Forum Architecten & Planners

What Forum Architecten & Planners does

Forum Architecten & Planners is a privately held European architecture and urban planning firm founded in 1989 by Louis de Jager. The firm delivers integrated services across five practice areas: architecture (residential, commercial, industrial new-build), masterplanning (multi-stakeholder urban plans for residential and mixed-use districts), transformation (renovation of historical monuments and adaptive reuse), interior design (commercial, educational, residential), and infrastructure design (bridges, sluice complexes, landscape integration). Its core technology is human-led design expertise rather than a software platform — projects are delivered by teams of architects, engineers, and interior architects operating from local offices that allow cross-border execution under three different regulatory regimes.

The firm's business model is professional services: project-specific, quote-based fees derived from architectural commissions, with clients acquired through design competitions, direct commissions, and long-standing relationships. It targets four primary segments — real estate developers (the largest), government and institutional clients (with notable strength in heritage monument work), commercial and industrial corporates (HQ, manufacturing, and large-format retail/cinema), and a secondary healthcare and senior living practice. Documented enterprise clients include SDK Vastgoed, PUP Real Estate, Shurgard Selfstorage Europe, Meyn Food Processing Technology, MCB/Ten Brinke, Thebe Vastgoed, and the Missiezusters Oblaten van de Assumptie religious order, with projects executed in the Netherlands, Germany, Poland, and historically the UK.

The firm operates as a multi-entity group: Forum Architekten & Planer Gmbh (Germany, Düsseldorf — now the primary operating entity) and Forum Architekci & Planiści (Poland, Poznań). The original Tilburg, Netherlands headquarters was permanently closed on August 1, 2025, and founder Louis de Jager passed away in September 2025. The firm is privately held with no disclosed external investment, no parent company, and no subsidiaries. Headcount is in the 11–50 range, with a named team of approximately 14 architects, engineers, and interior designers.

Name

Forum Architecten & Planners

Legal name

Forum Architecten & Planners

Website

https://forumarchitecten.nl

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Forum Architecten & Planners is a European architecture and urban planning firm delivering architecture, masterplanning, transformation, interior design, and infrastructure projects across Germany, Poland, and (historically) the Netherlands, founded in 1989 and serving real estate developers, institutional clients, and corporates.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Architectural and Urban Planning Services

NAICS

Architectural Services (54131)

akta.pro primary industry

Architectural Design Services (BPAHAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Urban Planning & Master Planning (BPAHAKAD)

Keywords

• Architectural design services
• Urban master planning
• Historic monument renovation
• Commercial building design
• Infrastructure design services

Headquarters

HQ city

Tilburg

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Revenue model

1. Architecture and Design Services: Professional services revenue generated through architectural design, urban planning, interior design, and renovation projects for commercial, residential, and institutional clients across Netherlands, Germany, and Poland.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Forum Architecten & Planners is an architecture and urban planning firm delivering architectural design, masterplanning, and transformation/renovation services for commercial, residential, industrial, and heritage projects. The firm develops design solutions for new buildings, urban areas, and listed monuments across the Netherlands, Germany, and Poland, serving public and private sector clients.

Product overview

Forum Architecten & Planners is an architecture and urban planning firm offering integrated services across architecture, masterplanning, transformation, interior design, and infrastructure. Founded in 1989, the firm provides comprehensive project services from concept through completion, including full urban planning, architecture and interior design services as well as renovation of historical buildings and listed monuments. The portfolio includes residential complexes, commercial buildings, cinema/multifunctional complexes, industrial facilities, and educational institutions across the Netherlands, Germany, and other European countries.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Architecture Design End-to-end architectural design services for commercial, residential, and industrial buildings, covering concept development, schematic design, and execution documentation for public and private clients.

Named customers10 records

Segments4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• HPP Architekten: German architecture firm with offices across Germany and internationally, active in mixed-use, retail, and masterplanning — directly comparable in geography and project types to Forum's German operations.
• Mecanoo: Dutch architecture firm of comparable scale with strong practices in masterplanning, residential, and heritage/institutional projects across Europe, directly competing with Forum for Dutch and international commissions.
• KAAN Architecten: Netherlands-based architecture practice delivering mixed-use, residential, and cultural projects with a similar integrated design approach, competing for similar enterprise and institutional clients in the Benelux and Germany.
• cepezed: Dutch architecture and interior design practice known for integrated design-to-execution delivery and industrial/commercial projects, directly comparable to Forum's full-service, multi-disciplinary model.
• Benthem Crouwel Architects: Amsterdam-based architecture firm working across public buildings, transport, and heritage projects in the Netherlands and Germany, with comparable sector breadth to Forum's portfolio.

Broad incumbents

• MVRDV: Major Dutch architecture practice with strong urbanism and masterplanning capabilities operating across Europe and globally; competes in the same Dutch/European design space as Forum but at a substantially larger scale.
• gmp · von Gerkan, Marg and Partners: Large German-headquartered global architecture practice covering masterplanning, infrastructure, and cultural projects; competes for the same large-scale European commissions Forum targets, but at materially greater scale.
• UNStudio (UNS): Internationally active Dutch architecture and urban planning firm with comparable service breadth (architecture, masterplanning, interior) but greater global scale and brand recognition than Forum.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Forum Architecten & Planners