What Forward Architects does

Forward Architects is a privately held architecture and interior design practice founded in 2011 and headquartered in Ta' Xbiex, Malta. The firm employs approximately 11 people — two founding partners (Michael Pace and Christopher Micallef), a technical director/associate partner, senior architects, architects, and an accounts administrator — and operates as a single integrated design studio rather than a productized platform. Its service offering covers architectural design, interior design, and space planning delivered on a project-based professional services model, with fees quoted per engagement based on scope and complexity.

The practice serves four primary use-case segments: corporate office and workspace fit-outs (its largest, with deep penetration in Malta's iGaming sector — Betsson, LeoVegas, Casumo, Dunder, Mr Q), hospitality interior design (voco Malta, Rosselli AX Privilege, Simonds Farsons Cisk Tap), high-end residential (new builds, renovations, heritage conversions), and cultural/public projects (Fort St. Elmo Heritage Museum). Notable technical capabilities include BIM and computational design workflows, and the firm routinely assembles external partner networks — Meyer Davis Studio (New York), Land Design Studio, TGAComms, ZNA, Openworkstudio — to deliver complex, large-scale commissions beyond its core headcount.

Go-to-market is direct client engagement with no intermediaries; the firm markets itself through a portfolio-led website, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Facebook, supplemented by earned media in trade publications such as iGaming Capital, Commercial Courier, Taste & Flair, and Places Magazine. The practice has accumulated three Malta Architecture and Spatial Planning Awards (2019 residential, 2019 hospitality, 2023 commercial interiors), two International Hotel & Property Awards shortlistings (2019), and participation in international competitions across Gran Canaria, Switzerland, and Norway. No revenue is publicly disclosed and the firm has no disclosed institutional capital, parent company, or subsidiary structure.

Name

Forward Architects

Legal name

Forward Architects

Website

https://forward-architects.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Forward Architects is a Malta-based architecture and interior design practice founded in 2011, serving corporate workspaces (notably iGaming operators), hospitality, residential, and cultural/public sectors through project-based design services led by its two co-founders and a team of 11.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Ta' Xbiex

HQ country

Malta

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Architecture and Design Services: Project-based professional services for architectural design, interior design, and space planning across residential, commercial, hospitality, and public sectors. Revenue is generated through design fees for new builds, renovations, conversions, and fit-out projects.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Forward Architects is a Maltese architecture and interior design practice founded in 2011 by Michael Pace and Christopher Micallef. The firm provides project-based architectural, interior, and workspace design services across cultural, residential, commercial, hospitality, and office sectors for clients in Malta and beyond.

Product overview

Forward Architects is an architecture and interior design practice offering comprehensive design services across cultural, residential, commercial, hospitality, and office design projects. The practice operates as a single integrated design studio rather than a platform with modular products. Their portfolio encompasses private residential homes, hotel and hospitality interiors (such as the Rosselli AX Privilege and voco Malta), corporate office fit-outs (including Betsson HQ and Casumo), public and museum projects (such as Fort St. Elmo Heritage Museum), and various competition proposals. The firm is led by partners Michael Pace and Christopher Micallef and focuses on contemporary architecture that is sensitive to purpose, context, and place.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Named customers10 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

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Land Design Studio (UK)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated on Fort St. Elmo Heritage Museum project. Land Design Studio provided landscape and public realm expertise alongside Forward's architectural and interior design services.
• TGAComms (UK)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered for Fort St. Elmo Heritage Museum exhibition design and interpretation services.
• Meyer Davis Studio (New York)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational collaboration on Baia Beach Club project, combining Forward's local expertise with Meyer Davis Studio's international hospitality design experience.
• OpenworkstudiocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated with Openworkstudio on Simonds Farsons Cisk Tap project, combining interior architecture and industrial design expertise.
• Sean MalliaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSpecialist collaborator on Fort St. Elmo Heritage Museum project.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• AvroKO: International hospitality-focused design firm known for boutique and lifestyle hotels. Comparable in scale of boutique hotel commissions and brand-driven interior narratives.
• Hirsch Bedner Associates (HBA): Global hospitality interior design firm with deep hotel design portfolio including luxury and lifestyle brands. Competes for the larger voco/Rosselli-class hotel commissions that Forward targets.
• Yabu Pushelberg: Global luxury interior design firm specializing in hospitality, residential, and retail. Competes for premium international hotel and lifestyle-brand commissions in the same vertical as Forward's hospitality work.

Emerging players

• Design LSM: UK-based interior design studio with strong hotel and F&B portfolio. Comparable boutique scale, similar clientele in lifestyle hospitality, and direct competition for European hotel interiors work.

Direct peers

• Meyer Davis Studio: New York-based hospitality and residential design studio that has collaborated with Forward on the Baia Beach Club project. Comparable in boutique-hotel and lifestyle-hotel design positioning.
• Architecture Project: Long-established Maltese architecture practice where both Forward founders previously worked. Direct peer in the Malta market covering residential, commercial, hospitality, and public-sector projects of comparable scale.
• DeMicoli & Associates: Established Maltese architectural firm with deep expertise in heritage, commercial, and residential projects. Competes for the same island-market clients and share-of-mind in premium design.
• AOS Architecture & Other Services: Maltese architecture and interior design practice competing for residential, hospitality, and commercial commissions across Malta.
• Spacestudio: Founded by Michael Pace before Forward Architects; comparable boutique practice in interior architecture and design with overlapping client base in Malta.
• Chris Briffa Architects: Malta-based boutique architecture and interior design studio with similar portfolio across hospitality, residential, and cultural sectors. Comparable in size, aesthetic positioning, and award-winning profile.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/frwrdarch
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/forward-architects
• Instagraminstagram.com/forwardarchitects

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 Forward Architects