DESIGN FOUNDRY MEP LIMITED

What DESIGN FOUNDRY MEP LIMITED does

Design Foundry MEP Limited is a UK-based mechanical, electrical, and plumbing (MEP) building services consultancy headquartered in Buckfast, Devon. Founded in 2022 by chartered engineers Nick Harrison and Paul McCabe, the firm delivers MEP design, Passivhaus consultancy, thermal modelling, energy analysis, and low-carbon engineering services to clients across hospitality, residential, commercial, healthcare, education, industrial, custodial, and defence sectors. Project construction values range from approximately £1.5M to £15M+, and the firm's stated positioning is built around sustainable, low-carbon building design, with Passivhaus Institute certification and Carbon Neutral Britain membership functioning as core trust signals. The consultancy serves both direct end-clients (developers, local authorities, universities, housing associations) and design-team partners (architects, main contractors).

The technical capability rests on conventional building-services engineering tooling — BIM, IES thermal modelling, CAD, and Part L/BB101 compliance assessment — delivered by a chartered team (CIBSE and IET accredited, including a CIBSE Low Carbon Consultant and Certified Passivhaus Designer). The service portfolio comprises five lines: MEP design and engineering consultancy (core), low-carbon energy systems design (heat pumps, renewables, decarbonisation), Passivhaus design consultancy, thermal modelling and energy analysis, and sector-specific MEP packages. Referenceable projects include the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew Jodrell Laboratories heat-pump decarbonisation (46 kWp PV offsetting 38,800 kWh annually), the £15M LiveWest Parker's Way affordable housing scheme, the £10M University of Wales Trinity St David Canary Wharf refurbishment, and the £8M Teignbridge District Council Sherborne House heritage restoration to Passivhaus standards.

The business model is project-based professional services: fees are earned as a percentage of construction value (typically low single digits) on each engagement, with no disclosed subscription, retainer, or productised pricing. Go-to-market is direct, relationship-led field sales primarily across South West England, supplemented by work won in London and South East England; the firm operates a website portfolio of 24+ case studies, a LinkedIn presence, and professional accreditations as its primary marketing channels. The firm is privately held by its founding directors with no external investors or parent company disclosed.

Name

DESIGN FOUNDRY MEP LIMITED

Legal name

Design Foundry MEP Ltd.

Website

https://designfoundry.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Design Foundry MEP Limited is a Buckfast, Devon-based mechanical, electrical, and plumbing building services consultancy founded in 2022, providing Passivhaus-certified MEP design, thermal modelling, and low-carbon energy engineering to developers, architects, public-sector bodies, and institutional clients across UK hospitality, residential, healthcare, education, and heritage sectors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Building Services Engineering Consultancy

NAICS

Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services (5413), Engineering Services (541330)

SIC

Construction - Special Trade Contractors (1700)

akta.pro primary industry

MEP (Mechanical, Electrical & Plumbing) Engineering Consulting (BPAHAIAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Energy Optimization & Retro-Commissioning for MEP Systems (BPABACAL)

Keywords

• MEP engineering consultancy
• Building services design
• Passivhaus design
• Low-carbon energy systems
• Thermal modelling services

Headquarters

HQ city

Buckfastleigh

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. MEP Design Consultancy Services: Professional engineering consultancy providing mechanical and electrical design services for building projects. Revenue is generated through project-based fees for complete MEP design, energy modelling, technical design, and consulting services. Projects range from £1.5M to £15M+ construction values.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Design Foundry MEP Limited is a UK-based mechanical, electrical, and public health (MEP) building services engineering consultancy that delivers complete MEP design, low-carbon energy systems, Passivhaus design, thermal and energy modelling, and sector-specific engineering services for construction projects. Services span early concept through detailed technical design for hospitality, residential, healthcare, education, commercial, industrial, and heritage developments with construction values from £1.5M to £15M+.

Product overview

Design Foundry MEP Limited offers a unified suite of MEP (Mechanical, Electrical, and Public Health) engineering consultancy services built around core design capabilities. The portfolio centers on comprehensive MEP design and engineering consultancy, complemented by low-carbon energy systems design, Passivhaus-certified consultancy, and thermal/energy modelling services. The company serves multiple sectors (hotels, residential, commercial, healthcare, industrial, defence, custodial) and delivers projects from early concept through to technical design and commissioning support. Based in Buckfast, Devon with over 40 years of combined expertise, the consultancy provides services across the UK with a focus on sustainable, low-carbon building solutions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• MEP Design & Engineering Consultancy Core mechanical, electrical, and public health (M&E) engineering design services providing expert system design, low-carbon strategies, and energy modelling for buildings, delivered by chartered Building Services Engineers to developers, architects, contractors, and direct clients in the UK.
• Passivhaus Design Consultancy Ultra-low energy building design certification service delivered by Certified Passivhaus Designers, ensuring exceptional energy efficiency without compromising comfort through fabric-first approaches. Targeted at projects requiring Passivhaus-standard performance.

Quantifiable outcome

• 38,800 kWh annual energy offset through 46kWp photovoltaic array at Kew Gardens
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers15 records

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Carbon Neutral BritaincoreOthersProud members of Carbon Neutral Britain, actively working to reduce carbon footprint and support initiatives addressing climate change on a global scale. This membership demonstrates the company's commitment to sustainability and environmental responsibility.
• Institution of Engineering & Technology (IET)coreOthersProfessional engineering institution providing Chartered Engineer accreditation. Design Foundry engineers hold IET membership demonstrating commitment to highest professional standards.
• CIBSE (Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers)coreOthersProfessional institution for building services engineers providing chartered status and low carbon consultant accreditation. Core professional affiliation for the company's engineering team.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Max Fordham: Long-established UK MEP/building services engineering consultancy with a strong sustainability and Passivhaus tradition. Directly comparable to Design Foundry in service mix (MEP design, low-carbon, heritage) but operates at much larger scale with multiple offices.
• Ridge and Partners: UK property and construction consultancy offering MEP and building services engineering alongside broader consultancy services. Competes for similar healthcare, education and developer briefs and operates multi-regionally.
• Hoare Lea: One of the UK's largest MEP engineering consultancies offering mechanical, electrical and public health design across commercial, healthcare, education and residential sectors. Comparable core offering to Design Foundry but with multi-regional coverage and hundreds of engineers.
• Cundall: Multi-disciplinary engineering consultancy with strong building services (MEP) practice and a publicly stated sustainability/zero-carbon agenda. Competes with Design Foundry for low-carbon commercial and education briefs, particularly across the UK and Australia.
• Buro Happold: Global engineering consultancy with substantial building services design capability and recognised expertise in sustainability, heritage and complex projects. Comparable technical depth on high-performance MEP but with a global footprint and much larger bench.
• Hilson Moran: UK-headquartered building services engineering consultancy with a long heritage in MEP design for commercial, hospitality and residential schemes. Similar sector mix and emphasis on low-carbon design to Design Foundry, though at significantly larger scale.
• Sweco UK: European engineering consultancy with a UK building services practice covering MEP design for sustainable buildings. Overlaps with Design Foundry in residential, education and healthcare briefs at a much larger organisational scale.

Direct peers

• Pick Everard: UK multi-disciplinary consultancy with a building services engineering team delivering MEP design across public-sector, education and heritage projects. Comparable size profile and public-sector client overlap with Design Foundry.
• Elementa Consulting: UK building services engineering consultancy focused on sustainable, low-carbon and Passivhaus design, headquartered in the South West. Closest direct peer to Design Foundry in terms of size, regional base, sustainability specialism and target client mix.
• Mason Navarro Partnership: UK MEP/building services engineering consultancy serving hospitality, residential, education and commercial sectors. Closely comparable in size, regional UK focus and core MEP design offering to Design Foundry.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/design-foundry-mep-ltd

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 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 DESIGN FOUNDRY MEP LIMITED