Revenue for the Wapping-based arm of the global design and architecture practice grew by £1.4 million to £75.1 million in the year to 31 March 2025.
The company attributed the rise to ‘business development efforts’, in a statement submitted with the accounts.
However, revenues from work in the Middle East fell to £19.1 million, from £24.4 million in the previous year, a slowdown that the company hopes is temporary.
In a statement with the accounts, co-managing principal Duncan Swinhoe said Gensler Europe, which is working on the Line at NEOM in Saudi Arabia, had entered into a ‘substantial confidential contract’ in the Middle East.
The project will be worth £216 million overall, and generated £9 million in the period covered by the accounts.
The company has been working with Austrian practice Delugan Meissl Associated Architects (DMAA) and UK engineering and consultancy giant Mott MacDonald on the controversial 170km-long linear city, The Line.
It was announced in November 2024 that the practices would work together to shape the ‘core’ design, city planning and engineering for the Hidden Marina, The Line’s under-construction 2.4km-long first phase.
The AJ has previously reported that work on Saudi Arabia’s megaprojects has stalled, with low oil prices forcing a slowdown on NEOM.
Swinhoe noted that work on its ‘confidential project’ is expected to continue, adding: ‘However, its progression remains subject to further client approval.’
Swinhoe said in the new accounts: ‘The people-first philosophy that beats at the heart of our firm guides us across every facet of our business, from how we build and cultivate relationships with our global clients to how we engage with our local communities to create spaces that enrich the human experience.
‘Creating a better world starts with people how people live, work, and play, and what people need to live healthy and fulfilling lives.’
The UK was the only region in which Gensler saw substantial growth in the year, with revenues rising to £33.5 million from £25.8 million.
Work in Europe also dropped by £1.2 million, to £16.8 million.
Pre-tax profit dipped slightly to £1.5 million, down from £1.7 million in 2024 in the period. Average staff numbers at the practice, which re-entered the AJ100 in 14th spot last June, also edged down from 318 to 315.
Swinhoe added: ‘The company continues to demonstrate robust financial health and stability. Our strategic initiatives and prudent management practices have positioned us well for sustained growth and resilience in the face of market fluctuations.’
This week the practice also announced the appointment of five new principals to its UK and European leadership team.
The company said the new principals – Megan Dobstaff, Madeleine Hilton, Joost Lansbergen, Nathan Morgan and Jonathan Clarke – were joining at a ‘pivotal time of growth for the firm in the UK and Europe.’
On the subject of the UK profession working in Saudi, human rights charity Amnesty International told the AJ in 2024 that it was ‘vital that architecture firms considering operating in Saudi Arabia [were] doing proper due diligence to ensure they’re not contributing to labour exploitation and other human rights abuses’, which it said were ‘inevitable’, given the size of Saudi Arabia’s development push.