Helen & Hard
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1996
- HeadquartersStavanger, Norway
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
Helen & Hard firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Helen & Hard
- Legal name
- Helen & Hard
- Website
- https://helenhard.no
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1996
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Helen & Hard industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Architectural Services
- NAICS
- Architectural Services (54131)
- SIC
- General Bldg Contractors - Residential Bldgs (1520)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Custom Home Building (IMAFABAC)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Residential Luxury / High-End Home Construction (IMAFABAJ)
Keywords
Where Helen & Hard is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Stavanger
- HQ country
- Norway
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
Helen & Hard business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Architectural Design Services: Professional architecture services including master planning, architectural design, and construction site management for residential, commercial, cultural, and public buildings.
- Competition Winnings: Revenue from winning architectural competitions for public and private projects.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels7 records
Helen & Hard product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Helen & Hard is an architectural practice that designs buildings and urban environments with a specialization in timber construction. The firm provides master planning, architectural design, and construction site management services for residential, commercial, cultural, educational, and public buildings, applying a relational design methodology that integrates social, material, and ecological context. Its work spans new timber construction, transformation/reuse of existing structures, and parametric design processes, with the Gaining By Sharing subsidiary offering a co-living housing concept.
Product overview
Helen & Hard is an architectural practice offering a portfolio of services centered on timber architecture, transformation, social sustainability, and systemic design. Their core offering consists of architectural design services across multiple typologies (housing, offices, cultural buildings, educational facilities, public spaces) with timber as their primary material. Key named offerings include the Gaining By Sharing co-living model (a subsidiary company), the NEB-STAR partnership for New European Bauhaus initiatives, and the TRÆ (Timber) Network for knowledge sharing. They are recognized as leading timber architects in Scandinavia with numerous award-winning projects including Vennesla Library, Financial Park, and Vindmøllebakken.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Gaining By Sharing: Co-living housing model developed by Helen & Hard together with Indigo Vekst and Gaia Trondheim, offering a sustainable alternative to standard commercial housing.
Products and services
- Timber Architecture Design Services Architectural design and master planning services for timber-based buildings across residential, commercial, cultural, educational, and public typologies. Serves municipalities, developers, and private clients.
- Transformation and Reuse Services Design services for the transformation, renovation, and adaptive reuse of existing buildings and structures to reduce embodied carbon, construction waste, and costs. Serves municipalities and private building owners.
- Master Planning and Urban Design Services Master planning and urban/regional design services focused on social sustainability and community engagement, creating places for people to interact in meaningful ways within neighborhoods.
- Gaining By Sharing Co-living Model Co-living housing concept developed as a subsidiary offering under Helen & Hard together with Indigo Vekst and Gaia Trondheim, providing a sustainable alternative to standard commercial housing.
Quantifiable outcome
- One of Europe's largest timber office buildings - The Financial Park (SR-Bank HQ)
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Helen & Hard
Customer profileNamed customers10 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Helen & Hard technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature5 records
Helen & Hard partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
15 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Skala ArchitecturecoreStrategic collaboration between two leading Scandinavian timber architecture firms. Norwegian Helen & Hard and Danish Skala Architecture form a strong partnership within wooden construction and creation of caring, creative, social communities. Established with long-term perspective and common interest in promoting wood as sustainable building material.
- NEB-STAR (New European Bauhaus Stavanger)coreStrategic partnership with the New European Bauhaus initiative, an EU creative project connecting the European Green Deal with living spaces. Stavanger is one of six lighthouse demonstrator cities. Partnership focuses on inclusive, aesthetic, sustainable urban development through social innovation.
- SAAHA (SAHAA architects)coreCollaboration with Oslo architects SAAHA on The Financial Park (SR-Bank Headquarters) competition, which they won together. One of Europe's largest all-wooden office buildings.
- Création HolzcoreSwiss timber engineering team responsible for innovative timber construction at The Financial Park and other projects. Collaboration on visible, innovative timber construction that inspires unique spatial experiences.
- Hermann BlumercoreSwiss engineer who invented the timber building system for Venice Biennale installation and I-Park project. Developed flexible, environmentally friendly modular timber system with solid wooden planks connected by beech dowels.
- Hermann BlumercoreTimber engineer who created the innovative hollow wooden box building element for I-Park. Boxes are prefabricated, hollow with structural sidewalls containing insulation and technical infrastructure.
- Indigo VekstminorCollaboration on developing the 'Gaining By Sharing' model - a co-living housing concept based on sharing principles showing how human, social, environmental and economic needs can be met sustainably.
- Gaia TrondheimminorPartnership with Indigo Vekst and Gaia Trondheim on the Gaining By Sharing housing model. Shows how human, social, environmental and economic needs can be met in a sustainable and symbiotic way.
- Norsk OljemuseumminorCollaboration on Geopark playground project - a playground of transformed oil industry technology representing Stavanger's transition from oil-fuelled past to sustainable future.
- Danish Architecture Center (DAC)minorExhibition of Body and Mind Spa timber pavilion mock-up at Danish Architecture Center for the 'Women in Architecture' exhibition 2022. Collaboration with distributed academic-industry team.
- NEB-STARcoreCollaboration with NEB-STAR and Site 4016 construction cluster to explore inclusive design processes and relational structures in urban development. Testing working methods with Stavanger Urban Folkehøgskole and Jåttå videregående skole.
- Ville VeierminorNon-profit organization using art-based and creative methods to strengthen mental health and prevent social exclusion. Collaboration on drawing workshops for inclusive urban planning.
- PPAGminorAustrian experts in educational architecture partnered for Sauland New School closed competition project.
- Marina AbramovicminorCollaboration with performance artist on Body & Mind Spa project - a Hammam in wood for her summer house in Hudson, New York. Complex timber structure integrating crystals and organic design.
- Creation Holz / Blumer-LehmanncoreAdvanced metal joinery design collaboration for Samling building's exposed bearing structure, allowing small adjustments during building process.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Helen & Hard competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Snøhetta: Norwegian architecture firm with global reach and sustainability focus; comparable in Scandinavian roots and design ethos but operates at much larger scale across many typologies beyond timber.
- 3XN: Danish architecture firm with global reach and explicit focus on sustainable, timber-using buildings (e.g., mass-timber headquarters); comparable sustainability positioning but broader typology scope.
- Foster + Partners: Global architecture firm with explicit sustainability and timber innovation (e.g., Bloomberg European HQ, mass-timber projects); overlaps in competition-led GTM and signature public/commercial buildings.
- BIG (Bjarke Ingels Group): Danish-headquartered global architecture firm with strong Scandinavian identity and signature sustainability-focused projects; comparable cultural footprint and competition presence, though much larger scale.
- Schmidt Hammer Lassen Architects: Danish architecture firm with Scandinavian design heritage and major civic, cultural, and residential projects; comparable typology overlap and award profile.
- Henning Larsen Architects: Nordic architecture firm with strong sustainability profile (now part of Rambøll); comparable in Scandinavian design ethos and timber/sustainable building portfolio, though operates at much larger scale.
Direct peers
- White Arkitekter: Swedish architecture practice with strong sustainability and timber expertise across Nordic residential and public projects; directly comparable in regional focus, building typologies, and design ethos.
- Shigeru Ban Architects: Internationally recognized for innovative use of timber and unconventional materials in architecture; most directly comparable peer in material-driven design innovation and exhibition profile.
- Skala Architecture: Danish architecture practice specialized in timber and wood construction; Helen & Hard's explicit 2023 strategic partner, making them the closest comparable peer in size, material focus, and design philosophy.
Emerging players
- Cobe: Copenhagen-based architecture and urban design studio focused on socially sustainable buildings and urban development; comparable in social sustainability emphasis and Scandinavian roots.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Helen & Hard social profiles
Digital presenceHelen & Hard financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Helen & Hard leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
Helen & Hard subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Helen & Hard funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Helen & Hard M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Helen & Hard
What does Helen & Hard do?
Helen & Hard is an architectural practice that designs buildings and urban environments with a specialization in timber construction. The firm provides master planning, architectural design, and construction site management services for residential, commercial, cultural, educational, and public buildings, applying a relational design methodology that integrates social, material, and ecological context. Its work spans new timber construction, transformation/reuse of existing structures, and parametric design processes, with the Gaining By Sharing subsidiary offering a co-living housing concept.
Is Helen & Hard a public or private company?
Helen & Hard is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Helen & Hard founded?
Helen & Hard was founded in 1996. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Helen & Hard based?
Helen & Hard is headquartered in Stavanger, Norway, in the Europe region.
How does Helen & Hard make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Architectural Design Services are the primary driver. The others are competition Winnings.
Who are Helen & Hard's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Snøhetta, 3XN, Foster + Partners, BIG (Bjarke Ingels Group), Schmidt Hammer Lassen Architects and Henning Larsen Architects. Direct peers are White Arkitekter, Shigeru Ban Architects and Skala Architecture. Cobe is listed as an emerging player.
Does Helen & Hard have an API?
No public API is recorded for Helen & Hard.
What industry is Helen & Hard in?
Helen & Hard's product category is Architectural Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMAFABAC, Custom Home Building, with a secondary code of IMAFABAJ, Residential Luxury / High-End Home Construction. Its NAICS code is 54131 and its SIC code is 1520.