Quart Verlag

What Quart Verlag does

Quart Verlag GmbH is a family-run, Lucerne-based architecture and art publisher founded in 1999 by Heinz Wirz and Anna Maria Kupper, with the second generation (Linus Wirz and Antonia Chavez-Wirz) in operational and executive roles since 2008. The company publishes exquisitely designed quarto-format books documenting contemporary Swiss and international architectural practice, organized into named series: De aedibus and De aedibus international (project monographs), Anthologie (essays and interviews), Monografien (comprehensive monographs), Arcadia (landscape architecture), Bibliotheca (theory), Laboratorium (teaching), Notatio (notation), and Panta rhei (philosophy), plus individual thematic editions (Einzelausgaben). Pricing is set per volume in CHF for Switzerland and EUR for the rest of the world, ranging from approximately CHF 20 to CHF 98.

The business operates a hybrid B2C/B2B model. Direct revenue comes from one-off book sales through the quart.ch e-commerce site (WordPress/Elementor with SSL/TLS-encrypted payments, Borlabs Cookie GDPR compliance, and Mailchimp for newsletters) and from subscription products that auto-deliver every De aedibus (4-6 volumes/year), De aedibus international (1-3 volumes/year), and Anthologie volume at approximately a 17% discount to retail. Indirect revenue flows through a dense global distribution network of named regional sales representatives and four core distribution partners — AVA Verlagsauslieferung (Switzerland), GVA Gemeinsame Verlagsauslieferung (Germany/Austria/Italy/France/Spain/Portugal/Benelux and EU GPSR responsible person), ACC Art Books (UK/Ireland/Scandinavia/Eastern Europe/Asia/America), and Distribution Art Books (Spain/Portugal) — covering 40+ countries across Europe, North America, and Asia.

Customer base is fragmented across practicing architects, architecture students, design enthusiasts, and institutional readers (including the Lucerne School of Engineering and Architecture for the Laboratorium series and Museum im Bellpark for photography documentation). Marketing relies on the website, email newsletter, Instagram, Facebook, downloadable seasonal catalog previews, and PR/reviewer-copy outreach. The company is privately held with no external funding, 1-10 employees, and no AI/ML capability disclosed in the technology stack.

Name

Quart Verlag

Legal name

Quart Verlag GmbH

Website

https://quart.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Quart Verlag GmbH is a family-run Swiss architecture and art publisher, founded 1999 in Lucerne, producing high-design quarto-format books and monographs on contemporary Swiss and international architectural practice, sold worldwide via direct e-commerce, subscriptions, and a network of regional distributors across 40+ countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Architecture Book Publishing

NAICS

Book Publishers (513130)

SIC

Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731)

akta.pro primary industry

Lifestyle, Travel & Leisure Books Publishing (MPAJAAAH)

Keywords

• Architecture publishing
• Art book publisher
• Architectural monographs
• Book subscription services
• Landscape architecture books

Headquarters

HQ city

Luzern

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Book Sales: Quart Verlag generates revenue primarily through the direct sale of architecturally-focused books and monographs. Individual volumes are sold at fixed retail prices in CHF and EUR, with prices ranging from approximately CHF 20 to CHF 98 depending on format and content.
2. Subscriptions: The company offers subscription options for book series including De aedibus, De aedibus international, and Anthologie. Subscribers commit to purchasing every volume in a series and receive them at discounted subscription prices upon publication. Subscriptions are invoiced in Switzerland and can be cancelled at any time.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Quart Verlag publishes exquisitely designed books in quarto format (22.5 x 29 cm) on contemporary architecture, urban planning, landscape architecture, and related art topics. The curated programme includes multiple series such as De aedibus, De aedibus international, Anthologie, Monografien, Bibliotheca, Arcadia, Laboratorium, Notatio, and Panta rhei, distributed globally through direct e-commerce and a network of regional distributors.

Product overview

Quart Verlag is a Lucerne-based architecture and art publisher founded in 1999, operating as a family-owned publishing house. The company produces a carefully curated portfolio of exquisitely designed books organized into distinct series: De aedibus (documenting contemporary Swiss architecture), De aedibus international (international architectural practice), Anthologie (essays and interviews), Monografien (comprehensive monographs), and several thematic series including Arcadia (landscape), Bibliotheca (theory), Laboratorium (teaching), Notatio (notation), and Panta rhei (philosophical reflections). The company also publishes individual editions under Einzelausgaben. Beyond physical publications, Quart offers subscription services for De aedibus, De aedibus international, Anthologie, and an annual full catalogue, as well as protective slipcase accessories for collectors. The publications document architectural practice, provide platform for architectural discourse, and target an international readership sold through a dense distribution network.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• De aedibus Core publication series documenting contemporary Swiss architecture with detailed project documentation, plans, and architectural analysis. Volumes sold at CHF 48.00 / EUR 44.00 each, with approximately 4-6 volumes released per year.
• De aedibus international International edition series documenting contemporary international architectural practice. Approximately 1-3 volumes released per year at CHF 48.00 / EUR 44.00 per volume.
• Einzelausgaben Series featuring contemporary architectural practice with focus on Swiss architects and thematic individual editions.
• Monografien Series presenting Swiss architects' work in comprehensive monograph format.
• Anthologie Series documenting various architects' work in essay and interview format. Subscription price per volume CHF 23.00 / EUR 21.00 (instead of CHF 28.00 / EUR 25.00) plus shipping costs.
• Arcadia Series dedicated to landscape architecture publications.
• Bibliotheca Series presenting theoretical texts on architecture.
• Laboratorium Series documenting architectural teaching and educational projects.
• Notatio Series presenting architectural theory and notation.
• Panta rhei Series documenting architecture and philosophical reflections.
• De aedibus Subscription Subscription service for receiving all De aedibus volumes upon publication at discounted rates (approximately 4-6 volumes per year at CHF 40.00 / EUR 36.00 per volume plus shipping).
• De aedibus international Subscription Subscription service for receiving all De aedibus international volumes upon publication at discounted rates (approximately 1-3 volumes per year).
• Anthologie Subscription Subscription service for receiving Anthologie volumes upon publication at discounted rates.
• Full Catalogue Subscription Annual comprehensive catalog of all publications available free of charge with subscription.
• De aedibus Slipcase Protective slipcase for storing approximately 10 De aedibus or De aedibus international volumes, priced at CHF 35.00 / EUR 32.00.
• Anthologie Slipcase Protective slipcase for storing approximately 10 Anthologie volumes, priced at CHF 35.00 / EUR 32.00.

Named customers3 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 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 and minor.

• AVA Verlagsauslieferung AGcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPrimary Swiss distributor for Quart Verlag located at Industrie Nord 9, 5634 Merenschwand, Switzerland. Handles fulfillment and distribution for Swiss market orders placed through the website.
• GVA Gemeinsame Verlagsauslieferung GmbH Co. KGcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPrimary distributor for Germany, Austria, Italy, France, Spain, Portugal, and Benelux. Located at Postfach 2021, D-37010 Göttingen, Germany. Also serves as the EU responsible person for product safety per EU Regulation 2023/988 (GPSR).
• ACC Art Books Ltd.coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorInternational distributor covering Great Britain, Ireland, Scandinavia, Eastern Europe, Asia, and America. UK office located at Riverside House, Dock Lane, Suffolk, IP12 1PE, England. US office at 6 West, 18th Street, 4B, NY 10011, New York.
• Distribution Art BooksminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSpecialized distributor for Spain and Portugal market, located at Avenida Fernández Latorre 5, 15006 A Coruña, Spain.
• Hostpoint AGcoreTechnology or IntegrationExternal hosting provider for quart.ch website. Server hosting located at Neue Jonastrasse 60, 8640 Rapperswil-Jona, Switzerland. A data processing agreement is in place with Hostpoint AG.
• Mailchimp (Rocket Science Group LLC)coreTechnology or IntegrationNewsletter and email marketing service provider for sending newsletters and analyzing recipient behavior. Data stored on Mailchimp servers in the USA. Standard contractual clauses in place for EU-US data transfers.
• PayPal (Europe) S.à.r.l. et Cie, S.C.A.coreTechnology or IntegrationOnline payment service provider processing credit card and PayPal transactions. Based at 22-24 Boulevard Royal, 2449 Luxemburg, Luxembourg. Standard contractual clauses in place for data protection compliance.
• 123 Berlin DesignminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerTechnical implementation partner for the website. Located at Bruchwitzstr. 11b, 12247 Berlin, Germany. Responsible for web design and technical development.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Park Books: Park Books is an architecture-focused publisher based in Zurich. Directly comparable to Quart Verlag as a small Swiss publisher producing high-quality architecture monographs and series for an international audience of architects and academics.
• nai010 publishers: nai010 is a Rotterdam-based architecture, design, and visual culture publisher with strong ties to the Dutch architecture scene. Comparable to Quart Verlag as a European architecture specialty publisher producing monographs, theory, and curated series for an international professional audience.
• Edition Axel Menges: Edition Axel Menges is a German/German-speaking publisher dedicated entirely to architecture books, including monographs and theoretical texts. Direct peer of Quart Verlag given similar audience (architects, students, architectural institutions), medium (high-quality architecture books), and regional/linguistic positioning.
• Birkhäuser Verlag: Birkhäuser is a Swiss academic and architecture publisher (now an imprint of De Gruyter) historically focused on architecture, design, and landscape. Directly comparable to Quart Verlag as both are Swiss-rooted publishers specializing in architecture books and series for professional and academic audiences.
• Lars Müller Publishers: Lars Müller is a Switzerland-based independent publisher of books on architecture, design, typography, and contemporary visual culture. Comparable to Quart Verlag as another premium Swiss design/architecture book publisher with a global distribution footprint and a programmatic, curated series approach.

Broad incumbents

• Phaidon Press: Phaidon is a global publisher of books on architecture, art, design, photography, and food. As a large global incumbent with deep architecture lists (e.g., the 'Architecture Now' series), it serves the same architecture professional and enthusiast segment as Quart Verlag but at significantly greater scale and breadth.
• Hatje Cantz Verlag: Hatje Cantz is a major German art and architecture publisher with a deep backlist covering architecture, design, photography, and contemporary art. While broader than Quart Verlag, it operates in the same premium architecture/art monograph segment and overlaps in target audience (architects, museums, collectors).
• Princeton Architectural Press: Princeton Architectural Press is a major US-based publisher of architecture, design, photography, and visual culture books. While broader in scope and scale, it directly competes with Quart Verlag in international architecture monograph distribution and similar collector/architect audience.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/p/Quart-Verlag-100063229448637
• Instagraminstagram.com/quart.ch
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/quart-verlag

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 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 Quart Verlag