Where else architects work: the AEC employers
A studio is one door. Big contractors, multidisciplinary engineering consultancies and developers all hire architects — often for BIM, technical, site and project-management roles, frequently in English and with more structured career paths. The building engineers (aparejadores / quantity surveyors) work at these same firms.
Construction companies (contractors)
| Firm | HQ | What they are | Reviews |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vinci Construction ↗ | Nanterre, France | One of the world's largest contractors; hires architects for design-build, BIM and site roles | Glassdoor · Indeed |
| Bouygues Construction ↗ | Guyancourt, France | Global French major with design/BIM and building divisions employing architects | Glassdoor · Indeed |
| Eiffage ↗ | Vélizy-Villacoublay, France | Third-largest French construction & concessions group; buildings arm hires architects | Glassdoor · Indeed |
| Colas ↗ | Boulogne-Billancourt, France | Vinci-owned roads/infrastructure specialist operating across Europe | Glassdoor · Indeed |
| Grupo ACS ↗ | Madrid, Spain | Major global construction group (parent of Dragados, Hochtief) | Glassdoor · Indeed |
| Dragados ↗ | Madrid, Spain | ACS building/civil contractor; large technical and site teams incl. architects | Glassdoor · Indeed |
| Ferrovial ↗ | Amsterdam, Netherlands | Spanish-origin infrastructure giant; HQ relocated to Amsterdam in 2023 | Glassdoor · Indeed |
| Acciona ↗ | Alcobendas (Madrid), Spain | Construction, infrastructure and sustainable-building group hiring architects | Glassdoor · Indeed |
| FCC Construcción ↗ | Madrid, Spain | Large Spanish contractor (buildings, civil, environment) | Glassdoor · Indeed |
| Sacyr ↗ | Madrid, Spain | Spanish construction & concessions group with international building projects | Glassdoor · Indeed |
| OHLA ↗ | Madrid, Spain | Formerly OHL; international contractor for complex buildings and infrastructure | Glassdoor · Indeed |
| Skanska ↗ | Stockholm, Sweden | Leading Nordic/European contractor with strong BIM and design-build capability | Glassdoor · Indeed |
| NCC ↗ | Solna (Stockholm), Sweden | Major Nordic construction and property developer | Glassdoor · Indeed |
| Peab ↗ | Förslöv, Sweden | One of the largest Nordic construction and civil engineering firms | Glassdoor · Indeed |
| Strabag ↗ | Vienna, Austria | Large Central-European contractor; owns Ed. Züblin; big BIM operation | Glassdoor · Indeed |
| Porr ↗ | Vienna, Austria | Leading Austrian construction group active across CEE and DACH | Glassdoor · Indeed |
| Hochtief ↗ | Essen, Germany | Germany's largest contractor (ACS group); complex buildings and infrastructure | Glassdoor · Indeed |
| Ed. Züblin ↗ | Stuttgart, Germany | Major German building contractor (Strabag); design-build and BIM teams | Glassdoor · Indeed |
| Goldbeck ↗ | Bielefeld, Germany | Design-build systems contractor; integrates architecture and engineering in-house | Glassdoor · Indeed |
| Max Bögl ↗ | Sengenthal, Germany | Large German construction group known for prefabrication and engineering | Glassdoor · Indeed |
| Bilfinger ↗ | Mannheim, Germany | Industrial/engineering services group with construction roots | Glassdoor · Indeed |
| Royal BAM Group ↗ | Bunnik, Netherlands | Leading Dutch/UK contractor with strong digital/BIM construction focus | Glassdoor · Indeed |
| VolkerWessels ↗ | Amersfoort, Netherlands | Major Dutch construction and infrastructure group | Glassdoor · Indeed |
| Heijmans ↗ | Rosmalen, Netherlands | Dutch listed contractor and area developer (residential, buildings, infra) | Glassdoor · Indeed |
| Balfour Beatty ↗ | London, United Kingdom | UK's largest contractor; buildings and infrastructure, hires technical architects | Glassdoor · Indeed |
| Laing O'Rourke ↗ | Dartford, United Kingdom | UK engineering-led contractor known for DfMA/offsite and BIM | Glassdoor · Indeed |
| Kier Group ↗ | Bedford, United Kingdom | UK construction and infrastructure services group | Glassdoor · Indeed |
| Mace ↗ | London, United Kingdom | International construction and consultancy; delivery, PM and design management | Glassdoor · Indeed |
| Sir Robert McAlpine ↗ | London, United Kingdom | Established UK main contractor for landmark buildings and stadia | Glassdoor · Indeed |
| Morgan Sindall Group ↗ | London, United Kingdom | UK construction and regeneration group with fit-out and design teams | Glassdoor · Indeed |
| Webuild (Salini Impregilo) ↗ | Milan, Italy | Italy's largest contractor; major international infrastructure and buildings | Glassdoor · Indeed |
| Implenia ↗ | Opfikon (Zurich), Switzerland | Switzerland's largest construction and real-estate services company | Glassdoor · Indeed |
| Comsa Corporación ↗ | Barcelona, Spain | 130-year-old infrastructure and engineering group (rail, civil, building) in ~20 countries; architects on building and technical teams | Glassdoor · Indeed |
| Grupo San José ↗ | Madrid, Spain | Listed construction group known for complex building and heritage projects; architects on design and site execution | Glassdoor · Indeed |
| Sorigué ↗ | Lleida, Spain | Diversified Catalan group whose contractor Acsa handles civil works and building; architects in its edificación division | Glassdoor · Indeed |
| Grupo Ortiz ↗ | Madrid, Spain | Construction, energy and real-estate group in Spain and Latin America; residential, hospital and non-residential buildings | Glassdoor · Indeed |
| Azvi ↗ | Sevilla, Spain | Century-old contractor (railways, bridges, tunnels, civil) with a building division; architects on building/technical projects | Glassdoor · Indeed |
| Sando ↗ | Málaga, Spain | Infrastructure and building contractor (~50 years) across Spain; architects on edificación and conservation projects | Glassdoor · Indeed |
| Grupo Puentes ↗ | A Coruña, Spain | Galician contractor renowned for bridges and hospitals; complex structural/building projects | Glassdoor · Indeed |
| Copasa ↗ | Ourense, Spain | Construction and services group (rail, roads, hydraulic, public and hospital buildings); architects on building teams | Glassdoor · Indeed |
| Amenábar ↗ | San Sebastián, Spain | Basque contractor and residential developer delivering thousands of homes; combined construction/promotion with in-house architects | Glassdoor · Indeed |
| Aldesa ↗ | Madrid, Spain | Construction, infrastructure and renewable-energy contractor in Spain and abroad; architects on building projects | Glassdoor · Indeed |
| Rover Grupo ↗ | Valencia, Spain | Contractor (formerly Rover Alcisa) with infrastructure, rail, singular-buildings and housing divisions; architects on edificación | Glassdoor · Indeed |
| Etosa ↗ | Murcia, Spain | Murcia-origin construction and residential-development group, strongly associated with Alicante/Elche and the Levante; housing and civil works | Glassdoor · Indeed |
| Ecisa ↗ | Alicante, Spain | Alicante (Costa Blanca) contractor — building, rehabilitation and civil works across Spain; employs architects | Glassdoor · Indeed |
| CHM Obras e Infraestructuras ↗ | Alicante, Spain | Alicante contractor (founded 1948) — roads, building, rail, port and hydraulic works, with branches in several Spanish cities | Glassdoor · Indeed |
| Grupo Bertolín ↗ | Paterna, Spain | Valencia-region (Paterna) family contractor — housing, hotels, offices, hospitals and civil works; hires architects | Glassdoor · Indeed |
| Pavasal ↗ | Valencia, Spain | Valencian family contractor (since 1943) — roads, civil, industrial and logistics infrastructure across the Levante and Murcia | Glassdoor · Indeed |
| Becsa ↗ | Castellón de la Plana, Spain | Castellón contractor (Simetría Grupo) — building and infrastructure across Valencia, Madrid, La Rioja and the Canaries | Glassdoor · Indeed |
| Grupo Martín Casillas ↗ | Alcalá de Guadaíra, Spain | Andalusian contractor near Seville — civil works, building, urbanisation and hydraulic works (MC Grupo) | Glassdoor · Indeed |
| Heliopol ↗ | Sevilla, Spain | Seville contractor (Grupo Rusvel) — Andalusian civil works and building incl. heritage restoration; hires architects | Glassdoor · Indeed |
| Vopi4 ↗ | Sant Joan Despí, Spain | Catalan contractor near Barcelona — residential, non-residential building and civil works across Catalonia | Glassdoor · Indeed |
| Benito Arnó e Hijos ↗ | Lleida, Spain | Lleida (Catalonia) family contractor (50+ years) — civil engineering, roads and building; hires architects | Glassdoor · Indeed |
| Construcciones Moyua ↗ | San Sebastián, Spain | Basque contractor (founded 1927) in Gipuzkoa/Euskadi — building and civil engineering; employs architects | Glassdoor · Indeed |
| Extraco ↗ | Ourense, Spain | Galician contractor (Ourense, since 1982) — building, rehabilitation and civil works nationwide | Glassdoor · Indeed |
| Grupo Satocan ↗ | Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain | Canary Islands contractor and developer — civil works, building, real estate and architecture projects | Glassdoor · Indeed |
| Construcciones Rubau ↗ | Girona, Spain | Girona (Catalonia) infrastructure contractor (since 1962) — construction, concessions, water and real estate | Glassdoor · Indeed |
| Verosa ↗ | Málaga, Spain | Málaga (Andalusia) contractor — roads, hydraulic, building, rail and port works | Glassdoor · Indeed |
| Romero Polo ↗ | Lleida, Spain | Catalan family group (Lleida) — roads, hydraulic, urbanisation and building works plus municipal services | Glassdoor · Indeed |
Engineering & multidisciplinary consultancies
| Firm | HQ | What they are | Reviews |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arup ↗ | London, United Kingdom | Global multidisciplinary consultancy; large facade, computational and architecture-adjacent teams | Glassdoor · Indeed |
| Buro Happold ↗ | Bath, United Kingdom | Multidisciplinary engineering; strong facades, SMART/computational and specialist consulting | Glassdoor · Indeed |
| Ramboll ↗ | Copenhagen, Denmark | Large Nordic engineering/architecture consultancy across buildings and cities | Glassdoor · Indeed |
| Sweco ↗ | Stockholm, Sweden | Europe's largest architecture & engineering consultancy; has in-house architects | Glassdoor · Indeed |
| WSP ↗ | Montreal, Canada | Global engineering consultancy with major European operations | Glassdoor · Indeed |
| AECOM ↗ | Dallas, United States | Global infrastructure consultancy; buildings/design practices hire architects in Europe | Glassdoor · Indeed |
| Mott MacDonald ↗ | Croydon, United Kingdom | Global multidisciplinary engineering and development consultancy | Glassdoor · Indeed |
| AFRY ↗ | Stockholm, Sweden | Nordic engineering/design consultancy (formerly ÅF Pöyry) with architecture teams | Glassdoor · Indeed |
| COWI ↗ | Kongens Lyngby, Denmark | Danish engineering consultancy; bridges, buildings and complex structures | Glassdoor · Indeed |
| Royal HaskoningDHV ↗ | Amersfoort, Netherlands | Dutch multidisciplinary engineering and project consultancy | Glassdoor · Indeed |
| Witteveen+Bos ↗ | Deventer, Netherlands | Dutch engineering consultancy for water, infrastructure and built environment | Glassdoor · Indeed |
| Bollinger+Grohmann ↗ | Frankfurt, Germany | Structural and facade engineers working closely with architects; geometry/BIM and fire teams | Glassdoor · Indeed |
| schlaich bergermann partner ↗ | Stuttgart, Germany | Renowned structural engineers for lightweight structures, roofs and bridges | Glassdoor · Indeed |
| Werner Sobek ↗ | Stuttgart, Germany | Structural/facade engineering and sustainable design with architectural focus | Glassdoor · Indeed |
| Knippers Helbig ↗ | Stuttgart, Germany | Structural and facade engineers for complex geometry; computational design | Glassdoor · Indeed |
| Thornton Tomasetti ↗ | New York, United States | Structural/facade engineering with London and European offices; computational (CORE studio) | Glassdoor · Indeed |
| AKT II ↗ | London, United Kingdom | Structural engineers known for architect collaboration and parametric/computational work | Glassdoor · Indeed |
| Eckersley O'Callaghan ↗ | London, United Kingdom | Structural and facade/glass engineers working with leading architects | Glassdoor · Indeed |
| Sener ↗ | Getxo (Bilbao), Spain | Spanish engineering and technology group; infrastructure and architecture-adjacent work | Glassdoor · Indeed |
| Typsa ↗ | Madrid, Spain | Spanish civil/structural engineering consultancy with international projects | Glassdoor · Indeed |
| Ineco ↗ | Madrid, Spain | Spanish transport engineering and consultancy (public-sector linked) | Glassdoor · Indeed |
| Idom ↗ | Bilbao, Spain | Consulting, engineering and architecture group; architecture arm formerly ACXT | Glassdoor · Indeed |
| Ingerop ↗ | Rueil-Malmaison, France | French multidisciplinary engineering consultancy for buildings and infrastructure | Glassdoor · Indeed |
| Egis ↗ | Guyancourt, France | French engineering and mobility consultancy with building/architecture activities | Glassdoor · Indeed |
| Setec ↗ | Paris, France | French engineering group covering structures, buildings and infrastructure | Glassdoor · Indeed |
| Pinearq ↗ | Barcelona, Spain | Healthcare architecture and hospital engineering specialist; integrated architect teams | Glassdoor · Indeed |
| BG Ingénieurs Conseils ↗ | Lausanne, Switzerland | Swiss multidisciplinary consulting engineers (buildings, energy, infra); now part of WSP | Glassdoor · Indeed |
| Waagner Biro Steel and Glass ↗ | Vienna, Austria | Facade and steel/glass building-envelope engineering for landmark architecture | Glassdoor · Indeed |
| Ayesa ↗ | Sevilla, Spain | Global engineering, architecture and technology firm (founded 1966) across 20+ countries; architects on infrastructure and building | Glassdoor · Indeed |
| Esteyco ↗ | Madrid, Spain | Independent civil-engineering and architecture consultancy (bridges, structures, infrastructure); architecture and urban-planning teams | Glassdoor · Indeed |
| Eptisa ↗ | Madrid, Spain | Multinational engineering, architecture and consulting firm (~70 years, 40+ countries); infrastructure, building and urban projects | Glassdoor · Indeed |
| Fhecor ↗ | Madrid, Spain | Structural-engineering consultancy renowned for bridges; architects collaborate on structural design of buildings and singular structures | Glassdoor · Indeed |
| Prointec ↗ | Madrid, Spain | Civil engineering, architecture and consulting firm (Indra) — infrastructure, urban planning, environment | Glassdoor · Indeed |
| Getinsa-Payma (TPF Getinsa Euroestudios) ↗ | Madrid, Spain | One of Spain's largest infrastructure-engineering groups, now part of Belgian TPF; building and infrastructure design and supervision | Glassdoor · Indeed |
Developers & project management
| Firm | HQ | What they are | Reviews |
|---|---|---|---|
| Drees & Sommer ↗ | Stuttgart, Germany | Leading European project management and construction consultancy; hires architects | Glassdoor · Indeed |
| Arcadis ↗ | Amsterdam, Netherlands | Global design/engineering & project-management consultancy for the built environment | Glassdoor · Indeed |
| Turner & Townsend ↗ | Leeds, United Kingdom | Global cost/project management consultancy; hires architects for PM/technical roles | Glassdoor · Indeed |
| Gleeds ↗ | London, United Kingdom | International property and construction consultancy (PM, cost management) | Glassdoor · Indeed |
| Currie & Brown ↗ | London, United Kingdom | Global cost and project management consultancy for the built environment | Glassdoor · Indeed |
| Hill International ↗ | Philadelphia, United States | Global construction/project management with major European operations | Glassdoor · Indeed |
| Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield ↗ | Paris, France | Europe's largest commercial real-estate developer/operator; in-house design teams | Glassdoor · Indeed |
| Hines ↗ | Houston, United States | Global real-estate developer/investor with a large European development pipeline | Glassdoor · Indeed |
| Lendlease ↗ | Sydney, Australia | Global developer and project manager; active on large European urban schemes | Glassdoor · Indeed |
| Vonovia ↗ | Bochum, Germany | Europe's largest residential landlord/developer; technical and development roles | Glassdoor · Indeed |
| Neinver ↗ | Alcobendas (Madrid), Spain | European outlet-centre developer/operator (The Style Outlets); development teams | Glassdoor · Indeed |
| Merlin Properties ↗ | Madrid, Spain | Major Spanish REIT (offices, logistics, retail) with in-house development | Glassdoor · Indeed |
| Klépierre ↗ | Paris, France | Pan-European shopping-centre owner/developer | Glassdoor · Indeed |
| Segro ↗ | London, United Kingdom | Pan-European industrial/logistics REIT and developer | Glassdoor · Indeed |
| ECE Group ↗ | Hamburg, Germany | German developer/manager of shopping centres and mixed-use; in-house architecture | Glassdoor · Indeed |
| Metrovacesa ↗ | Madrid, Spain | Listed residential developer with over a century of history and Spain's largest land bank; residential and commercial development | Glassdoor · Indeed |
| Aedas Homes ↗ | Madrid, Spain | Major listed new-build residential developer across Spain's main markets; in-house design and product teams | Glassdoor · Indeed |
| Neinor Homes ↗ | Bilbao, Spain | Leading listed residential developer (build-to-sell and build-to-rent) nationwide; design, product and project management | Glassdoor · Indeed |
| Vía Célere ↗ | Madrid, Spain | Residential developer in Spain and Portugal, focused on innovation and sustainability; architects in design and project teams | Glassdoor · Indeed |
| Habitat Inmobiliaria ↗ | Madrid, Spain | Long-established residential developer (1953) with offices across Spain; new-build residential product and design | Glassdoor · Indeed |
| Culmia ↗ | Madrid, Spain | Residential developer (build-to-sell, build-to-rent, affordable housing) with ~10 offices in Spain; architects for development | Glassdoor · Indeed |
| Kronos Homes ↗ | Madrid, Spain | Design-led residential developer in Spain and Portugal, known for architecture-focused projects with star architects | Glassdoor · Indeed |
| Grupo Insur ↗ | Sevilla, Spain | Listed patrimonial and residential developer strong in Andalusia and Madrid (housing and offices); promotion and construction | Glassdoor · Indeed |
| Realia ↗ | Madrid, Spain | Listed developer and property owner (residential promotion plus offices and retail); architects in its promotion division | Glassdoor · Indeed |
| Pryconsa ↗ | Madrid, Spain | Combined developer-contractor (70,000+ homes), a leader in Madrid; in-house architects for residential design and build | Glassdoor · Indeed |
| Vía Ágora ↗ | Madrid, Spain | Residential developer focused on sustainability and affordable housing, incl. office-to-residential conversions | Glassdoor · Indeed |
| AQ Acentor ↗ | Madrid, Spain | Residential and mixed-use developer (Aquila Capital) in Spain's main metropolitan areas; design and product divisions | Glassdoor · Indeed |
| Gestilar ↗ | Madrid, Spain | Madrid residential developer (with in-house Gestilar Construcciones) — active in Madrid, Catalonia, Galicia and Andalusia; hires architects | Glassdoor · Indeed |
| Grupo Lobe ↗ | Zaragoza, Spain | Aragón (Zaragoza) developer-builder of new-build housing, a Passivhaus pioneer; active in Zaragoza, Madrid and Valencia | Glassdoor · Indeed |
| Grupo Ibosa ↗ | Madrid, Spain | Madrid residential developer and cooperative manager — free and protected housing across the Madrid region | Glassdoor · Indeed |
| TM Grupo Inmobiliario ↗ | Torrevieja, Spain | Alicante-based (Torrevieja) developer of second-residence housing along the Mediterranean coast; in-house design/architecture teams | Glassdoor · Indeed |
The jobs angle: most of these firms run proper career feeds — several are candidates to become live job sources on the site, not just a list. Meanwhile, search any of them for openings, and check what the roles pay. Unlike small studios, these employers have hundreds of public reviews — the Glassdoor/Indeed links tell you what working there is actually like (Glassdoor is now part of Indeed, so the two overlap).
The jobs angle: the studios featured in these magazines and prize lists are exactly the ones worth a speculative application. Browse the studio directory, see who's hiring now, and check what roles pay.
More reference (full library): magazines · awards · biennales & fairs · competitions & tenders · AEC employers · internships & research · job titles glossary · registering to practise. Compiled from public sources; corrections welcome.