Over the last ten years, dhk Architects has more than doubled in size and our global footprint has grown exponentially. More than 60% of our work is based outside South Africa, with several projects in the Middle East and over 40 projects in 18 countries across Africa. Our international reach began as one or two early international project wins and expanded over the years into a deliberate global growth strategy.
dhk Chairman Derick Henstra says the expansion into international markets happened organically. "We had started to entrench our reputation locally and in parallel started winning work beyond South African borders. We wanted to grow our profile internationally and so we followed the opportunities," Derick explains.
This strategy culminated in our announcement in March 2026 that we are joining 10N, a collective created by Egis Group.
In this article, we unpack that trajectory. Here, we tell the story of how a studio deeply rooted in South Africa has grown into an internationally recognised brand, evolving in terms of skillsets and technology, and turning shocks like the Covid-19 pandemic into catalytic opportunities.