EMA Eric Maria Architectes Associés sa

What EMA Eric Maria Architectes Associés sa does

EMA Eric Maria Architectes Associés sa is a privately-held Swiss architecture firm founded in 1999 by Eric Maria and headquartered in Geneva, delivering integrated architectural, urban planning, and interior design services. The firm originated from founder Eric Maria's tenure as partner and general manager at Ateliers Jean Nouvel (AJN, Paris), and continues to operate as AJN's associated architect in Switzerland on flagship cultural and luxury projects including the 450M CHF National Museum of Qatar, the CEVA train stations in Geneva, the Richemont International headquarters, and Vacheron Constantin facilities spanning 110 corners and 35 boutiques globally.

The firm's core services span four categories: architectural design (cultural, transportation, corporate, residential, and luxury retail typologies), urban planning (train stations, public spaces, and large-scale urban developments such as the 1.2B CHF Urban Study Nankin), design and interior architecture (luxury brand showrooms and furniture), and competition projects — with a documented portfolio of 90+ projects and competitions including eight 1st-prize wins since 2002. EMA maintains an active international footprint across Switzerland, France, Qatar, the UAE, China, South Korea, Spain, and Italy, working with institutional, governmental, and luxury-brand clients including Qatar Museums Authority, Qatar Foundation, Canton of Geneva / CFF, the Swiss federal OFCL, the United Nations Geneva, HES-SO Genève, and the Swatch Group.

Revenue is generated exclusively through professional-services project fees determined by project scope, complexity, and client requirements, with no public pricing disclosure. The go-to-market model relies on direct client engagement, competition wins, and a referral network anchored by long-standing partnerships with AJN (Paris), INGPHI SA, BG Ingénieurs Conseils SA, and selected international collaborators (Diller Scofidio + Renfro, Cruz & Ortiz). Marketing is portfolio-driven via the firm's website, press coverage in Swiss and European architectural publications, and competition participation.

Name

EMA Eric Maria Architectes Associés sa

Legal name

EMA Architectes Associés sa

Website

https://ericmaria.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

EMA Eric Maria Architectes Associés sa is a privately-held Geneva-based Swiss architecture firm, founded in 1999 by Eric Maria (former AJN partner), delivering architecture, urban planning, and interior design for institutional, governmental, and luxury-brand clients across Europe, the Middle East, and Asia.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Architectural Services

NAICS

Architectural Services (541310), Interior Design Services (541410)

SIC

Services-Engineering Services (8711)

akta.pro primary industry

Architectural Design Services (BPAHAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Interior Design Services (BPAHAKAB), Exhibition, Retail & Experiential Design (BPAHAKAL)

Keywords

• Architectural design services
• Urban planning services
• Interior architecture design
• Cultural building design
• Luxury retail design

Headquarters

HQ city

Geneva

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations

Revenue model

1. Architectural Design Services: Professional architectural services including design studies, site construction, and competition participation for institutional, corporate, and private clients across Switzerland and internationally. Revenue generated through project-based fees for architecture, urbanism, and interior design engagements.

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

EMA Eric Maria Architectes Associés sa provides professional architectural design services including concept studies, design development, and site construction management across architecture, urbanism, interior design, and competition projects. The firm serves institutional, corporate, governmental, and luxury brand clients across multiple typologies including cultural buildings, train stations, museums, corporate headquarters, residential complexes, and luxury retail spaces in Switzerland and internationally.

Product overview

EMA Eric Maria Architectes Associés sa is an architectural firm offering integrated services across four core areas: Architectural Design Services (covering residential, commercial, cultural, and institutional buildings), Urban Planning Services (including train stations, public spaces, and large-scale urban development), Design & Interior Architecture (specializing in luxury brand showrooms and furniture design), and Competition Projects (participating in architectural competitions with a strong track record of first-prize wins). The firm operates as a single unified practice rather than a platform-plus-modules structure, delivering projects from initial concept through site construction. Notable collaborations include partnerships with Ateliers Jean Nouvel on major cultural projects and ongoing relationships with luxury brands such as Vacheron Constantin and Richemont International.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Architectural Design Services
• Urban Planning Services
• Design & Interior Architecture

Named customers10 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core, regular and project.

• AJN (Atelier Jean Nouvel)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing strategic partnership with Atelier Jean Nouvel, Paris. EMA serves as associated architect on major projects including National Museum of Qatar, CEVA train stations, Richemont Swiss Headquarters, Vacheron Constantin facilities, and numerous other projects. Collaborative relationship where AJN leads and EMA executes in Switzerland.
• INGPHI SAregularImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerRegular collaboration with INGPHI SA, Civil Engineers, Lausanne on structural engineering for projects including Private Residence Lutry, Mont-Blanc Pedestrian Footbridge, and CEVA train stations. Technical partnership for civil engineering integration.
• Cruz & OrtizprojectStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with Cruz & Ortiz, Lisbonne on Competition Métamorphose Stadium La Tulière Lausanne (2014). International architectural partnership.
• Diller Scofidio + RenfroprojectStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Diller Scofidio + Renfro, New York on Cité de la Musique Geneva project. Lead Architects collaboration.
• Swatch GroupprojectStrategic or Co-development PartnerConcept studies for Factory & Museum Omega Extension project in Bienne for Swatch Group. Client relationship for luxury watchmaking facilities.
• Ducks scénoprojectTechnology or IntegrationCollaboration with Ducks scéno on SSAT museum and private collection project in Doha, Qatar. Technical partnership for scenography and exhibition design.
• BG Ingénieurs Conseils SAprojectImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerEngineering partnership on Nouvelle Gare de Bulle project. GIPEG Group (Poyry/Emch+Berger/GVH) collaboration with BG Ingénieurs as project partners.
• BG Ingénieurs ConseilsprojectImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerLead engineer on New Train Station Collombey Monthey project. Partnership with BG Ingénieurs Conseils as engineering lead and EMA as lead architect.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• David Chipperfield Architects: European-headquartered architecture firm with similar boutique scale, deep museum and cultural-building expertise, and a competition-led business model — directly comparable to EMA in typology, client category, and project scale.
• Snøhetta: Oslo-headquartered architecture and landscape-design practice operating internationally across cultural, public, and transport typologies — closely comparable to EMA in combining architecture, urbanism, and interior work for institutional clients.
• Herzog & de Meuron: Basel-headquartered architecture firm with a comparable Swiss institutional base, international scope, and a strong track record of cultural, museum, and infrastructure commissions globally — directly competitive for the same category of cultural and public briefs EMA targets.
• Studio Daniel Libeskind: New York-based architecture studio with a strong museum and cultural-institution portfolio (and competition-heavy business model) — closely comparable to EMA in project typology and brand-led, principal-driven positioning.
• Atelier Jean Nouvel: Paris-based architecture firm founded by Pritzker laureate Jean Nouvel; EMA's closest peer as long-term strategic partner and the practice EMA most frequently operates alongside as associate architect on flagship cultural and commercial projects (e.g., National Museum of Qatar, CEVA, Richemont HQ).

Emerging players

• Studio Gang: US-headquartered architecture and urban-design practice with similar typological breadth (cultural, civic, transport) and a competition-led model — analogous to EMA as a boutique, design-led firm pursuing landmark commissions internationally.

Broad incumbents

• Foster + Partners: London-based global architecture firm with a much larger portfolio but comparable typological range (museums, transport hubs, corporate headquarters, luxury retail), competing for many of the same high-prestige cultural and infrastructure briefs EMA pursues.
• Zaha Hadid Architects: London-based global architecture firm with a strong cultural and transport-hub portfolio and a competition-heavy business model — competes with EMA in the landmark and cultural-institution category, though at significantly larger scale.
• Renzo Piano Building Workshop: Italy-founded international architecture practice with a museum-and-cultural-building specialization and comparable competition-and-execution model — competes with EMA in the cultural/landmark category and shares a European boutique-firm DNA.

Regional players

• Burckhardt+Partner: Long-established Swiss architecture firm with deep institutional, cultural, and public-infrastructure experience — directly comparable to EMA in Swiss-anchored practice and Romandie-focused project mix.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ema-eric-maria-architectes-associ%C3%A9s-sa

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 EMA Eric Maria Architectes Associés sa