Atelier Corso
Atelier Corso is a Zürich-based Swiss urban design office specializing in integral urban concepts, master planning, test planning, and competition-led design for municipalities, cantons, and federal agencies across Switzerland.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2008
- HeadquartersZürich, Switzerland
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Atelier Corso does
Atelier Corso is a privately held urban design office headquartered in Zürich, Switzerland, founded in 2008 by Han van de Wetering under the name "Van de Wetering Atelier für Städtebau" and rebranded to "Atelier Corso" in 2025. The firm employs approximately 7-10 professionals, including partners Han van de Wetering and Roman Hanimann, plus urban planners, architects, and landscape architects at varying career stages. It positions itself as one of Switzerland's leading urban design practices, specializing in integral urban concepts for sites with limited space, diverse usage requirements, and complex constraints, working across scales from regional strategies to public-space design.
The firm's core methodology is an integral urban design approach that synthesizes traffic, settlement, landscape, architecture, planning, social space, monument conservation, and economics into unified design concepts rather than assembling these disciplines into composite solutions. Services span test planning (Testplanung), master planning, urban design competitions, regulatory and development concepts, and landscape and architectural design for urban contexts. The firm also runs research and teaching programs at ETH Zurich, OST Rapperswil, EPFL, ZHAW, BFH, and other Swiss institutions.
Commercial operations are driven by a sales-led, project-based professional services model in which the firm is primarily engaged through public urban design competitions and invited parallel studies (Mandats d'études parallèles / MEP) commissioned by municipalities, cantons, federal agencies such as SBB and OFROU, and private developers. Delivery is frequently structured via multi-disciplinary consortiums with specialist partners in landscape architecture (Uniola AG, EDER Landschaftsarchitektur) and transport planning (Metron AG, HES Lucerne). Revenue is not publicly disclosed, the firm has no external investment, and growth is driven by competition win rate, academic reputation, and ongoing partnerships rather than capital deployment.
Atelier Corso firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Atelier Corso
- Legal name
- Atelier CORSO GmbH
- Website
- https://ateliercorso.ch
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2008
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Atelier Corso is a Zürich-based Swiss urban design office specializing in integral urban concepts, master planning, test planning, and competition-led design for municipalities, cantons, and federal agencies across Switzerland.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Atelier Corso industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Urban Design Services
- NAICS
- Architectural Services (54131), Landscape Architectural Services (54132)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Urban Planning & Master Planning (BPAHAKAD)
Keywords
Where Atelier Corso is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Zürich
- HQ country
- Switzerland
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Atelier Corso business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Urban Design Consulting Services: Project-based professional services for urban design, master planning, test planning, competitions, and regulatory concepts. Revenue derived from municipal, cantonal, and private client commissions.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels4 records
Atelier Corso product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Atelier Corso is an urban design office that develops integral urban concepts, master plans, test studies, and architectural designs for public and private clients in Switzerland. The firm specializes in locations with limited space, diverse usage requirements, and complex constraints, combining interdisciplinary expertise across traffic, settlement, landscape, architecture, planning, social space, conservation, and economics to produce implementable, stakeholder-aligned design solutions.
Product overview
Atelier Corso is an urban design office offering a comprehensive range of integrated planning services including urban design, landscape architecture, and architecture. The firm specializes in developing integral urban concepts for complex sites, offering services such as test studies (Testplanung), master planning, and competition participation. Their approach combines interdisciplinary expertise with pragmatic, functional solutions, working across various scales from regional strategies to public space design. The firm also engages in research and teaching activities to share professional knowledge.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Urban Design Services Integral urban planning and design services specializing in developing urban concepts for locations with limited space, diverse usage requirements, and complex constraints. Services include test studies (testplanung), competitions, master planning, and public space design for municipalities, cantons, and private developers.
- Landscape Architecture Landscape architecture services integrated with urban planning, including public space design, park design, and landscape integration for urban development projects.
- Architecture Architectural services complementing urban design projects, including building design for urban contexts, heritage conservation, and transformation projects.
- Test Studies (Testplanung) Test planning studies that explore alternative development scenarios for sites, particularly for station areas, urban districts, and complex urban transformations.
- Master Planning Strategic urban master planning for districts, regions, and large-scale development areas, including mobility-urbanism integration and structural planning.
- Research and Teaching Professional knowledge sharing through conferences, teaching at universities (ETH Zürich, OST Rapperswil, EPFL Lausanne, ZHAW, BFH, FHNW, HES Yverdon, HSLU), and research activities in urban development and planning, including Swiss National Science Foundation projects.
Quantifiable outcome
- Current winner of the Stadtlandpreis (Swiss urban design award)
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Atelier Corso
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Atelier Corso technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
Atelier Corso partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
16 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Uniola AGcoreLandscape architecture partner on the Station District Uetikon am See project, serving as lead partner in the consortium.
- Metron AGcoreTransport planning partner on the Station District Uetikon am See project.
- HES Lucerne (sociologie urbaine)coreUrban sociology partner on the A2 Motorway Covering Kriens-Luzern project.
- EDER LandschaftsarchitekturcoreLandscape architecture partner on the A2 Motorway Covering Kriens-Luzern project.
- OFRou ZofingenminorFederal Roads Office partner on A2 Motorway Covering project.
- ETH ZürichcoreOngoing educational partnership - Roman Hanimann lectures at CAS Spatial Development, Han van de Wetering guest lectures at MAS Spatial Development, Roman Hanimann serves as expert at IRL-Institute.
- OST University of Applied Sciences RapperswilcoreOngoing educational partnership - Roman Hanimann lectures in Spatial Planning and Landscape Architecture program (2018-2026), Han van de Wetering serves as expert for Bachelor and Master theses (2016-2026), Han van de Wetering lectures for CAS Transport Revolution (2025).
- EPFL LausanneminorHan van de Wetering guest lecturer on urbanism (2024-2025).
- University of Zürich CUREMminorHan van de Wetering lecturer for CAS Urban Management (2025-2026).
- HSLU (University of Applied Sciences Lucerne) - Institute for ArchitectureminorHan van de Wetering leads discussion workshops on Context and Urbanism (2024).
- ZHAW WinterthurminorHan van de Wetering guest lecturer for CAS Stadtraum Strasse (2023-2026).
- BFH (University of Applied Sciences Berne)minorHan van de Wetering guest lecturer for strategic urbanism (2023-2026) and Preservation and conversion of historic buildings MAS (2025).
- FHNW (University of Applied Sciences Northwestern Switzerland)minorRoman Hanimann guest-lecturer on Urbanism and Regulations (2019), Han van de Wetering guest-lecturer on Urbanism and Housing (2010-2011) and lecturer on Urbanism and Mobility (2007-2011).
- HES Yverdon (Haute École Spécialisée)minorHan van de Wetering lecturer on integrated planning of mobility and urban development and street space design (2016-2025).
- Swiss National Science Foundation (SNF)minorResearch project 'New Urban Qualities' conducted 2015-2016, developing urban visions for the report 'Stadtwerdung der Agglomeration'.
- SVI (Swiss Traffic Engineers)minorResearch project 'Ausgestaltung von multimodalen Umsteigepunkten' (2006-2008) with Han van de Wetering as Research Director.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Atelier Corso competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- KCAP Architects & Planners: European architecture and urban planning firm with a strong Swiss/Dutch presence focused on integrated urban design, station districts, and mobility-related urbanism — directly overlapping with Atelier Corso's core competencies.
- Topotek 1: Berlin-based landscape architecture practice known for international urban and public space projects — comparable in methodology and competition-led positioning, slightly larger and more internationally oriented.
- Studio Vulkan: Zürich-based landscape architecture practice working on public space, urban integration, and landscape strategies — comparable to Atelier Corso's landscape architecture component and Swiss geography.
- Metron AG: Swiss planning consultancy covering transport, urban development, and landscape; named as Atelier Corso's transport planning partner on the Uetikon Station District. Highly comparable client base and methodological overlap.
- Christ & Gantenbein: Award-winning Basel/Swiss architecture office engaged in urban contexts, public buildings, and competitions — comparable in competition-driven culture and Swiss public-sector client mix.
- Burkhalter Sumi: Zürich-based architecture practice with strong focus on urban context, competition work, and Swiss public commissions — comparable boutique scale and competition-driven business model.
- Hager Partner: Swiss landscape architecture firm with decades of experience in public space, urban context design, and master planning — overlaps significantly with Atelier Corso's Swiss public-sector landscape and urban design work.
- Hosoya Schaefer Architects: Zürich-based architecture and urbanism studio of comparable scale working on integrated urban design, master planning, and mobility-driven projects in Switzerland and internationally. Closely comparable in methodology and client base to Atelier Corso.
Broad incumbents
- MVRDV: Larger Dutch architecture and urbanism firm operating globally on master plans, mixed-use districts, and competition-led urban design. Overlaps with Atelier Corso's competition and master planning work but at much greater scale.
- Max Dudler: Swiss/German architecture practice active in urban design, public buildings, and DACH-region competitions — broader portfolio and larger scale than Atelier Corso but comparable competition discipline.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Atelier Corso social profiles
Digital presenceAtelier Corso financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Atelier Corso leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Atelier Corso funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Atelier Corso M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Atelier Corso
What does Atelier Corso do?
Atelier Corso is an urban design office that develops integral urban concepts, master plans, test studies, and architectural designs for public and private clients in Switzerland. The firm specializes in locations with limited space, diverse usage requirements, and complex constraints, combining interdisciplinary expertise across traffic, settlement, landscape, architecture, planning, social space, conservation, and economics to produce implementable, stakeholder-aligned design solutions.
Is Atelier Corso a public or private company?
Atelier Corso is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Atelier Corso founded?
Atelier Corso was founded in 2008. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Atelier Corso based?
Atelier Corso is headquartered in Zürich, Switzerland, in the Europe region.
How does Atelier Corso make money?
One revenue line is on record: urban Design Consulting Services.
Who are Atelier Corso's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are KCAP Architects & Planners, Topotek 1, Studio Vulkan, Metron AG, Christ & Gantenbein, Burkhalter Sumi, Hager Partner and Hosoya Schaefer Architects. Broad incumbents are MVRDV and Max Dudler.
Does Atelier Corso have an API?
No public API is recorded for Atelier Corso.
What industry is Atelier Corso in?
Atelier Corso's product category is Urban Design Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAHAKAD, Urban Planning & Master Planning. Its NAICS code is 54131.