What METAFORM architects does

METAFORM architects is a privately held, multidisciplinary architecture firm founded in 2003 in Luxembourg by Shahram Agaajani and Thierry Cruchten. Operating through four offices — Luxembourg City (headquarters), Paris, Düsseldorf and Trier — and a team of 61 professionals drawn from more than 20 nationalities, the firm delivers comprehensive architectural services including architecture, interior architecture, landscape architecture, urban design, product design, graphic design, general planning and project management. Its proprietary methodologies DAR (Design, Architecture Research) and SEED (Strategy for Ecological and Environmental Development) structure a holistic, sustainability-led approach that has yielded top-tier credentials including DGNB Diamond and DGNB Platinum (Post Headquarters – Helix was the first project outside Germany to receive Diamond), alongside pursuits of BREEAM and WELL on flagship commissions.

The firm generates revenue almost exclusively from professional services — full architectural missions from concept (APS, APD, AUT) through execution (PDE, SOU, EXE, DOF) — delivered on a project-based, quote-driven model. Demand generation is anchored in winning architectural competitions and direct enterprise field sales managed by geography-dedicated partners across Luxembourg, Germany and France. Its client base spans corporate and public-sector commissioners, including 10 of Luxembourg's top employers, 15 municipalities and public institutions, and international enterprise clients such as MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company (Hamburg headquarters). A secondary revenue stream comes from product-design collaborations such as the Möbino espresso cup with Ateliers Kräizbierg. The firm is partner-controlled, with no disclosed external institutional investment, and has scaled its footprint and award portfolio rapidly between 2024 and 2026.

Name

METAFORM architects

Legal name

Metaform S.à.r.l.

Website

https://metaform.lu

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

METAFORM architects is a privately held, multidisciplinary architecture firm with 61 professionals across four offices in Luxembourg, Germany and France, delivering full-service architectural missions, urban design, interior and landscape architecture to corporate and public-sector clients through competition wins and direct commissions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Architectural Design Services

NAICS

Architectural Services (54131), Interior Design Services (54141), Landscape Architectural Services (54132), Industrial Design Services (54142)

akta.pro primary industry

Architectural Design Services (BPAHAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Interior Design Services (BPAHAKAB), Landscape Architecture & Site Design (BPAHAKAC), Space Planning & Workplace Design (BPAHAKAI)

Keywords

• Architectural design services
• Urban and landscape architecture
• Interior architecture design
• Building project management
• Sustainable architecture consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Luxembourg

HQ country

Luxembourg

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Architectural Services & Project Management: Metaform generates revenue through comprehensive architectural missions — from early concept phases (APS, APD, AUT) through design development, execution (PDE, SOU, EXE, DOF), as well as project management and general planning services. Fees are project-based and quote-driven, typically tied to competition wins or direct client engagements for large-scale private and public sector projects.
2. Product Design – Möbino Espresso Cup: Metaform collaborates on product design, including the Möbino espresso cup developed with Ateliers Kräizbierg. The cup is sold through Fondations Kräizbierg shops and the Musée national d'archéologie, d'histoire et d'art (MNAHA). Proceeds support the Kräizbierg Foundation's activities. Revenue from product sales is secondary to core architectural services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

METAFORM architects is a multidisciplinary architecture firm that delivers full architectural missions — from concept (APS, APD, AUT) through design development, execution (PDE, SOU, EXE, DOF), project management and general planning — across architecture, interior architecture, landscape architecture, urban design, product design and graphic design. Services are structured around two proprietary frameworks: DAR (Design, Architecture Research) for holistic, context-responsive design and SEED (Strategy for Ecological and Environmental Development) for embedding sustainability, life-cycle thinking and adaptive reuse into projects. The firm also offers a small physical product line, notably the Möbino espresso cup produced in collaboration with Ateliers Kräizbierg.

Product overview

METAFORM architects is a full-service architecture firm offering a comprehensive portfolio of design services. The core offering comprises Architecture Services, Urban Design, Landscape Architecture, Interior Architecture, General Planning, Project Management, Product Design, and Graphic Design. Additionally, the firm has developed a physical product line including the Möbino espresso cup. The services are delivered through a multidisciplinary team of 60+ professionals across offices in Luxembourg, Paris, Düsseldorf, and Trier, serving clients in Luxembourg, Germany, France, and internationally. The firm primarily works on large-scale projects including offices, residential, educational, healthcare, sports, hospitality, cultural, commercial, public architecture, and infrastructure projects.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Architecture Services Full-service architecture offering covering complete architectural missions — concept, design development and execution phases — for clients across corporate, public, residential and infrastructure sectors.
• Urban Design Service that shapes districts and urban environments with long-term vision, strengthening connectivity, public life and ecological performance across scales.
• Landscape Architecture Design of outdoor spaces that connect people and nature, integrating ecological thinking, usability and spatial identity.
• Interior Architecture Development of interior environments with strong spatial concepts and attention to detail; materiality, light and atmosphere are carefully considered to support identity and everyday use.
• General Planning Lead-planner service that coordinates multidisciplinary teams and aligns all technical disciplines into one coherent design process from concept through execution.
• Project Management Service that guides projects from concept to completion, coordinating all stakeholders to ensure quality, timelines and budgets are respected.
• Product Design Design of custom elements and furniture that extend the architectural concept into detail, reinforcing spatial coherence through craftsmanship and precision.
• Graphic Design Design of visual identities and wayfinding systems that grow out of the architecture and become part of the spatial concept.
• Möbino Espresso Cup An espresso cup inspired by the Möbius-strip geometry of the Luxembourg Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai; double-wall ceramic construction keeps coffee hot while the exterior remains cool to hold. Handcrafted and glazed by Ateliers Kräizbierg, a cooperative providing employment for people with special needs. Capacity 20 ml.

Quantifiable outcome

• Post Headquarters – Helix: reuse of existing foundations and structures saved over 8,600 m³ of concrete and nearly 2,600 tonnes of CO₂
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability5 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core, secondary and recurring.

• Wandel Lorch Götze Wach (WLGW)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Metaform partnered with WLGW on the MSC Headquarters competition in Hamburg, winning 1st prize. The partnership was also applied to the Deutscher Bundestag extension competition (honourable mention). WLGW provides local expertise in the German market, complementing Metaform's architectural approach.
• MVRDVcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Metaform partnered with MVRDV on the Schluechthaus competition in Luxembourg City (3rd prize in European competition). The project reimagines the former slaughterhouse site as a mixed-use urban centre for culture, urban sports, commerce, and intergenerational activities.
• Ateliers KräizbiergsecondaryStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Metaform collaborated with Ateliers Kräizbierg to create Möbino, an espresso cup inspired by the Möbius strip geometry of the Luxembourg Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai. Each cup is formed, crafted, and glazed by hand at the Ateliers Kräizbierg workshops — a cooperative providing employment for people with special needs. Proceeds support the Kräizbierg Foundation. The collaboration combines design, craftsmanship, and social inclusion.
• BIG – Bjarke Ingels GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Metaform collaborated with BIG on the Skypark Business Centre project at Findel Airport, Luxembourg. The building is defined by two long and slender volumes stacked and rotated by 180 degrees, developed as part of a wider master plan for the airport district. BIG contributed architectural vision while Metaform delivered the complete architectural mission for structural works, façade, landscape, and central cores. This is one of Europe's largest timber buildings.
• MecanoocoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Metaform collaborated with Mecanoo on the Luxembourg National Velodrome in Mondorf-les-Bains. Mecanoo served as landscape architect while Metaform led architecture. The project was won through a 1st prize in an international competition and includes aquatic centre, multisport hall, tennis courts, and cycling federation offices alongside the 250-metre UCI-approved wooden velodrome track.
• Ney & PartnersrecurringTechnology or IntegrationNey & Partners served as structural engineer on multiple Metaform projects including Post Headquarters – Helix (with InCA and Goblet Lavandier), Esch footbridge, and Boos Beach Club Restaurant. Long-standing structural engineering collaborator across diverse project typologies.
• InCA – Ingénieurs Conseils AssociésrecurringTechnology or IntegrationInCA has collaborated with Metaform on multiple landmark projects including Post Headquarters – Helix (jointly with Ney&Partners and Goblet Lavandier), Velodrome (with Knippers Helbig), CFL Headquarters (with Sweco), and Collective housing Fifteen. Recurring structural engineering partner.
• Goblet Lavandier & Associés Ingénieurs-ConseilsrecurringTechnology or IntegrationGoblet Lavandier & Associés partnered with Metaform on Post Headquarters – Helix and the Luxembourg Pavilion at Dubai Expo 2020 (with AuCarre). Recurring civil and structural engineering partner.
• E3ConsultsecondaryTechnology or IntegrationE3Consult served as sustainability consultant on the Post Headquarters – Helix project, which achieved DGNB Diamond and DGNB Platinum certifications.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• HPP Architekten: Established German architecture firm with broad portfolio across corporate, public, and cultural sectors. Competitor in the Düsseldorf and broader German market where Metaform recently opened offices.
• gmp Architekten: Major German-headquartered architecture firm with a portfolio of large-scale public and corporate commissions across Europe. Provides direct competition in the German market where Metaform is expanding.

Direct peers

• Snøhetta: Multi-disciplinary practice spanning architecture, landscape, interior, product, and graphic design - a near-mirror of Metaform's service stack. Competes for similar landmark, sustainability-driven, and competition-based briefs internationally.
• Mecanoo: Dutch multidisciplinary architecture firm of comparable size and project typology that co-authored Metaform's Luxembourg National Velodrome competition win. Comparable in scope (architecture, landscape, urbanism) and competition-driven business model.
• MVRDV: Dutch architecture and urban design firm that partnered with Metaform on the Schluechthaus competition in Luxembourg. Comparable in multidisciplinary, sustainability-focused, and competition-led approach to landmark projects.
• BIG (Bjarke Ingels Group): Internationally active architecture firm with which Metaform partnered on the Skypark Business Centre at Findel Airport. Similar competition-driven, design-led model and landmark-project orientation, though BIG operates at a larger scale and global footprint.
• Steven Holl Architects: Mid-sized, design-led practice known for competition-driven landmark cultural and civic projects. Comparable in scale, project mix, and reliance on international awards for visibility.
• Studio Gang: Design-led architecture practice of similar scale focused on sustainability, civic work, and competition-driven project acquisition. Comparable firm profile to Metaform in mission and operating model.
• Coop Himmelb(l)au: Design-led, competition-winning architecture firm of similar scale with a strong portfolio of landmark public projects across Europe. Comparable in project typology and creative, signature-building approach.
• Wandel Lorch Götze Wach (WLGW): German architecture firm that partnered with Metaform on the MSC Headquarters competition win and the Deutscher Bundestag extension competition. Direct competitor in the German market and recurring collaborator.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Metaform_Archi
• Facebookfacebook.com/METAFORMarchitects
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/metaform-architecture

Compliance9 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

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 METAFORM architects