What bez+kock architekten does

bez+kock architekten is a Stuttgart-based architectural practice founded in 2001 by Martin Bez and Thorsten Kock that delivers resource-conscious public, cultural, educational, residential, and administrative buildings across Germany, with selected international commissions in Austria, Tunisia, and Moldova. The firm operates as Bez + Kock Architekten Generalplaner GmbH and its 2006-established subsidiary Bez+Kock Generalplaner GmbH, employing approximately 60 architects with academic credentials from institutions including ETH Zurich, TU Delft, MIT, and the University of Stuttgart. Its business model is professional-services-led: commissions are won almost exclusively through public and private architectural competitions, with documented first-prize successes spanning museum and cultural-forum projects (Arnsberg, Bochum, Mannheim, Monheim), civic buildings (Holzwickede, Ulm, Essen, Rottenburg), educational campuses (Rinteln, Geisenheim, Regensburg, Essen, Miltenberg), and infrastructure (Police Station Calw, Dresden).

The underlying technology is the firm's integrated design methodology spanning urban design to detail, coordinated through the Generalplaner subsidiary to deliver full planning-to-construction oversight. The practice has built a recurring competition-win track record (Top 10 in the Baunetz ranking for print publications), an extensive awards portfolio including the EU Mies van der Rohe Award finalist designation (2022), German Design Award, and multiple BDA regional prizes, and a senior team with BDA membership, university lectureships, and city advisory-board appointments. Pricing is project-based through competition commissions and direct public-sector contracts; no disclosed fee schedule exists.

Geographically the firm is concentrated in nine German federal states (Baden-Württemberg, North Rhine-Westphalia, Bavaria, Hesse, Lower Saxony, Saarland, Saxony, Brandenburg, Schleswig-Holstein) plus Austria, Tunisia, and Moldova. Customer concentration is entirely on the public and non-profit sector, and the firm has no external investors, parent company, or funding rounds — ownership remains with the two co-founder Managing Directors.

Name

bez+kock architekten

Legal name

Bez + Kock Architekten Generalplaner GmbH

Website

https://bez-kock.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

bez+kock architekten is a Stuttgart-based architecture firm founded in 2001 that designs cultural, educational, administrative, residential, and civic buildings for public-sector and non-profit clients across Germany, with selected international commissions in Austria, Tunisia, and Moldova.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Architectural Design Services

NAICS

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

akta.pro primary industry

Architectural Design Services (BPAHAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Interior Design Services (BPAHAKAB), Architectural Reconfiguration & Structural Alterations (HSAPAEAB)

Keywords

• Architectural design services
• Cultural building design
• Educational facility architecture
• Sustainable public buildings
• General planning services

Headquarters

HQ city

Stuttgart

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Architecture and General Planning Services: Professional architecture services including design, planning, and general contractor coordination for public and private construction projects

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Bez+kock architekten provides architectural design and general planning services across five core sectors: cultural buildings (museums, theaters, concert halls), educational buildings (universities, schools, libraries), administrative buildings (office buildings, banks, city halls, embassies), residential buildings (housing estates, dormitories, single-family houses), and miscellaneous infrastructure (healthcare, transport). The firm operates an integrated design process from urban-scale concept to structural realization, with commissions primarily obtained by winning public and private architectural competitions, delivered by a team of approximately 60 architects.

Product overview

bez+kock architekten is an architectural firm offering comprehensive architectural design services as a unified service offering rather than a software product portfolio. Their work spans five core design sectors: Cultural Buildings (museums, theaters, concert halls), Educational Buildings (universities, schools, libraries), Administration Buildings (office buildings, banks, city halls, embassies), Residential Buildings (housing estates, dormitories), and Miscellaneous Infrastructure (healthcare, transport). The firm's approximately 60 architects primarily obtain commissions through winning architectural competitions. Notable named project portfolios include the Kulturraffinerie K714 cultural venue in Monheim, the Museum and Cultural Forum Arnsberg, the University of Applied Sciences for Beverage Technology campus in Geisenheim (with Lecture Hall Building, Logistics Laboratory, and BTC Beverage Technology Center), the Town Hall and Community Center Holzwickede, and various school projects including the Integrated Comprehensive School Rinteln, Georg Kerschensteiner Vocational School Regensburg, and Frida Levy Comprehensive School Essen. The firm also designs civic buildings such as the Citizen Service Center Ulm (Passivhaus standard), Charlottenburg Palace Visitor Center Berlin, and the Documentation and Cultural Center of German Sinti and Roma Heidelberg.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Cultural Buildings Design Design of museums, theaters, concert halls, and cultural forums for public clients and cultural foundations. Delivered by a 60-architect team via competition wins, integrating historic renovation with sculptural new construction. Past projects include the Anneliese Brost Music Forum in Bochum, the Museum and Cultural Forum Arnsberg, and the Kulturraffinerie K714 in Monheim.
• Educational Buildings Design Design of universities, schools, libraries, and educational centers for public education authorities and institutions. Emphasises sustainable construction including timber and demountable solid wood designs, accessible modern learning environments, and integration with existing campus structures. Projects include the Integrated Comprehensive School Rinteln, the Georg Kerschensteiner Vocational School Regensburg, and the University of Applied Sciences for Beverage Technology campus in Geisenheim.
• Administration Buildings Design Design of office buildings, banks, city halls, police stations, and embassies for public sector clients. Includes extensions of historic buildings such as the Town Hall and Community Center Holzwickede, Passivhaus-standard municipal buildings such as the Citizen Service Center Ulm, and visitor centres such as the Charlottenburg Palace Visitor Center in Berlin.
• Residential Buildings Design Design of housing estates, student dormitories, and single-family houses for residential and educational clients. Combines material-conscious construction (e.g., ring kiln bricks, Siberian larch) with economical and sustainable housing solutions. Notable work includes the award-winning Student Housing at Saalepark Hof.
• Infrastructure and Miscellaneous Buildings Design Design of healthcare facilities, infrastructure projects, transport-related buildings, and police stations. Projects include the Criminal Investigation Department and Police Station in Calw, foot- and cycle path bridges, and other transport facilities. Addresses accessibility, urban connectivity, and integration with civic contexts.
• General Planning Services Comprehensive general planning services delivered via the subsidiary Bez+Kock Generalplaner GmbH, including design coordination and general contractor oversight from first concept to structural realization for public and private construction projects.

Named customers8 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Koeber Landscape ArchitectureminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 May 2026Collaboration on town hall competition in Markt Mering. Koeber provides landscape architecture services alongside bez+kock's architectural design.
• wh-p Consulting EngineersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEngineering partnership for Markt Mering town hall competition project.
• merz kley partnerminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStructural engineering collaboration for Bildungscampus West competition in Saarbrücken.
• freiraumconcept sinz-beerstecher+böpple LandschaftsarchitektenminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLandscape architecture collaboration for Bildungscampus West Saarbrücken project.
• ST raum a. LandschaftsarchitekturminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLandscape architecture partnership for City Museum extension competition in Lippstadt.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Hascher Jehle Architektur: Berlin-based mid-size practice comparable in scale and competition-based project acquisition, with deep experience in cultural, educational, and office buildings in Germany.
• David Chipperfield Architects: Berlin-based practice renowned for cultural and museum buildings (e.g., Neues Museum Berlin). Comparable cultural-building focus and competition-based project acquisition in Germany and internationally.
• Sauerbruch Hutton: Berlin-based mid-size practice with strong cultural, museum, and public-building credentials (e.g., Museum Brandhorst). Overlaps with bez+kock in competition-based GTM and cultural institution client base.
• Allmann Sattler Wappner Architekten: Munich-based practice with strong cultural and public-building portfolio. Comparable mid-size scale, competition-driven GTM, and focus on German public-sector clients.
• Staab Architekten: Berlin-based practice with a strong cultural and museum-building portfolio (e.g., National Museum in Berlin). Overlaps directly with bez+kock's cultural building focus and competition-based GTM in the German public sector.
• Max Dudler Architekten: Berlin/Swiss-based practice with a comparable cultural and civic-building portfolio (museums, concert halls, public buildings). Comparable scale and competition-driven project acquisition in the DACH market.
• HPP Architekten: Mid-size German architecture firm headquartered in Düsseldorf with a comparable portfolio in cultural, educational, public and administrative buildings. Closely aligned in scale (~250 staff, larger than bez+kock), competition-driven culture, and German public-sector client mix.
• Barkow Leibinger: Berlin/New York-based practice at similar scale, with comparable portfolio in cultural, civic, and educational buildings. Competes for similar German public competitions.

Broad incumbents

• gmp Architekten: Hamburg-based, one of Germany's largest and most established architecture firms. Operates broadly in cultural, public, transport, and stadium design at a significantly larger scale; bez+kock competes with gmp on the same open competitions but is structurally outmatched on mega-projects.

Regional players

• Heinle, Wischer und Partner: Stuttgart-headquartered firm, geographically overlapping bez+kock's Baden-Württemberg base. Similar mid-size scale and historical focus on cultural, religious, and educational buildings in the German-speaking market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bez-kock-architekten
• Instagraminstagram.com/bezkockarchitekten

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 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 bez+kock architekten