What Forbes Architects does

Forbes Architects is a Coral Gables, Florida-based architecture and construction firm offering integrated design-build services to commercial and residential clients across South Florida. The firm operates as two legal entities under common founder ownership: Forbes Architects (founded 1985) and Forbes Construction, LLC (formed 1994 as Forbes Construction & Development, reorganized 2013). Together they provide architecture, engineering, interior design, and certified general contracting services delivered as a single-source design-build model, with the owner working with one entity from concept through occupancy.

The firm's service portfolio spans eight vertical markets including healthcare, education, government, financial services, logistics, hospitality, retail, and industrial, with notable projects for clients such as Baptist Health South Florida, Ryder System, the U.S. General Services Administration, Florida International University, the Ritz-Carlton, and Federal Express. The firm is licensed and insured in Florida for Architecture, Construction, and Interior Design, and holds NCARB and Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) certifications. It is led by founder John R. Forbes, an AIA Fellow, former University of Miami adjunct Design Lecturer, and Certified General Contractor.

The business model is professional-services, project-based fee generation on bespoke architecture and construction engagements. Revenue is generated through direct client engagement (enterprise field sales), with leads sourced from a portfolio-driven website, a contact/inquiry form, and a reputation-based referral motion underpinned by 35+ years of regional work and an extensive award record (AIA Fellow, GSA National Built-to-Suit of the Year, multiple Florida AIA honors, and NAIOP recognition). Pricing is not publicly disclosed; fees are project-specific and quote-based. The firm is privately held, founder-owned, with no external investors or institutional capital disclosed.

Name

Forbes Architects

Legal name

Forbes Architects and Forbes Construction

Website

https://famiami.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1985

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Forbes Architects is a Coral Gables, Florida-based integrated design-build firm offering architecture, interior design, and certified general contracting services to commercial and residential clients across South Florida. Founded in 1985, the firm serves healthcare, education, government, hospitality, and industrial sectors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Architectural and Construction Services

NAICS

Architectural Services (541310), Commercial and Institutional Building Construction (236220), Residential Building Construction (23611)

SIC

General Bldg Contractors - Nonresidential Bldgs (1540), Operative Builders (1531), General Bldg Contractors - Residential Bldgs (1520)

akta.pro primary industry

Architectural Design Services (BPAHAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Office & Corporate Building Construction (IMAFACAA), Residential Design-Build & Renovation-Integrated Builders (IMAFABAE)

Keywords

• Architectural design services
• Design-build construction
• General contracting services
• Commercial architecture projects
• Luxury residential architecture

Headquarters

HQ city

Coral Gables

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Architecture and Engineering Services: Full architectural and engineering design services for commercial, residential, healthcare, education, government, religious, and hospitality projects, including space planning, programming, and interior design.
2. General Construction Contracting: Certified General Contractor providing construction management and general contracting services for new building and renovation projects across Office, Industrial, Retail, Restaurant, Hospitality, and Residential segments, enabling a seamless design-build delivery model.
3. Design-Build Services: Integrated design-build delivery method where design and construction services are contracted by a single company, saving the owner time and money on new building or renovation projects. Provides a single point of contact from concept to completion.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Forbes Architects and Forbes Construction operate as an integrated design-build firm delivering licensed architecture, interior design, and certified general contracting services across South Florida. Their work spans commercial, healthcare, education, government, hospitality, retail, industrial, religious, and luxury residential projects, providing a single point of contact from concept through completion for new building and renovation engagements.

Product overview

Forbes Architects and Forbes Construction operates as a unified architecture and construction firm offering integrated services. The core offerings consist of three main services: (1) Forbes Architects - providing award-winning architectural design services since 1985 for commercial and residential projects; (2) Forbes Construction - a certified General Contractor providing full-service construction for new building and renovation projects; and (3) Design-Build Services - an integrated delivery method combining design and construction under one contract. The company also provides interior design services and serves diverse market sectors including commercial (office, industrial, retail, healthcare, government, education, religious) and residential (single-family homes, condominiums, renovations).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Forbes Architects - Architecture Services Award-winning architectural design services provided since 1985, offering high-quality design, excellent service, and professional implementation for commercial, institutional, and residential projects across South Florida.
• Forbes Construction - General Contracting Services Full-service construction company certified as General Contractors, experienced in all phases of new building and renovation projects including Office, Industrial, Retail, Restaurant, Hospitality, and Residential sectors.
• Design-Build Services Integrated project delivery method in which design and construction services are contracted by a single company, designed to save owners time and money on new building or renovation projects and providing one knowledgeable point of contact from concept to completion.
• Interior Design Services Licensed interior design services in Florida (license ID-0003942) delivered alongside architectural and construction engagements as part of the firm's integrated practice.

Quantifiable outcome

• Successfully planned and managed office and industrial projects from inception, navigating zoning variances, public hearings, city commission meetings, and permitting with various municipal public agencies in South Florida.

Named customers48 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Coastal Construction Group: Miami-based design-build general contractor delivering commercial, hospitality, and residential projects in South Florida with a comparable integrated delivery model.
• Stiles Corporation: Florida-based commercial real estate developer and design-build contractor with overlapping Office, Industrial, Retail, Healthcare, and Education project types across South Florida.
• Moss & Associates: Fort Lauderdale-headquartered design-build construction firm serving commercial, hospitality, healthcare, and education sectors across Florida with a similar integrated delivery approach.
• Nichols Brosch Wurst Wolfe & Associates (NBWW): South Florida architecture and planning firm with comparable commercial, healthcare, hospitality, and institutional portfolio and overlapping Miami-based client base.
• Zyscovich Architects: Miami-based architecture firm with a similar combined architectural and interior design practice serving commercial, residential, healthcare, and institutional clients across South Florida.
• Architectonica: Miami-headquartered architecture practice with similar mixed-use, commercial, residential, and hospitality work and overlapping Florida institutional clients.
• Bercow Radet: Miami architecture and interior design firm serving comparable commercial, hospitality, and retail clients across South Florida with similar mid-size project scope.

Broad incumbents

• Suffolk Construction: National design-build general contractor with a major Florida presence across healthcare, hospitality, commercial, and education sectors; competes for similar enterprise clients but at much larger scale.
• AECOM: Global design-build and architecture/engineering firm with extensive Florida presence across commercial, healthcare, education, and government sectors; broader scale and capability stack than Forbes.

Emerging players

• Wolf Subordinated Design-Build: South Florida design-build firm serving custom residential and select commercial clients in the same regional market with a similar integrated architecture+construction model.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/forbes-construction-llc

Compliance6 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Forbes Architects