Books by Heinz Wirz

Book SynopsisIn their office Bassi Carella Marello, the two Geneva architects focus on a few fundamental themes of architectural research: material, presence, construction, prefabrication and the interior figure. The architects reflect on those themes in a sequence of volumes within the Bibliotheca series. This second volume analyses the appearance and expression of their high-quality buildings in the Geneva region. Text in English, French, and German. Also available: Andrea Bassi, Roberto Carella: Materialitat, Materiality, Materialite ISBN 9783037611159

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Book SynopsisThe two Bern architects Bernhard Aebi and Pascal Vincent have designed an impressive portfolio of works since 1996, including renovations of historical buildings such as the Bundeshaus in Bern, but also many residential and administrative buildings, mostly following competition successes and always achieving great architectural qualities. Text in English and German.

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Book SynopsisA master builder was the client for this apartment building on the corner of Oberwiesenstrasse and Binzmühlestrasse in Zurich. That situation gives the architecture its character of simple, often accomplished elegance and a solidity of structures that used to be erected by building company workshops in the spirit of an 'architecture without architects'. Text in English and German. Article by Jonathan Sergison.

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Book SynopsisSince 1999, the Zurich architects Roger Weber and Boris Brunner have produced an impressive oeuvre based on numerous competition successes. Their residential developments, schools and public buildings are always well-considered, voluminous, spatially orientated solutions designed with a powerful architectural instinct. Text in English and German.

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Book SynopsisProjects by Stefano Tibiletti and Catherine Glaeser-Tibiletti are clear architectural responses to the location and its urban morphology, translated into forms of typology and construction. A number of remarkable residential and public buildings have been erected in this way since 2006. Text in English and German.

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Book SynopsisSince a compilation of their work was published in the series Anthologie 2012 ISBN 9783037610565, Detlef Horisberger and Mario Wagen have achieved further competition successes and expanded their exciting oeuvre. The designs always critically and creatively engage with the building programme, the location and the legal construction regulations. Text in English and German.

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Book SynopsisIn 2010, the two Lausanne architects Eric Frei and Kaveh Rezakhanlou produced an exceptional school facility in Chermignon, Lower Valais. Like a Greek temple, it has the power to combine the landscape, topography, urban morphology and building type. The architects have also designed further projects with great architectural qualities. Text in English and German.

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Book SynopsisSince 2012, the two Locarno architects Matteo Inches and Nastasja Geleta have been designing a number of exquisite buildings, each developed entirely out of the atmosphere of the location and the nearby surroundings. With an exceptional affinity to construction and spatial expression, the impressive structures are concisely integrated into the continuum of the context. Text in English and German

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Book SynopsisIn this volume, the two brothers Ansgar and Benedikt Schulz, present their impressive works: powerful, sculptural figures with precise urban planning placement that are integrated coherently into the continuum of the context through their materials, type, form and expression. Text in English and German

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Book SynopsisOlaf Hunger, Nicolas Monnerat and Franck Petitpierre are the protagonists of the Lausanne office MPH. The architects have produced a significant oeuvre since 1997, mainly consisting of large housing developments, individual homes and renovation projects on historical buildings that impress through their structural clarity, coherent material choices and pronounced tectonics. Text in English and German.

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Book SynopsisArchitectural research by the two Geneva architects in their office Bassicarella focuses on a few fundamental themes: Materiality, presence, construction, pre-fabrication and the internal figure. In a sequence of volumes in the Bibliotheca series, the architects reflect on those themes using illustrative details, short texts and technical data on the materiality of their remarkable buildings in the Geneva region. Text in English, French, and German.

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Book SynopsisA young architectural scene is developing in Milan, including Onsitestudio with its protagonists Giancarlo Floridi and Angelo Lunati. Their buildings are characterised by a strong integrative force, making them a valuable, coherent part of Milan's metropolitan fabric. De aedibus international is a series on contemporary, highly qualified European architects and architecture; an archive of carefully selected buildings and projects. Text in English and German.

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Book SynopsisThe Lucerne architects Thomas Lussi and Remo Halter Casagrande competently solve the complex tasks involved in heritage renovation today: the ideal preservation of the substance, discovering and restoring often nuanced, detailed qualities in the original building, the careful static stabilisation of the structure and the gentle renewal of individual elements as a result of use in and around the building. The original building was erected in 1951 according to plans by Otto Dreyer - one of the most important Lucerne architects of the time. The library was widely regarded throughout Switzerland. The book documents the original 1951 building using historical plans and photographs, provides insight into the building-historical analysis before the renovation and uses plans and photo material to describe the strategy and measures by the architects in renovating the architecturally important historical building. Text in English and German. Features articles by Cony Grünenfelder, Siegfried Moeri, Ulrich Niederer, and Stanislaus von Moos.

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Book SynopsisPowerful, memorable architecture in response to diverse conditions and briefs, conceived and developed by the Geneva architectural couple Kristina Sylla Widmann and Marc Widmann: this volume presents five school buildings and facilities with a high architectural quality, as well as several outstanding residential and administrative buildings. Text in English and German.

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Book SynopsisTwo architects, Jeanne Della Casa and Sylvie Pfaehler, together with their new partners Michael Perret and Lucile FontaRak, are working on a remarkable oeuvre in Lausanne. In the midst of an urban garden and an ensemble of housing, three timber residential developments have their own poetic radiance. The architects' award-winning works include clear tectonically structured residential buildings in Lausanne and the Lavaux region. Text in German and French.

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Book SynopsisIn 2000, a group of architects founded their office in Geneva. Since then - partly with changing personnel - they have continuously produced buildings in the Geneva-Lausanne region, often with experimental qualities. They include the 2018 GA building for the EPF Lausanne, and the CI residential tower in Meyrin, with an integrated private clinic. Text in English and German.

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Book SynopsisJo Berben, Ingrid Mees and Luc Vanmuyssen are the founders of the Belgian architectural team a2o, with offices in Brussels and Hasselt. Their buildings are powerfully and inventively integrated into the mostly urban environment. Their forms and details are reduced, creating a meditative atmosphere. De aedibus international is a series on contemporary, highly qualified European architects and architecture; an archive of carefully selected buildings and projects. Text in English and German.

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Book SynopsisIn 2013, Lilitt Bollinger founded her own office in Nuglar near Basel. Since then, the office has produced a number of refined conversions that are entirely developed out of the atmosphere of the building and location. The pronounced affinity to construction and spatial expression gives the buildings their unique atmosphere. Text in English and German.

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Book SynopsisThe new agricultural school in Salez, in the St. Gallen Rhine valley region, has a slender, airy and light appearance. It is an extremely intelligently conceived low-tech construction made of timber. The design is by Andy Senn, who has led his architectural office in St. Gallen since 1998 and has produced an extraordinary, homogeneous oeuvre in the last 20 years. Text in English and German.

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Book SynopsisThe Zurich architects Annette Spillmann and Harald Echsle became renowned in 2006 with their container tower for the FREITAG bag and fashion label in Zurich. It represents 'architecture without architects' while also being a nonchalant solution for a common architectural programme in the midst of an inhospitable residual zone. The 2013 'House of Switzerland' in Sochi (Russia) is intelligently derived from the same approach. Text in English and German.

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Book SynopsisGundula Zach and Michel Zünd attracted initial attention in 2001 with their winning competition design for the prominent Sechseleutenplatz. Since 2000, the Zurich architects have won around 20 competitions, out of which they have developed housing and renovated school facilities with intelligence and an exceptional sense of architectural qualities. Text in English and German.

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Book SynopsisIn 2016, Dario Franchini and Diego Calderon founded two offices, one in Lugano and one in London. Since then, they have completed a number of small conversions and buildings with an experimental character. For the Palazzo del Cinema in Locarno, they carried out a relatively large conversion project including heightening measures. Their interventions are both precise and clinical. Text in English and German.

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Book SynopsisJonas Staehelin and Stephan Meyer are among a promising young generation of architects in Basel. Their conversions and housing have their own hallmark, an outstanding sense of exciting interior spaces and a high degree of precision in formulating details. Their designs are characterised by particular elegance and dignity. Text in English and German.

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Book SynopsisFollowing his studies at the Accademia di Architettura in Mendrisio and various internships, Andreas Heierle founded his Atelier für Architektur in Lucerne in 2012. Since then, he has produced a number of architectural gems, including a small, elegant residential building with three courtyards in Romania and a school in the community of Crissier, Canton of Vaud, which is naturally integrated into the landscape. Text in English and German.

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Book SynopsisThe former Bernarda teacher-training centre in Menzingen was built between 1955 and 1958 by the two renowned Zug architectural teams of Hanns A. Brütsch and Alois Stadler, and Leo Hafner and Alfons Wiederkehr. The school on a gentle slope in the midst of the attractive landscape between Lake Zug and Lake Zurich is an exceptional example of 1950s Swiss architecture. The facility impresses with its staging of the exposed location, the coherent arrangement of five highly individualised buildings around a circular centre, and the notable design of the open spaces by Ernst Cramer. Between 2015 and 2018, the facility was extended and refurbished by the architects Bünzli & Courvoisier, transforming it for its new use as a cantonal school. The architects were strongly guided by the urban-planning and architectural design principles of the existing structures, while framing and expanding them with great respect and an undogmatic approach to consciously blur the boundaries between old and new. The book documents the existing facility with original plans and the clear-contoured, black & white pictures by the renowned Lucerne photographer Peter Ammon. Furthermore, the volume extensively reflects upon and documents in detail the school’s exciting, exemplary renovation. Text in English and German.

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Book SynopsisThe two Biel architects Silvia Kistler and Rudolf Vogt have been developing their impressive oeuvre for 30 years. Their projects are only conceived after intensive and passionate investigation of the urban-planning context and existing structures. Examples of such tasks include precisely integrated additions to the Schnyder Areal in Biel and numerous housing developments as powerful figures inserted into the urban fabric. Text in English and German.

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Book SynopsisPowerful, memorable architecture in response to diverse conditions and briefs, conceived and developed by the Geneva architectural couple Kristina Sylla Widmann and Marc Widmann: this volume presents five school buildings and facilities with a high architectural quality, as well as several outstanding residential and administrative buildings. Text in English and French.

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Book SynopsisMartin and Sven Fröhlich have passionately pursued the permanence and longevity of forms, images and narratives in architecture since 2000. The result is surprising, strong and memorable architecture that often appears close to conceptual and minimal art. De aedibus international is a series on contemporary, highly qualified European architects and architecture. An archive of carefully selected buildings and projects. Text in English and German.

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Book SynopsisIn 1996, François Jolliet, Antoine Hahne et Guy Nicollier founded their office Pont12. In 2013, Christiane von Roten, Cyril Michod and Norbert Seara, associate partners, joined the management. A large proportion of their contracts are the result of competition successes. Their architecture is inspired by the needs of the users and is characterised by a careful choice of materials and sophisticated details. Text in English, German and French.

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Book SynopsisOlaf Hunger, Nicolas Monnerat and Franck Petitpierre are the protagonists of the Lausanne office MPH. The architects have produced a significant oeuvre since 1997, mainly consisting of large housing developments, individual homes and renovation projects on historical buildings that impress through their structural clarity, coherent material choices and pronounced tectonics. Text in English and French.

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Book SynopsisNomos is an association of architects based in Geneva, Lisbon and Madrid. They collaborate on projects of all scales, from furniture to master plans, with a special focus on the cultural context and the environment. Primarily using drawing to shape their ideas, they explore new ways of creating community through buildings that seek to transform constraints into opportunities. They approach each project with enthusiasm, care and curiosity, always striving for sustainable beauty. Text in English and German.

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Book SynopsisSince 2002, Christian Dupraz has managed his own office in Geneva. Over the years, he has produced a dozen buildings, including abstract, sculptural residential architecture such as the “House for an Art Collector” in Geneva (2010) and the seemingly minimalist holiday home in Les Posses-sur-Bex (2015). Text in English, German and French.

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Book SynopsisFor over 20 years, an extremely lively and outstanding architectural scene has been thriving in South Tyrol. Gerd Bergmeister and Michaela Wolf have been one of its main protagonists from the very beginning. Their buildings are surprising, imaginative solutions that sound out the entire spectrum of architecture: the formation of space, shaping, construction, materialisation and integration into the Alpine context. Text in English and German.

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Book SynopsisTimothée Giorgis founded his office in Geneva in 2007 and was joined by Juan Rodriguez in 2015. Since then, a remarkable number of residential buildings and refurbishments have been completed, including a major facility with a municipal and school building in Satigny near Geneva. It is carefully embedded in the landscape with a calm gesture. The reserved developments reveal a refined, detailed architectural language. Text in English and German.

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Book SynopsisIn 2015, a volume in the Anthologie series was published on the buildings by this Lucerne architect, who is originally from the Upper Valais region. Since then, many further projects and an impressive number of new buildings have followed. They all demonstrate a respectful, gentle further development of the settlements and locations. The Kronengasse building in Sempach is exemplary: in it, the architect seeks a connection between traditional anonymous construction and a sophisticated finesse in designing the building. Text in English and German.

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Book SynopsisNomos is an association of architects based in Geneva, Lisbon and Madrid. They collaborate on projects of all scales, from furniture to master plans, with a special focus on the cultural context and the environment. Primarily using drawing to shape their ideas, they explore new ways of creating community through buildings that seek to transform constraints into opportunities. They approach each project with enthusiasm, care and curiosity, always striving for sustainable beauty. Text in Spanish and French.

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Book SynopsisIn 2006, Laurent de Wurstemberger founded the Atelier ar-ter in Carouge with two partners, and in 2011, along with the material scientist Rodrigo Fernandez, the company Terrabloc, which turns excavated material from construction sites into compacted clay blocks. In 2018, he opened his architectural practice in Geneva and has since completed a number of smaller, more sophisticated projects, including the renovation of a farm in Choully (GE). Text in English and German.

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Book SynopsisJohannes Kister, Reinhard Scheithauer (until 2020) and Susanne Gross have been running their offices in Cologne since 1992 and Leipzig since 2007, as well as recently opening a Berlin branch. The three protagonists have produced remarkable, inspiring buildings, including the major, sculptural facility of the University of Applied Sciences Bremerhaven (2005), which impresses with its solid, haptic materiality. Text in English and German.

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Book SynopsisSince 1987, Eileen Joy Liebman and Fernando Villavecchia Obregón have focused on developing housing and measures to existing buildings. Over the years, they have gradually developed an oeuvre with the special qualities of reserve and “silence”. Projects include the careful renovation of the Casa Coderch Milá in Cadaqués (2017) and the Casa in Sant Llorenç (2014), inherently engaging with the rural architecture. Text in English and German.

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