phalt Architect

What phalt Architect does

phalt Architekten AG is a privately held Swiss architecture and urban planning firm founded in 2006 in Zürich by three partners — Cornelia Mattiello-Schwaller, Mike Mattiello, and Frank Schneider — who had studied architecture together. The firm offers integrated architectural services spanning residential, commercial, healthcare, public, cultural, and sports/recreational buildings, handling projects from competition entry through design (Entwurf) to realization (Projektieren und Realisieren). Its methodology explicitly combines gestalterische (design) factors with economic, ecological, and social considerations, and the firm is recognized as a "successful competition office" with national and international architecture and culture prizes.

The firm's business model is classic professional services: it generates revenue through architectural fees structured under the Swiss SIA framework, billing against project complexity, scope, and construction cost. Distribution runs almost entirely through two channels — winning architectural competitions (invited study commissions, selective project competitions, and open competitions across Switzerland) and securing direct commissions from institutional clients and repeat developers. Recent first-prize wins span Riverside Living 3 (120 apartments, Swiss Prime Anlagestiftung), Arealentwicklung Zielmatten (Gerlafingen), Arealentwicklung Rossallmend (Solothurn), VEBO Soleure, Areal Hofmatt Süd, and Ypsomed FORUM.

Operations are organized around two offices — the recently relocated Solothurn headquarters in Atelierhaus Obach (Obachstrasse 17, moved March 2026 across three floors) and a secondary Zürich office in the Binz industrial district (Binzstrasse 39) — with a team of 15–20 qualified professionals including ETH, FHNW, and BFH-trained architects, plus apprentices. The legal entity, phalt Architekten AG, is an Aktiengesellschaft under Swiss law, 100% founder-controlled, with no institutional investors, parent company, subsidiaries, or external funding rounds.

Name

phalt Architect

Legal name

phalt Architekten AG

Website

https://phalt.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Swiss architecture and urban planning firm founded in 2006, providing integrated design and realization services for residential, commercial, healthcare, public, and cultural buildings across Switzerland, with revenue generated through architectural competition wins and direct commissions, and a team of 15–20.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Architectural Services

NAICS

Architectural Services (541310)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAHAKAA

Architectural Design Services

Business & Public Services/Professional Services (Legal, Accounting, Consulting)/Architecture, Design & Planning Services

SECONDARYBPAHAKAE

Regional & Land Use Planning

Business & Public Services/Professional Services (Legal, Accounting, Consulting)/Architecture, Design & Planning Services

SECONDARYBPAHAKAO

Community Engagement & Participatory Planning

Business & Public Services/Professional Services (Legal, Accounting, Consulting)/Architecture, Design & Planning Services

Keywords

• Architectural design services
• Urban planning design
• Residential architecture
• Commercial building design
• Architectural competitions

Headquarters

HQ city

Solothurn

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

Revenue model

1. Architectural Services: phalt generates revenue through architectural design services, winning projects through competitions and direct commissions, then providing full project services through SIA phases.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

phalt Architekten AG is a Swiss architecture and urban planning firm providing full architectural services from competition entry through design (Entwurf) and realization (Projektieren und Realisieren). The firm handles architecture (Architektur), urban planning (Städtebau), and spatial culture (Raumkultur) across residential, commercial, healthcare, public, cultural, and sports buildings for clients across multiple Swiss cantons. Projects are won through invited study commissions, selective project competitions, open competitions, and direct commissions.

Product overview

phalt Architekten AG is an architecture and urban planning firm offering architectural design services across Switzerland. Their service portfolio encompasses residential (single-family homes, housing estates, senior residences), commercial, cultural, educational, healthcare, and sports/recreational facilities. The firm operates as a full-service architecture office handling project development, design, and realization. Their services are project-based rather than structured as a software platform or product suite.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Architectural Design and Planning Services Full architectural services from competition entry through design and realization, covering residential, commercial, healthcare, public, cultural, and sports buildings for enterprise clients, real estate developers, housing cooperatives, and public-sector clients across Switzerland.
• Competition-Based Architectural Services Architecture services delivered through invited study commissions, selective project competitions, and open competitions. phalt is described as a successful competition office (erfolgreiches Wettbewerbsbüro) with multiple 1st prize wins across Swiss cantons.
• Urban Design and Development Services Urban planning, areal development (Arealentwicklung), and spatial culture (Raumkultur) services, demonstrated through projects such as Solothurn Nord, Rossallmend, and Zielmatten that combine residential, commercial, infrastructure, and energy hub programming.
• Healthcare Facility Architecture Architecture services for healthcare buildings including psychiatric clinics (Psychiatrie Baselland, Clienia) and conference/culture centers for healthcare companies (Ypsomed FORUM), designed to address therapeutic environments and specialized spatial requirements.

Quantifiable outcome

• Won 1st prize for Arealentwicklung Zielmatten (invited study commission, April 2026)
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers10 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

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Chaves Biedermann Landschaftsarchitekten GmbHminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 January 2025Landscape architecture partner for the Arealentwicklung Zielmatten project in Gerlafingen, responsible for landscape design including the Grünader (green vein) central green space and planting concepts.
• Anderegg Partner AGminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerGeneral planner (Generalplaner) for the Wohnüberbauung Mühlacker project in Bellach, coordinating overall project delivery.
• maaarsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVisualizations and renderings partner (alongside phalt) for project presentations.
• allgemeine Baugenossenschaft LuzerncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerClient and development partner for the Siedlung Obermaihof project - multiple phases of residential development including multi-family buildings, community spaces, kindergarten, and hort (after-school care).

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Itten+Brechbühl AG: One of Switzerland's largest architecture and general-planning firms (100+ staff). Competes with phalt for major public and area-development commissions but at meaningfully greater scale and with broader service lines.
• David Chipperfield Architects: International practice with significant Swiss presence (Berlin/London/Milan/Shanghai/Zurich). Competes in high-end cultural and public commissions in Switzerland but operates at much larger scale with broader geographic reach.

Direct peers

• EM2N Architekten: Swiss architecture firm with parallel focus on competition-winning design, residential and public-sector work, and Städtebau (urban design) — closely matching phalt's declared service mix.
• Diener & Diener Architekten: Basel-headquartered Swiss practice with comparable mid-size structure, competition-led project acquisition, and a portfolio spanning residential, cultural, and urban planning commissions.
• Frei + Saarinen Architekten: Zurich-based competition-winning architecture office with similar project mix spanning housing, public buildings, and area development in the German-speaking Swiss market.
• Burkhalter Sumi Architekten: Zurich-based Swiss architecture firm of comparable size that similarly competes in architectural competitions and covers residential, public, and commercial work. Closely aligned competition-driven GTM and multi-sector portfolio make it a near-direct comparable.
• Stücheli Architekten: Zurich-headquartered firm with similar profile: project-based competition work, residential and public building expertise, and a mid-sized team. Both firms serve Swiss municipalities and institutional clients via SIA-phased engagements.
• Bob Gysin + Partner BGP Architekten: Zurich-based architectural office comparable in scale and operating model, focused on competitions, residential, educational, and public-sector projects across Switzerland.
• Max Dudler Architekten: Swiss-German architect with established competition record and comparable portfolio across residential, public, and cultural buildings — relevant peer for phalt's competition-led model.
• Grolimund + Partner Architekten: Basel-based architecture office of similar size and competition orientation, with comparable work across residential, healthcare, and public buildings in the Swiss market.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/phalt-architekten-ag
• Instagraminstagram.com/phaltarchitekten/?hl=de
• Facebookfacebook.com/phaltarchitektenag

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 phalt Architect