What Xml Architecture Research Urbanism does

XML Architecture Research Urbanism is an Amsterdam-based architecture studio founded in 2008 by Max Cohen de Lara and David Mulder van der Vegt. The practice operates as a boutique design firm combining conceptual clarity with site-specific and material-driven design, producing buildings across residential, cultural, heritage, and commercial-typology programs. The studio is co-led by two principals with training at the University of Pennsylvania, Delft University of Technology, and prior tenures at Office of Ryue Nishizawa (Tokyo) and OMA (Rotterdam), and both maintain active teaching roles at Sandberg Instituut, Gerrit Rietveld Academie, TU Delft, Bauhaus Institute, Design Academy, and the Amsterdam Academy of Architecture.

The firm's project portfolio spans large residential developments (De Kuil, 232 homes in Rotterdam for Heijmans; Park Groenwijck, 48 apartments in Hoorn for Heijmans; Zeeburgereiland, 27 apartments in Amsterdam for VolkerWessels Vastgoed; C House private residence), cultural infrastructure (Institute for NightCulture in Amsterdam with 650-person capacity), heritage commissions (Paleis Soestdijk long-term transformation), bespoke commercial work (over 30 Rostudios fitness studios across the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, and the United States under a 10+ year sole-partner relationship), and research-driven intellectual output (the Parliament book and ongoing digital archive documenting plenary halls of all 193 UN member states, an initiative begun in 2010). Distribution of design services is conducted entirely through direct commission with enterprise developers, government entities, and nonprofit cultural organizations, rather than productized offerings.

The business model is commissioned architectural services with no publicly disclosed pricing. Revenue, headcount, funding, and ownership structure are all undisclosed in the input; the firm operates without a parent company, external investment, or disclosed subsidiaries. Geographic operations are concentrated in the Netherlands with international delivery through the Rostudios partnership. Marketing channels are limited to an Instagram account, a LinkedIn profile, and a portfolio website. The practice has no disclosed patents, awards, certifications, or AI/ML capabilities.

Name

Xml Architecture Research Urbanism

Legal name

XML

Website

https://x-m-l.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

XML Architecture Research Urbanism is an Amsterdam-based architecture studio founded in 2008 by Max Cohen de Lara and David Mulder van der Vegt, delivering commissioned residential, cultural, heritage, and commercial projects for developers, government, and nonprofit clients in the Netherlands and abroad.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Architectural Design Services

NAICS

Architectural Services (54131), Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services (5413)

SIC

Services-Engineering Services (8711)

akta.pro primary industry

Building Information Modeling (BIM) & Digital Design Services (BPAHAKAK)

Keywords

• Architectural design services
• Residential architecture
• Cultural building design
• Urban research
• Heritage transformation

Headquarters

HQ city

Amsterdam

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

XML is an Amsterdam-based architecture studio providing commissioned design services for residential developments, cultural institutions, public buildings, fitness facilities, and heritage transformation projects. The practice combines conceptual clarity with attention to site-specific conditions and material qualities, supporting clients from brief through construction across the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, and the USA.

Product overview

XML Architecture Research Urbanism is an Amsterdam-based architecture studio founded in 2008 by Max Cohen de Lara and David Mulder van der Vegt. The studio offers architectural design services across residential, cultural, and commercial building projects. The portfolio comprises named architectural projects including the Parliament Book publication documenting global parliamentary spaces, cultural venues such as the Institute for Night Culture (INC), residential developments like De Kuil (232 homes), Park Groenwijck (48 apartments), Zeeburgereiland (27 apartments), and C House, plus heritage projects like Paleis Soestdijk. The studio also maintains an ongoing design partnership with Rostudios for international fitness studio projects.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Parliament Book A publication documenting the plenary halls of all 193 United Nations member states and comparing the spaces in which political decision-making takes place. The research reveals five recurring spatial typologies: semicircle, opposing benches, horseshoe, circle, and classroom.
• Institute for NightCulture (INC) Cultural institute building in Amsterdam presenting, producing, and documenting progressive night culture. The 26-meter building contains a cafe, small performance space, and a 650-capacity hall, nested within a 17th-century city block.
• Rostudios Fitness Studios Design partnership delivering over 30 bespoke fitness studios across the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, and the USA since developing Rostudios' first Amsterdam studio over 10 years ago, spanning physical model making and BIM.
• De Kuil 232 new homes development in Rotterdam's Afrikaanderwijk, combining urban and social ambitions with expressive brickwork facades and a sheltered green inner courtyard landscape, designed as design contributor alongside ROFFAA and Flux landscape architecture.
• C House Private family home designed around a central garden, featuring a cast-in-place concrete perimeter shell with full-height glass facade opening to the landscape, distinguishing collective and individual domestic domains.
• Paleis Soestdijk Long-term transformation of the former Royal Palace Soestdijk, one of the Netherlands' most significant cultural estates, coupling heritage preservation with a new public future as an active cultural destination.
• Park Groenwijck 48 apartments in four residential blocks arranged in a park landscape on the edge of Hoorn, consisting of two Water Villas overlooking the waterfront and two Park Villas within the greenery.
• Zeeburgereiland 27-apartment residential building on Zeeburgereiland waterfront in Amsterdam, commissioned by VolkerWessels Vastgoed, featuring floor-to-ceiling glass facade with prefabricated building elements and concealed technical components including external sun shading and integrated ventilation.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 30 international fitness studios delivered for Rostudios
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• RostudioscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerXML has been the sole trusted architectural partner for Rostudios since developing its very first studio in Amsterdam over 10 years ago. The partnership covers all bespoke fitness projects nationally and internationally, with over 30 studios delivered across The Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, and the USA. XML acts as the exclusive architectural partner, using adaptive design approach spanning physical model making and BIM to meet demanding briefs under tight schedules.
• ROFFAAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerROFFAA led the development from VO design for the De Kuil project in Rotterdam, working alongside XML (as design contributor) and Flux landscape architecture on the 232-home Afrikaanderwijk transformation. The collaborative team combined architectural, landscape, and urban design expertise.
• Flux landscape architecturecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFlux landscape architecture collaborated with XML and ROFFAA on the De Kuil project (232 new homes in Rotterdam), providing landscape architecture expertise for the green inner courtyard and overall site design.
• Paleis SoestdijkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerXML serves as design lead for the long-term transformation of the former Royal Palace Soestdijk, one of the Netherlands' most significant cultural estates. The project couples heritage preservation with new public programming, positioning the estate as an evolving civic landscape.
• Haller BrunminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHaller Brun provided graphic design and photography for the Parliament book publication documenting parliamentary chambers of all 193 UN member states. Graphic design Haller Brun and photography by Haller Brun and XML.
• UN member statesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerParliament research project documents plenary halls of all 193 United Nations member states, studying spatial typologies of political decision-making spaces across diverse cultures, geographies and political systems.
• HeijmanscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHeijmans is the client for both the De Kuil project (232 new homes in Rotterdam's Afrikaanderwijk) and Park Groenwijck project (48 apartments in Hoorn). XML acts as design architect in these commissioned residential development projects.
• VolkerWessels VastgoedcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVolkerWessels Vastgoed commissioned XML to design the 27-apartment waterfront residential building on Zeeburgereiland in Amsterdam, one of the first residential developments on the island.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Mecanoo: Long-established Dutch architecture practice with comparable cultural, heritage, and residential portfolio; comparable in scope and typology but larger in headcount, making it a direct competitor for similar Dutch public and developer commissions.
• UNStudio: Amsterdam-headquartered architecture firm with overlapping cultural, residential, and public-realm projects; comparable scale and international footprint to XML, often competing for the same high-prestige Dutch and European commissions.
• MVRDV: Rotterdam-based architecture studio of comparable size and design-driven urbanism orientation, with similar mixed residential, cultural, and public-sector commissions across Europe. Direct competitor for Dutch developer and cultural-institution briefs.
• KAAN Architecten: Amsterdam- and Rotterdam-based firm with parallel cultural, civic, and residential commissions; similar in scale and typological breadth to XML and frequently shortlisted alongside it for Dutch institutional projects.
• Powerhouse Company: Dutch architecture practice with a similar residential and urban-mixed-use focus, comparable boutique scale, and a portfolio of cost-efficient yet design-led housing projects — directly comparable to XML's De Kuil and Zeeburgereiland work.

Broad incumbents

• Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA): Rotterdam-based global architecture firm where XML co-founder David Mulder van der Vegt previously worked. OMA is a much larger incumbent in the same Dutch/European architecture market, frequently competing for cultural, civic, and residential commissions at a larger scale.
• BIG (Bjarke Ingels Group): Internationally prominent architecture firm with a similarly design-led cultural and residential portfolio and strong founder-driven brand identity. Larger and more globally diversified than XML but competing for similar high-prestige cultural commissions.

Emerging players

• Studio Gang: Practice comparable to XML in founder-led cultural and civic architecture orientation and mid-sized scale; differentiated by stronger US footprint but overlapping in cultural-institution and residential typology.
• SANAA: Tokyo-based office where XML co-founder Max Cohen de Lara trained. Comparable in research-driven cultural architecture and brand prestige, though operating at a much larger international scale.

Others

• Winy Maas / The Why Factory: TU Delft-affiliated research and design practice connected to Dutch architecture academia; adjacent rather than directly competitive, but comparable in integrating research output with built work and academic teaching.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/xmloffice
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/xml-architecture-research-urbanism

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Xml Architecture Research Urbanism