Pierre Alain Dupraz Architecte

What Pierre Alain Dupraz Architecte does

Pierre-Alain Dupraz Architectes is a Geneva-based Swiss architectural firm founded in 1995, operating as a private founder-controlled practice with 11-50 employees. The firm provides comprehensive architectural design services across five core typologies: residential buildings (villas, apartment complexes, modular prefabricated houses), public buildings (schools, nurseries, childcare centers, nursing homes), cultural institutions (music centers, cinemas, museums), bridges and infrastructure (pedestrian, bicycle, and road bridges), and urban development projects (master plans, large-scale transformations such as PAV Etoile in Geneva).

The firm's underlying technology centers on advanced structural and architectural expertise rather than software products. Notable proprietary capabilities include prefabricated wooden modular construction (temporary school pavilion in Troinex), modular reinforced concrete systems (villa in Collonges-Sous-Salève), and complex asymmetric metal caisson structures (Passerelle de la Rade in Geneva). The firm works in partnership with external structural engineering firms including CP ingénieurs, Ingeni SA, Muttoni & Fernandez, and T Ingénierie SA for technically demanding bridge and infrastructure projects.

The business model is project-based professional services revenue, acquired primarily through architectural competitions — both invited and open — with additional direct commissions from returning public-sector clients and private referrals. The firm maintains a multilingual portfolio website (French, English, German) as its primary marketing channel. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and is negotiated on a project-by-project basis. The client base is concentrated in Western Switzerland, spanning the cantons of Geneva, Vaud, Valais, and Fribourg, with the public sector (municipalities, government institutions, foundations) as the primary segment and private developers/collectors as the secondary segment.

Name

Pierre Alain Dupraz Architecte

Legal name

Pierre-Alain Dupraz Architectes

Website

https://padupraz.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Geneva-based Swiss architectural firm founded in 1995, specializing in public buildings, residential complexes, bridges, cultural institutions, and urban development. Serves Swiss municipalities and private clients primarily through competition wins across Western Switzerland.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Architectural Design Services

NAICS

Architectural Services (54131), Interior Design Services (54141)

akta.pro primary industry

Architectural Design Services (BPAHAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Interior Design Services (BPAHAKAB), Architectural Reconfiguration & Structural Alterations (HSAPAEAB)

Keywords

• Architectural design services
• Urban planning
• Bridge engineering design
• Public building design
• Residential architecture

Headquarters

HQ city

Geneva

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Architectural Design Services: The firm generates revenue through architectural design fees for competitions, new constructions, renovations, and urban planning projects. Revenue is project-based, typically won through competitions or direct commissions.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Pierre-Alain Dupraz Architectes provides full-service architectural design for residential, public, cultural, and infrastructure projects including buildings, bridges, and urban developments. The firm operates on a project-by-project basis, acquiring work through architectural competitions and direct commissions from municipalities, public institutions, foundations, and private clients, with no publicly disclosed pricing or subscription model.

Product overview

Pierre-Alain Dupraz Architectes is a Swiss architecture firm based in Geneva offering comprehensive architectural design services. The firm operates as a unified practice rather than a platform architecture, providing services across multiple building typologies including residential (villas, apartments, house extensions), public buildings (schools, nurseries, nursing homes), infrastructure (bridges), cultural buildings (music centers, cinemas), and urban development projects. The firm participates in architectural competitions and has won numerous first prizes for projects in Switzerland.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Architectural Design Services Full-service architectural design encompassing residential, public, cultural, and infrastructure projects including buildings, bridges, and urban developments, delivered to public institutions, municipalities, foundations, and private clients.
• Residential Architecture Design of private villas, apartment buildings, house extensions, and modular prefabricated houses for private developers, property owners, and individuals.
• Public Building Design Design of schools, nurseries, childcare centers, nursing homes, and community facilities for Swiss municipalities, cantons, and public institutions.
• Bridge Design Engineering and architectural design of pedestrian bridges, cycle bridges, and road bridges, including asymmetric metal caisson structures and unified structures spanning rivers, delivered with structural engineering partners.
• Cultural Building Design Design of music centers, theaters, museums (museum villa), cinemas, and cultural institutions for public foundations and cultural organizations.
• Urban Development Projects Large-scale urban planning and development projects including master plans and urban studies for public institutions and private developers.

Named customers9 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Muttoni & Fernandez Ingénieurs Conseils SAcoreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2022Engineering partner for the Drague bridge project in Sion. The multidisciplinary competition winner (2022) features a unified structure spanning the Rhône river.
• PRA Ingénieurs Conseils SAcoreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2022Engineering partner for the Drague bridge in Sion, working alongside Muttoni & Fernandez. The project integrates optimally with the Rhône river site, opening views for bridge users.
• T INGÉNIERIE SAcoreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2019Engineering partnership for the Footbridge in Crissier project. T INGÉNIERIE SA is the structural engineering partner for the pedestrian and bicycle bridge crossing route de Crissier, part of the future BHNS rapid transit network connection. Competition 2019 - 1st prize.
• Ingeni SAcoreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2012Engineering partner for the Footbridge of La Rade in Geneva. The footbridge features an asymmetric metal caisson with spans of 162m and 90m, crossing the harbor to connect Geneva's left and right banks.
• CP ingénieurscoreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2004Engineering partnership for the Passerelle de la Paix pedestrian bridge project. CP ingénieurs collaborated with Pierre-Alain Dupraz Architectes on this 160m bridge crossing 19 railway tracks at Geneva's eastern gateway. The bridge was completed 2011-2014.
• DIC SAcoreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2004Engineering partner for the Passerelle de la Paix project in collaboration with CP ingénieurs. DIC SA provided structural engineering expertise for this multidisciplinary competition winner.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Behnisch Architekten: German architecture firm of similar mid-sized scale (~80-100 staff) with a strong competition portfolio in public buildings, educational facilities, and cultural institutions. Comparable in typology mix and reliance on competition wins for public-sector commissions.
• Christian Kerez: Zurich-based Swiss architect with a similar boutique scale and competition-led practice focused on public buildings, cultural facilities, and innovative structural solutions. Closely comparable in firm size, Switzerland-centric geography, and reliance on competition prizes to win landmark projects.
• Diener & Diener Architekten: Basel-based Swiss architecture firm with a comparable mid-sized practice focused on residential, cultural, and urban projects acquired primarily through competitions. Similar firm profile, Swiss geography, and competition-led business model.
• Bernard Tschumi Architects: Swiss-French architect with a Geneva-Paris-New York practice known for cultural buildings, public infrastructure, and competition-winning landmark projects. Comparable in cross-border Swiss-French identity and competition-led approach to cultural and public commissions.

Broad incumbents

• Snøhetta: Norwegian-headquartered architecture and design firm with cultural, public, and infrastructure portfolio. Comparable in competition-led acquisition of public and cultural commissions, though operating at substantially larger global scale.
• Herzog & de Meuron: Swiss architecture firm also based in Basel with global reach and major public, cultural, and residential commissions. Comparable as a Swiss-headquartered architectural practice competing internationally, though at significantly larger scale and brand recognition.
• Burckhardt+Partner: Swiss architecture and general planning firm headquartered in Zurich with a much larger multi-disciplinary practice spanning public, residential, and healthcare. Comparable as a Swiss competitor for public and institutional commissions but operates at a different scale and breadth.
• David Chipperfield Architects: European architecture practice with strong cultural building portfolio (Neues Museum Berlin, James-Simon-Galerie). Comparable typology mix (cultural institutions, public buildings, residential) but at substantially larger scale and global reach.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/pierre-alain-dupraz-architecte

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Pierre Alain Dupraz Architecte