What Penta Architecten does

Penta Architecten is an independent Dutch architecture bureau founded in late 1996 and headquartered in Harlingen, Friesland. The firm was established by five employees — the name "Penta" deriving from the Greek word for five — and is currently led by director André Achterbergh and architect-director Jan-Otto Schilstra, supported by a nine-person team of architects, BIM modelers, project leaders, and interior designers. Penta provides full-lifecycle architectural services spanning residential (single-family homes, apartments, farmhouses, senior and social housing), commercial and office, educational, recreational/hospitality, and municipal/civil projects, with documented work on new construction, renovation, transformation of existing buildings, and restoration of heritage structures including traditional Frisian farmhouses.

The firm's core technology is Building Information Modelling (BIM) using Autodesk Revit, deployed as a "3D Bouwwerk Informatie Model" that integrates constructors, installers, and suppliers into a single collaborative spatial model. This methodology underpins an offer that also includes sustainability consulting (with partners such as Ekwadraat for Greencalc+ calculations), heritage restoration, and end-to-end project management from concept through realization.

Commercially, Penta operates as a project-based professional services firm with quote-driven, multi-year contracts and no publicly disclosed pricing. Go-to-market is direct sales-led engagement with clients including regional housing corporations (notably WoonFriesland), commercial property developers (Boelens de Gruyter, Capital House, Consortium Noord BV, HCA), recreation operators (RCN), and multiple Friesland municipalities. Geographic focus is Friesland and adjacent provinces (Groningen, Flevoland, North Holland), with selected projects further afield in Amsterdam, Almere, Bussum, Vlieland, Terschelling, the Den Bosch region, Emmen, and Curaçao. The firm holds active BNA (Bond van Nederlandse Architecten) membership and has, over time, absorbed the archives of defunct regional practices including Ir. Fokke de Boer (2012) and AG-Nova Architekten Leeuwarden (2014).

Name

Penta Architecten

Legal name

Penta Architecten

Website

https://penta-architecten.nl

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Penta Architecten is a Harlingen-based Dutch architecture firm delivering full-service residential, commercial, educational, recreational, and municipal design across Friesland and adjacent provinces, using BIM/Revit and project-based professional services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Architectural Design Services

NAICS

Architectural Services (54131), Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services (5413), Drafting Services (541340)

SIC

Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

Architectural Design Services (BPAHAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Building Information Modeling (BIM) & Digital Design Services (BPAHAKAK), Civil & Structural Engineering Consulting (BPAHAIAA)

Keywords

• Architectural design services
• Building information modeling
• Sustainable architecture
• Heritage restoration
• Residential architecture

Headquarters

HQ city

Harlingen

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations

Revenue model

1. Architecture and Design Services: Professional architecture services covering design through project realization for residential, commercial, educational, recreational and municipal projects

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Penta Architecten is an architecture bureau that provides full-service architectural design covering residential, commercial, educational, recreational, municipal and civil projects from concept through realization. The firm uses BIM (Building Information Modelling) with Autodesk Revit to enable an integral design process in which constructors, installers and suppliers collaborate in a single 3D model. Services are supplemented by sustainability consulting, heritage restoration expertise, and full project management for both small and large-scale commissions.

Product overview

Penta Architecten is an architectural firm offering comprehensive design services for residential (woningen), commercial (kantoren/bedrijven), educational (onderwijs), recreational (recreatie), and civil infrastructure projects. The core offering combines architectural design with BIM services using Autodesk Revit, supplemented by sustainability consulting, heritage restoration expertise, and full project management from concept through delivery. The firm specializes in both new construction and transformation of existing buildings, with particular expertise in traditional Frisian architecture.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Architectural Design Services

Quantifiable outcome

• Reduced failure costs through optimized design process

Named customers7 records

Segments5 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 minor and core.

• AG-Nova Architekten Leeuwarden BVminorOthers · 1 June 2014Archive transferred to Penta Architecten in summer 2014 after the dissolution of AG-Nova Architekten. AG-Nova was once the largest architecture firm in Leeuwarden with about 30 employees, tracing roots to the 1920s.
• Ir. Fokke de Boer BV (Curator)minorOthers · 1 February 2012Acquired paper and digital archive and copyrights of Architectenbureau Fokke de Boer following the founder's death in 2011 and subsequent bankruptcy. The firm had operated for over 35 years.
• BNAcoreOthersActive member of BNA (Branch Organization for Architects). BNA represents the professional interests of architects in the Netherlands.
• Architectenbureau Wiebe HylkemaminorOthersArchive in management - firm based in Workum
• Architectenbureau WalingaminorOthersArchive in management - firm based in Sneek

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• LIAG architecten: Dutch architecture firm with offices across multiple regions. Comparable as a multi-sector Dutch architecture practice delivering residential, healthcare, education, and public projects of similar scope to Penta, at a similar mid-size scale.
• ZUS (Zones Urbaines Sensibles): Rotterdam-based Dutch architecture and urban planning practice. Comparable to Penta as a Netherlands-based architecture firm working on residential, public, and civic commissions with a regional Dutch focus.
• KRAFT Architecten: Dutch architecture firm working on residential, public, and commercial projects. Comparable to Penta in scope of services and regional Dutch market orientation.
• BDG Architecten: Dutch architecture firm with Northern Netherlands presence. Comparable as a similarly-sized Dutch architecture practice offering residential, commercial, and public-sector design across regional markets in the Netherlands.
• De Zwarte Hond: Mid-sized Dutch architecture firm with regional roots (Groningen). Highly comparable to Penta as a Northern-Netherlands-based architecture practice working across housing, public, and urban planning with a comparable studio scale and regional orientation.
• Wissing Architecten: Regional Dutch architecture firm. Comparable to Penta in being a Netherlands-based architecture practice delivering residential, commercial, and public commissions, with a similar regional, project-based operating model.
• AWG Architecten: Dutch architecture firm. Comparable to Penta in providing architecture services across residential, commercial, and public-sector projects within the Netherlands at a similar studio scale.

Broad incumbents

• KAAN Architecten: Dutch architecture firm with offices in Rotterdam and São Paulo. Comparable as a Netherlands-based architecture practice working across cultural, public, residential, and commercial sectors, though with broader international reach and larger project scale than Penta.
• MVRDV: Major Dutch architecture firm based in Rotterdam with broad international practice. Comparable as a Dutch full-service architecture practice, but operates at much larger scale across commercial, residential, and cultural projects globally rather than regionally.
• Mecanoo: Large, internationally recognized Dutch architecture firm based in Delft. Comparable as a Netherlands-headquartered architecture practice offering full-service design across residential, educational, cultural, and public-sector commissions, though at significantly larger scale and broader geographic reach than Penta.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/facebook
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/penta-architecten

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 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 Penta Architecten