Behnisch Architekten was founded in 1989 as a branch office of Günter Behnisch‘s firm, Behnisch & Partner. The “Stadtbüro“, as this branch was called, developed under the leadership of Stefan Behnisch, and in 1991, it became an entirely independent firm, with its own partnership structure and operations. Günter Behnisch continued to run his practice, Behnisch & Partner, in parallel until his retirement and the firm’s closure in 2005. Stefan’s office developed a distinctly international profile, pursuing work throughout Europe and eventually in North America as well, where the firm’s dedication to sustainable building principles coupled with a keen sense for the human experience in architecture found an audience.

In 2005 the independent Stadtbüro adopted today’s name, Behnisch Architekten. Since then, the firm has developed into a successful international practice with office locations in Stuttgart (since 1991), Los Angeles (since 1999), Boston (since 2006), Munich (since 2009) and Weimar (since 2022). All five locations operate under the name of Behnisch Architekten, and are conceived as one united office with multiple locations. The offices share resources, knowledge and experiences as well as people – many of Behnisch Architekten’s staff have worked in more than one of the offices for a substantial amount of time, ensuring the continuity and consistency of the firm’s unique approach to design and sustainability across all locations.

The office is managed collaboratively by the partnership which includes Stefan Rappold, Jörg Usinger and Michael Innerarity in Stuttgart, Robert Matthew Noblett, Erik Hegre and Christine Neapolitano in Boston, Robert Hoesle, Florian von Hayek, Maria Hirnsperger and Stephan Leissle in Munich, Kristi Paulson in Los Angeles and Angie Müller-Puch in Weimar.

In the firm's rich history, former partners include Günter Behnisch, Winfried Büxel, David Cook, Martin Haas, Christof Jantzen, Manfred Sabatke, Günther Schaller and Erhard Tränkner.