Fontana Landscape Architecture

What Fontana Landscape Architecture does

Fontana Landschaftsarchitektur GmbH is a Swiss landscape architecture firm founded in 2008 by Massimo Fontana and headquartered in Basel. The firm offers professional landscape architecture services organized into four categories: public space design (parks, plazas, promenades), corporate/workplace outdoor environments, residential grounds, and urban-scale masterplanning. Its underlying craft is a context-led design methodology that emphasizes reduction to landscape essentials and the unique spatial, aesthetic, and ecological character of each site, supported by a senior team of roughly seven including the founder, four project managers, a draftsperson, and an apprentice. Notable completed projects include the Schüssinsel in Biel, the Merian Gärten Vorder Brüglingen in Basel, the Kannenfeldpark masterplan, the Klybeckquai temporary promenade, the Vulcano Zürich mixed-use development (with Dominique Perrault), and international work such as the Korean Telekom headquarters in Seoul.

The firm's revenue model is project-based professional services, with work won through Swiss architectural competitions (Wettbewerb / Studienauftrag) and direct commissions from public and institutional clients including cantonal and municipal governments (Kanton Basel-Landschaft, Stadtgärtnerei Basel), major foundations (Christoph Merian Stiftung), and institutional end-users such as the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute and ETH Zurich. Customer segments span Swiss municipalities, private developers, housing cooperatives, and corporate/institutional clients, served via direct sales and competition channels rather than productized offerings. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and is determined per project.

The firm's competitive position rests on a portfolio of more than a dozen internationally recognized awards (Rosa Barba Prize 2014, International Architecture Award 2016, Golden Rabbit and Flaneur d'Or 2017, EMF Sustainability Prize 2017, ASLA cover feature 2021, BSLA Best of Swiss Landscape Architecture 2022, three Auszeichnung gutes Bauen awards 2023) and a dense partnership network with tier-one Swiss and international architects including Sou Fujimoto, MVRDV, Shigeru Ban, Christ & Gantenbein, EM2N, and Harry Gugger Studio. Ownership is founder-controlled with no disclosed external investors, no funding rounds, no M&A activity, and no AI/ML capability stack; the firm operates as a boutique creative practice rather than a scaled technology-enabled business.

Name

Fontana Landscape Architecture

Legal name

Fontana Landschaftsarchitektur GmbH

Website

https://fontana-la.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Fontana Landscape Architecture is a Basel-based, founder-led Swiss landscape architecture boutique founded in 2008, providing public-space, corporate, residential, and urban-design services to municipalities, foundations, and institutional clients across Switzerland and selectively internationally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Landscape Architecture Services

NAICS

Landscape Architectural Services (54132)

akta.pro primary industry

Landscape Architecture & Site Design (BPAHAKAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Urban & Regional Planning (Land Use, Zoning, Master Planning) (BPAIANAD), Community Engagement & Participatory Planning (BPAHAKAO)

Keywords

• Landscape architecture services
• Urban open space design
• Public park planning
• Site master planning
• Residential landscape design

Headquarters

HQ city

Basel

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Landscape Architecture Services: Professional services revenue from planning, design, and project management of open spaces including urban landscapes, public parks, squares, promenades, and grounds for commercial and residential buildings.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Fontana Landschaftsarchitektur is a Basel-based landscape architecture firm that plans and designs open spaces for public, corporate, residential, and urban contexts in Switzerland and internationally. Its services cover public parks, plazas, promenades, commercial and residential building grounds, and urban master plans, organized into four project categories: Public Space Design, Corporate/Workplace Design, Residential Design, and Urban Design. The firm focuses on revealing and shaping the unique character of each site through aesthetic, spatial, and ecological understanding of the landscape.

Product overview

Fontana Landschaftsarchitektur is a landscape architecture firm established in 2008 in Basel, Switzerland. The company offers a comprehensive portfolio of landscape architecture services organized into four main project categories: Public Space Design (Öffentlich), Corporate/Workplace Design (Arbeitsumfeld), Residential Design (Wohnumfeld), and Urban Design (Städtebau). Their work spans from urban landscapes and public parks to commercial and residential grounds, with notable projects including the Schüssinsel in Biel, Klybeckquai in Basel, Merian Gärten in Basel, Kannenfeldpark in Basel, Vulcano in Zürich, and Riedpark in Zug. The firm focuses on revealing and shaping the unique character of each site through aesthetic, spatial, and ecological landscape understanding, emphasizing reduction to landscape essentials as their primary design tool.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Public Space Design (Öffentlich) Design of public parks, plazas, promenades, and urban outdoor spaces for Swiss municipalities and cantonal clients, including flagship projects such as Schüssinsel in Biel and Klybeckquai in Basel.
• Corporate/Workplace Design (Arbeitsumfeld) Design of outdoor spaces for commercial and corporate environments, including office complexes, industrial campuses, and mixed-use developments for private developers and institutional clients.
• Residential Design (Wohnumfeld) Design of residential outdoor spaces including private gardens and landscapes for housing developments, with private and cooperative residential clients across Switzerland.
• Urban Design (Städtebau) Urban planning and city district development including master plans for large urban areas, executed for municipal and developer clients.

Quantifiable outcome

• 605 trees and 850 shrubs planted on Schüssinsel project
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Dominique Perrault ArchitecturecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with French architect Dominique Perrault on the Vulcano project in Zurich-Altstetten, winning the 2013 competition. Fontana provided landscape architecture for this mixed-use development featuring elegant high-rise towers.
• Christ & Gantenbein ArchitektencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWon first prize in 2016 competition for Postplatz Liestal with Christ & Gantenbein. Partnership on multiple public space projects.
• Harry Gugger StudiocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWon competition for Deutsches Tapetenmuseum in Kassel (2017) and Hirtenweg housing project in Riehen (2019).
• Luca Selva ArchitektencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWon competition for Bernstrasse cooperative housing in Lucerne (2017) with Luca Selva Architekten.
• Sou Fujimoto (Paris)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWon special competition for 'Meet' project at Airport City Zurich (2019) in collaboration with Japanese architect Sou Fujimoto.
• MVRDV ArchitektenminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWon competition for Wohnüberbauung Feldbreite in Emmen (2013) with Dutch firm MVRDV.
• EM2N ArchitektencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWon first prize for Riedpark housing development in Zug (2006) with EM2N Architekten.
• Buchner Bründler Architekten / Rapp ArchitektencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWon competition for HIC building at ETH Zurich Hönggerberg campus (2020) as part of planning team.
• Shigeru Ban ArchitectscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWon competition for Swatch Group headquarters in Biel (2011) with Shigeru Ban Architects and other partners.
• :mlzd ArchitektencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWon first prize for Sempach Ornithological Station visitor centre (2010) with :mlzd Architekten.
• Staehelin Meyer ArchitektenminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership on Rütiring residential project in Riehen and Pumpstation Basel project.
• Christoph Merian StiftungcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWon study contract for Merian Gärten Basel (2017) and completed renovation of Vorder Brüglingen section. Client and collaborator on this significant Basel garden.
• Hosoya Schaefer ArchitectsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership on Landis + Gyr-Areal study commission in Zug (2017) and Kaserne Aarau test planning (2017).
• Renzo Bader ArchitektenminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWon first prize for Kantonsspitalareal Zug (2012) and Carmel housing in Menzingen (2010) with Renzo Bader Architekten.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Gross Max: Edinburgh/London-based landscape architecture practice with strong European public realm portfolio; comparable in size, design philosophy, and competition-driven project acquisition as Fontana.
• Topotek 1: Berlin-based landscape architecture firm with international public-space and park portfolio; operates in the same competition/award tier as Fontana and shares a context-driven, ecologically-aware design philosophy.
• Latz + Partner: German landscape architecture firm known for industrial landscape conversion and large public parks (e.g., Duisburg-Nord); competes in the same European premium landscape segment and shares the ecology/design-rigor positioning.
• Agence Ter: Paris-based landscape and urban planning firm with European public space and park portfolio; operates at a comparable scale and design-led competition model, including Swiss and German projects.
• Vogt Landschaft: Award-winning Swiss/German landscape architecture practice with strong public space and park portfolio, comparable in scale and competition-driven business model. Mentioned in Fontana's own team CVs (Cédéric Dubois interned there).
• A24 Landschaft: Berlin landscape architecture practice focused on public space, parks, and urban design; comparable in size and competition-driven model to Fontana, with overlapping DACH market presence.
• Hager Partner Landschaftsarchitektur: Long-established Swiss landscape architecture firm (Bertrand Hager) also based in the German-speaking Swiss market, winning Wettbewerbe and designing public spaces, parks, and residential landscapes at a similar premium tier to Fontana.

Emerging players

• Hager Partner (correction: Atelier Girsberger): Smaller Swiss-German landscape firm working on residential and public commissions in the same Swiss regional market, competing for similar mid-scale projects.

Broad incumbents

• West 8: Larger, internationally established Dutch landscape and urban design firm (Adriaan Geuze) with a broad portfolio across public, residential, and master-planning projects; sets the upper-end benchmark for design-led European landscape practices Fontana competes against.
• SWA Group: Large US-based landscape architecture, planning, and urban design firm; represents the scaled, multi-office end of the market that defines what an ambitious design-led firm could become but is not currently competitive with Fontana's niche.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/fontana.landscape

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 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 Fontana Landscape Architecture