Soppelsa Architekten

What Soppelsa Architekten does

Soppelsa Architekten GmbH ETH SIA is a Swiss architecture firm founded in 2012 by brothers Mario and Nino Soppelsa in Zürich. The firm operates as a privately held GmbH with approximately 20 employees and a single headquarters at Rautistrasse 30, Zürich-Albisrieden. Its practice spans educational infrastructure (kindergartens, primary schools, secondary schools, school campus extensions), sports halls, residential buildings, mixed-use area development, and selected cultural and conference facilities, with a specialization in timber construction (Holzbau) and the renovation/extension of existing buildings.

The firm's technology approach centers on traditional architectural methodologies augmented by digital planning tools, with documented expertise in timber element construction systems, modular kindergarten design, cluster-based school campus planning, and façade/building-physics integration through a recurring partner ecosystem (Pirmin Jung Schweiz, Timbatec, Gruenberg + Partner, Apt Ingenieure, Caretta Weidmann, IBG). Proprietary design elements include a Modular Kindergarten System for Wetzikon and recognized competency in unified school campus master planning. The firm publishes in Hochparriente and other Swiss architecture journals and released a monograph (Quart Verlag, March 2024) cataloguing its portfolio.

Soppelsa Architekten generates revenue through professional architectural services, with projects typically acquired via Swiss public-sector architectural competitions or direct commissions from municipalities, school associations, federal agencies (BBL, SBB Immobilien), and pension funds (BVK, Swiss Re, Anlagestiftung Turidomus). Fees are governed by the Swiss SIA fee structure. The firm's go-to-market is event-driven and competition-led, with a track record of multiple 1st-prize competition wins in 2021-2023 and 2025, consecutive Best Architects awards (2019 Gold, 2023, 2025, 2026), and several canton-level architecture prizes. The firm serves almost exclusively Swiss clients, with one documented international competition entry (Bauhaus Museum Dessau, Germany). It remains entirely founder-owned with no external institutional capital and no subsidiaries, M&A activity, or product/software revenue lines.

Name

Soppelsa Architekten

Legal name

Soppelsa Architekten GmbH ETH SIA

Website

https://soppelsa.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Soppelsa Architekten is a Zürich-based Swiss architecture firm (~20 staff) founded in 2012 that designs educational buildings, sports halls, residential complexes, and mixed-use urban developments primarily for Swiss municipalities and institutional clients, acquired through architectural competitions and timber-construction expertise.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Architectural Services

NAICS

Architectural Services (54131)

akta.pro primary industry

Architectural Design Services (BPAHAKAA)

Keywords

• Educational architecture services
• School building design
• Timber construction design
• Urban development planning
• Residential building design

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, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Architectural Design Services: The firm generates revenue through architectural design services for public and private clients. Projects are typically commissioned following competition wins or direct commissions. Revenue is project-based, following Swiss SIA fee structures for architectural services.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Soppelsa Architekten provides full-scope architectural design services for educational buildings, school campuses, sports halls, residential buildings, conference and public buildings, urban development projects, and renovations in Switzerland. Their work emphasizes competition-driven design acquisition, sustainable building methods (notably timber construction), and complete service coverage from concept design through construction supervision. Projects are delivered primarily for public clients, housing cooperatives, pension funds, and private developers across the Zürich/Basel region and broader Switzerland.

Product overview

Soppelsa Architekten is an architecture firm specializing in educational infrastructure, residential buildings, and public buildings. Their portfolio includes Schulbauten (school buildings from kindergarten to upper secondary), Sporthallen (sports halls), Wohnbauten (residential buildings), and Arealentwicklung (urban development projects). The firm also specializes in Holzbau (timber construction) and Transformation/Weiterbauen (renovation and expansion). Projects span across Switzerland with notable recognition including multiple Best Architects awards. The firm operates as a single integrated architecture practice with approximately 20 employees, offering project design from competition through to realization.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Educational Buildings (Schulbauten) Architectural design services for schools, school campuses, modular kindergartens, daycare facilities, and educational infrastructure for Swiss public-sector clients. Includes competition-based concept design, full SIA phases, and specialization in modular, child-centric school typologies.
• Sports Halls and Sports Infrastructure (Sporthallen und Sportinfrastruktur) Architectural design and supervision services for multi-purpose sports halls and community sports infrastructure for public municipalities, sports clubs, and community recreation authorities in Switzerland.
• Residential Buildings (Wohnbauten) Architectural design services for multi-family residential buildings and large urban residential developments for institutional clients such as pension funds, housing cooperatives, and private developers in Switzerland.
• Conference and Public Buildings (Konferenzgebäude und öffentliche Bauten) Architectural design services for conference, exhibition, and public-use buildings for institutional and government clients in Switzerland.
• Urban and Area Development (Areal- und Stadtentwicklung) Architectural planning and design services for urban development, area transformation, courtyards, access zones, and neighborhood-scale development projects.
• Transformation and Renovation (Transformation und Weiterbauen) Architectural services for renovation, transformation, conversion, and expansion of existing buildings — applying reuse and extension strategies for sustainable building stock renewal.
• Timber Construction (Holzbau) Specialized architectural design and engineering services using timber (wood) construction methods, applied across educational, residential, and public building projects to support sustainability and prefabrication.
• Museum and Cultural Buildings (Museums- und Kulturbauten) Architectural design services for cultural, museum, and cultural-heritage buildings, serving public-sector and foundation clients with cultural programming needs.

Quantifiable outcome

• Won 1st prize in multiple project competitions including: Bahnhofsareal Zürich-Wollishofen (2022), Oberstufenzentrum Ins (2022), Wohnsiedlung Aarburg Haus E (2021), Wohnhaus Tulpenstrasse (2021), Schulerweiterung Steig Schaffhausen (2021), Studienauftrag Farnbühl Wohlen (2023), Wohn- und Gewerbeareal Lakeside Wetzikon (2023)
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers15 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Laterza Graf BaupartnerminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerProject collaborator on school extension projects including Unterer Dammbühl Wängi and others. Provides construction management and general contractor services.
• Rosenmayr LandschaftsarchitekturminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLandscape architecture collaborator on multiple school and residential projects. Provides site planning, landscape design, and exterior space planning services.
• Sima Breer LandschaftsarchitekturminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLandscape architecture firm providing site design and exterior space planning services on multiple residential and school projects.
• Lorenz Eugster LandschaftsarchitekturminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLandscape architecture partner for urban development projects including SueTil Winterthur and Areal Horgen Oberdorf.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• EM2N Architekten: Zürich-based architecture firm of comparable size and ethos, with strong portfolios in educational, residential, and public architecture — Claudia Soppelsa-Peter was previously a project leader here, indicating direct stylistic and methodological overlap.
• HHF Architects: Basel-based practice active across cultural, educational, and residential work; comparable in scale and stylistic register, competing for the same Swiss institutional and private developer commissions.
• Burkhalter Sumi Architekten: Zürich-based firm with a similar project mix in educational and residential architecture, operating with a comparable small-team, high-design ethos and competing for the same Swiss public-sector commissions.
• Atelier Descombes Rampini: Geneva-based architecture firm with a similarly compact team and a comparable portfolio in public and residential architecture, operating in the same competition-driven Swiss market.
• Miller & Maranta: Basel-based practice with a comparable design-led approach and overlapping focus on cultural and institutional buildings — competes with Soppelsa for the same prize-driven, design-conscious Swiss public commissions.
• Weberbrunner Architekten: Zürich-based practice with which Soppelsa has direct lineage (Mario Soppelsa was a project leader). Operates in similar educational, residential, and urban development domains with a comparable design-driven Swiss school approach.
• Studio Vulkan: Zürich-based architecture firm with overlapping residential and urban project work, comparable team scale, and similar competitive positioning for Swiss institutional and developer-led competitions.

Broad incumbents

• Christ & Gantenbein: Basel-based firm with strong cultural and educational portfolios. Larger scale but overlapping competition-target segments in Switzerland, making it a relevant incumbent benchmark for institutional commissions.
• Buchner Bründler Architekten: Larger, more established Basel-based firm with cultural and educational portfolios; Nino Soppelsa previously worked here. A broader incumbent offering depth across institutional and cultural buildings alongside the anchor firm's education focus.

Emerging players

• Bollinger+Fehlig Architekten: Swiss practice with residential and public project experience; partially overlapping niche that occasionally competes for the same Swiss municipal and developer commissions as Soppelsa.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/soppelsa-architekten

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 →

Frequently asked questions about Soppelsa Architekten