CHRISTIAN DUPRAZ ARCHITECTURE OFFICE

What CHRISTIAN DUPRAZ ARCHITECTURE OFFICE does

Christian Dupraz Architecture Office (CDAO), legally Architectes Sàrl, is a Geneva-based architecture firm founded in 2018 by Christian Dupraz, who obtained his architect diploma from the Ecole d'Architecture de l'Université de Genève in 1996. The firm operates as a nine-person practice led by Dupraz and associates Sylvia Alberton and partners Ignacio Ferrer and Thierry Manasseh. Its work is anchored in the Geneva region and addresses four primary service lines: large-scale public buildings (notably the 1st-prize ITU Headquarters new building in Geneva), heritage renovation and transformation of mid-20th-century buildings (the Swiss Embassy Washington DC, William Lescaze 1958-59 building, which earned the 2024 AIA DC Chapter Award), urban planning and housing development (Grands-Esserts, Acacias II, Jentzer-Cour), and transport and educational infrastructure (Geneva Airport, multiple schools for Ville de Genève and communes). A secondary product line, the 36 Furniture System, is a modular office furniture and storage brand created in 2010.

Revenue is generated almost exclusively through professional services fees on commissioned projects, supplemented by competition prizes and, to a marginal degree, the proprietary 36 Furniture System product. The firm does not publish pricing; as in the broader Swiss market, fees are governed by SIA and FAS professional association schedules. Go-to-market is competition-driven and relationship-based: the firm pursues public tenders and invited competitions from Swiss municipalities, cantonal and federal agencies, public pension funds (CPEG), international organizations (ITU), and airport authorities, and is repeatedly re-engaged by clients such as Ville de Genève, FOBL, CPEG, and Genève Aéroport. Customers are concentrated in the public sector, with limited private residential and collector commissions. The firm also maintains an academic presence through Dupraz's teaching at JMA Fribourg and HEAD Genève, which supports its brand-development pipeline alongside publications and museum exhibitions.

Name

CHRISTIAN DUPRAZ ARCHITECTURE OFFICE

Legal name

Architectes Sàrl

Website

https://cdao.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Christian Dupraz Architecture Office is a Geneva-based architecture firm serving public institutions and private clients, specializing in heritage renovation, urban planning, housing, and public buildings across Switzerland and select international sites.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Architectural Services

NAICS

Architectural Services (54131), Architectural Services (541310)

akta.pro primary industry

Architectural Design Services (BPAHAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Historic Preservation & Conservation Planning (BPAHAKAH)

Keywords

• Architectural design services
• Building renovation
• Urban planning
• Heritage restoration
• Public architecture

Headquarters

HQ city

Geneva

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Architecture Services: Professional architecture services including design, planning, renovation, and transformation of residential, commercial, public, and institutional buildings. Revenue generated through project fees based on construction costs, direct commissions, and competition prizes.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Christian Dupraz Architecture Office is a Geneva-based architectural firm providing professional architecture services including building design, renovation, urban planning, and heritage restoration for institutional, public-sector, and private clients. The firm delivers design and project oversight for cultural, civic, and residential projects across Switzerland and internationally.

Product overview

Christian Dupraz Architecture Office is an architecture firm based in Geneva, Switzerland, offering comprehensive architectural services across multiple scales. The firm's portfolio includes major projects (such as the ITU Headquarters and Geneva Airport developments), urban planning, housing and public facility construction, heritage restoration, and custom furniture design (including the proprietary 36 Furniture System). The practice also produces architectural publications documenting its work and research. The firm operates as a single unified practice rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• 36 Furniture System: Office furniture and storage system designed by Christian Dupraz, created in 2010

Products and services

• Architectural Design and Project Services

Quantifiable outcome

• Won 1st Prize - ITU Headquarters international competition for new building in Geneva
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Consortium: Christian Dupraz Architectes – Tekhne SA – Ingeni SA GenèvecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Consortium partnership for Geneva Airport Hall Check-In project. Combined architecture and engineering expertise for the new entrance and facade redesign.
• DLR Group (Washington DC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016American architecture firm partnership for Swiss Embassy Washington DC project. Christian Dupraz Architecture Office served as leading firm with DLR Group as local partner for the transformation and renovation of the William Lescaze building.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Diener & Diener Architekten: Basel-based Swiss architecture firm with comparable public-building portfolio and recognized heritage renovation expertise; closest domestic peer in scale and project type to CDAO.
• Burkhalter Sumi Architekten: Swiss architecture firm operating at similar boutique scale with a strong public-sector, competition-driven practice (Wohnüberbauung, civic buildings) in the German-speaking Swiss market.
• HHF Architekten: Basel-based practice recognized for innovative public housing and public buildings, with a comparable Swiss competition-driven model and similar team-size boutique structure.
• Miller & Maranta Architekten: Swiss architecture firm specializing in public and cultural buildings with similar Swiss Design Award recognition and a comparable public-sector client roster.
• Gigon Guyer Architekten: Zürich-based Swiss firm with a parallel public-sector focus (museums, civic buildings, housing) and similar competition-driven project acquisition model.
• atelier 5: Historic Bern-based Swiss architecture collective with deep roots in public housing design; comparable Swiss heritage practice with public-sector orientation.
• Peter Zumthor: Award-winning Swiss atelier renowned for public buildings (Therme Vals, Kunsthaus Bregenz); comparable Swiss boutique model with similar reliance on founder's design signature and selective public commissions.

Broad incumbents

• David Chipperfield Architects: International firm (Pritzker 2023) with deep expertise in heritage renovation and cultural/institutional projects, representing a scaled-up version of CDAO's heritage transformation niche.
• Lacaton & Vassal: Pritzker-winning French firm specializing in transformation of existing social/public housing stock - directly relevant to CDAO's renovation philosophy and Grands-Esserts housing work.

Emerging players

• Studio Gang: US/international practice with a comparable portfolio of civic, public, and institutional buildings and a similar design-research-driven ethos, though at meaningfully larger scale.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/cdao_ch

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 CHRISTIAN DUPRAZ ARCHITECTURE OFFICE