Gartenmann Engineering

What Gartenmann Engineering does

Gartenmann Engineering is a privately held Swiss engineering consultancy founded in 1971 and headquartered in Zürich, with a registered seat in Bern. The firm delivers specialized building-physics services across acoustics, thermal and hygrothermal performance (WUFI), ventilation and smoke extraction (CFD), sustainability and lifecycle assessment (Ökobilanzierung aligned with SIA 390/1 and MuKEn 2025), fire protection (including AEAI-aligned concepts and practical smoke simulation via a proprietary Warmrauchmaschine), and pollutant analysis (VDI 3492). It also offers supporting services such as blower-door air tightness testing, thermal imaging, daylight analysis, GEAK energy certification, and auralisation — an audible sound-insulation simulation technique. Service delivery is supported by BIM-integrated planning and proprietary physical testing assets developed in-house.

The firm operates through seven regional offices spanning German-speaking Switzerland (Bern, Basel, Zürich, Luzern, Visp) and French-speaking Switzerland (Lausanne, Geneva), enabling local on-site consulting across all major Swiss economic regions. Notable enterprise clients include Inselspital Bern (CHF 500M Anna-Seiler-Haus hospital project, CHF 1.5M engineering fees), SBB Immobilien (Centre Loewenberg renovation), Mobimo, Banque Mirabaud, Romande Energie, and Bricks AG. Approximately half the firm is owned by active employees through a partner model, and in spring 2023 the company implemented a sociocratic 'gaeCircle' governance model replacing the prior single-director hierarchy with four circles (Market, Expertise, Service, Leadership).

Revenue is generated on a project-based professional services model with consulting fees billed per mandate; pricing is not publicly disclosed. The firm had roughly 89 employees in 2024 (up from ~44 in 2013) and no external parent, private equity, or institutional investor ownership is evident in the available data.

Name

Gartenmann Engineering

Legal name

Gartenmann Engineering AG

Website

https://gae.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

1971

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Gartenmann Engineering is a privately held Swiss engineering consultancy, founded in 1971, specializing in building physics, acoustics, fire protection, sustainability, energy, and pollutant analysis, serving enterprise clients across seven regional offices in Switzerland.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Engineering consulting services

NAICS

Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services (5413), Engineering Services (541330), Engineering Services (54133), Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services (54169)

SIC

Services-Engineering Services (8711), Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

Civil & Structural Engineering Consulting (BPAHAIAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Sustainability & ESG Consulting (BPAHACAK), Construction Engineering & Constructability Consulting (BPAHAIAN)

Keywords

• Building physics consulting
• Acoustic engineering services
• Fire protection consulting
• Sustainability certification services
• Building envelope analysis

Headquarters

HQ city

Zürich

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Engineering Consulting Services: Professional consulting fees billed for specialized engineering services in building physics, acoustics, energy consulting, fire protection, pollutant analysis, and sustainability. Revenue is project-based and service-delivery oriented, with offices serving clients across Switzerland.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Gartenmann Engineering is a Swiss engineering consultancy founded in 1971 that delivers specialized consulting and engineering services in building physics, acoustics, energy, sustainability, fire protection, and pollutant analysis. The firm serves architects, developers, healthcare operators, and public infrastructure owners across Switzerland through seven regional offices, providing air tightness testing, thermal imaging, acoustic simulation, fire safety engineering, lifecycle assessment, and BIM-integrated planning.

Product overview

Gartenmann Engineering is a Swiss engineering consultancy offering specialized services in building physics, acoustics, energy, sustainability, fire protection, and pollutant analysis. The company provides a comprehensive portfolio of consulting and engineering services rather than a software product platform. Core offerings include air tightness testing (Blowerdoor), thermal imaging, acoustic consulting (room acoustics and auralization), noise protection, energy concepts, sustainability certification support (DGNB, SNBS, lifecycle assessment), fire protection engineering with smoke simulation, building pollutant analysis, and building physics consulting. The firm also developed an internal hot smoke testing machine for practical smoke exhaust verification. Services are delivered through regional offices across Switzerland (Bern, Basel, Zürich, Luzern, Lausanne, Geneva, Visp) with approximately 89 employees and 50+ years of experience since founding in 1971.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Blowerdoor-Messung (Air Tightness Testing)
• Thermographie (Thermal Imaging)
• Tageslicht (Daylight Analysis)
• GEAK (Gebäudeenergieausweis der Kantone)
• Thermische Simulationen (Thermal Simulations)
• Akustik & Raumakustik (Acoustics & Room Acoustics)
• Auralisation
• Lärmschutz (Noise Protection)
• Energiekonzepte (Energy Concepts)
• Nachhaltigkeit (Sustainability)
• Brandschutz (Fire Protection)
• Schadstoffanalyse (Pollutant Analysis)
• Bauphysik (Building Physics)
• Strömungssimulation / CFD (Flow Simulation)

Quantifiable outcome

• First Minergie-P-ECO certified hospital building of its size and complexity (Anna-Seiler-Haus, Inselspital Bern, CHF 500M project)
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Swiss LeaderscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Swiss Leaders is a consulting organization that partnered with Gartenmann Engineering to develop the 'gaeCircle' organizational restructuring program — a sociocratic management model replacing traditional hierarchies with circle-based roles and shared responsibility. This partnership represents a fundamental transformation of Gartenmann Engineering's internal governance structure.
• HI Schweiz AGcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022HI Schweiz AG collaborated with Gartenmann Engineering on the redesign of the company's communication strategy and vision (2022). HI Schweiz conducted workshops to develop new communication elements aligned with company values, enabling staff to identify with the brand and new messaging across client-facing materials.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• AFRY (formerly ÅF / Pöyry): Nordic-headquartered global engineering consultancy with strong energy and sustainability practices; competes for larger-scale Swiss and cross-border engineering mandates.
• Arup Group: Global engineering consultancy active in acoustics, fire, and building performance; an incumbent peer for high-end, complex Swiss infrastructure and building projects.
• WSP Global: Global engineering consultancy with growing European sustainability and buildings practices; a broad incumbent peer for large, multinational, or complex sustainability-driven Swiss mandates.

Direct peers

• Waldhauser + Hermann AG: Swiss engineering consultancy with overlapping practices in building acoustics, building physics, and energy — serving many of the same architects and developers as Gartenmann.
• Halter AG: Swiss general planner (architecture and engineering) covering the full building lifecycle; competes with Gartenmann for integrated new-build and renovation mandates across German-speaking Switzerland.
• EBP Schweiz AG: Swiss planning and engineering consultancy with strong sustainability, lifecycle assessment, and risk practices; competes with Gartenmann for LCA, Minergie/DGNB, and infrastructure consulting work.
• Burckhardt+Partner AG: Swiss architecture, engineering, and general planning firm covering building physics and energy topics alongside design — competes for integrated mandates at the building project level.
• Amstein + Walthert AG: Zürich-based independent Swiss engineering firm covering building physics, energy, sustainability, and fire protection — the closest direct competitor in the Swiss specialty engineering consulting market.
• snz (Schällibaum Netzer Zehnder AG): Swiss engineering consultancy focused on building services and infrastructure; competes with Gartenmann in building-physics and energy consulting for new construction and renovation projects.

Regional players

• Drees & Sommer: German-headquartered engineering consultancy with deep sustainability and building-physics practices; an adjacent regional peer competing on cross-border projects and on Swiss sustainability mandates.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/gartenmann-engineering-ag
• Facebookfacebook.com/Gartenmann-Engineering-100066305542278

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 Gartenmann Engineering