COURAGE Architecten

What COURAGE Architecten does

COURAGE Architecten B.V. is a privately held, family-owned Dutch architecture, interior design, and product design firm headquartered at Veenhuizerweg 207, Apeldoorn, Netherlands, founded in approximately 1999. The firm operates with a small team of 5-7 professionals led by founder-architect Lars Courage and business co-operator Christa Courage, supported by chef de bureau Rob Ilbrink (steel specialist), architects Jan Laurens van der Horst and Jacob Kunst, and BIM modeler Rick van Doleweerd. COURAGE's core technical specialization is a daylight-first design methodology applied through steel-frame lightweight construction, enabling slim, open structures with large glass surfaces and flexible floor plans — a methodology that earned the Dutch Daylight Award in 2012 for the 'Huis zonder Ramen' concept.

The firm's service portfolio spans three integrated disciplines: architecture (residential, commercial, industrial, and institutional buildings, plus transformation projects), interior design (office interiors, MKB workspaces, healthcare facilities, and turn-key residential delivery), and product design (landmark signage structures, custom motorcycles, bridges, and prefabricated camping sanitary units). A distinctive service module called 'Architect on Wheels' provides mobile on-location consulting via sketches, 3D models, VR demonstrations, and drone surveys. The methodology follows an 'inside-to-outside' design philosophy in which daylight, user well-being, and circular/prefab construction principles drive form.

The business model is project-based professional services: fees are structured as a percentage of construction budget or fixed fee per project phase, with quotes customized per engagement and not publicly disclosed. Ancillary revenue comes from paid lectures delivered by Lars Courage nationally and internationally (from €5,000 excl. VAT) and select bespoke product design commissions. Go-to-market is consultative and direct: the firm sells through its website (courage.nl), phone, and email, beginning with introductory meetings, supplemented by an 'ambassador' referral network cultivated from satisfied clients and amplified by trade-journal coverage, broadcast features, and industry awards (Dutch Daylight Award, Nationale Staalprijs, Apeldoorn Architecture Prize). Primary customer segments are Dutch MKB and family businesses plus private individuals, with secondary exposure to corporate, institutional, and product-design clients.

Name

COURAGE Architecten

Legal name

Courage Architecten B.V.

Website

https://courage.nl

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

COURAGE Architecten is a family-owned Dutch architecture, interior, and product design firm based in Apeldoorn, Netherlands. It specializes in daylight-first design, steel-frame construction, and turn-key delivery, serving MKB/family businesses, private homeowners, and corporate clients across the Netherlands.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Architectural & Interior Design Services

NAICS

Architectural Services (54131), Interior Design Services (541410), Commercial and Institutional Building Construction (236220)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Architectural Design Services (BPAHAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Interior Design Services (BPAHAKAB), Design-Build / EPC General Contracting (IMAFAAAD)

Keywords

• Architectural design services
• Interior design services
• Product design services
• Steel frame construction
• Daylight design consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Apeldoorn

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Architectural Design Services: Full-service architectural design from concept through construction supervision for residential, commercial, industrial, and institutional projects. Services span architecture, interior design, and product design. Revenue earned through project-based design fees, typically a percentage of construction budget or fixed fee per phase.
2. Interior Design & Turn-Key Delivery: Interior design services including concept, product procurement, execution management, and full turn-key delivery for MKB and private clients. Includes supply and specification of furniture, lighting, materials, and finishes.
3. Lectures and Speaking Engagements: Lars Courage delivers paid lectures nationally and internationally on daylight architecture, craftsmanship and innovation, and energy/sustainability topics. Minimum fee starting at €5,000 excl. VAT, including preparation and presentation.
4. Product Design: Bespoke product design including signage (McDonald's Koningsmast A1), custom motorcycles (BMW R9T custom builds), bridges, and camping sanitary units. Design and build supervision.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

COURAGE Architecten is a Dutch architecture firm offering full-service design for architecture, interior design, and product design projects. The firm specializes in daylight-first design methodology and steel frame construction, delivering projects from concept through construction supervision for residential, commercial, industrial, and institutional clients across the Netherlands. Services span complete design-to-delivery execution including turn-key interiors, custom product design, and paid lectures on daylight architecture and craftsmanship.

Product overview

COURAGE Architecten is an architecture, interior design, and product design firm based in Apeldoorn, Netherlands, operating for 25 years. The firm offers three core services: Architecture (buildings, transformations, industrial, residential), Interieur (interior design from offices to healthcare to residential), and Product Design (custom structures like advertising masts, bridges, and camping units). A key specialization is Dutch Daylight expertise, with founder Lars Courage serving as chairman of the Dutch Daylight foundation. The Architect on Wheels service provides mobile on-site consultations. Projects span residential villas, commercial buildings, MKB offices, and unique product designs including custom motorcycles.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Architectuur (Architecture) Full-service architectural design for residential, commercial, industrial, and institutional building projects throughout the Netherlands, including new construction and transformation projects.
• Interieur (Interior Design) Interior design services including office interiors, MKB workspaces, healthcare facilities, and total concept residential interiors, with a 'from inside to outside' approach.
• Product Design Bespoke product design services including signage structures (e.g., McDonald's Koningsmast), bridges, camping sanitary units, and custom motorcycle design applying architectural thinking to industrial objects.
• Architect on Wheels Mobile architecture consultation where founder Lars Courage travels to client locations for on-site design discussions, sketches, 3D models, VR demonstrations, and drone surveys to help prospective clients crystallize their vision.
• Lectures & Speaking Engagements Paid lectures by Lars Courage on daylight architecture, craftsmanship and innovation, and energy/sustainability topics, delivered nationally and internationally at venues including TU Delft, Münster School of Architecture, and the Nationale Staalbouwdag. Minimum fee €5,000 excluding VAT.

Quantifiable outcome

• Dutch Daylight Award 2012 for 'Huis zonder Ramen' — a house with almost no windows using innovative roof daylighting, leading to a change in the Dutch Building Decree (Bouwbesluit)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers10 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

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• itBuildingcoreStrategic or Co-development PartneritBuilding is described as a 'partner' of COURAGE. They specialize in IT infrastructure for buildings and have collaborated on smart building projects including Kanaal Noord, CarGo, and Project Zuid. itBuilding delivers holistic IT solutions integrating complex building systems and automated processes.
• Hedgehog ApplicationscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHedgehog Applications developed the internationally patented Hedgehog Rail ESS regenerative braking energy storage system for trains. COURAGE designed the 'Energy House' building to showcase this technology at Apeldoorn Central Station. A key project combining architecture with sustainable infrastructure innovation.
• Dutch Daylight FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDutch Daylight is a foundation promoting daylight awareness in the built environment and building regulations. Lars Courage served as chairman from 2015 to 2023. The foundation brings together architects, light professionals, scientists, governments, clients, and manufacturers. COURAGE won the Dutch Daylight Award 2012.
• Matel MetaalminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerMatel Metaal in Vriezenveen produced the steel components for the Koningsmast A1 project. Their facility could handle the enormous pipe dimensions required for the 50m landmark structure.
• Zeecontainerwoning.nl (Niek Jansen)minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerBuild partner for the Camping De Kleine Wolf sanitair units. Niek Jansen's team in Dalfsen built the prefabricated sanitary units based on 20ft sea containers per COURAGE's design.
• Femke de JongminorOthersProfessional photographer who captures COURAGE projects with focus on humans and their relationship with the environment. Produces warm and engaging architectural photography.
• Harry NobackminorOthersCelebrated architectural photographer who captures COURAGE's work with 'courage' — described as producing 'the perfect picture' for the firm.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• UNStudio: Amsterdam-based global architecture practice with strong technology, parametric design, and user-experience orientation. A much larger international peer whose "tech-forward architecture" framing is thematically adjacent to COURAGE's daylight-as-driver methodology.
• KCAP Architects & Planners: Rotterdam-headquartered architecture and urban planning firm with significant Dutch and European footprint in mixed-use, residential, and mobility-linked projects. Adjacent positioning to COURAGE on Dutch regional-scale work but materially larger.
• de Architekten Cie. One of the largest Dutch architecture firms with deep experience in residential, commercial, and infrastructure-led urban design. Represents the scale-incumbent alternative competing for the same larger briefs COURAGE targets, though without COURAGE's daylight specialisation.

Others

• ABT engineers (now Sweco): Dutch engineering/constructability consultancy listed as COURAGE's structural engineering partner on the Koningsmast A1 project. Represents the engineering-services counterpart COURAGE pairs with on complex steel and prefabrication work.
• Hollandia (steel structures): Dutch structural-steel fabricator and engineering company central to the Dutch steel-construction ecosystem. Relevant as an enabler/supplier partner for COURAGE's prefab steel projects, and a stakeholder in the National Steel Prize community.

Direct peers

• Powerhouse Company: Rotterdam/Dutch boutique architecture firm with strong craftsmanship and material-experimentation identity, working across residential, cultural, and commercial briefs. Comparable boutique positioning and award-recognition trajectory to COURAGE.
• LIAG architecten: Mid-sized Dutch architecture practice with broad national coverage across residential, care, education, and commercial segments — a closer scale peer than the global Dutch firms. Shares COURAGE's focus on integrated interior + architecture delivery for MKB and institutional clients.
• i29 architects: Amsterdam-based boutique practice with a strong integrated architecture + interior design offering, multiple international awards, and a comparable project scale (residential, cultural, workplace). Same hybrid architecture/interior focus as COURAGE, with similar turnkey delivery ambition.
• cepezed: Delft/NL-based architecture firm with deep specialisation in steel-frame, demountable construction and "industrial, flexible building." COURAGE's steel+prefab+circular positioning aligns directly with cepezed's thesis, and both are nationally recognised within the Dutch steel-construction ecosystem (both National Steel Award winners/nominees).

Emerging players

• Studio MAKS (Marieke Staps / Juliette Vlamings): Dutch boutique architecture + interior practice with a similarly small team and design-led identity working across residential, hospitality, and retail interiors. Comparable scale and design-philosophy overlap to COURAGE's interior design pillar.

Market position

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/couragearchitecten
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/courage-architecten

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 COURAGE Architecten