What Mezzanine does

Hochparterre AG is a privately held Swiss publishing company headquartered in Zürich that has produced independent journalism, book publications, and digital content for the architecture, planning, landscape, and design professions since 1988. Founded by Benedikt Loderer and Köbi Gantenbein, the company operates the flagship Hochparterre magazine and the specialist Hochparterre Wettbewerbe journal (the only Swiss publication dedicated exclusively to architecture competitions), both available in print and as browser-based E-Paper for subscribers. Since 2013, the company has also run Edition Hochparterre, an independent book publishing imprint focused on architecture, planning, landscape, and design titles.

The business operates on a multi-revenue-stream model: recurring print and digital subscriptions (monthly auto-renewing and annual), one-time publication sales through its own webshop, sponsored content and advertising (including Themenfokus supplements, Werkplatz, Werkplatz Spezial, display, video, newsletter banners, and job listings), event sponsorship, and a meeting room rental service at its Zürich headquarters. Adjacent digital products include the Hochparterre Wettbewerbe online archive (since 2014) and the Wettbewerbe archive search, with older issues searchable through ETH Zürich's E-Periodica. The technology stack is standard — TYPO3 CMS, Mailchimp, Datatrans, Issuu, Vimeo/YouTube, and Google Analytics — with no proprietary platform architecture described. The customer base is anchored by Swiss architecture and design professionals, with secondary revenue from advertisers and sponsors in the construction, design, and real estate sectors. The company employs approximately 22 people and has remained financially and legally independent throughout its 37-year history.

Name

Mezzanine

Legal name

Hochparterre AG

Website

https://hochparterre.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

1988

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Hochparterre AG is a privately held Swiss publisher founded in 1988 that produces independent journalism, books, and digital archives for architecture, planning, and design professionals, with 22 employees based in Zürich and revenue from subscriptions, advertising, sponsored content, and ancillary services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Zürich

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Magazine Subscriptions: Print and digital subscriptions to the flagship Hochparterre magazine (architecture, planning, design) and the specialist journal Hochparterre Wettbewerbe (architecture competitions). Subscriptions unlock full E-Paper access, archive downloads, and subscriber-only content. Monthly digital subscriptions auto-renew; annual subscriptions are cancellable.
2. Publication Sales (Webshop): Sale of individual magazine issues, themed issues, special publications, architecture guides, floor plan primers (Grundrissfibeln), and books published by Edition Hochparterre (independent architecture book publisher founded 2013). Prices in CHF; shipping within Switzerland 3-4 business days, internationally 14 business days.
3. Sponsored Content & Advertising: Sponsored Content (marked with double circle) in three formats: commissioned by a client, produced in collaboration with a client, or supported by a sponsor with no editorial influence. The Themenfokus (themed focus) combines a printed supplement and digital coverage. Display ads, video ads, newsletter banners, and job listings are also sold. The weekly newsletter reaches 6,000 subscribers.
4. Meeting Room Rental: A 30 sqm meeting room at Ausstellungsstrasse 25 near Zurich main station is rented out for meetings, board meetings, or workshops, seating 2-20 people. Equipped with projector, flipchart, WiFi, toilet. Prices: CHF 50/hour, CHF 100/half-day, CHF 200/full day.
5. Sponsoring & Events: Event sponsorship provides cross-media exposure to the Hochparterre readership of architecture and planning professionals. Additional sponsorship of the wettbewerbe.hochparterre.ch archive was provided by Eternit.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Mezzanine is a magazine for the architecture, planning, and design sectors, operated as Hochparterre AG, a Swiss publishing company founded in 1988. The company sells print and digital subscriptions to the flagship Hochparterre magazine and its specialist sister journal Hochparterre Wettbewerbe, the Wettbewerbe Online Archive of Swiss architecture competitions, the Edition Hochparterre line of architecture books, themed issues, architecture guides, and floor plan primers (Grundrissfibeln). It also generates B2B revenue through Themenfokus sponsored content, Werkplatz Spezial cross-media packages, banner advertising, the Stellenplattform job platform for the design sector, and rental of a meeting room at the Letzigraben.

Product overview

Hochparterre AG operates a multi-product publishing ecosystem centered on architecture, planning, landscape architecture, and design. The core offerings include the Hochparterre magazine (general architecture coverage) and Hochparterre Wettbewerbe (specialized architectural competition journal), both available in print and as E-Papers. Supporting the magazines are the Edition Hochparterre book publishing division (thematic publications and book series) and the Hochparterre Wettbewerbe Online Archive (searchable digital archive since 2014). Digital products include the Hochparterre.ch news portal and themed issues. The company also offers marketing products including Sponsored Content/Themenfokus and Werkplatz Spezial (cross-media content marketing), plus a job platform and meeting room rental service.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Edition Hochparterre: Independent book publishing division for architecture, planning, landscape and design, founded in 2013.
• Hochparterre Wettbewerbe

Products and services

• Hochparterre magazine The flagship monthly magazine of Hochparterre AG, covering architecture, planning, landscape architecture, and design. Sold as monthly auto-renewing subscriptions, annual subscriptions with bundled print+digital access, and single issues, and aimed at architects, designers, landscape architects, and urban planners in Switzerland.
• Hochparterre Wettbewerbe A specialist journal dedicated to Swiss architecture competitions (Wettbewerbe), covering briefs, jury reports, and outcomes for the Swiss architecture competition community.
• Hochparterre Wettbewerbe Online Archive Online archive that supplements the Hochparterre Wettbewerbe journal with searchable digital access to Swiss architecture competition records for researchers and practitioners.
• Hochparterre E-Paper Browser-based digital edition of the Hochparterre magazine, available to subscribers as part of their annual print+digital subscription.
• Edition Hochparterre (books) The book-publishing arm of Hochparterre AG, releasing architecture books alongside the magazine. Directed by Marcel Bächtiger from 2025.
• Themenhefte (themed issues) Special themed issues of Hochparterre sold as individual publications in addition to the regular monthly magazine.
• Architekturführer (architecture guides) Standalone architecture guide publications sold through the Hochparterre webshop as reference works for the Swiss architecture community.
• Grundrissfibeln (floor plan primers) Floor-plan primer publications (Grundrissfibeln) sold as individual reference works alongside the magazine and architecture guides.
• Themenfokus sponsored content Paid sponsored-content product offered by Hochparterre to companies that want to reach the Swiss architecture and design audience through topic-focused editorial packages.
• Werkplatz Spezial Cross-media content marketing package combining print and digital channels for advertisers in the Swiss architecture and design sector.
• Stellenplattform (job platform) Job platform for the Swiss architecture, landscape architecture, and design sectors where employers post openings for design professionals.
• Meeting room rental at Letzigraben 3, 8004 Zurich Physical meeting room at the Hochparterre offices (Letzigraben 3, 8004 Zurich) available for hourly, half-day, and full-day rental, with bookings handled by Gabriela Projer.

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration9 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• ETH Zürich (E-Periodica)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHochparterre archives dating back to 1988 are searchable through the E-Periodica service hosted by ETH Zürich. Articles older than 3 years can be downloaded as PDFs through this service.
• EternitminorGTM or Marketing PartnerEternit provided friendly support (sponsorship) for the establishment of the wettbewerbe.hochparterre.ch online archive. Acknowledged on the archive site footer.
• SwisspearlminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSwisspearl is acknowledged as a friendly supporter of Hochparterre's online archive, listed in the footer of wettbewerbe.hochparterre.ch.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Baumeister: German architecture magazine with a focus on built environment and planning. Direct peer to Hochparterre in format, audience (German-speaking architects), and editorial mission.
• Detail: Munich-based architecture magazine with print, digital, and book publishing arms (Detail Magazine, DETAIL Books, DETAIL Web). Directly comparable to Hochparterre as a specialist B2B architecture publication combining editorial journalism with book publishing and a professional audience.
• Frame: Amsterdam-based publisher of Frame magazine and book titles focused on interior design, retail, and exhibition design. Comparable to Hochparterre/Edition Hochparterre as an independent design trade publisher with a strong niche identity.
• Domus: Italian architecture and design magazine founded in 1928. Closely comparable to Hochparterre in being a long-established, opinionated design/architecture publication serving a professional audience with both print and digital editions.
• ARCH+: Germany-based architecture magazine focused on theory, discourse, and urbanism. Comparable to Hochparterre as an opinionated, independent trade publication for architects that complements its magazine with events and book projects.
• Werk, Bauen + Wohnen: Swiss architecture magazine covering Swiss and international building culture. Direct peer in the Swiss market, addressing overlapping professional audiences alongside Hochparterre.

Broad incumbents

• Wallpaper*: London-based global design magazine with a much broader luxury/lifestyle audience. Comparable to Hochparterre as an established design publication, but operates at a global, consumer-adjacent scale rather than a niche Swiss professional one.
• Architectural Record: US-based architecture trade magazine owned by BNP Media. Comparable to Hochparterre as a long-established professional architecture publication, though at a much larger, US-market scale.

Regional players

• Azure Magazine: Canadian architecture and design magazine. Comparable to Hochparterre as an independent design trade publication, but serving the North American rather than Swiss/European market.
• Metropolis Magazine: US-based design magazine focused on architecture, sustainability, and product design. Comparable in editorial scope to Hochparterre but operating in the US market with a different audience and scale.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/hochparterre

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 Mezzanine