What Rise Design Studio does

RISE Design Studio is a privately held, founder-led architecture and interior design practice founded in 2011 by Sean Ronnie Hill in London's Queen's Park, now operating from three studios (Queen's Park, Fitzrovia, and Barcelona) with co-director Imran Jahn. The firm designs low-energy, sustainable buildings using a fabric-first methodology grounded in Passivhaus and EnerPHit standards, supported by a technical stack that includes BIM, ArchiCAD, 3D modelling, VR visualisation via BIMx, and PHPP energy performance simulation. Its work spans residential extensions, renovations and new builds, multi-unit developer schemes, commercial, hospitality, education, and cultural/community projects, with a portfolio that includes award-winning commissions such as The Lexi Cinema & Lexi Hub (a 320 sqm social enterprise cinema extension).

The practice generates revenue through professional services fees calculated primarily as a percentage of build cost (typically 11–16% for full RIBA-stage delivery from concept through post-completion), supplemented by fixed-fee engagements for feasibility studies (£2,000–£11,000+), planning services (from £4,000), and per-square-metre pricing for renovations, extensions, loft conversions, mansard extensions, and new builds. Go-to-market is sales-led and consultative, with prospective clients acquired through a website consultation form, free downloadable guides, location-specific SEO pages across nine London neighbourhoods, the RISE Journal content programme, and earned media across outlets such as the BBC, Channel 4, Grand Designs, the Financial Times, The Guardian, and Dezeen. Primary customers are homeowners investing £200k–£5m, with secondary segments including property developers, cultural and community organisations, hospitality operators, and educational institutions across London, the wider UK, Spain, France, and Ireland. The company holds RIBA and ARB registrations, employs certified Passivhaus designers, and is a member of the Green Register of sustainable construction professionals; it operates without external funding and has scaled entirely through organic growth.

Name

Rise Design Studio

Legal name

RISE Design Studio

Website

https://risedesignstudio.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

RISE Design Studio is a London- and Barcelona-based architecture practice founded in 2011 that designs low-energy, Passivhaus-inspired homes, extensions, and cultural buildings for homeowners investing £200k–£5m, plus developers, hospitality, education, and community clients across the UK and Europe.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sustainable Architectural Services

NAICS

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

akta.pro primary industry

Architectural Design Services (BPAHAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Interior Design Services (BPAHAKAB)

Keywords

• Sustainable architecture
• Passivhaus design
• Residential architecture
• Interior design services
• Low-energy buildings

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Architectural Design Services: RISE earns revenue through fees for architectural services calculated as a percentage of the client's build cost (typically 11–16% for full service from design to delivery), plus fixed-fee engagements for feasibility studies (£2,000–£11,000+), planning services (from £4,000), and tailored partial services. Revenue is project-based and one-time per engagement, with recurring potential through repeat clients and referrals.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Rise Design Studio is an architecture and interior design practice that designs sustainable, low-energy buildings across residential, commercial, cultural, hospitality, and education sectors. The practice applies Passivhaus and EnerPHit fabric-first techniques and delivers feasibility studies, planning, interior design, and full architectural services across all RIBA work stages.

Product overview

Rise Design Studio is an architecture and interior design practice offering a comprehensive portfolio of design services across residential, commercial, cultural, hospitality, and education sectors. The firm operates as a single unified design practice rather than a platform model. Core services include architectural design and delivery from concept through construction (RIBA Stages 0-7), supplemented by specialized Passivhaus and EnerPHit sustainable design services. The studio also provides feasibility studies and planning advisory services, with additional value offered through the RISE Toolkit (guides and journal/blog) as free educational resources for potential clients. Projects range from £200k to £5m investment levels, with services beginning at approximately £4,000 for meaningful architecture.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Residential Architecture Full architectural design of bespoke private homes, extensions, and renovations for individual homeowners, typically with project values between £200,000 and £5 million, delivered with Passivhaus and EnerPHit fabric-first expertise and complex-site planning experience.

Quantifiable outcome

• Projects are designed to significantly reduce environmental impact and energy consumption compared to standard building regulations, with many achieving Passivhaus or EnerPHit performance levels.
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability2 records

Feature5 records

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Allies and Morrison: Established London architecture practice with extensive residential, cultural, and masterplanning portfolio. Comparable on London residential/cultural focus but operates at substantially greater scale and scope.
• Stride Treglown: Larger UK architecture practice with broad sector coverage including residential, education, healthcare, and commercial. Comparable on full RIBA-stage delivery but with much broader scale and sector mix than RISE.
• PRP Architects: Large UK housing-led architecture practice serving developers, housing associations, and the public sector. Comparable on residential architecture and developer-segment exposure but at materially larger scale.

Direct peers

• Mikhail Riches: London-based architecture practice specialising in sustainable, low-energy and Passivhaus residential projects, with overlapping client profile and design-led approach to housing. Highly comparable on sustainability credentials, project scale, and residential focus.
• Cullinan Studio: UK architecture practice with deep expertise in sustainable design across housing, cultural, and education sectors. Comparable on sustainability ethos, cultural-sector reference projects, and award recognition profile.
• Levitate Architects: London-based practice specialising in sustainable residential architecture, extensions, and Passivhaus-inspired retrofits. Direct overlap on services (extensions, retrofits, sustainability) and London client base.
• Pollard Thomas Edwards: London architecture practice delivering design-led residential, housing, and community projects including mixed-tenure and developer-led schemes. Comparable on residential focus and developer-segment exposure.
• Bere:Architects: London architecture practice focused on sustainable, Passivhaus, and low-energy residential and cultural projects. Closely matches RISE on fabric-first approach, residential specialisation, and project scale.
• Adam Architecture: UK architecture firm with practices in London and beyond delivering high-end residential and heritage-sensitive projects. Comparable on premium residential client segment and architectural detail-led approach.
• Haworth Tompkins: London architecture studio known for sensitive, design-led work across residential, cultural, and education sectors with strong sustainability credentials. Comparable in typology mix (residential + cultural) and London focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/rise-design-studio-ltd

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Rise Design Studio