MVE + Partners
MVE + Partners is an integrated architecture, planning, and interior design firm founded in 1974 that serves real estate developers, hospitality operators, and property owners across residential, commercial, mixed-use, and hospitality projects in the United States and internationally.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1974
- HeadquartersIrvine, United States
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What MVE + Partners does
MVE + Partners is a privately held architecture and planning firm founded in 1974 by Carl McLarand in Orange County, California, and currently led by Matthew McLarand as President and Director of Design. The firm operates an integrated practice across four core service lines: Architecture, Planning, Interiors, and Workshop, delivering master planning, architectural design, interior design, and collaborative visioning for real estate developers, property owners, and institutional investors. Projects span residential, commercial office, mixed-use, master-planned communities, hospitality (including branded residences for Marriott, Ritz-Carlton, Rosewood, and Mandarin Oriental), retail, student housing, and select civic/aviation work.
The firm's technical stack is built on industry-standard architectural tools: Building Information Modeling (BIM) with Revit, 3D modeling in Sketchup, Rhino, and Grasshopper, combined with hand sketching and design visualization software. There is no disclosed proprietary technology platform. The firm holds no patents or trademarks. Differentiation is claimed through an "idea-driven design approach" emphasizing collaborative concept development and concept grounding for every architectural decision.
MVE + Partners generates revenue through professional services fees on a project-by-project basis, with pricing dependent on scope, complexity, and services required (not publicly disclosed). The firm operates five offices: Irvine, CA (headquarters), Los Angeles, San Diego (opened July 2025), San Francisco, and Guadalajara, Mexico, with active project work across approximately ten US states and historical international projects in China, Egypt, and the UAE. Customer concentration is centered on institutional real estate developers (The Irvine Company, Hines, Brookfield Residential, Toll Brothers, Lowe Property Group, Holland Partner Group, Vestar, UDR) and major hospitality operators. The firm is independently owned, with no disclosed external private equity or venture capital backing, and operates as a management-controlled practice with family involvement through the McLarand family.
MVE + Partners firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- MVE + Partners
- Legal name
- MVE + Partners, Inc.
- Website
- https://mve-architects.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1974
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- MVE + Partners is an integrated architecture, planning, and interior design firm founded in 1974 that serves real estate developers, hospitality operators, and property owners across residential, commercial, mixed-use, and hospitality projects in the United States and internationally.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
MVE + Partners industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Architectural Design Services
- NAICS
- Architectural Services (54131), Architectural Services (541310), Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services (5413), Specialized Design Services (5414), Other Specialized Design Services (541490)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Retail & Mixed-Use Commercial Construction (IMAFACAB)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Multi-Family Residential Construction (Apartments, Condos, Townhomes) (IMAFABAB), Hospitality & Entertainment Venue Construction (IMAFACAC), Community Engagement & Participatory Planning (BPAHAKAO), Construction Program Management (Multi-site/Portfolio) (IMAFAAAF)
Keywords
Where MVE + Partners is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Irvine
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices5 records
Markets served
MVE + Partners business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Architecture and Design Services: MVE generates revenue through professional architecture, planning, and interior design services. Projects span master planning, commercial office, residential, resort hospitality, and branded residences. Services include schematic design, design development, construction documentation, and construction administration.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels3 records
MVE + Partners product offering
Product offeringCore offering
MVE + Partners is an architecture and planning firm delivering integrated design services—architecture, master planning, interior design, and design workshops—for large-scale residential, commercial, hospitality, retail, and mixed-use developments. Projects span concept through construction administration, serving real estate developers, property owners, and institutional investors across the U.S. and internationally.
Product overview
MVE + Partners is an architectural firm offering a unified service portfolio organized around four core disciplines: Architecture, Planning, Interiors, and Workshop. These services are delivered as an integrated practice rather than as discrete modular products—the firm combines master planning, architectural design, and interior design capabilities to serve clients across residential, commercial, hospitality, retail, and mixed-use sectors. Notable project portfolios include the Riverwalk Master Plan in San Diego, Legacy Park in Mesa, OC Vibe in Anaheim, and branded residences such as Mandarin Oriental and The Ritz-Carlton.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Architecture Full-service architectural design covering high-rise residential, commercial office, hospitality, retail, and mixed-use developments from concept through construction administration.
- Master Planning Comprehensive master planning services for large-scale mixed-use communities, including site analysis, yield testing, vision development, and illustrative renderings to shape overall district frameworks.
- Interiors Interior design services for residential, commercial, and hospitality projects including tenant improvements, amenity spaces, and branded residence interiors.
- Planning Urban planning and entitlements services including feasibility studies, specific plans, brownfield redevelopments, and large-scale urban master plans.
- Workshop Design workshop services providing collaborative visioning and conceptual design development with clients and stakeholders.
Quantifiable outcome
- 325 Gold Nugget Awards demonstrating industry recognition for design excellence
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use MVE + Partners
Customer profileNamed customers12 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
MVE + Partners technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
MVE + Partners partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eight partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- Choate Construction CompanyminorGeneral contractor for the Johnson Lexus Durham dealership redesign project. Worked with MVE on construction aspects of the automotive dealership transformation.
- Morrison Engineers PLLCminorStructural engineering partner for the Johnson Lexus Durham project.
- Bass Nixon and Kennedy, Inc.minorMEP engineering partner for the Johnson Lexus Durham automotive dealership project.
- Lighting Design Alliance (LDA)minorLighting design consultant for the Johnson Lexus Durham project, contributing to the sophisticated showroom lighting design.
- KIER ConstructioncoreConstruction partner for the Residences at Sugar Alley rebuild project. KIER Construction collaborated with MVE and Lowe Property Group to re-envision and rebuild the 193-unit mixed-use property after a devastating 2022 fire.
- Bridge Investment GroupcoreDevelopment partner for Post District Residences in Salt Lake City. Collaborated with Lowe Property Group, Blaser Ventures, and MVE on this adaptive reuse and new construction mixed-use project featuring 580 residential units.
- HOLLAND PARTNER GROUP OPERATIONS, LLCcoreMaster plan developer for Gateway Crossings project. Partnered with MVE on Orlo & Alba at Gateway Crossings in Santa Clara, delivering 725 new homes near Caltrain and Santa Clara University.
- H&S VenturescoreDevelopment partner for OC Vibe, a visionary 100-acre mixed-use destination around the Honda Center in Anaheim. MVE designed the residential district with distinct architectural expressions.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
MVE + Partners competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- WATG: Hospitality and mixed-use architecture specialist with strong California presence; competes head-to-head with MVE on branded-residences and resort work (Mandarin Oriental, Ritz-Carlton) where MVE is also actively growing.
- KTGY: Irvine-based architecture and planning firm focused on residential, mixed-use, and master-planned communities across the Western U.S. — directly competitive with MVE for the same developer and homebuilder clients in California.
- Steinberg Hart: California-based architecture practice with comparable scale serving residential, mixed-use, and urban infill developers; pursues the same enterprise client accounts (UDR, Holland, Irvine Company) as MVE.
- TCA Architects: Southern California architecture firm specializing in multi-family residential and mixed-use; directly competes with MVE's residential studio for developer clients across the LA/OC/SD markets.
- AO: Architecture practice focused on multi-family, student housing, and mixed-use; closely comparable to MVE in scale, building typology mix, and California client base.
- Wimberly Allison Tong & Goo (now WATG | Wimberly): Hospitality-focused architecture and interior-design practice; directly comparable to MVE in branded-residences and luxury-resort work, often pursuing the same Marriott, Ritz-Carlton, and Mandarin Oriental accounts.
Broad incumbents
- Gensler: The largest global architecture, design, and planning firm; overlaps with MVE across mixed-use, hospitality, and master-planning work. Kap Malik (MVE's Director of Hospitality) joined from Gensler, underscoring direct competition for the same enterprise client pool.
- HKS Architects: Large architecture firm with a significant hospitality and mixed-use practice; competes with MVE on enterprise-scale hospitality and urban-mixed-use pursuits.
- Page: Multi-disciplinary architecture, engineering, and planning firm similar in scale and integrated-delivery model to MVE; competes in mixed-use and residential master planning in the Western U.S.
- Perkins&Will: International architecture firm with a meaningful urban-design and master-planning practice; competes with MVE on large mixed-use master-plan RFPs alongside Gensler and HOK.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
MVE + Partners social profiles
Digital presenceMVE + Partners financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
MVE + Partners leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles14 records
MVE + Partners funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
MVE + Partners M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about MVE + Partners
What does MVE + Partners do?
MVE + Partners is an architecture and planning firm delivering integrated design services—architecture, master planning, interior design, and design workshops—for large-scale residential, commercial, hospitality, retail, and mixed-use developments. Projects span concept through construction administration, serving real estate developers, property owners, and institutional investors across the U.S. and internationally.
Is MVE + Partners a public or private company?
MVE + Partners is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was MVE + Partners founded?
MVE + Partners was founded in 1974. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is MVE + Partners based?
MVE + Partners is headquartered in Irvine, United States, in the North America region.
How does MVE + Partners make money?
One revenue line is on record: architecture and Design Services.
Who are MVE + Partners's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are WATG, KTGY, Steinberg Hart, TCA Architects, AO and Wimberly Allison Tong & Goo (now WATG | Wimberly). Broad incumbents are Gensler, HKS Architects, Page and Perkins&Will.
Does MVE + Partners have an API?
No public API is recorded for MVE + Partners.
What industry is MVE + Partners in?
MVE + Partners's product category is Architectural Design Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMAFACAB, Retail & Mixed-Use Commercial Construction, with a secondary code of IMAFABAB, Multi-Family Residential Construction (Apartments, Condos, Townhomes). Its NAICS code is 54131.