What GBOLADE DESIGN STUDIO LTD does

Gbolade Design Studio Ltd is a London-based, Black-led architecture practice founded in 2018 by Co-Founding Directors Tara Gbolade and Lanre Gbolade. The practice operates from Build Studios at 203 Westminster Bridge Road and specialises in sustainable and regenerative architecture with deep expertise in housing, estate regeneration, masterplanning, Passivhaus design, and PAS 2035-compliant retrofit. Its core service offering spans architectural design, planning applications, and sustainability strategy development, supported by an in-house People, Place, Planet framework that measures environmental, social, and economic sustainability outcomes. GDS also operates the Architects' App, an award-winning digital resource for architects.

GDS serves three primary customer segments: visionary property developers, housing associations (e.g., Notting Hill Genesis), and local authorities/ planning bodies (e.g., London Boroughs of Lambeth and Southwark, Brighton & Hove Council, Harlow & Gilston Garden Town). Distribution combines direct enterprise sales, public sector framework agreements (GLA, Homes England DaRTS, Architecture Design Services ADS 1.1), and collaborative design-team partnerships with larger AJ100 practices such as Grimshaw and Patel Taylor. Major commissions include the Waterloo Station Masterplan (with Grimshaw), the Grahame Park regeneration of 2,088 homes (with Patel Taylor), and a 280-home PAS 2035 retrofit programme across Islington, Lambeth, and Hackney.

The practice generates revenue through project-based professional services fees on multi-year contracts, with pricing structured via direct appointments and pre-agreed framework terms. Operating geographies centre on London and Southeast England with selected projects in Cambridge, West Yorkshire, and Dublin. The firm is independently held with no disclosed institutional investors, parent company, or external funding rounds.

Name

GBOLADE DESIGN STUDIO LTD

Legal name

Gbolade Design Studio Ltd

Website

https://gboladedesignstudio.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Gbolade Design Studio is a London-based, Black-led architecture practice founded in 2018 specialising in sustainable housing, Passivhaus design, PAS 2035 retrofit, and estate regeneration, serving property developers, housing associations, and UK local authorities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Architectural Services

NAICS

Architectural Services (54131), Architectural Services (541310)

akta.pro primary industry

Architectural Design Services (BPAHAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Sustainable/Green Building & LEED Consulting (BPAHAKAG)

Keywords

• Sustainable architecture services
• Housing design
• Building retrofit services
• Masterplanning services
• Passivhaus design

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Architecture and Design Services: Fees for architectural design services, planning applications, sustainability consulting, and masterplanning for developers, housing associations, and local authorities.
2. Sustainability Consulting: Sustainability strategy development for local authorities to meet carbon neutral targets, including technical strategies and planning assessments.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Gbolade Design Studio is an architecture practice providing sustainable and regenerative architectural design, planning, masterplanning, and sustainability consulting services. Core offerings include architectural design for housing and regeneration projects, planning application support, sustainability strategy development for local authorities, Passivhaus-certified low-energy design, and PAS 2035-compliant retrofit services. The practice also developed the award-winning Architects' App, a digital resource for architects.

Product overview

Gbolade Design Studio is an architecture practice offering a suite of services centered around sustainable and regenerative architecture. The primary product is the award-winning Architects' App—a digital resource for architects. Core services include Architecture (design excellence with focus on sustainability), Planning applications, and Sustainability Strategies for local authorities. Specialized offerings include Passivhaus design for net-zero buildings and PAS 2035-compliant retrofit services. The practice operates from London and serves visionary developers, housing associations, and local authorities across the UK.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Architects' App: An award-winning app designed for architects, serving as a digital library for best practice guidelines, project case studies, practice models, and sustainability information. Downloaded in the UK and across the world.

Quantifiable outcome

• Delivered Hermitage Mews net-zero housing project, winner of AJ Architecture Awards 2024 (Housing Project up to £10 million)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• GrimshawcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Gbolade Design Studio is part of the design team with Grimshaw and others (WSP, Hatch, Iceni Turner, Savills) on the Waterloo Station Masterplan for Lambeth Council and Network Rail. This is a major urban transformation project.
• Patel TaylorcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Collaborative partnership on Grahame Park estate regeneration for Notting Hill Genesis and Barnet Council. GDS led the design of townhouses within the wider masterplan of 2,088 homes.
• FarrellsminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Joint appointment with Farrells and Exterior for Southwark council Net-Zero Design Code Trial addressing climate, energy and biodiversity.
• Urban SymbioticsminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Design team collaboration on Purley Strategic Framework for LB Croydon, providing environmental and socio-economic guidance for development and investment.
• Paradigm NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Co-founded by GDS Directors Tara and Lanre Gbolade. Professional network championing Black and Asian representation in the built environment, running workshops, events, and networking.
• Momentum Transport ConsultancyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on Purley High Street regeneration project bringing ideas to support recovery following pandemic.
• McGregor CoxallminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on Purley High Street regeneration project.
• Graham Harrington PlanningminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on Purley High Street regeneration project.
• L&Q (London & Quadrant)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGDS Co-Founder Lanre worked with L&Q for 5+ years leading MMC and DfMA transformation programmes including 10-year MMC Roadmap and Innovate UK funded COLAB DfMA Toolkit.
• Build StudiosminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGDS is headquartered at Build Studios; Lanre volunteers as Board Director supporting this organisation for emerging architects.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• dRMM (de Rijke Marsh Morgan): London architecture practice with a sustainability and cross-laminated-timber focus overlapping GDS's Passivhaus and offsite/DfMA specialisms. Similar scale and award profile, with overlapping public-sector and developer clients.

Broad incumbents

• Levitt Bernstein: Long-established London practice with a leading reputation in social housing, estate regeneration, and accessible design. Larger and broader in scope than GDS but a recurring competitor on the same housing association, local authority, and Homes England briefs.
• Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios (FCB Studios): Larger, established UK practice widely recognized as a leader in sustainable architecture. Competes with GDS on housing, masterplanning, and Passivhaus briefs but at meaningfully greater scale and a much broader sector portfolio.
• Pollard Thomas Edwards (PTE architects): Substantially larger London housing-led practice working across regeneration, estate renewal, and new-build housing for housing associations and local authorities. Sets the competitive benchmark for housing-specialist practices bidding into the same frameworks as GDS.

Direct peers

• Henley Halebrown: London practice with a strong social housing, regeneration, and education portfolio. Comparable in size and design quality, with public-sector client base and award recognition that puts it on the same tender shortlists as GDS.
• Karakusevic Carson Architects: London practice specialized in social housing, estate regeneration, and masterplanning for housing associations and local authorities. Direct competitor for the same public-sector commissions GDS targets, with a comparable design-led, resident-focused approach.
• Mikhail Riches: London-based architecture practice specializing in Passivhaus-certified social housing, regeneration, and sustainable residential design. Closest peer to GDS — comparable size, shared Passivhaus/retrofit specialism, similar housing association and local authority client base, and similar award trajectory (Stirling Prize winner for Goldsmith Street).
• Haworth Tompkins: Mid-sized London architecture practice with deep expertise in sustainable housing, regeneration, and masterplanning, working with housing associations and local authorities. Comparable in scale and service mix to GDS, with established sustainability credentials and similar public-sector framework access.
• Mae Architects: London architecture practice focused on sustainable, high-quality housing and masterplanning with strong Passivhaus expertise. Directly comparable in size, mission, and technical capability — including awards in social housing categories and direct competition for the same housing association and local authority briefs.
• Proctor & Matthews Architects: London-based practice working across housing, regeneration, and masterplanning with a strong sustainability and design-quality focus. Comparable scale and client base to GDS, including work for housing associations and local authorities on mixed-tenure developments.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/gbolade-design-studio

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 GBOLADE DESIGN STUDIO LTD