What Kohn Pedersen Fox does

Kohn Pedersen Fox (KPF) is a privately held global architecture practice founded in 1976 and headquartered in New York, with an additional London office and project activity spanning more than 50 countries across North America, East Asia, the Middle East, Europe, South America, and Southeast Asia. The firm serves enterprise-level real estate developers, institutional clients such as universities, and government and public-sector entities, providing full-service architectural design for supertall towers, airport terminals, residential developments, commercial office buildings, mixed-use districts, hospitality properties, civic and cultural facilities, and large-scale urban master plans. The firm is organized around specialty expertise areas including Supertall, Transportation, Retail, Residential, Mixed-Use, Office, Hospitality, Civic+Cultural, and Planning+Urban Design, and has designed more than 30 towers over 300 meters — including 6 of the 15 tallest buildings in the world — and over 200 residential projects across diverse cultural and environmental contexts.

KPF's underlying technology stack includes proprietary computational analysis tools and Scout, a web-based urban analysis platform developed through its KPF Urban Interface subsidiary that allows rapid iteration of master-plan variables such as density, transit access, and street width to measure impacts on urban comfort and efficiency. The firm has publicly cited generating and analyzing 2,240 design permutations for a single project (The Rise in Cupertino) within days. Environmental modeling capabilities underpin a sustainability services practice targeting LEED Gold, LEED Platinum, Passive House, and China Three Star certifications, including a first-of-its-kind all-electric supertall at North Bund Lot 91 in Shanghai.

KPF generates revenue through professional services — architectural design fees negotiated directly with clients based on project scope, complexity, and scale. Pricing is not publicly disclosed. The go-to-market motion is enterprise field sales, with projects secured through competitive RFPs, direct commissions, and ongoing developer relationships; recent signature clients include Extell Development, JBG SMITH, GID Development Group, Fisher Brothers/Witkoff Group, Related Beal, Boston Global Investors, and The Flatley Company. Distribution is direct, with no channel intermediaries, and the firm maintains brand visibility through industry conferences (ULI, MIPIM, CTBUH), editorial coverage in publications such as Engineering News-Record and The Real Deal, and active social channels. The firm is privately held with no public listing and has no disclosed funding rounds or M&A history.

Name

Kohn Pedersen Fox

Legal name

KPF

Website

https://kpf.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1976

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Kohn Pedersen Fox (KPF) is a privately held global architecture firm founded in 1976 that designs supertall towers, airport terminals, residential developments, commercial buildings, and urban master plans for enterprise real estate developers, institutions, and government clients across 50+ countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Architectural Services

NAICS

Architectural Services (541310), Architectural Services (54131), Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services (5413)

SIC

Services-Engineering Services (8711), Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

Civil & Structural Engineering Consulting (BPAHAIAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Transportation & Infrastructure Planning (BPAHAKAF), Community Engagement & Participatory Planning (BPAHAKAO)

Keywords

• Architectural design services
• Supertall building design
• Urban master planning
• Sustainable architecture
• Transportation facility design

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Architectural Design Services: KPF generates revenue through providing comprehensive architectural design services for large-scale projects including skyscrapers, transportation facilities, residential buildings, commercial developments, and urban master planning engagements.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

KPF is a global architecture practice delivering full-service architectural design for large-scale built environments, including supertall towers, mixed-use developments, transportation facilities, residential and commercial buildings, and district-scale urban master plans. The firm serves enterprise-level developers, institutions, and government clients through project-based engagements and supplements its design services with sustainability consulting, environmental modeling, and proprietary computational tools such as the Scout urban analysis platform.

Product overview

KPF operates as a global architecture and design firm offering a comprehensive portfolio of architectural services across diverse building typologies and scales. The firm is organized around specialty expertise areas covering Supertall towers (30+ towers over 300m designed), Transportation (airport terminals and multi-modal hubs), Retail complexes, Residential developments, Mixed-Use projects, Office buildings, Hospitality, Civic+Cultural facilities, and Planning+Urban Design. Within its service offerings, KPF provides Sustainability Services focused on minimizing carbon and maximizing resilience through environmental modeling and LEED certification. The firm also develops proprietary technology tools including Scout, a web-based urban analysis platform used for computational design optimization and rapid iteration of building massing schemes. Plan Your Neighborhood extends Scout technology for public engagement in housing planning. Projects span landmark supertall towers, major transportation hubs, urban master plans, and sustainable design initiatives across global markets.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Architectural Design Services Full-service architectural design spanning multiple building types and scales, from district master planning to interior design, for enterprise-level real estate developers, institutions, and government clients.
• Sustainability Services Advanced environmental tools and best practices to minimize carbon footprint and maximize building resilience, including environmental modeling and pursuit of LEED, Passive House, and other sustainability certifications.
• Scout (Urban Analysis Platform) Proprietary web-based urban analysis platform developed by KPF Urban Interface enabling rapid iteration and computational optimization of building massing, parking, layout design, and master plan alternatives for use by planners, developers, and design teams.
• Plan Your Neighborhood Interactive web-based tool for exploring housing development potential in Hawaii, allowing users to toggle between neighborhood elements such as density, transit, and street width to measure urban comfort and efficiency impacts.

Quantifiable outcome

• Designed more than 30 towers over 300 meters, including 6 of the 15 tallest buildings in the world
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Heatherwick StudiocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKPF collaborated with Heatherwick Studio on the design of Changi Airport Terminal 5 in Singapore. This partnership brings together KPF's expertise in aviation architecture with Heatherwick Studio's distinctive design approach to create an airport terminal that channels Singapore's lush landscape and reimagines the airport experience as a social extension of the city.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• HOK: Major global architecture practice with strong commercial, sports, transportation, and healthcare portfolios. Competes with KPF on large-scale enterprise and institutional commissions, particularly in mixed-use and civic categories.
• Snøhetta: Design-led architecture practice with cultural, civic, and master planning expertise (e.g., SFMOMA expansion, Norwegian National Opera). Comparable to KPF on signature cultural and urban design commissions.
• Gensler: Largest global architecture and design firm with deep commercial office, hospitality, and mixed-use practice across major enterprise clients. Comparable to KPF on commercial and corporate interiors/buildout work, though broader and more volume-driven than KPF.
• Foster + Partners: Globally renowned architecture practice with comparable supertall, transportation, and mixed-use portfolio (e.g., Apple Park, Bloomberg HQ, multiple stadia and towers). Most direct competitor for KPF on trophy office and urban master planning commissions worldwide.
• HKS: Major U.S. architecture firm with deep commercial, healthcare, sports, and aviation portfolios. Competes with KPF on large-scale enterprise developer commissions, particularly in hospitality and corporate office.
• Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG): Designer-led global architecture firm with strong commercial, residential, and cultural portfolio (e.g., 2 World Trade Center, VIA, The Spiral). Competes with KPF for marquee mixed-use and signature developer commissions, particularly in North America.
• Zaha Hadid Architects: Global architecture firm recognized for parametric and high-design commercial, cultural, and transportation projects. Direct competitor to KPF for high-design trophy commissions where design-led brand differentiation drives selection.
• Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM): Historic global architecture and engineering firm renowned for supertall expertise (Burj Khalifa, Willis Tower, One World Trade Center), commercial office, and aviation work. The most direct peer to KPF on trophy commercial supertall and infrastructure commissions.

Broad incumbents

• AECOM: Global infrastructure consultancy with a significant architecture practice that competes for transportation, urban, and mixed-use commissions. Broader and more diversified than KPF, with overlapping capabilities in transit and large-scale urban work.

Emerging players

• Heatherwick Studio: Boutique design studio with strong public realm and experiential portfolio; partnered with KPF on Changi Airport Terminal 5. Comparable on signature cultural and aviation projects but smaller scale and more design-led than KPF.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@KohnPedersenFox
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kpf
• Instagraminstagram.com/kohnpedersenfox

Compliance8 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 Kohn Pedersen Fox