with deep cultural and hospitality portfolio including the Neues Museum Berlin and Nobu hotels. Comparable typology focus but operates at significantly larger scale than OAB with a global office network.
• Kengo Kuma & Associates: Tokyo-based global practice with deep cultural and hospitality portfolio (e.g., V&A Dundee, Japan National Stadium). Comparable to OAB in typology mix and emphasis on craft/sustainability, but at significantly larger scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/OfficeofArchitectureinBarcelona
• Facebookfacebook.com/oabferrater
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/oab-ferrater
• Instagraminstagram.com/oab_ferrater

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 OAB Office of Architecture in Barcelona