Van Heerden Design Studio

What Van Heerden Design Studio does

Van Heerden Design Studio Pty Ltd (trading as VHD Studio) is a private, founder-led boutique building design practice founded in 2016 and headquartered in Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia, with a second office opened in Brisbane (Milton) in 2024. The firm provides custom building design services across six core verticals: commercial, educational, industrial, interiors, multi-residential, and residential. Service delivery spans the full project lifecycle from schematic design and 3D concept modeling through to interior design documentation, construction documentation, BIM coordination, and principal consultancy including statutory approvals management and construction-phase RFI support.

VHD Studio's underlying technology is Building Information Modeling (BIM), used to coordinate live design, cost, and engineering data with civil engineers and construction teams for integrated project documentation. The firm holds Queensland Government prequalification (PQC Level 2), a QBCC building design licence, AUD $10M Professional Indemnity insurance, and AUD $20M Public Liability insurance, which collectively gate access to government and larger commercial engagements. Projects are acquired through direct client engagement, referrals, and industry recognition rather than outbound sales, with fees structured on a project-by-project basis. The customer base is concentrated in South East Queensland with named engagements extending to regional Queensland and Victoria, and includes repeat clients such as St Joseph's College Toowoomba and Blue Bull Consulting alongside one-off engagements for Kotzur, Enterprise Legal, Goondiwindi Cotton, and 4 Brothers Brewing. The firm has won Building Design Queensland State and Regional Design Awards annually since 2020, including a 2022 Commercial Design of the Year and a 2024 Master Builders National Excellence award for a renovation project.

Name

Van Heerden Design Studio

Legal name

Van Heerden Design Studio Pty Ltd

Website

https://vhdstudio.com.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

VHD Studio is a private, founder-led boutique building design practice based in Toowoomba and Brisbane, Queensland, delivering full-lifecycle custom design services across commercial, educational, industrial, interiors, multi-residential, and residential sectors using BIM coordination. It serves clients throughout South East Queensland and regional Australia.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Architectural and Building Design Services

NAICS

Architectural Services (541310), Architectural Services (54131), Interior Design Services (541410), Interior Design Services (54141)

akta.pro primary industry

Architectural Design Services (BPAHAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Interior Design Services (BPAHAKAB), Building Information Modeling (BIM) & Digital Design Services (BPAHAKAK), Space Planning & Workplace Design (BPAHAKAI)

Keywords

• Architectural design services
• Building design
• Residential design
• Commercial design
• Interior design

Headquarters

HQ city

Toowoomba

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Building Design Services: Professional services revenue generated from providing custom building design services across commercial, educational, industrial, interiors, multi-residential, and residential project types. Services span schematic design through to construction documentation and principal consultancy.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Van Heerden Design Studio is a boutique building design firm offering custom architectural and building design services across six specializations: Commercial, Educational, Industrial, Interiors, Multi Residential, and Residential. The firm handles all phases of the building design process from schematic design through to construction documentation and principal consultancy, using BIM coordination for integrated project delivery. Services are delivered from offices in Toowoomba and Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.

Product overview

Van Heerden Design Studio (VHD Studio) is a boutique building design studio offering custom architectural and building design services across South East Queensland. Their service portfolio consists of six core design specializations: Commercial Building Design, Educational Building Design, Industrial Building Design, Interior Design, Multi Residential Design, and Residential Building Design. These are delivered through a structured process encompassing Schematic Design (conceptual layouts, 3D modeling, artist impressions), Interior Design (finishes schedules, interior documentation), Construction Documentation (building documentation, consultant coordination, BIM coordination), and Principal Consultancy (consultant management, statutory approvals, construction phase support). The studio operates from offices in Toowoomba and Brisbane.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Commercial Building Design Custom commercial building design services including offices, retail spaces, commercial renovations, and office fitouts for commercial property owners, businesses, and developers.
• Educational Building Design Specialized design services for educational facilities including schools, early learning centres, colleges, and university buildings, for educational institutions and their capital project teams.
• Industrial Building Design Design services for industrial facilities including warehouses, manufacturing plants, centralised silo facilities, and bulky-goods buildings for industrial operators and manufacturers.
• Interior Design Interior design services including finishes schedules, interior design documentation, space planning, and commercial fitouts for commercial tenants and homeowners.
• Multi Residential Design Design services for multi-storey residential developments, multi-unit housing projects, and staff accommodation facilities for property developers, governments, and accommodation providers.
• Residential Building Design Custom residential design services including new homes, renovations, and extensions for individual homeowners and private builders.

Quantifiable outcome

• Commercial Design of the Year - 131 Margaret Street (BDQ 2022 State Awards)
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Hutchinson BuilderscoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerHutchinson Builders served as the construction contractor for the Kotzur industrial project at Charlton, Toowoomba. The project involved a centralised silo manufacturing facility with a 25.75m pitching height rear portion.
• Alliance Building & ConstructioncoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerAlliance Building & Construction was the builder for the 3 Burdekin Street Plainland industrial project (1,375m2, completed 2025), which won the 2025 BDQ Regional Design Awards Industrial Building Design category.
• Bryant Building ContractorscoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerBryant Building Contractors worked on the St Joseph's College Mary Rice Building project that won Public Building Design and Commercial Interiors awards at the 2025 BDQ South West Regional Design Awards.
• HNK Project Management Pty LtdcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerHNK Project Management served as project manager for the St Joseph's College Mary Rice Building project, winning awards at the 2025 BDQ South West Regional Design Awards.
• Schriek Building GroupcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerSchriek Building Group was the contractor for the 28 Neil Street Toowoomba commercial renovation project (620m2, completed 2024), which won Commercial Renovation at the 2025 BDQ State Design Awards.
• Lavish Constructions Pty LtdcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerLavish Constructions built Project KC17, which won New Home $1.5M-$2.5M at the 2025 BDQ South West Regional Design Awards.
• Woodvale BuildingcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerWoodvale Building completed Project WS4, which won Residential Renovation $750K-$1M at the 2025 BDQ South West Regional Design Awards.
• Tim Smith Constructions QueenslandcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerTim Smith Constructions Queensland won the National Renovations/Extensions Award ($750,000 to $1 Million) at the 2024 Master Builders National Excellence in Building and Construction Awards for a project designed by VHD Studio's Managing Director Craig van Heerden.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Cox Architecture: One of Australia's largest architectural firms with deep experience across commercial, education, residential and public projects. Represents the upper-end incumbent against which VHD Studio's design quality and regional brand are benchmarked.
• Hassell: Major Australian architectural practice with offices nationally and internationally, covering commercial, education, healthcare and interiors. Similar vertical mix to VHD Studio but with a much larger team and global footprint, setting the competitive benchmark for design quality.
• Architectus: Australian architecture and urban design practice with offices across Australia and New Zealand, working in commercial, education, transport and residential sectors. Comparable multi-vertical offering with broader geographic reach than VHD Studio.
• Warren and Mahoney: Australia/New Zealand architecture and interior design firm with strong education, commercial and interiors portfolios. Comparable service mix and design-led positioning, but at materially larger scale and brand reach.
• Conrad Gargett (now part of GHD): Heritage Australian architectural firm (now part of GHD) covering commercial, education, healthcare and heritage work. Comparable services but at a much larger scale, representing the type of incumbent that VHD Studio competes against on larger institutional projects.

Direct peers

• Place Design Group: Australian integrated design firm offering architecture, interior design and masterplanning across commercial, education, residential and industrial projects. Highly comparable to VHD Studio's full-scope building design services and similar vertical mix, with greater geographic spread.
• Blight Rayner: Brisbane-based architectural practice delivering commercial, education, residential and interiors projects across South East Queensland. Directly comparable on geography and the same multi-vertical design service model that VHD Studio pursues from its Toowoomba/Brisbane base.
• Architect George: Australian boutique architectural firm delivering residential, commercial and interiors projects with strong design credentials. Comparable boutique scale and design-quality positioning to VHD Studio, particularly in the residential and interiors verticals.

Emerging players

• ELENBERG FRASER: Melbourne-based design-led architecture and interiors practice with a strong residential, multi-residential and commercial interiors portfolio. Comparable interiors and multi-residential capability, particularly relevant to VHD Studio's award-winning interiors work.
• SHAC: Australian architectural practice with a strong multi-residential and commercial interiors focus. Closely comparable to VHD Studio's growing multi-residential and commercial interiors practice and award track record in those categories.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/vhd_studio
• Facebookfacebook.com/VHDStudio
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/van-heerden-desgin-studio

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 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 Van Heerden Design Studio