Kister Scheithauer Gross Architekten Und Stadtplaner Gmbh

What Kister Scheithauer Gross Architekten Und Stadtplaner Gmbh does

Kister Scheithauer Gross Architekten und Stadtplaner GmbH (ksg) is a German B2B professional services firm delivering architectural design, urban planning, and interior design across Germany. Founded in 2000 and led by Prof. Johannes Kister and Prof. Susanne Gross, the firm operates from three offices in Cologne (headquarters), Leipzig, and Berlin with approximately 80 employees. Service lines span ten typologies: Transformation (heritage and industrial adaptive reuse), Research & Laboratory, Education, Housing, Office & Commercial, Culture & Sacral Buildings, Industry & Traffic, Masterplanning, Interior Design, and Competitions. Technical capability is anchored in BIM methodology and modular/flexible building design, with demonstrated heritage-sensitive renovation expertise and BNB sustainability certification track record (BNB-Silver at DLR Köln-Porz, BNB-Gold targeted at Berufskolleg Dinslaken).

The firm acquires mandates primarily through architectural competitions (Wettbewerbe), German public-procurement procedures (VOF/VgV), and direct commissions from institutional clients. Pricing follows HOAI fee schedules for public-sector projects and negotiated fees for private commissions; no consumer-facing pricing exists. Primary customer segments are universities and research institutions (Fraunhofer institutes, DLR, RWTH Aachen, Universität Bremen, Leibniz Universität Hannover, Universität Tübingen) and German public administration at federal, state, and municipal levels (Cologne, Leipzig, Duisburg, Düsseldorf). Real estate developers (GARBE, Pandion, BVK, Accumulata, Gebag, BPD) form a secondary segment. Recent competition track record includes first-prize wins at Schloss Köthen, Vulkanstraße Berlin, and KF62 Berlin in 2025, alongside international co-development collaborations with Studio Gang and DRDH Architects.

Strategic significance comes from marquee project scale rather than technology differentiation: the 6-Seen-Wedau masterplan (~3,000 residential units, NRW's largest urban development), the Quelle Nuremberg heritage transformation, the DLR Köln-Porz headquarters, and the Justizzentrum Leipzig illustrate capacity for complex, large-budget commissions. The firm sustains visibility through competition results, architectural publications (DBZ, nbau, DAM), exhibitions (Aedes Architekturforum, Treffpunkt Architektur), and industry awards (Iconic Award 2024, DAM Preis 2027 nomination). Ownership is private and partner-held with no disclosed external investors or parent company.

Name

Kister Scheithauer Gross Architekten Und Stadtplaner Gmbh

Legal name

kister scheithauer gross architekten und stadtplaner GmbH

Website

https://ksg-architekten.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Kister Scheithauer Gross is a German B2B architecture and urban planning firm (~80 staff, Cologne/Leipzig/Berlin) serving universities, research institutes, and developers across Germany through architectural competitions, VOF/VgV procurement, and direct commissions, with specialty in heritage-sensitive transformation, research and educational buildings, and BIM-based masterplanning.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Architectural Services

NAICS

Architectural Services (541310), Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services (5413), Interior Design Services (541410)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Architectural Design Services (BPAHAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Community Engagement & Participatory Planning (BPAHAKAO)

Keywords

• Architectural design services
• Urban master planning
• Heritage building transformation
• Research facility architecture
• Building information modeling

Headquarters

HQ city

Cologne

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Architectural Design and Planning Services: ksg generates revenue through fees for architectural design, urban planning, and interior design services. Projects are acquired via architectural competitions, VOF/VgV public procurement procedures, and direct commissions. Revenue is project-based, typically corresponding to German architectural fee schedules (HOAI) for public projects and negotiated fees for private commissions.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

ksg is a German architecture and urban planning firm delivering comprehensive design services spanning urban masterplans, new building design, and interior design. Core offerings include transformation of historic and industrial structures, research and laboratory facilities, educational buildings, residential and mixed-use developments, cultural and sacral buildings, and office/commercial projects. Services are acquired through architectural competitions, VOF/VgV public procurement procedures, and direct commissions from public and private institutional clients.

Product overview

Kister Scheithauer Gross (ksg) is an architectural and urban planning firm offering comprehensive architecture services across Germany. The firm operates as a single unified service offering (not a software platform) organized into distinct practice areas: Transformation (adaptive reuse), Research & Laboratory (scientific facilities), Education (schools/universities), Housing (residential/hotels), Office & Commercial, Culture & Sacral Buildings, Industry & Traffic, Master Planning, Interior Design, and Competitions. The firm also employs BIM (Building Information Modeling) as a digital planning methodology. With approximately 80 employees across three offices (Köln, Leipzig, Berlin) and 25 years of experience, the firm delivers projects ranging from urban master plans to interior design, serving public and private clients including government institutions, universities, and commercial developers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Transformation (Heritage Building Adaptive Reuse) Architectural design services for the sensitive transformation, expansion, and adaptive reuse of existing buildings including listed monuments and industrial heritage. Balances preservation of historic substance with contemporary functional requirements. Delivered for public clients and private developers across Germany.
• Research & Laboratory Design Architectural design of research facilities, laboratories, and scientific buildings for research institutions including Fraunhofer institutes, DLR, and university research centers.
• Education Building Design Architectural design of educational buildings including schools, gymnasiums, and university facilities for public clients in Germany.
• Housing Design Architectural design of residential housing projects including apartment buildings, hotels, and housing developments for private developers and public clients.
• Office & Commercial Design Architectural design of office and commercial buildings including administrative headquarters and business facilities for public and private clients.
• Culture & Sacral Building Design Architectural design of cultural institutions, churches, libraries, and sacral buildings, including new construction and heritage renovation.
• Industry & Transport Design Architectural design of industrial facilities and transportation-related buildings and infrastructure.
• Urban Master Planning Urban planning and master planning services for large-scale development projects including residential quarters, mixed-use districts, and campus masterplans.
• Interior Design Interior design services for buildings and spaces designed by the firm, completing end-to-end architectural offerings.

Quantifiable outcome

• BNB-Silver certification achieved for DLR Köln-Porz headquarters; BNB-Gold targeted for Berufskolleg Dinslaken
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers13 records

Segments4 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

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• BPD (BPB Immobilien GmbH)coreStrategic or Co-development Partnerksg develops the 18,600 m² 'Neue Gartenstadt' quarter within the 6-Seen-Wedau urban development (largest in NRW, ~3,000 units) in partnership with BPD as co-developer. Won 1st prize in investor competition.
• Gebag Duisburger Baugesellschaft mbHcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGebag is the public developer and contracting authority for 6-Seen-Wedau. ksg won the investor competition jointly with BPD for the development of this NRW flagship project.
• GARBE Immobilien-Projekte GmbHcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGARBE Immobilien-Projekte is the developer/owner of the Baakenhafen Creative Blocks project (16,332.60 m² BGF) in Hamburg HafenCity. ksg won the invited competition for this mixed-use development.
• greenbox Landschaftsarchitekten, KölnminorStrategic or Co-development Partnergreenbox handled landscape architecture for the Hildegard-von-Bingen-Gymnasium extension, designing 'landscape islands' that complement ksg's architectural concept with varied recreational spaces.
• KSP-EngelminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerKSP-Engel handled execution planning (Ausführungsplanung) for the Baakenhafen Creative Blocks project in Hamburg HafenCity.
• Studio GangcoreStrategic or Co-development Partnerksg collaborated with Studio Gang (Chicago) on the competition for the Opera House of the Future in Düsseldorf, receiving 3rd prize in this Stadt Düsseldorf competition.
• ST raum a LandschaftsarchitektencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLandscape architecture partner for Schloss Köthen competition (1st prize, 2025) and other projects, providing integrated landscape design within ksg's architectural concepts.
• Schaar Landschaftsarchitekten, MünchencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLandscape partner for multiple Berlin projects including Vulkanstraße quarter (1st prize, 2025) and other competition entries in Berlin.
• querwärts ArchitektenminorStrategic or Co-development Partnerquerwärts Architekten are executing Bauteil 5 of the Quelle transformation project in Nuremberg, based on ksg's feasibility study.
• Gaus ArchitektenminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint project team with Gaus Architekten for Landratsamt Göppingen renovation, which won the Iconic Award 2024 – Innovative Architecture.
• DRDH Architects, LondoncoreStrategic or Co-development Partnerksg collaborated with DRDH Architects (London) for the competition of Deutsches Nationaltheater Weimar (joint winners of competition for general renovation), demonstrating international co-development capability.
• LEINHÄUPL + NEUBERminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerARGE (working group) partner for the Fraunhofer FIT institute building project in Bayreuth, where ksg and LEINHÄUPL + NEUBER jointly won the commission.
• HOCHTIEF PPP SolutionscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHOCHTIEF PPP Solutions received the contract for the Max Rubner-Institut (MRI) Kiel project based on ksg's design, with the Bundesanstalt für Immobilienaufgaben (BImA) as owner.
• Accumulata Real EstateminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProject developer for the transformation of the former Quelle mail-order area in Nuremberg, managing the overall development while ksg handles architecture for Bauteile 1+4.
• Bayerische Versorgungskammer (BVK)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBVK is the pension fund and real estate investor serving as Bauherr (client) for Bauteile 1+4 of the Quelle transformation, one of ksg's most significant heritage transformation projects.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Sauerbruch Hutton: Berlin-based German architecture practice of similar size (~80-100 staff), active in public, cultural, and adaptive reuse projects; competes for the same high-prestige German institutional competitions with comparable material-driven design language.
• Heinle, Wischer und Partner: German architecture firm with offices in Stuttgart and Berlin, working at comparable scale on public, educational, and research buildings; competes for the same university and public administration commissions as ksg.
• HASCHER JEHLE Architektur: Berlin-based German architecture firm of comparable size focused on public, cultural, and institutional buildings, frequently winning the same architectural competitions (Wettbewerbe) and operating with a similar competition-led project acquisition model.
• ASTOC Architects and Planners: Cologne-based German architecture and urban planning firm of similar scale (~60-80 staff), competing in the same institutional and urban masterplanning segments across Germany with a comparable partner-led practice structure.
• HPP Architekten: Düsseldorf-headquartered German architecture firm of similar size and profile, competing for the same public administration, cultural, and institutional commissions across Germany with a similar heritage-aware design approach.
• Max Dudler Architekten: Berlin/Zurich-based German architecture firm of comparable scale focused on cultural, public, and institutional buildings with a similar material-driven design philosophy; competes in the same German public competition market.
• Kuehn Malvezzi Architects: Berlin-based German architecture firm of comparable size, focused on cultural, public, and institutional buildings including museum and university projects; competes in the same German competition circuit with a similar typology mix.

Broad incumbents

• gmp Architekten: Major Hamburg-headquartered German architecture firm with global reach and several hundred staff; competes across the same public and institutional typologies but at significantly larger scale with broader geographic presence.
• Allmann Sattler Wappner Architekten: Larger Munich-based German architecture practice with broader typology coverage including public, cultural, and commercial buildings; competes for the same high-prestige German institutional competitions with greater scale and resources.

Regional players

• Dietrich | Untertrifaller Architekten: DACH-region architecture firm (Bregenz/Berlin) of comparable size and typology focus on public and educational buildings, competing in similar architectural competitions in Germany though headquartered in Austria.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/kister_scheithauer_gross
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kister-scheithauer-gross-ksg

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Kister Scheithauer Gross Architekten Und Stadtplaner Gmbh