OST - ArchitekturWerkstatt St.Gallen

What OST - ArchitekturWerkstatt St.Gallen does

OST - ArchitekturWerkstatt St.Gallen is an academic department of OST — Ostschweizer Fachhochschule, a publicly funded university of applied sciences in Eastern Switzerland. Founded in 2017 and based in St.Gallen, the Werkstatt delivers architectural education grounded in a workshop-based pedagogy that deliberately pairs analog practice — drawing, model-making, material exploration — with contemporary digital design tools. It runs a six-semester Bachelor of Arts in Architecture with an intake of approximately 90 students per semester and, beginning in HS2024/2025, a part-time (berufsbegleitend) six-semester Master of Arts in Architecture carrying 120 ECTS, opening the program to working professionals.

The department is led by Anna Jessen and a founding professorial cohort — Katrin Albrecht, Mark Ammann, and Lukas Zurfluh — appointed in May 2020, supported by a teaching team of approximately 16 staff. The program maintains an industry and academic partner network spanning timber construction (Blumer Lehmann AG), building envelope and solar (3S Swiss Solar Solutions, Vogel Fensterbauer, Holzmanufaktur Rottweil), a materials archive (Sitterwerk), the cross-border academic partner Universität Liechtenstein, and convening roles with the Architekturrat der Schweiz and the BSA.

The business model is non-commercial: the unit is funded through Swiss federal and cantonal education budgets channeled via the parent Fachhochschule. There is no tuition-driven pricing model, no commercial customer base, and no revenue recognition in the conventional sense. Its strategic activity — program launches, exhibitions, partner convening, and award recognition (e.g., the 2023 Heimatschutzpreis "Goldener Schemel") — is oriented toward institutional positioning within Swiss architectural education and the BSA/SIA qualification pathway rather than commercial monetization.

Name

OST - ArchitekturWerkstatt St.Gallen

Legal name

ArchitekturWerkstatt St.Gallen

Website

https://architekturwerkstattstgallen.ch

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

OST - ArchitekturWerkstatt St.Gallen is the architecture department of OST — Ostschweizer Fachhochschule, a publicly funded Swiss Fachhochschule, offering a Bachelor and a part-time Master of Arts in Architecture with workshop-based pedagogy to roughly 90 students per semester in St.Gallen.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Architecture Education

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113), Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services (5413)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Architecture Schools (within Arts & Design institutions) (EDAHAJAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Technical Universities with Architecture, Built Environment & Design Engineering (EDAHAEAJ)

Keywords

• Architecture education
• Architectural design studios
• Building culture studies
• Model-making workshops
• Timber construction pedagogy

Headquarters

HQ city

St.Gallen

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Others

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The ArchitekturWerkstatt St.Gallen is an educational institution within OST – Ostschweizer Fachhochschule that delivers accredited Bachelor of Arts in Architecture (6 semesters) and part-time Master of Arts in Architecture (6 semesters/120 ECTS, launched HS2024) degree programs. The curriculum centers on architectural design studios, intensive workshop weeks on materials, and study trips focused on Swiss and European building culture. Instruction combines hands-on analog craft (drawing, model-making) with digital tools and structural analysis.

Product overview

The ArchitekturWerkstatt St.Gallen is an educational institution within OST – Ostschweizer Fachhochschule that offers a Bachelor of Arts in Architektur (6 semesters) and a part-time Master of Arts in Architektur (launched HS2024, 6 semesters/120 ETCS). The curriculum centers on architectural design (Entwurf), analysis, construction (Raum + Fügung), and synthesis through hands-on workshop weeks, annual All School Charrettes, guest lectures (Werkstattgespräche), and study trips. The portfolio includes intensive workshops on materials (wood, clay, stone, textile), public lectures featuring prominent architects, and scholarly publications documenting its pedagogical approach. The institution operates from the Hauptpost building in St.Gallen and maintains partnerships with industry partners for practical training.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Bachelor of Arts in Architecture (Bachelor of Arts in Architektur) A six-semester undergraduate professional architecture program offered at the ArchitekturWerkstatt St.Gallen, teaching architectural design (Entwurf), analysis, construction (Raum + Fügung), and spatial concepts through hands-on workshops and studio work. Designed for prospective architecture students and leads to a BSA/SIA-recognized degree for professional practice in Switzerland.
• Master of Arts in Architecture (berufsbegleitend) A part-time professional Master of Arts program in architecture combining study, professional practice, and an exchange year abroad over 6 semesters (120 ECTS points). Targeted at working professionals who wish to pursue advanced architectural education alongside employment, with international study opportunities.
• Architektur als Werkstatt. ArchitekturWerkstatt St.Gallen – ein Atlas (Publication) A 360-page scholarly publication documenting the teaching methodology and architectural studies produced at the ArchitekturWerkstatt. Published by Park Books in 2022, available for purchase to the public and architectural community.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Blumer Lehmann AGcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOngoing collaboration with the Gossau-based wood construction company. Students work with Blumer Lehmann on All School Charrette projects (wood constructions), visit production facilities, and receive technical guidance on timber connections and structural elements. The partnership supports workshop weeks and provides real-world project experience in timber construction.
• Stiftung Sitterwerk / WerkstoffarchivcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with the material archive foundation for material studies education. Students access the material collection and receive instruction on material properties, metal coloring, and surface treatment techniques. The foundation provides educational programs and expertise for the material-oriented curriculum.
• Universität LiechtensteinmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCooperation on Ernst Sommerlad exhibition and symposium celebrating the 130th anniversary of architect Ernst Sommerlad. Joint organization of exhibitions, symposium, and publication activities between the ArchitekturWerkstatt and the University of Liechtenstein.
• Stiftung SommerladmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for the Ernst Sommerlad 130th anniversary celebrations, including exhibitions, symposium, and the publication of a monograph on Sommerlad's architectural work in Eastern Switzerland.
• Architekturrat der SchweizmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMembership in the association of all Swiss universities and universities of applied sciences teaching architecture. Hosts the General Assembly 2025 of the Architekturrat. Contributes to national architectural education discourse and building culture promotion.
• 8000.agencycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerArchitecture collective serving as guest lecturers for the Master program (starting HS2024). Oliver Burch, Jakob Junghanss, and Lukas Ryffel bring their practice approach focused on sustainable design and working with existing structures to the Master curriculum.
• 3S Swiss Solar Solutions AGminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSolar technology partner for Campus Rapperswil construction exhibition projects, contributing solar expertise to student-built prototypes such as the solar-powered ice cream cart.
• Vogel Fensterbauer AG (Goldach)minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerVisit and structured internship collaboration with the window manufacturer in Goldach for the building component semester focused on analysis of regional embroidery houses.
• Holzmanufaktur RottweilminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerWorkshop week partner for window component studies. Students visit the historic window restoration production facility and learn about window restoration techniques according to current standards.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves1 record

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• FHNW — Hochschule für Architektur, Bau und Geomatik: Fachhochschule Nordwestschweiz's architecture, construction, and geomatics school offers UAS-level architecture programs. Direct peer as a peer-tier Swiss UAS architecture department with practice-oriented curriculum.
• Accademia di architettura di Mendrisio (USI): Architecture school within Università della Svizzera italiana focused on architectural design, theory, and restoration. Comparable Swiss-architecture institution with a strong studio-based teaching model.
• Hochschule Luzern — Technik & Architektur: Swiss Fachhochschule with an architecture department offering Bachelor and Master programs in a practice-oriented format. Closest direct structural peer in terms of UAS-level architecture pedagogy and applied focus.
• Hochschule für Technik Rapperswil (HSR) — OST: The Rapperswil campus of OST itself offers architecture and civil engineering programs. Internal peer within the same parent university, with which the ArchitekturWerkstatt runs inter-campus modules.
• ZHAW — School of Engineering: Zürcher Hochschule für Angewandte Wissenschaften includes architecture-relevant programs within its engineering school. Comparable as another major Swiss UAS with applied architecture and construction education.

Broad incumbents

• TU Delft — Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment: One of Europe's leading architecture schools with Bachelor, Master, and doctoral tracks and a strong focus on building technology and design research. International benchmark for applied architecture pedagogy.
• ETH Zürich — Department of Architecture (D-ARCH): Switzerland's flagship architecture school within ETH Zürich, offering Bachelor, Master, and doctoral programs. The most established comparable Swiss architecture education program and the primary competitor for top students and faculty.
• EPFL — ENAC (School of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering): Architecture education at EPFL, covering Bachelor, Master, and doctoral levels. Comparable as the second pillar of Swiss public architecture education and a structural competitor in the Fachhochschule/university student pipeline.

Regional players

• Universität Liechtenstein — Architecture: Neighboring Liechtenstein university with which the ArchitekturWerkstatt cooperates on exhibitions and symposia (e.g., Ernst Sommerlad). Comparable as a small DACH-region architecture educator with cross-border Swiss collaboration.
• HafenCity University Hamburg — Architecture: German university combining architecture, civil engineering, and urban planning. Comparable as a DACH-region architecture school with a workshop/studio pedagogical culture, though geographically distinct.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/architekturwerkstattstgallen
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ost-architekturwerkstatt-st-gallen

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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