Werk, Bauen + Wohnen
Werk, Bauen + Wohnen is a Swiss architecture magazine published continuously since 1909 by Verlag Werk AG, serving professional architects, BSA/FAS members, and libraries in Switzerland and abroad through print, digital subscriptions, books, and the werk-material.online database.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1909
- HeadquartersZürich, Switzerland
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What Werk, Bauen + Wohnen does
Werk, Bauen + Wohnen is a Swiss architecture magazine published continuously by Verlag Werk AG since 1909, currently in its 112th year of operation. The core product is a print magazine appearing 10 times per year (with two double issues in January/February and July/August), accompanied by a digital edition delivered via an e-paper platform and the tiun unlimited-online-access service. The publication serves as the official organ of BSA/FAS, the Swiss professional architects association, and is distributed in most Swiss architecture offices and in libraries in Switzerland and abroad, with a print circulation of approximately 5,000 copies per issue. The editorial team of roughly nine staff, led since 2023 by Director Alexander Felix and Editor-in-Chief Roland Züger, is composed of trained architects with ETH, TU Munich, UdK Berlin, and Bauhaus Weimar backgrounds.
The company's product surface extends beyond the magazine through sub-brands: werk, edition publishes architecture books, werk-material.online offers a queryable database of building figures and plans, the JAS/YAS section has profiled 111 young Swiss architecture offices since 2016, and werk-notiz provides short-form online news. The underlying technology is a conventional editorial publishing stack — print production plus web and e-paper delivery — with no disclosed AI, API, or SDK capabilities. Revenue is generated through print and digital subscriptions (combined annual list price CHF 260, with promotional and student tiers), single-issue sales through the wbw.ch shop, advertising booked through KünzlerBachmann Verlag AG, and book and database sales via werk, edition and werk-material.online. Print fulfillment and subscription servicing are outsourced to Galledia Fachmedien AG.
The go-to-market is subscription-led and relationship-led rather than sales-led: institutional distribution through architecture offices and libraries, multi-channel content marketing via the wbw.ch website and newsletter, and partnership leverage of BSA/FAS membership. Customer segments are professional architects, interior and landscape architects, engineering firms, construction authorities and planners, general contractors and building owners, plus architecture students — a vertical segmentation around the Swiss built-environment professions. No venture, private equity, or public ownership is disclosed; the company operates as a private publishing entity headquartered at Badenerstrasse 18, 8004 Zürich.
Werk, Bauen + Wohnen firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Werk, Bauen + Wohnen
- Legal name
- Verlag Werk AG
- Website
- https://wbw.ch
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1909
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Werk, Bauen + Wohnen is a Swiss architecture magazine published continuously since 1909 by Verlag Werk AG, serving professional architects, BSA/FAS members, and libraries in Switzerland and abroad through print, digital subscriptions, books, and the werk-material.online database.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Werk, Bauen + Wohnen industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Architecture Publishing
- NAICS
- Periodical Publishers (51312)
- SIC
- Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721), Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Academic & Scholarly Journals Publishing (Peer-Reviewed) (MPAJABAC)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Architecture, Construction & Building Codes Reference (Design, BIM, Safety Codes) (EDAGAGAH), Fine Arts, Design & Architecture (EDAGABAJ)
Keywords
Where Werk, Bauen + Wohnen is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Zürich
- HQ country
- Switzerland
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices4 records
Markets served
Werk, Bauen + Wohnen business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Print Magazine Subscriptions: Annual and multi-year subscriptions for the print magazine, published 10 times per year
- Digital Subscriptions (E-Paper and tiun): Digital reading through e-paper platform and tiun service for unlimited online access
- Single Issue Sales: Individual magazine issues available for purchase, both print and digital
- Advertising: Advertising space sold to architecture-related businesses and services, managed through KünzlerBachmann Verlag AG
- werk, edition (Books): Publishing and sale of architecture books and special publications
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Kombi-Abonnement (Print + Digital) |
| Subscription | Annual | JAS 111 Promotional Bundle |
| Subscription | Annual | Student Subscription |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Single Issues |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels4 records
Werk, Bauen + Wohnen product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Werk, Bauen + Wohnen publishes a Swiss architecture magazine 10 times per year covering architectural theory, exemplary buildings, competitions, exhibitions, and Swiss building history since 1909. As the official organ of BSA/FAS (Swiss Architects Association), it offers print subscriptions, digital reading through e-paper and tiun platforms, architecture books under the werk, edition imprint, and the werk-material.online building figures database. The publication serves professional architects, architecture firms, students, engineers, and construction authorities in Switzerland and the broader DACH region.
Product overview
Werk, Bauen + Wohnen is a Swiss architecture magazine operating as a unified publishing platform. The core product is the print/digital magazine appearing 10 times annually, complemented by online content (werk-notiz), the Young Architecture Switzerland section (JAS), and the werk-material.online database. Digital access is provided via e-paper and the tiun platform. The werk, edition sub-brand publishes architecture books. Subscriptions, single issues, and a deep archive dating to 1909 round out the offerings.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- werk-material.online: Building figures and data platform providing detailed building information with plans and key figures
- werk, edition
- JAS/YAS Young Architecture Switzerland
- werk-notiz
Products and services
- werk, bauen + wohnen (Magazine) The main print architecture magazine publication, appearing 10 times per year (with two double issues), covering Swiss building history since 1909. Each issue focuses on a specific theme in architectural discourse, targeting Swiss architects and construction professionals.
- Digital Reading (E-Paper and tiun)
Companies that use Werk, Bauen + Wohnen
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Werk, Bauen + Wohnen technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Werk, Bauen + Wohnen partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- BSA/FAS (Bund Schweizer Architektinnen und Architekten)coreThe magazine is the official organ/publication of BSA/FAS (Fédération des Architectes Suisses), the Swiss Architects Association. This is a core professional partnership connecting the publication directly to Swiss architecture professionals.
- KünzlerBachmann Verlag AGminorAdvertising partner handling ad placement for the magazine. Located in St. Gallen.
- Galledia Fachmedien AGminorSubscription and delivery service partner handling print distribution. Located in Flawil.
- Baumuster-Centrale ZürichminorEvent partner for JAS (Young Architecture Switzerland) events, hosting the 111th anniversary celebration event.
- Ikea Stiftung SchweizminorSponsor for JAS 111 anniversary event.
- PrefaminorSponsor for JAS 111 anniversary event.
- duktaminorSponsor for JAS 111 anniversary event.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Werk, Bauen + Wohnen competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- TEC21: Swiss architecture and engineering magazine covering planning, construction, and design in Switzerland. Direct domestic peer also serving Swiss architecture professionals; Alexander Felix previously worked as specialist journalist at TEC21 before joining werk, bauen + wohnen.
- Domus: Italian architecture and design magazine with international reach, covering architecture, design, and urbanism. Comparable professional architecture publication serving European architects with a scholarly-editorial approach and century-long heritage.
- Baumeister: German architecture magazine covering building practice, construction details, and architectural theory. Comparable German-language professional architecture publication serving architects and planners with similar B2B/trade positioning.
- El Croquis: Spanish architecture publication featuring in-depth monographic issues on leading architects and projects. Comparable premium scholarly architecture publication with a curated, editorial-driven approach to architectural documentation.
- Bauwelt: Long-running German architecture magazine covering architectural theory, practice, and urbanism. Direct peer in the German-speaking professional architecture publication category; Editor-in-Chief Roland Züger has contributed to Bauwelt.
- Detail Magazine: German-language architecture journal focused on architectural practice, construction details, and building documentation. Direct competitor in the German-speaking professional architecture publication market; Alexander Felix (current wbw director) previously worked as journalist at Detail.
Broad incumbents
- Architectural Review: Long-established British architecture magazine with international reach covering architectural theory, criticism, and practice. Larger and more internationally oriented incumbent in the scholarly architecture publication space, serving as a global benchmark for editorial quality.
Others
- Birkhäuser Verlag: Swiss publisher specializing in architecture, design, and art books. Adjacent ecosystem player in Swiss architecture publishing; Alexander Felix worked at Birkhäuser from 2013-2023 leading digitization and cooperation projects. Comparable Swiss-based architecture publishing expertise.
Regional players
- Architektur & Bauforum: Austrian architecture publication serving architecture professionals in Austria. Regional DACH peer operating in the same professional architecture publication category as werk, bauen + wohnen.
- Architektur Aktuell: Austrian architecture magazine covering Austrian and international architecture. Regional peer in the DACH architecture publication market, serving Austrian architecture professionals with similar trade publishing model.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks4 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Werk, Bauen + Wohnen social profiles
Digital presenceWerk, Bauen + Wohnen financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Werk, Bauen + Wohnen leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
Werk, Bauen + Wohnen funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Werk, Bauen + Wohnen M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Werk, Bauen + Wohnen
What does Werk, Bauen + Wohnen do?
Werk, Bauen + Wohnen publishes a Swiss architecture magazine 10 times per year covering architectural theory, exemplary buildings, competitions, exhibitions, and Swiss building history since 1909. As the official organ of BSA/FAS (Swiss Architects Association), it offers print subscriptions, digital reading through e-paper and tiun platforms, architecture books under the werk, edition imprint, and the werk-material.online building figures database. The publication serves professional architects, architecture firms, students, engineers, and construction authorities in Switzerland and the broader DACH region.
Is Werk, Bauen + Wohnen a public or private company?
Werk, Bauen + Wohnen is a private company. It is classified as unknown and is currently operating.
When was Werk, Bauen + Wohnen founded?
Werk, Bauen + Wohnen was founded in 1909. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Werk, Bauen + Wohnen based?
Werk, Bauen + Wohnen is headquartered in Zürich, Switzerland, in the Europe region.
How does Werk, Bauen + Wohnen make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Print Magazine Subscriptions are the primary driver. The others are digital Subscriptions (E-Paper and tiun), single Issue Sales, advertising and werk, edition (Books).
Who are Werk, Bauen + Wohnen's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are TEC21, Domus, Baumeister, El Croquis, Bauwelt and Detail Magazine. Architectural Review is listed as a broad incumbent. Birkhäuser Verlag is listed as an others. Regional players are Architektur & Bauforum and Architektur Aktuell.
Does Werk, Bauen + Wohnen have an API?
No public API is recorded for Werk, Bauen + Wohnen.
What industry is Werk, Bauen + Wohnen in?
Werk, Bauen + Wohnen's product category is Architecture Publishing. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAJABAC, Academic & Scholarly Journals Publishing (Peer-Reviewed), with a secondary code of EDAGAGAH, Architecture, Construction & Building Codes Reference (Design, BIM, Safety Codes). Its NAICS code is 51312 and its SIC code is 2721.