Largest architecture firms in the World [2023 update]

What are the largest architecture firms in the World?

As every year Building Design Online publish the annual survey of the world’s largest architecture firms in terms of fee income and employees.

In 2023, the top positions remain more or less unchanged compared to the previous years. Thus, on the podium of the largest architecture firms in the World, we can find Gensler (#1) HDR (#2) Nikkei Sekkei (#3) Sweco (#4) and AECOM (#5).

Art Gensler, along with his wife Drue Gensler and their associate James Follett, founded the firm in 1965. They originally focused on corporate interiors, pioneering interiors for newly constructed office buildings. The architecture firm has since diversified into numerous forms of architecture and design, including commercial office buildings, retail centers, airports, education facilities, entertainment complexes, planning and urban design, mission-critical facilities, consulting, brand design, and other areas

HDR, second largest architecture firm in the World, is an employee-owned design firm, specializing in engineering, architecture, environmental, and construction services. HDR works on projects in all 50 U.S. states and in 60 countries all over the World.

At the third place, Nikken Sekkei, the renowned Japanese architecture firm based in Tokyo founded more than 115 years ago. They developed into a professional service firm in architecture, city planning and environmental fields with more than 1,300 staff employees.

AECOM is an American multinational engineering firm, recently moved and headquartered in Los Angeles. They provide design, consulting, construction, and management services to an ever increasing number of clients. (They are one of the first architecture firms we visited during our educational tours!)

Sweco, listed in our “best architecture firms in Sweden” is the only one based in Europe amongst the Largest architecture firms in the World. The Swedish architecture firm has broad experience in architecture, design, urban planning and construction. Founded in 1958, they are today more than 1,200 architects working from offices in Denmark, Sweden, Germany, Finland, Poland, Belgium and Norway. With the combined strength of Sweco’s 17,000 experts within architecture, engineering and environmental services, they can take on your project from design and planning to construction and site supervision. Sweco act in small teams close to you to ensure professional excellence in every project – no matter size. It’s about creating value through architecture – to ensure a high quality of life in healthy cities by high-end design of places, spaces and buildings. Together with their clients, Sweco transforms communities and cities towards a sustainable future and reduced environmental impact.

Courtesy: Sweco

After the American and Asian hegemony, we can find other European architecture firms after the 18th ranking position: the Austrian architecture company ATP Architects Engineers (#15), gmp Architekten (#18) and HPP Architekten (#20), who attended to our LE3DERS exhibition during Milan Design Week 2022, both listed in our “Best architecture firms in Germany“. British architecture firm such as Foster + Partners, BDP, Zaha Hadid Architects, Allford Hall Monaghan Morris andChapman Taylor, listed amongst the largest architecture firms in the UK, are in position number #22, #24, #31, #43 and #47.

The first architecture firm from Norway is LINK arkitektur (32#). Their disciplines include architecture, interior design, landscape design and urban planning. This diverse expertise covers all areas of architecture, from the planning of extensive urban developments to product design. Amongst the largest architecture firms in the World we can even find in the ranking position number #44 IDOM, listed in our best architecture firms in Spain with the emerging Morph Estudio ranked #81. The largest French architecture firm is Arep (#36). DSP Design Associates is the largest architecture practice in India.

Courtesy: Link arkitektur

The renowned Dutch architecture firm MVRDV and the Danish BIG Bjarke Ingels Group, are no longer amongst the biggest 100 architecture firms.

The largest architecture firms in the World in terms of turnover and employees are:

Source: Building Design Online | 2023 update

Here below you can find all our other selections of top architecture companies in the World and in Europe:

• Best architecture firms in Denmark
• Best architecture firms in France
• Best architecture firms in Germany
• Best architecture firms in the Netherlands 
• Best architecture firms in Italy
• Best architecture firms in Spain
• Best architecture firms in Sweden
• Best architecture firms in Norway
• Best architecture firms in India
• Best architecture firms in Turkey

Cover image: ©Gensler / Ryan Gobuty