WE Architecture
WE Architecture is a Copenhagen-based architecture studio of 10-15 people designing sustainable timber and circular-construction projects, primarily for Danish social housing organizations, municipalities, and public-sector clients across Denmark.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2008
- HeadquartersCopenhagen, Denmark
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What WE Architecture does
WE Architecture is a Copenhagen-based architecture studio operating since approximately 2008-2009 with a team of 10-15 people, founded by Mette Tony and Mads Mandrup Hansen. The firm delivers professional architectural services across housing, education, culture, healthcare, sport, and workplace projects in Denmark, serving primarily Danish social housing organizations (KAB, Domea, Boligselskabet Sjælland, AL2bolig) and municipalities (Esbjerg, Rødovre, Holbæk, Assens, Guldborgsund), with secondary work for private clients.
The studio has built a distinctive technical profile around sustainable construction methods, including timber structures using CLT and Accoya, Design for Disassembly (DfD), circular-economy material reuse, the proprietary Paper Factor recycled-paper-panel system, and a rhomboidal wood structural system. Project outcomes are documented with quantified sustainability metrics — for example, the DBU Training Facilities at 0.38 kg CO2e/m²/year and Svinninge Børnehus achieving DGNB Gold — and the firm pursues research collaborations with Realdania, Dreyers Fund, the Danish Ministry of By, Bolig og Landdistrikter, Movia, and the Danish Architecture Center (DK2050 program).
The business operates on project-based professional fees generated through architectural competitions, public tenders, and multi-year framework agreements, with a sales-led go-to-market targeting the Danish public and semi-public sector. Strategic partnerships with AART, LINK Arkitektur, OOPEAA, Snøhetta, and JaJa Architects are used to access larger projects (e.g., the Jernbanebyen urban regeneration with Snøhetta). Recognition includes the 2019 WAN Bronze Medal, two Børsen Gazelle awards (2008, 2019), Renoverprisen nomination (2022), and Guldborgsund Kommunes Arkitekturpris (2019). Geographic focus is exclusively Denmark.
WE Architecture firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- WE Architecture
- Legal name
- WE Architecture
- Website
- https://we-a.dk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2008
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- WE Architecture is a Copenhagen-based architecture studio of 10-15 people designing sustainable timber and circular-construction projects, primarily for Danish social housing organizations, municipalities, and public-sector clients across Denmark.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
WE Architecture industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Architectural Services
- NAICS
- Architectural Services (54131), Architectural Services (541310), Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services (5413), Interior Design Services (54141), Landscape Architectural Services (54132)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Architectural Design Services (BPAHAKAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Interior Design Services (BPAHAKAB), Landscape Architecture & Site Design (BPAHAKAC), Community Engagement & Participatory Planning (BPAHAKAO)
Keywords
Where WE Architecture is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Copenhagen
- HQ country
- Denmark
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
WE Architecture business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others
Revenue model
- Architecture and Design Consulting: WE Architecture generates revenue through professional architecture and design consulting fees on commissioned projects. Revenue is project-based and earned as projects progress through design, planning, and construction phases. Projects span public sector (municipalities, cultural institutions), social housing organizations, and private clients. The firm acts as lead architect and/or total consultant (totalrådgivning) on most engagements.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
WE Architecture product offering
Product offeringCore offering
WE Architecture is a Copenhagen-based architecture studio providing professional architecture, urban planning, and design services across residential, education, healthcare, cultural, office/retail, and urban planning sectors. The firm delivers projects as lead architect or totalrådgivning (total consultant), with deep specialization in sustainable timber construction, Design for Disassembly, circular material reuse, and regenerative design. It supplements project delivery with research-driven initiatives such as Paper House, Station Cities Denmark, DK2050, and Multiskift.
Product overview
WE Architecture is an architecture studio offering comprehensive architectural services organized into five core practice areas: Residential, Education and Healthcare, Culture, Urban Planning and Landscaping, and Offices and Retail. The studio also conducts dedicated research through initiatives like Paper House (sustainable paper-based building materials), Station Cities Denmark (small city revitalization), DK2050 (future urban scenarios), and Multiskift (mobility hub transformation). The practice emphasizes collaboration, social responsibility, and environmental sustainability across all project types, from affordable youth housing to cultural institutions to large-scale urban master plans.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Residential Architecture Services
- Education and Healthcare Architecture Services
- Cultural Architecture Services
- Urban Planning and Landscape Design Services
- Offices and Retail Architecture Services
- Architectural Research and Innovation Initiatives
Quantifiable outcome
- Bavnehøj Youth Housing achieved a warm, dynamic, and sustainable environment with 40 one-room apartments (38-45 m2) using Accoya timber certified FSC, Cradle to Cradle Gold, and Nordic Swan Ecolabel with a 50-year warranty.
- +5 more outcomes
Companies that use WE Architecture
Customer profileNamed customers18 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
WE Architecture technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
WE Architecture partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.
- AART (formerly Mangor & Nagel)coreWE Architecture has a well-established partnership with AART architects (formerly Mangor & Nagel), collaborating on multiple projects including Vinge (major urban development), KAB framework agreements, and Generationernes Fredriksberg. The partnership combines AART's experience with general construction and WE's more recently established design studio approach, creating a strong competitive team for Danish housing projects.
- OOPEAAcoreWE Architecture partnered with OOPEAA (Office for Peripheral Architecture) for the Ørestad Church competition, combining their expertise for the church, chapel, bell tower, and cultural center project in Copenhagen.
- Snøhetta OslomajorWE Architecture was part of Team Snøhetta (Snøhetta Oslo, Space Syntax Limited, Burkhard Horn, Nature360, Transsolar) prequalified for the Jernbanebyen parallel competition — one of the biggest post-industrial areas in central Copenhagen (365,000 m2).
- Space Syntax LimitedminorPart of the Jernbanebyen team, providing mobility planning and urban design analysis as part of the parallel competition for Copenhagen's post-industrial railway district.
- LINK ArkitekturcoreWE Architecture collaborated with LINK Arkitektur on Rødovre Town Hall 'Samklang' (11,590 m2), working together to interpret and extend Arne Jacobsen's legacy in the new municipal building.
- Danish Architecture Centre (DAC)coreWE Architecture collaborated with DAC on multiple research and exhibition projects including the DK2050 research project (led by DAC exploring sustainable futures for Danish cities by 2050), DAC Exhibition at BLOX, and various publications on sustainable urban development.
- RambøllcoreWE Architecture frequently collaborates with Rambøll as engineering partner on major projects including Krebsestien, DK2050 research, and Generationernes Fredriksberg. Rambøll provides structural and civil engineering expertise across projects.
- MASU PlanningcoreWE Architecture collaborated with MASU Planning on multiple projects including Generationernes Fredriksberg (landscape architecture) and Courtyard of A-House (as totalrådgivning lead). MASU provides landscape and urban planning services.
- ByMUNCHcoreByMUNCH Landscape collaborated with WE Architecture on Kulturkajen Assens project as landscape architect, creating the harbor plaza and public outdoor spaces connecting the former town hall to the harbor.
- Paper FactorminorWE Architecture partnered with Italian manufacturer Paper Factor for the Paper House research project, developing modular building panels from recycled paper and cellulose fibers that are flame-resistant, water-resistant, and can mimic stone or terracotta.
- Kairos FutureminorKairos Future collaborated with WE Architecture on the DK2050 research project, providing futures studies and scenario development expertise for exploring sustainable urban futures in Denmark.
- JaJa ArchitectscoreWE Architecture partnered with JaJa Architects on the Gellerup Masterplan, a major urban transformation project in Brabrand, Aarhus. The project aims to transform one of Denmark's most socially challenged urban areas through densification, renovation, and introduction of diverse housing typologies.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
WE Architecture competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- AART: Danish architecture firm collaborating with WE Architecture on Vinge, KAB framework, and Generationernes Fredriksberg — overlapping service portfolio in social housing, urban planning, and sustainable design.
- EFFEKT: Danish architecture and research studio focused on sustainable, data-driven, and socially engaged design — operates in the same niche of regenerative and community-centered architecture as WE Architecture.
- Cobe: Copenhagen-based architecture firm with a parallel focus on sustainable urban design, social housing, and community-driven public projects — most directly comparable Danish peer to WE Architecture in scale and typology.
- KHR Arkitekter: Danish architecture firm working across housing, education, healthcare and cultural sectors with sustainability commitments — competes in similar Danish public competitions and framework agreements.
- Dorte Mandrup: Copenhagen-based architecture studio renowned for context-sensitive and sustainability-driven public and cultural buildings — closely matches WE Architecture's emphasis on material authenticity and award-winning competition work.
- Vandkunsten: Copenhagen cooperative architecture firm with a long-standing focus on social housing, sustainability, and community engagement — competes for the same Danish public-housing and framework commissions.
Broad incumbents
- 3XN: Established Danish architecture firm with deep sustainability focus across cultural, civic, and housing typologies — broader portfolio and global footprint than WE Architecture but overlapping client base.
- Schmidt Hammer Lassen: Major Danish architecture firm working on cultural, civic, and residential projects with sustainability at the core — competes in the same Danish public competition landscape.
- Henning Larsen (Rambøll): Now part of Rambøll, Henning Larsen is one of Scandinavia's leading architecture brands with global reach — competes for the same large-scale Danish public commissions and sustainability-led briefs.
- BIG (Bjarke Ingels Group): Major Danish architecture firm with global scale — competes for the same Danish public commissions and shares a sustainability-oriented design ethos, but operates at vastly larger scale and international reach.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
WE Architecture social profiles
Digital presenceWE Architecture financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
WE Architecture leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles10 records
WE Architecture funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
WE Architecture 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 WE Architecture
What does WE Architecture do?
WE Architecture is a Copenhagen-based architecture studio providing professional architecture, urban planning, and design services across residential, education, healthcare, cultural, office/retail, and urban planning sectors. The firm delivers projects as lead architect or totalrådgivning (total consultant), with deep specialization in sustainable timber construction, Design for Disassembly, circular material reuse, and regenerative design. It supplements project delivery with research-driven initiatives such as Paper House, Station Cities Denmark, DK2050, and Multiskift.
Is WE Architecture a public or private company?
WE Architecture is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was WE Architecture founded?
WE Architecture was founded in 2008. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is WE Architecture based?
WE Architecture is headquartered in Copenhagen, Denmark, in the Europe region.
How does WE Architecture make money?
One revenue line is on record: architecture and Design Consulting.
Who are WE Architecture's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are AART, EFFEKT, Cobe, KHR Arkitekter, Dorte Mandrup and Vandkunsten. Broad incumbents are 3XN, Schmidt Hammer Lassen, Henning Larsen (Rambøll) and BIG (Bjarke Ingels Group).
Does WE Architecture have an API?
No public API is recorded for WE Architecture.
What industry is WE Architecture in?
WE Architecture's product category is Architectural Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAHAKAA, Architectural Design Services, with a secondary code of BPAHAKAB, Interior Design Services. Its NAICS code is 54131.