Kunik de Morsier Architects

What Kunik de Morsier Architects does

Kunik de Morsier Architects is a Swiss architecture practice founded in 2010 in Lausanne by EPFL-trained architects Valentin Kunik and Guillaume de Morsier. The firm delivers full-service architectural design across residential, cultural, commercial, industrial, and public-infrastructure typologies, with a stated specialization in climate-responsive, bioclimatic, and "geographic" architecture — buildings shaped by environmental parameters (sun, rain, wind, temperature, humidity) rather than representational form. Technical capabilities include parametric and algorithmic design, low-tech construction with bio-geosourced materials (timber, earth, straw, compressed earth bricks), the Active Sky interactive lighting system, WikiHouse open-source construction, and water-management systems. The firm operates from registered entities in Lausanne (Kunik de Morsier architectes Sàrl SIA) and Marseille (Kunik de Morsier architecture SAS), and runs an international competition and project pipeline across Switzerland, France, the USA, the Netherlands, Kosovo, and Lithuania.

The practice generates revenue through project-based, one-time design fees negotiated per engagement, covering all phases from competition entry through construction supervision. Go-to-market is sales-led, driven primarily by participation in open and invited architectural competitions, supplemented by direct enterprise and institutional client relationships (e.g., Audemars Piguet, Swisscom, Nyon Hospital Group, City of Lausanne) and a referral network anchored in engineering and academic collaborators. Visibility is built through international design awards (MIPIM 2023, German Design Award 2023, ICONIC 2022, Europe 40 under 40 for both partners in 2023), exhibitions at the Swiss Architecture Museum and other venues, peer-reviewed publications (ArchDaily, Wallpaper, Werk, TEC 21), and active teaching at EPFL, HEPIA Geneva, and ENSA Marseille. The firm became B Corp certified in October 2024, formalizing an environmental and ethical positioning that is increasingly relevant to Swiss and EU public procurement. Customer segments are horizontal and span public institutions, private enterprises, cultural organizations, and social-economy non-profits, with named logos concentrated in watchmaking (Audemars Piguet), telecommunications (Swisscom), healthcare (Nyon Hospital Group), and municipal government (City of Lausanne, Cité Derrière Cooperative).

Name

Kunik de Morsier Architects

Legal name

Kunik de Morsier architectes Sàrl SIA

Website

https://kunikdemorsier.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Kunik de Morsier Architects is a Lausanne-based architecture practice founded in 2010 by EPFL graduates Valentin Kunik and Guillaume de Morsier, delivering climate-responsive, bioclimatic design across residential, cultural, industrial, and public-infrastructure typologies for clients in Switzerland, France, the USA, and other European markets, with revenue from project-based design fees secured primarily through architectural competitions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Architectural Services

NAICS

Architectural Services (54131), Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services (5413), Landscape Architectural Services (541320)

SIC

Non-Operating Establishments (9995)

akta.pro primary industry

Architectural Design Services (BPAHAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Landscape Architecture & Site Design (BPAHAKAC)

Keywords

• Architectural design services
• Sustainable architecture
• Bioclimatic design
• Urban planning
• Climate-responsive buildings

Headquarters

HQ city

Lausanne

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Architectural Design Fees: Revenue generated through fees for architectural design services across all project phases — from competition entries and feasibility studies through to construction supervision. Projects span multiple typologies including residential, cultural, commercial, industrial, and public infrastructure. Revenue is project-based and one-time per engagement.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Kunik de Morsier Architects is an architectural firm providing full-service architecture and design for residential, commercial, cultural, educational, and industrial building projects. The firm specializes in climate-responsive, bioclimatic design with low-tech construction methods using local natural resources (timber, earth, straw). Services span all project phases from competition entries and feasibility studies through to construction supervision, and include both permanent buildings and temporary/immersive installations.

Product overview

Kunik de Morsier Architects is an architecture firm offering a portfolio of services centered on architectural design and spatial innovation. The core offering consists of architecture and design services across residential, educational, cultural, commercial, and industrial building types. This is complemented by research-driven sub-products including the Parallel Sprawl international research initiative, the TREMBLEMENT performative exploration project, exhibition work (Under the Radar), and festival scenography (GIFF). The firm also produces architectural publications and engages in teaching at major European institutions. Projects range from large-scale public buildings (Watch Manufacture Le Locle, Community Hub Le Brassus) to temporary installations and experimental research projects, unified by a commitment to sustainable, climate-responsive design.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Parallel Sprawl: International research initiative exploring suburban landscapes in Kosovo and Switzerland
• TREMBLEMENT
• Community Hub Le Brassus

Products and services

• Architecture and Design Services Full-service architecture and design services spanning residential, commercial, educational, cultural, and industrial building projects at all scales, with emphasis on sustainable, climate-responsive design and bioclimatic strategies.
• Parallel Sprawl Research Initiative International research initiative exploring suburban landscapes in Kosovo and Switzerland, creating a platform for exchange between practitioners and researchers on the future of low-density urban development.
• TREMBLEMENT Performative Project Performative and exploratory project investigating territorial risks and environmental/social upheavals, creating an archive of films, sounds, and documentation about Switzerland's changing environment.
• GIFF Immersive Scenography Immersive scenography design for the Geneva International Film Festival, featuring adaptive visual, thermal, and sound transitions between urban and virtual environments.
• Watch Manufacture Le Locle (Manufacture des Saignoles) Architectural design of the Watch Manufacture des Saignoles in Le Locle for Audemars Piguet — a horizontal, hillside-mounted facility integrating R&D, machining, decoration, assembly, and administration with emphasis on craftsman well-being and visitor experience.
• La Vufflantine Kindergarten (Vufflens-le-Château) Kindergarten and intensive school site in Vufflens-le-Château, featuring a timber framework sourced from local community forests.
• Nyon Hospital Group Headquarters Wooden floor addition on an existing hospital tower roof in Nyon to house the HR department, with translucent cladding creating a cloud-like appearance.
• Swisscom EPFL Digital Lab Innovative office typology at EPFL for Swisscom digital product teams, featuring Active Sky interactive lighting, WikiHouse meeting rooms, and dynamic spatial reconfigurability.
• Lausanne Temporary Modular Housing (Cité Derrière) 62 modular, relocatable housing units at Prés-de-Vidy in Lausanne for social reintegration, designed with colorful Roman mosaic-inspired interiors in collaboration with the Cité Derrière Cooperative.
• Geneva Coworking Turbine (Banque Transformée) Transformation of a former bank in Geneva into coworking, café, nursery, and individual office spaces organized by environmental parameters and privacy gradients.
• Service Center Tampa Bay (Florida) Service center for maintenance and repair of precision mechanical equipment in Tampa Bay, Florida, designed as a pavilion in a park with bioclimatic strategy and solar energy integration.
• Forum APRÈS-GE Geneva (Social Economy Space) Community space in Geneva designed for the Forum for Social and Solidarity Economy (APRÈS-GE) through fluid spatial organization and multi-functional areas.
• Pole for Contemporary Music Lausanne (Le Romandie & La Brèche) Renovation and expansion of concert halls under Grand-Pont in Lausanne, including Le Romandie and La Brèche venues for contemporary music; inaugurated February 2025.
• Community Hub Le Brassus Multi-program community building in the Jura watchmaking village of Le Brassus, combining crèche, store, and sports hall; under construction.
• Under the Radar Exhibition (S AM Swiss Architecture Museum) Exhibition project at S AM Swiss Architecture Museum, Basel (2019-2020) featuring the Parallel Sprawl international research project on spatial analysis methods and hidden territorial mechanisms.
• Hauts de Dorigny New Public School New public school at Hauts de Dorigny, Chavannes-près-Renens — winner of architectural competition, a major public educational project.

Quantifiable outcome

• Watch Manufacture Audemars Piguet won MIPIM Award 2023 Best Industrial & Logistics Project and multiple other international design awards.
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Dreier + Frenzel Architecture et CommunicationminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPartnership with Dreier + Frenzel Architecture et Communication for the Forum for APRES-GE project, where both firms collaborated on the architectural design for the social and solidarity economy space in Geneva.
• GenslercoreTechnology or IntegrationGensler served as architect of record for the Service Center Tampa Bay project in Florida, with Kunik de Morsier leading the design concept. This collaboration enables the firm to deliver projects in the US market with a local architectural registration partner.
• Thornton TomasetticoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerStructural engineering partner for the Service Center Tampa Bay project. Provides structural engineering expertise required for US-based construction delivery.
• OCI AssociatescoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerMEP (Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing) engineering partner for the Service Center Tampa Bay project, supporting US-compliant building systems design.
• WCCIminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerCost estimation and scheduling partner for the Service Center Tampa Bay project.
• Séverin GuelpacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOngoing collaboration with artist Séverin Guelpa on experimental installations and artistic projects including TREMBLEMENT (performative exploration of Swiss territory, 2020), La Termitière (artistic installation in Geneva, 2020), and MATZA Aletsch (glacier documentation and installation at Aletsch glacier).
• TerraBlocminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPartner for the La Termitière project, contributing compressed earth brick expertise.
• Maulini SAminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerConstruction partner for La Termitière project in Geneva.
• Thomas Jundt ingénieurs civils SAminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerCivil engineering partner for La Termitière project.
• Future Architecture PlatformcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe firm was selected as Emerging Talent by the Future Architecture Platform in 2018, participating in a European network of architects and enabling international exposure and collaborative projects including Parallel Sprawl with architects from Kosovo.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Snøhetta: Norwegian-headquartered international architecture practice with comparable DNA: sustainability-led, competition-winning, typology-diverse projects across cultural, civic, and commercial sectors. Mid-size with similar emphasis on research-driven design and cross-border delivery.
• 3XN: Danish architecture firm with a sustainability-anchored brand, cultural and civic typology mix, and active international competition pipeline. Comparable in its emphasis on biophilic and climate-responsive design thinking.
• Studio Gang: US-based architecture practice with a comparable sustainability/climate-responsive narrative, international competition credentials, and typology mix spanning cultural, civic, and eco-sensitive projects. Similar boutique-to-mid-scale positioning with award-driven visibility.
• Christ & Gantenbein: Basel-based Swiss architecture firm of similar size and profile. Operates internationally on museums, housing, and cultural projects with a strong award record and academic ties, closely mirroring Kunik de Morsier's positioning within the Swiss architectural ecosystem.
• MAD Architects: International architecture practice delivering iconic cultural, civic, and residential projects with a strong research-driven narrative. Comparable typology breadth and competition-driven acquisition model, though operating at larger scale.
• Shigeru Ban Architects: International practice known for innovative material use (including timber, paper, and bio-sourced systems) and humanitarian/social housing projects. Shares Kunik de Morsier's low-tech construction ethos and design-research orientation.
• Thomas Heatherwick Studio: Design-led practice with similar emphasis on materials innovation, scenographic work, and high-profile cultural commissions. Comparable narrative positioning around craft, research, and cross-disciplinary experimentation.

Broad incumbents

• Herzog & de Meuron: Established Swiss architecture firm of much greater scale. Comparable in its Swiss base, international project footprint, material innovation, and cultural typology emphasis, but vastly larger and more globally embedded.
• BIG (Bjarke Ingels Group): Larger Danish-headquartered practice with similar international competition profile and sustainability positioning. Operates across residential, commercial, and cultural sectors at significantly greater scale and headcount.
• OMA: Internationally renowned Dutch architecture practice with strong research orientation and competition-winning typology breadth. Operates at a much larger scale but shares the academic/research-driven DNA and competition-led acquisition model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/kunikdemorsier

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 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 Kunik de Morsier Architects