What arkitema k/s does

Arkitema k/s is a Scandinavian architecture firm founded in 1969 and headquartered in Denmark. Since January 1, 2019, it has operated as a wholly owned subsidiary of COWI Holding A/S, the engineering and infrastructure group. The firm employs more than 500 people across offices in Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and (as of April 2024) Iceland, with a newly established Trondheim office in Norway from January 2024.

Arkitema's service offering spans architecture, urban planning, landscape architecture, interior design, and timber construction, with a stated emphasis on sustainability and low-carbon design practices. Its core client base is the Scandinavian public sector — including municipalities, healthcare authorities, educational institutions, and infrastructure clients — supplemented by private-sector developers and corporate clients, the latter being a deliberate growth focus from 2023 onward. Project delivery relies on digital design and BIM-based workflows using tools such as Revit, Solibri, Dynamo, Python, and Grasshopper for computational design and coordination.

The business model is project-based professional services revenue, won through competitive tenders and direct appointments, with multi-year master planning frameworks providing some revenue stickiness in healthcare and municipal accounts. Geographic and vertical expansion (Iceland, Trondheim, data centres, private-sector clients) combined with the 2021 acquisition of KUB arkitekter in Norway indicate an active growth agenda under COWI ownership.

Name

arkitema k/s

Legal name

Arkitema k/s

Website

https://arkitema.dk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1969

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Arkitema k/s is a Scandinavian architecture firm founded in 1969 and now a subsidiary of COWI Holding A/S, employing 500+ people across Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and Iceland. It delivers architecture, urban planning, landscape, and timber construction services primarily to Scandinavian public sector clients in healthcare, education, and infrastructure.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Architectural Services

NAICS

Architectural Services (54131), Architectural Services (541310), Landscape Architectural Services (541320)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Architectural Design Services (BPAHAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Landscape Architecture & Site Design (BPAHAKAC), Community Engagement & Participatory Planning (BPAHAKAO)

Keywords

• Architectural design services
• Healthcare architecture
• Timber construction
• Sustainable building design
• Urban planning

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Architecture and Design Services: Arkitema generates revenue through providing architecture, landscape architecture, and urban planning services to public and private clients. Projects are won through competitive tendering, architectural competitions, and direct commissions. Revenue is project-based and derived from professional service fees for design, planning, and consulting across sectors including healthcare, education, infrastructure, residential, commercial, and transformation.
2. Engineering and Consulting Integration with COWI: As a subsidiary of COWI since 2019, Arkitema participates in integrated mandates alongside COWI's engineering and consultancy teams. This enables the firm to offer comprehensive 360-degree solutions spanning architecture, engineering, sustainability, and infrastructure consulting, broadening the revenue base through bundled service offerings.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Arkitema is a Scandinavian architecture and design firm that delivers multidisciplinary architectural services across healthcare, education, infrastructure, residential, commercial, urban development, and timber construction sectors. The firm designs buildings, urban environments, and timber-based architectural solutions for public sector clients, municipalities, and private developers across Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. As a subsidiary of COWI since 2019, Arkitema provides 360-degree solutions integrating architecture with engineering and sustainability consulting.

Product overview

Arkitema is a Scandinavian architectural firm offering a comprehensive suite of architectural design services across multiple sectors. Their service portfolio includes strategic consultancy, sustainability, transformation, infrastructure, commercial buildings, energy, industry, urban development and planning, healthcare, defence, housing, education, urban spaces and landscape, culture, architecture, digital construction, timber construction, and LCA (Life Cycle Assessment). The company operates as a unified design studio organized by geographic offices (Aarhus, København, Stockholm, Oslo, Göteborg, Aalborg, Trondheim) and collaborates extensively with COWI. Their project portfolio spans hospitals, schools, universities, metro stations, bridges, residential complexes, and various commercial and civic buildings across Scandinavia.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Arkitema & COWI Timber: A specialist advisory team focused on timber construction, formed in collaboration with COWI.

Products and services

• Healthcare Architecture Design of hospitals, psychiatric centers, children's hospitals, regional health houses, and care facilities for public healthcare clients across Scandinavia. Includes healing environment design, patient-centered layouts, and evidence-based design principles.
• Education Architecture Design of schools, universities, colleges, and research institutions with flexible learning landscapes and sustainable materials, including timber-based educational buildings.
• Infrastructure and Transport Design Design of metro stations, railway stations, bridges, and high-speed rail infrastructure with focus on sustainability, accessibility, and integration with urban environments.
• Transformation and Adaptive Reuse Renovation and adaptive reuse of existing buildings ranging from historic palaces to modern factories, applying a valuation methodology to preserve architectural, cultural, and environmental values while introducing new functions.
• Timber Construction Specialist timber building design delivered through the Arkitema & COWI Timber advisory team, focusing on wooden load-bearing structures, facades, and interiors for schools, stations, and residential buildings.
• Urban Development and Planning City planning, masterplanning, urban district development, waterfront developments, and residential area design integrating public functions, housing, and green spaces.
• Sustainability Services Sustainable design and environmental consulting services aimed at achieving green building certifications (BREEAM, FutureBuilt) and reducing carbon footprints across projects.
• Digital Construction (BIM) Building Information Modeling services using Autodesk Revit, Solibri, Dynamo, and related digital construction technologies for discipline coordination and interdisciplinary collaboration.
• Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) Environmental impact evaluation services for buildings across their lifecycle, supporting sustainability targets and certification processes.
• Housing Architecture Residential building design including apartments, student housing, care residences, and senior living facilities.
• Commercial Buildings Design of office, retail, and commercial properties for businesses and developers.
• Strategic Consultancy Strategic advisory services for urban and architectural development projects, including feasibility analysis and development planning.

Quantifiable outcome

• Skejby Psykiatri won the European Healthcare Design Award 2019
• +7 more outcomes

Named customers15 records

Segments6 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

One partnership is on record.

• COWI Holding A/ScoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019On January 1, 2019, Arkitema was acquired by and became part of COWI Holding A/S. This is a core strategic partnership in which Arkitema operates as a subsidiary, creating '360-degree solutions' that combine Arkitema's architectural expertise with COWI's engineering and consultancy capabilities. The partnership has resulted in additional growth, new disciplines such as infrastructure and energy, and cross-selling opportunities across Scandinavia. Arkitema maintains its brand identity while benefiting from COWI's distribution network and client relationships.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves14 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Henning Larsen: Copenhagen-headquartered architecture firm now part of Rambøll, designing public buildings, healthcare, education, and cultural projects across Scandinavia and globally. Highly comparable to Arkitema in sector mix, public-tender focus, and Nordic heritage, with even larger international reach.
• White Arkitekter: Leading Scandinavian architecture firm headquartered in Sweden and owned by Sweco, with deep expertise in healthcare, education, and sustainable timber construction. Directly comparable to Arkitema in Nordic geography, public-sector client base, and timber/sustainability positioning.
• Cobe: Copenhagen-based architecture firm with a strong portfolio in public architecture, urban development, and education across Scandinavia. Comparable to Arkitema in Danish roots, public-sector competition-led GTM, and sector focus on cultural, educational, and urban projects.
• 3XN: Danish architecture firm designing cultural, educational, healthcare, and commercial buildings globally. Directly comparable as a Nordic competitor competing for the same public-tender and competition-based commissions; notably co-designed Mary Elizabeths Hospital alongside Arkitema.
• BIG (Bjarke Ingels Group): Copenhagen-headquartered architecture studio with a global portfolio spanning cultural, healthcare, education, and infrastructure projects. Comparable as a high-profile Nordic design peer competing for flagship commissions, though operating at a significantly larger international scale.
• Schmidt Hammer Lassen: Aarhus-based architecture firm (now part of Perkins&Will) focused on cultural, educational, and public buildings in Scandinavia and globally. Directly comparable as a Danish peer with overlapping sector expertise and public-sector competition exposure.
• Dorte Mandrup: Copenhagen-based architecture studio known for cultural, educational, and landscape-led projects across the Nordics. Comparable to Arkitema in Danish heritage, competition-led GTM, and emphasis on contextual, sustainable design.
• LINK Arkitektur: Norwegian-Swedish architecture firm with strong presence across healthcare, education, and urban development in the Nordics. Directly comparable as a Scandinavian peer competing for the same public-sector clients and timber/sustainable design mandates.

Broad incumbents

• Rambøll: Major Danish engineering, design, and consultancy group that owns Henning Larsen. Comparable as the parent of a direct architecture competitor and as a broader Nordic multidisciplinary design+engineering player competing for the same 360-degree public-sector mandates.
• COWI Holding: Parent company of Arkitema since 2019 and one of Scandinavia's leading engineering and infrastructure consultancies. Listed here as the parent and integrated-delivery partner that bundles Arkitema's architecture into larger engineering and infrastructure mandates.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/arkitemaArchitects
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/arkitema
• Instagraminstagram.com/arkitema

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 records

Subsidiaries1 record

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 arkitema k/s