MAAK – Maurizio Ascione Architects is a Malta-based design studio, active in the fields of architecture and interiors since 2019. Our forward-thinking team combines expertise, experience, and creativity to craft transformative architectural and interior spaces.
Embracing a holistic design ethos, various specialisations are seamlessly integrated, transcending traditional boundaries to deliver comprehensive and cohesive projects. From conceptualisation to completion, every detail is attended to, ensuring that our designs meet and exceed expectations.
This attention to detail is evident in our meticulous approach to geometric forms, material selection, and the dynamic interplay of light and shadow.
MAAK offers a diverse range of services, including Architecture & Design, Structural Engineering, Interior Design, Product Design, Artistic Visualisations, 3D Printing, Graphic Design, and Photography. Every project is handled with the utmost care and dedication. The practice is committed to excellence, guiding clients through every stage of the process with professionalism and creativity.
At MAAK, we believe in crafting experiences that inspire and endure, and we were honoured to have presented our art installation, ISSA, at the esteemed Venice Biennale 2023. Our installation aimed to confront the contemporary architectural crisis in Malta and address the absence of a distinct architectural identity.
our philosophy
Balance is a part of human nature, and so it naturally follows that the need to find balance and harmony in our environment becomes a driving concept in the architectural form of the buildings we design. Like music is made up of different notes that are put in a certain order to create a harmonious composition, architects play with different elements to create a harmonious composition of their own. This recalls Gestalt Theory, which states that “the whole is greater than the sum of its parts” (Kurt Koffka). This process should not exclude the context, as it will inevitably form part of the larger whole. If all these steps are followed, it creates architecture that sits in harmony with its surroundings, as well as with itself.
Purity can be embodied in architecture through material, light and aesthetic experience. In line with Valerio Olgiati’s philosophy of “non-referentiality”, to design something that is pure means to design something that contains nothing but itself, without ties and references to the current era, or historic references. Pure and simple forms act as a contrasting and clean background, allowing – and pushing for – a play between light and shade, solids and voids.
Architecture should strive to be permanent. While the physical form will not last forever, the idea behind it, if clear enough, can be eternal. This concept might not be visible to everyone, but it will always be understood and felt by those who experience it. This is why a project must always begin with the formation of a strong concept which will then provide a direction for all design decisions to follow, in search of this timeless quality.
Architecture is not about solving problems, but about designing a seduction of the senses, thereby crafting human experience.
This seduction can happen though the use of light, shadows, contrast and a variation in materials and texture, which manipulate space and create tension within. The thoughtful manipulation of light within a space can be transformative and is a key element in our design process. Our approach tends to be the dramatisation of the internal and external spaces, and how they react to the materials and textures selected, as well as the views that are brought in. Building can be poetry – if a building is designed with care and passion, it will reveal itself in the finished product, allowing users to experience and appreciate it as the architect intended.
The way different parts of the building come together and are detailed are also of the utmost importance. Nothing is left to chance; rather everything is carefully planned beforehand. We believe that the quality of the building and of its experience largely relies on the quality of the joints that hold it together. As Peter Zumthor said, “the real core of all architectural work lies in the act of construction”. Detailing can range –
– from the largest support to the smallest shadow gap, both equally important as they both have a role to play in how the building is experienced. This brings us back once again to Gestalt Theory and the importance of having parts that contribute to a greater whole.
The MAAK team is characterised by individuality, with each member bringing their own skill set to create architecture that is of a high level and improves the quality of its surrounding environment. Having different talents in the studio enables 3DM to take on board tasks of varying scales and functions, to provide services ranging from Architectural Design, Structural Engineering, Interior Design and beyond, into Product Design, Artistic Visualisations, BIM Modelling, 3D Printing, Virtual Reality, Graphic Design and Photography. This provides the client with a range of tools to visualise the project in question.
As a studio, we also push to enhance and expand our skills in order to better inform our designs. For this reason, weekly workshops are held with the team on various topics and themes.
MAAK – Maurizio Ascione Architects is a Malta-based design studio, active in the fields of architecture and interiors since 2019. Our forward-thinking team combines expertise, experience, and creativity to craft transformative architectural and interior spaces.
Embracing a holistic design ethos, various specialisations are seamlessly integrated, transcending traditional boundaries to deliver comprehensive and cohesive projects. From conceptualisation to completion, every detail is attended to, ensuring that our designs meet and exceed expectations.
This attention to detail is evident in our meticulous approach to geometric forms, material selection, and the dynamic interplay of light and shadow.
MAAK offers a diverse range of services, including Architecture & Design, Structural Engineering, Interior Design, Product Design, Artistic Visualisations, 3D Printing, Graphic Design, and Photography. Every project is handled with the utmost care and dedication
At MAAK, we believe in crafting experiences that inspire and endure, and we were honoured to have presented our art installation, ISSA, at the –
esteemed Venice Biennale 2023. Our installation aimed to confront the contemporary architectural crisis in Malta and address the absence of a distinct architectural identity.
our philosophy
Balance is a part of human nature, and so it naturally follows that the need to find balance and harmony in our environment becomes a driving concept in the architectural form of the buildings we design. Like music is made up of different notes that are put in a certain order to create a harmonious composition, architects play with different elements to create a harmonious –
composition of their own. This recalls Gestalt Theory, which states that “the whole is greater than the sum of its parts” (Kurt Koffka). This process should not exclude the context, as it will inevitably form part of the larger whole. If all these steps are followed, it creates architecture that sits in harmony with its surroundings, as well as with itself.
Purity can be embodied in architecture through material, light and aesthetic experience. In line with Valerio Olgiati’s philosophy of “non-referentiality”, to design something that is pure means to design something that –
contains nothing but itself, without ties and references to the current era, or historic references. Pure and simple forms act as a contrasting and clean background, allowing – and pushing for – a play between light and shade, solids and voids.
Architecture should strive to be permanent. While the physical form will not last forever, the idea behind it, if clear enough, can be eternal. This concept might not be visible to everyone, but it will always be understood and felt by those who experience it. This is why a project must always begin with the formation of a strong concept which will then provide a –
direction for all design decisions to follow, in search of this timeless quality.
Architecture is not about solving problems, but about designing a seduction of the senses, thereby crafting human experience.
This seduction can happen though the use of light, shadows, contrast and a variation in materials and texture, which manipulate space and create tension within. The thoughtful manipulation of light within a space can be transformative and is a key element in our design process. Our approach tends to be the dramatisation of the internal and external –
spaces, and how they react to the materials and textures selected, as well as the views that are brought in. Building can be poetry – if a building is designed with care and passion, it will reveal itself in the finished product, allowing users to experience and appreciate it as the architect intended.
The way different parts of the building come together and are detailed are also of the utmost importance. Nothing is left to chance; rather everything is carefully planned beforehand. We believe that the quality of the building and of its experience largely relies on the quality of the joints that hold it together.
As Peter Zumthor said, “the real core of all architectural work lies in the act of construction”. Detailing can range from the largest support to the smallest shadow gap, both equally important, as they both have a role to play in how the building is experienced. This brings us back once again to Gestalt Theory and the importance of having parts that contribute to a greater whole.
The MAAK team is characterised by individuality, with each member bringing their own skill set to create architecture that is of a high level and improves the quality of its surrounding environment. Having –
different talents in the studio enables MAAK to take on board tasks of varying scales and functions, to provide services ranging from Architectural Design, Structural Engineering, Interior Design and beyond, into Product Design, Artistic Visualisations, BIM Modelling, 3D Printing, Virtual Reality, Graphic Design and Photography. This provides the client with a range of tools to visualise the project in question.
As a studio, we also push to enhance and expand our skills in order to better inform our designs. For this reason, weekly workshops are held with the team on various topics and themes.
Clients are involved from their project’s conceptual beginning, throughout construction, and up to completion. Regular meetings are held so that they are informed of the progress, to give feedback and make any desired changes.
