Jessenvollenweider Architektur Ag

What Jessenvollenweider Architektur Ag does

Jessenvollenweider Architektur AG is a Basel-based architecture and urban-design firm founded in 1999 by Anna Jessen and Ingemar Vollenweider. It operates as a Swiss Aktiengesellschaft with approximately 22 staff, organized across offices in Basel and Munich, and practices in renovation, conversion, new construction, and urban planning. The firm is anchored by the founders' academic positions, including Vollenweider's Chair of Urban Design at TU Dortmund (since 2018) and co-founding of Architekturwerkstatt St. Gallen (since 2015), which link practice to teaching and applied research.

The firm delivers services through competitions, public-procurement mandates, and direct corporate commissions, with a project portfolio that spans cultural, civic, educational, healthcare, hospitality, and residential typologies. Notable works and ongoing projects include the Kunstmuseum Basel extension (selected project), Energie 360° headquarters in Zurich, Restaurant Stucki, Rennbahnklinik, Molkenmarkt Berlin-Mitte (1st prize, 2026), and projects in Munich, Ingolstadt, St. Gallen, Thurgau, and Zurich. Recognition includes best architects gold awards, Prix Acier (2022), Arc Award, and Holcim Awards acknowledgement, and the firm maintains a brand positioned around craft, materiality, and heritage-sensitive urban transformation.

Revenue is generated primarily through professional service fees tied to project scale and complexity, with a customer base split between Swiss public-sector clients (cantons and cities) and corporate accounts in finance, energy, and luxury goods. In 2025, Isabell Ruschmeier joined the executive board (Geschäftsleitung), formalizing leadership succession as the firm pursues its first major Berlin mandate and continues active hiring of architects and interns as of mid-2026.

Name

Jessenvollenweider Architektur Ag

Legal name

jessenvollenweider architektur ag

Website

https://jessenvollenweider.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Jessenvollenweider Architektur AG is a Basel-based architecture and urban-design firm founded in 1999, specializing in renovation, conversion, and new construction for Swiss and German public-sector and corporate clients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Architectural and Urban Planning Services

NAICS

Architectural Services (54131), Architectural Services (541310)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAHAKAH

Historic Preservation & Conservation Planning

Business & Public Services/Professional Services (Legal, Accounting, Consulting)/Architecture, Design & Planning Services

SECONDARYBPAHAKAO

Community Engagement & Participatory Planning

Business & Public Services/Professional Services (Legal, Accounting, Consulting)/Architecture, Design & Planning Services

Keywords

• Architectural design services
• Urban planning studies
• Building renovation conversion
• Residential housing design
• Public building architecture

Headquarters

HQ city

Basel

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Architectural Design Services: Revenue generated through architectural design fees for competitions, new construction, renovation, conversion, and urban planning projects. Projects span public buildings, housing cooperatives, commercial buildings, educational facilities, and private residential.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Jessenvollenweider Architektur Ag is a Basel-based architecture and urban planning firm that designs new construction, renovation, conversion, and urban development projects. Its portfolio spans public administration buildings, schools, museums, corporate headquarters, cooperative housing, and private residential commissions, primarily delivered through architectural competitions and direct commissions across Switzerland, Germany, Austria, and the Netherlands.

Product overview

Jessenvollenweider Architektur Ag is an architecture and urban planning firm based in Basel, Switzerland. The firm offers a unified portfolio of architectural services centered on design, competition participation, new construction, renovation, and urban planning studies. Services span public buildings (offices, schools, museums), private residential projects, and large-scale urban development concepts. The practice combines professional architecture with academic teaching through partnerships with TU Dortmund and Architekturwerkstatt St. Gallen.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Architecture and Urban Planning Services End-to-end architectural services for public, private, cooperative, and corporate clients including master planning, schematic design, construction documentation, and project oversight.
• New Construction Design (Neubauten) Design of new buildings including residential complexes, office buildings, schools, museums, and corporate headquarters.
• Renovation, Conversion and Sanierung

Quantifiable outcome

• Multiple first-prize competition wins including major public and urban development projects in Switzerland and Germany
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers8 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

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Technische Universität DortmundcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Anna Jessen and Ingemar Vollenweider jointly hold the Lehrstuhl für Städtebau (Chair of Urban Planning) at the Faculty of Architecture and Civil Engineering of TU Dortmund. This academic partnership integrates teaching and research with the firm's architectural practice, providing a framework for ongoing knowledge exchange and talent development.
• Architekturwerkstatt St. Gallen / FHS Ostschweizer FachhochschulecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015Anna Jessen conceived and leads the ArchitekturWerkstatt St. Gallen at FHS Ostschweizer Fachhochschule (now OST). The workshop serves as a living learning and design place where architecture is experienced as a craft, spatial, and collective discipline, combining classical design methods with intensive engagement with material, construction, and regional building culture.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• EM2N Architekten: Zurich-based architecture firm with strong public-sector and cultural-institution portfolio, similar competition-led project pipeline and DACH regional footprint.
• Christ & Gantenbein: Basel-based architecture firm of comparable size and profile, with a parallel practice in cultural, civic, and residential buildings. Closest geographic and typological peer to jessenvollenweider.
• Morger Partner Architekten: Basel-based firm with comparable footprint in public-sector and residential commissions, including competition-led project acquisition — closely comparable in business model and regional positioning.
• Miller & Maranta: Basel-based architecture firm known for public buildings, museums, and careful material-driven renovation work — directly comparable in scale, location, and project typology to jessenvollenweider.
• Caruso St John: Swiss-founded architecture practice with comparable profile in cultural institutions, public buildings, and renovation, operating at a similar premium positioning in the European market.
• Burkhalter Sumi Architekten: Basel/Zurich architecture practice working across public, residential, and conversion projects with a competition-led acquisition model — directly comparable typology and size to jessenvollenweider.
• Gigon / Guyer Architekten: Zurich-based architecture firm with parallel profile in museums, public buildings, and material-led renovation work — a comparable Swiss peer with similar prize and competition credentials.
• Diener & Diener Architekten: Established Basel architecture practice with a comparable mix of residential, cultural, and public commissions. Anna Jessen trained at Diener & Diener before founding jessenvollenweider, making this both a cultural and competitive peer.

Broad incumbents

• Herzog & de Meuron: Iconic Basel-headquartered architecture firm — same city and Swiss/DACH base as jessenvollenweider, overlapping in cultural and public commissions, but at substantially larger scale and global reach.
• David Chipperfield Architects: Larger international architecture practice with deep museum and public-building portfolio overlapping jessenvollenweider's typology, but operating at significantly greater scale across multiple European offices.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/jessenvollenweider-architektur-ag

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 Jessenvollenweider Architektur Ag