White Arkitekter

White Arkitekter is Sweden’s second biggest practice, both in terms of architect numbers and earnings. But while Sweco is well ahead in terms of staff — it has 200 more architects — White’s fee income of more than $50 million is only $10 million behind its rival.

It burst on to the UK scene when it won the design competition for Southend Pier, a project it will finish this year. Also due to open in the next 12 months is the huge Stockholm Waterfront project, a congress centre, hotel and offices.

One of the biggest schemes it has worked on in the past year is the New Karolinska Solna — Scandinavia’s largest hospital project ever. It has also worked on the Stockholm Arena and it signed off the Umeå School of Architecture and the Naturum Visitor Centre in Kristianstad, both in Sweden.

It is no surprise so much of the practice’s work is on home turf: it has 10 offices in Scandinavia, eight in Sweden and two in Denmark. CEO Monica von Schmalensee said: “Being one of the largest architectural practices in Scandinavia enables us to engage the best skilled and qualified architects. Fifty per cent men and 50% women work in multidisciplinary teams in a good working process, always with the goal to obtain the best architecture.”