What NU Architecture & Design does

NU Architecture & Design is an award-winning international design studio headquartered in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, with additional offices in West Melbourne, Australia and Quatre Bornes, Mauritius. The studio operates across four design disciplines—architecture, interior, landscape, and product design—serving clients in hospitality, commercial, residential, mixed-use development, and adaptive reuse of heritage buildings with markets spanning Vietnam, Australia, the Middle East, Africa, and the United States. Its design philosophy centers on identity-based design, sustainability, and innovation, with each project shaped by the client's identity, values, and lifestyle rather than a predetermined studio signature; the name "NU" itself means "us" in Mauritian Creole, a tribute to co-founder Jonathan Ng Cheong Tin's mother tongue.

The studio's underlying technology is human-led design craft rather than a proprietary software platform; no technology stack, API, or software product is disclosed. Commercial delivery runs through direct client engagement with no intermediaries, channel partners, or marketplaces. Revenue is generated through project-based design fees tied to individual commissions, with pricing disclosed only per engagement. The studio's go-to-market is relationship-driven and project-based, emphasizing multinational cultural fluency and an inquiry-driven design process rather than a signature aesthetic. Marketing is executed primarily through architectural press coverage, targeted award submissions (VMARK, Archdaily BOTY, Ashui AOTY/IOFY, Big See, Dezeen Awards), and organic social media presence on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

Its named customer base includes projects such as TDX Ice Factory (adaptive reuse of a Vietnamese heritage ice factory), Bosgaurus Coffee Roasters — The Opera House and Bosgaurus Nexus (hospitality), The Sentry and The Sentry Z (green-certified corporate offices), Atelier 32-34 (adaptive reuse of a 19th-century Masonic hall), Terra Villa (residential), The Odd One Out (compact urban housing), Lusine Le Loi (hybrid retail-dining), The Running Bean Ben Thanh, N am O — Modern Italian, and the Eyelashes mixed-use development in District 3, HCMC. The firm is privately held, with no disclosed funding rounds, parent company, or subsidiaries.

Name

NU Architecture & Design

Legal name

NU Architecture & Design

Website

https://nu-uu.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

NU Architecture & Design is an award-winning international design studio operating across architecture, interior, landscape, and product design from offices in Vietnam, Australia, and Mauritius, serving hospitality, commercial, residential, and adaptive-reuse clients across Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Africa, Australia, and the United States.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Architecture and Interior Design Services

NAICS

Architectural Services (541310), Interior Design Services (54141), Landscape Architectural Services (54132), Industrial Design Services (541420)

akta.pro primary industry

Architectural Design Services (BPAHAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Interior Design Services (BPAHAKAB), Landscape Architecture & Site Design (BPAHAKAC), Industrial/Product & Furniture Design (BPAHAKAM)

Keywords

• Architecture design
• Interior design
• Adaptive reuse
• Hospitality design
• Residential design

Headquarters

HQ city

Ho Chi Minh City

HQ country

Vietnam

HQ region

Asia

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Architecture and Design Project Fees: Project-based commissions for architecture, interior, landscape, and product design services. Revenue is generated through design fees tied to individual client projects across diverse sectors including hospitality, commercial, residential, and adaptive reuse.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

NU Architecture & Design is an international design studio offering architecture, interior, landscape, and product design services. The studio delivers project-based commissions across hospitality, commercial, residential, mixed-use, and adaptive reuse sectors. Work is shaped by identity-based design principles, sustainability, and innovation rather than a signature aesthetic.

Product overview

NU Architecture & Design is an award-winning international design studio headquartered in Vietnam with offices in Australia and Mauritius. The studio offers a unified portfolio of design services spanning architecture, interior, landscape, and product design. Rather than imposing a signature aesthetic, the practice shapes outcomes through dialogue, context, and careful observation—guided by three core pillars: identity-based design, sustainability, and innovation. The studio's portfolio includes notable projects such as the award-winning TDX Ice Factory (adaptive reuse), Bosgaurus Coffee Roasters (hospitality), Terra Villa (residential), The Sentry Z (green office), and The Odd One Out (compact housing solution), among others. The studio operates across Australia, the Middle East, Africa, and the United States.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Architecture Services
• Interior Design Services
• Landscape Design Services
• Product Design Services

Named customers11 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Vo Trong Nghia Architects: Vietnam-based architecture studio known for sustainability-driven, award-winning work across residential, commercial, and adaptive reuse. Direct geographic and disciplinary peer to NU, with a similar Vietnam-headquartered boutique model.
• DKO Architecture: Melbourne-headquartered architecture practice with offices across Asia-Pacific, working across residential, hospitality, and commercial sectors. Comparable to NU in Australia-Asia geographic footprint and multi-disciplinary scope.
• WOW Architects: Singapore-based hospitality-focused architecture and interior design studio with award-winning international projects. Comparable to NU in boutique scale, hospitality focus, and design-award positioning.
• Neri&Hu Design and Research Office: Shanghai-based multi-disciplinary design practice spanning architecture, interior, and product design with strong international publication coverage and award recognition. Highly comparable to NU in scope, scale, and identity-driven design philosophy.
• Form4 Architecture: San Francisco-based boutique architecture and design studio with award-winning sustainability-focused work across commercial, hospitality, and residential sectors. Comparable to NU in boutique scale, sustainability focus, and design-award profile.
• Heatherwick Studio: London-based multi-disciplinary studio working across architecture, interior, and product design with an identity-driven, narrative-led approach. Comparable to NU in design philosophy and cross-disciplinary portfolio, though at a larger scale.
• Mia Design Studio: Vietnamese architecture and interior design studio recognized internationally for adaptive reuse and hospitality projects. Comparable to NU in geography, project mix, and boutique scale.

Broad incumbents

• Aedas: Global architecture firm with deep Asia-Pacific presence, operating across mixed-use, hospitality, commercial, and residential design. Overlaps with NU geographically and by project type, but at much larger scale as a broad incumbent.
• Foster + Partners: Global architecture firm with integrated interior, landscape, and product design capabilities across a wide portfolio. Operates in the same disciplines as NU but at vastly larger scale and broader market segment.
• Snøhetta: Norway-headquartered global design practice working across architecture, landscape, interior, and product design with strong publication presence. Comparable multi-disciplinary offering to NU but at significantly larger scale and broader geographic reach.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/NU.architecture.design
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/nu-architecture-design
• Instagraminstagram.com/nu.architecture.design

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 NU Architecture & Design