horisberger wagen architekten gmbh

What horisberger wagen architekten gmbh does

horisberger wagen architekten gmbh is a privately held Swiss architecture firm headquartered at Binzstrasse 39, 8045 Zürich, founded in its current form in 2007 by Detlef Horisberger and Mario Wagen. The practice operates with approximately 5 staff members and specializes in public buildings (schools, community/cultural centers), residential projects (single-family, multi-family, cooperative housing), and sensitive renovation of heritage structures, with particular expertise in sustainable construction and timber architecture. Its portfolio includes more than 200 documented projects across the Canton of Zürich, Eastern Switzerland, and Graubünden, highlighted by award-winning works such as the Landenberghaus Greifensee and Schulhaus Chrüzacher Bassersdorf.

The firm generates revenue exclusively through professional architectural services — design, planning, competition entries, and project supervision — with fees negotiated per project in line with Swiss SIA fee standards. Go-to-market is dual-track: it actively pursues projects through open and selective architectural competitions (Wettbewerb), where it has secured multiple first-prize wins, and accepts direct commissions (Direktauftrag) from municipalities, housing cooperatives, private clients, and institutional clients. Its commercial positioning rests on context-sensitive Swiss architecture, sustainable wood and natural stone construction, and integration of new builds with historic fabric.

horisberger wagen differentiates through publication in leading Swiss architecture journals (Hochparterre, werk, bauen+wohnen, TEC21, Lignum Holzbulletin, De aedibus) and a track record of industry recognition including Prix Lignum 2021, Best Architects Award 2020, and AFZO Baupreis 2022. Its planning teams consistently engage the same specialist partners — Timbatec for timber engineering, BAKUS for building physics, Meili Tanner Partner for MEP, and Andreas Geser Landschaftsarchitekten for landscape architecture — producing an embedded delivery ecosystem that supports both competition entries and execution-phase commissions.

Name

horisberger wagen architekten gmbh

Legal name

horisberger wagen architekten gmbh

Website

https://horisbergerwagen.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

horisberger wagen architekten gmbh is a privately held, 5-person Swiss architecture firm in Zürich that designs schools, residential buildings, and heritage renovations, acquiring projects through architectural competition wins and direct commissions for municipalities, cooperatives, and private clients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Architectural Services

NAICS

Architectural Services (54131), Architectural Services (541310)

SIC

General Bldg Contractors - Nonresidential Bldgs (1540), General Bldg Contractors - Residential Bldgs (1520)

akta.pro primary industry

Architectural Design Services (BPAHAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Whole-Home Interior Renovation (Non-Structural) (HSAPAEAC), Luxury Whole-Home Renovation (High-End Finishes & Custom Build) (HSAPAEAI)

Keywords

• Architectural design services
• Sustainable building design
• Residential architecture
• Public building design
• Heritage renovation

Headquarters

HQ city

Zürich

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Architectural Services: Revenue generated through architectural fees for design, planning, and project supervision services. Fee structures typically based on construction cost percentages or fixed fees for competition entries and studies. Projects range from small residential renovations to large municipal buildings.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

horisberger wagen architekten gmbh is a Zürich-based Swiss architecture firm providing full architectural services from competition entry and concept design through planning and construction supervision. The firm specializes in residential buildings, educational facilities (schools, kindergartens), community and cultural buildings, and the renovation and conversion of historic structures across German-speaking Switzerland. Projects are acquired primarily through architectural competitions won at first place, complemented by direct commissions from municipalities, housing cooperatives, and private clients.

Product overview

horisberger wagen architekten gmbh is a Swiss architecture firm based in Zürich that provides architectural design services. The firm specializes in residential buildings, educational facilities (schools, kindergartens), community and cultural buildings, renovation and conversion projects, and participates in architectural competitions. Their portfolio includes completed buildings, ongoing projects, and competition entries spanning various building typologies and scales.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Architectural Design and Project Supervision Services
• Architectural Competition Services

Quantifiable outcome

• Multiple first-prize competition wins (Wettbewerb 1. Rang) across various project types
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers6 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

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and regular.

• Sonderegger Baurealisation GmbHcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerConstruction management partner on multiple residential and municipal projects including Wohnhaus Oberrieden and other developments
• BAKUS Bauphysik & Akustik GmbHcoreTechnology or IntegrationBuilding physics and acoustics engineering partner, consistently engaged across residential, school, and cultural projects
• Timbatec Holzbauingenieure Schweiz AGcoreTechnology or IntegrationWood construction engineering specialist partner, engaged on multiple timber construction projects including Landenberghaus and school buildings
• Meili Tanner Partner AGregularTechnology or IntegrationMEP engineering partner (HLKS) on residential and commercial projects
• Aerni+Aerni AGregularTechnology or IntegrationCivil/structural engineering partner on various projects
• Andreas Geser Landschaftsarchitekten AGcoreTechnology or IntegrationLandscape architecture partner on municipal and cultural projects including Landenberghaus
• Jakob Steib ArchitektencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-architecture partner on Wohnsiedlung Büelhalden project as part of general planning team
• Schmid ArchitektencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-architecture partner on Wohnsiedlung Büelhalden project
• stehrenberger architekturcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing collaboration partner on multiple projects including Landenberghaus Greifensee, Berufsschule Zürich competition, and Reithalle St. Moritz
• stehrenberger architekturcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint architecture team on Sanierung und Neunutzung Reithalle St. Moritz project

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• EM2N Architekten: Zürich-based architecture firm with comparable size, public-building portfolio, and competition-track-record profile. Competes for many of the same Zürich canton projects.
• Diener & Diener Architekten: Established Basel practice with similar competition-track public-building portfolio; the natural comparator for senior Swiss small firms in this typology.
• Miller & Maranta: Basel-based Swiss architecture firm specializing in cultural heritage and public buildings; comparable size, comparable competition-driven revenue model, comparable award trajectory.
• Burkhalter Sumi Architekten: Zürich-based architecture firm of comparable scale and typology focus (public buildings, residential, competition-driven practice). Same Canton Zürich competitive pool for municipal competitions.
• HHF Architekten: Basel/Tbilisi-based firm known for public cultural buildings and timber construction; shares the wood-construction specialty and competition-based practice model with horisberger wagen.
• Gigon Guyer Architekten: Zürich-based architecture firm with established public-sector portfolio (Kunsthaus extension, etc.) at similar tier of Swiss practice. Direct competitor for major Zürich cultural and institutional commissions.
• Christ & Gantenbein: Basel-based award-winning Swiss architecture firm with similar profile — small team, competition-driven, public building portfolio, and SIA/BSA-credentialed founders. Direct comparator on Swiss public-sector commissions.

Emerging players

• Real Architecture: Zürich-based emerging practice with growing public-sector portfolio; direct peer in the next-tier cohort competing for mid-sized Swiss municipal commissions.

Broad incumbents

• David Chipperfield Architects: International firm with Basel office; broader incumbent competing for the same Swiss cultural/heritage commissions at a higher price point and global brand recognition.
• Peter Zumthor Atelier: Haldenstein-based iconic Swiss architect; broader incumbent whose competition participation sets the design benchmark against which firms like horisberger wagen are evaluated in Swiss cultural-architecture jury reviews.

Market position

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/horisberger-wagen-architekten-gmbh

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 →

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