People

Harry Gugger studied architecture after an apprenticeship as a toolmaker and stopped studies in machine engineering and German literature. From 1984 to 1989 he studied at the ETH Zürich with Flora Ruchat and at the Columbia University in New York with Tadao Ando. 1990 began his collaboration with Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron. As a partner he helped to develop Herzog & de Meuron from a small office to a global company.

Among many other projects, he was in charge of: Signal boxes I and II (1991-1994 / 1995-1999) and Engine Depot (1991-1995) in Basel; Library of the University Eberswalde (1994-1999); Tate Modern in London (1995-2000); Schaulager Basel for the Laurenz Foundation (1998-2003); Caixa Forum, Madrid (2001–2008) and the Laban Dance Centre in London (1998-2003), which was awarded the RIBA Stirling Prize 2003.

In 2004 Harry Gugger received the Swiss Art Award Prix Meret Oppenheim.

From the outset, his practice was paired with manifold academic work. Since 2005 Harry Gugger was tenured professor at the EPF Lausanne (EPFL) where he founded the Laboratoire pour la Production d’Architecture. His laboratory was in charge of the National Participation of Bahrain at the Venice Architecture Biennale 2010 winning the Golden Lion award. In 2011 Harry Gugger transformed his laboratory into Laboratoire Bâle a satellite laboratory of the EPFL dedicated to urban and architectural design situated in Basel.
Harry Gugger became emeritus professor at EPFL in 2021.

In 2010 Harry Gugger founded his studio Studio Gugger which works on projects of all scales with a focus on urban design. From this practice synergies emerge with the research of his laboratory at the EPFL. Besides many other engagements in juries and commissions Harry Gugger acts as a board member of the LafargeHolcim Foundation for Sustainable Construction since 2010.

Harry Gugger acts as CEO.

harry.gugger@studiogugger.ch

Henriette is an associate partner and co-founder of Studio Gugger.

Within the studio she coordinates studies and competitions in the field of urban and residential design.

Prior she worked with AFF Architekten and Herzog & de Meuron as well as holding teaching positions at the EPFL and the Bauhaus University in Weimar.

Henriette studied at the Bauhaus University in Weimar and at the Chalmers Tekniska Högskolan in Goteborg. She graduated with honours in 2000 and lives in Switzerland since 2005.

Henriette Gugger is in charge of Finances and Human Resources.

henriette.gugger@studiogugger.ch

Michael Zink has been a member of the management board and the partner responsible for projects at Studio Gugger since 2014. He is in charge of project management and organises our working environment.

Michael started working with us back in 2012 and is responsible for projects of various uses and scales, from competition to realisation. These include projects such as the conversion of the historic silo building on the Erlenmatt site in Basel, the Spenglerpark high-rise in Münchenstein, the Rösslihof centre extension in Sissach and the high-rise on the site of the former Müller brewery in Baden. In his work, he specialises in sustainable construction and building in existing buildings.

From 2016-2019, Michael taught design and construction at the Faculty of Architecture at Hochschule Karlsruhe.

From 2007 to 2011, he worked as a project manager with Schneider Schneider Architekten in Aarau and Steinmann Schmid Architekten in Basel.

During his studies, he completed practical semesters in Beijing and Karlsruhe. He graduated with honours in architecture from Hochschule Karlsruhe in 2006.

Michael is the father of three children and has lived in Basel since 2007.

michael.zink@studiogugger.ch

Chris has joined Studio Gugger in 2012 and is an associate partner since 2018.

With Harry Gugger Studio, Chris is leading a housing development in Basel and a rural farm development project in Devon, England. He has been instrumental in the execution of the Housing Allschwil project, the Limmatfeld in Zürich, Private House Bottmingen, Transitlager in Basel, as well as for projects in Ireland and the UK.

Chris has previously worked in architectural practices in Australia, Belgium, and Switzerland, including Santiago Calatrava, 51N4E and The Buchan Group.

His experience covers a wide-range of projects, such as a warehouse-to-office conversion in Australia, the C-Mine (conversion of an abandoned mine into a to cultural centre) in Belgium, TID tower in Albania, the Marina d'Arechi sailing club in Italy and the Museu do Amanhã in Brazil.

Chris has graduated with Honours from Curtin University, Australia in 2004 and has lived in Basel since 2008.

chris.blackbee@studiogugger.ch

Harald Schmidt has been a member of the management board and partner responsible for projects since 2024.

He joined Studio Gugger in 2018 and was project leader on various completed buildings such as the residential building on the Kunzareal site, the Hirtenweg modular housing estate and the new multi-storey timber construction for Medisuisse.

Previously, Harald worked at Miller & Maranta among other projects, on the Kindergarten in Riehen. Before until 2016, he was involved in numerous competitions at Burckhardt & Partner.

From 2006 to 2013, Harald worked at Herzog & de Meuron on various projects such as the Vitrahaus, the Naturbad Riehen and the Ricola Kräuterlager.

Harald originally completed an apprenticeship as a carpenter and worked as a journeyman carpenter in Bavaria before studying architecture in Regensburg and then completing a master's degree in timber construction at Rosenheim University.

harald.schmidt@studiogugger.ch

Kyra joined Studio Gugger as an architect in 2022.

She received a Master's degree from the Accademia di architettura di Mendrisio in 2022 and a Bachelor's degree from the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada in 2020.

Her previous experience includes internships at offices in New York City, Paris and Toronto, at Andrew Berman Architect, Marchi Architectes and LAMAS respectively, completed during her Bachelor studies.

Kyra is Canadian and has lived in Switzerland since 2020.

kyra.ahier@studiogugger.ch

Giovanni has been working at Studio Gugger as an intern since February 2023.

He is currently helping with the design of two residential buildings and the construction of physical models for competitions and studies.

He has worked several years as a carpenter in Italy, the country he is originally from. He worked mainly on residential and industrial buildings. Working on the construction sites has allowed him to gain experience in both the construction of rough structures up to finishing works and to become passionate about architecture.

He received his Bachelor's degree in architecture from SUPSI in Mendrisio, Switzerland in September 2022.

Giovanni has been living permanently in Switzerland since 2019.

giovanni.calderaro@studiogugger.ch

Silke joined the team of Studio Gugger as an intern architect in February 2023.

Currently, she is working on competition projects.

She graduated from KU Leuven Campus Sint-Lucas Gent in 2022. During her master's she spent a year in Lucerne as an exchange student at HSLU.

Prior to moving to Switzerland, she gained experience at offices in Belgium. She completed an internship at KRAS Architecten and worked as a draftsperson at van Cronenburg.

silke.dhaenen@studiogugger.ch

Luisa has been working as a junior architect at Studio Gugger since February 2025.

She studied for her bachelor's degree at the HTWG Konstanz and the Universidad de Sevilla, graduating with honours. She then moved to the Technical University of Munich, where she completed her master's degree in architecture, specialising in architectural technologies.
Along the way, she gained professional experience at Wulf Architekten in Stuttgart, Auer Weber in Munich and smaller offices in the Black Forest and on Lake Constance.
Before joining Studio Gugger, Luisa worked for Hirner und Riehl Architekten in Munich.

She is currently working on the Birseckstrasse project.

luisa.durst@studiogugger.ch

Tamara joined Studio Gugger as an intern in October 2024, following her completion of a Bachelor’s degree in Architecture from the Technical University of Graz in Austria.

She gained valuable experience in the field through internships at various architectural firms in Austria, including Coop Himmelb(l)au in Vienna, as well as through Summer Schools with the Architectural Association in London. Her creative work in photography also reflects her affinity for both art and architecture, exploring depth in reflections and geometry.

Since joining Studio Gugger, she has contributed to the Spenglerpark residential tower project, working on plans and organising 3D-printed models. Additionally, she is involved in a feasibility study focused on the renovation of historic buildings in Basel.

tamara.faber@studiogugger.ch

Katja has been supporting the management and team in all administrative matters since 2025 and is responsible for communication and documentation.

The versatile architect completed her studies in 1992 at the University of Applied Sciences Regensburg, Germany. After spending time in Germany, where she worked on public buildings, managed a pilot project to catalogue the properties of the LMU in Munich and was responsible for publications, among other things, she joined Herzog & de Meuron in Basel as a management assistant in 2004. From 2011 to 2016, she was Head of Marketing at Burckhardt Architektur in Basel, and from 2016 to 2024 she was responsible for communications and marketing at ZPF Ingenieure.

katja.fiebrandt@studiogugger.ch

Tim has been working as a junior architect at Studio Gugger since October 2024.

After completing a commercial apprenticeship in the construction industry, he decided to complete a bachelor's degree in interior design at the RheinMain University of Applied Sciences in Wiesbaden. He then gained his first professional experience as an intern and later as a freelance architect at the interdisciplinary architecture firm 3deluxe in Wiesbaden, Germany.

He completed his master's degree in ‘International Master of Interior and Architectural Design’ at the Stuttgart University of Applied Sciences with several honours. An exchange semester took him to SUPSI in Mendrisio, Switzerland, for six months, and practical hands-on projects also took him to Thailand, Malaysia and Ingersheim.

tim.ganssleben@studiogugger.ch

Lulu is a senior architect at Studio Gugger since January 2025.

Her previous field of activity includes a wide range of tasks in various phases and areas of architecture, from project development to execution, from building construction and urban planning to general planning and construction management. She also has experience in representing clients and in project management for building construction in the public sector.

She has previously worked primarily on large projects, including Zurich Children's Hospital, Frauenfeld Cantonal Hospital and Helvetia Campus Basel. She has professional experience in Switzerland, Germany and China.

She completed her architecture studies in Germany at TU Darmstadt with a diploma and before that in China at Tongji University in Shanghai with a bachelor's degree. In addition, she completed further training in construction project management at Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts.

Lulu comes from China and has lived in Switzerland since 2014.

lulu.huang@studiogugger.ch

Ólafur has been working as an architect at Studio Gugger in Basel since June 2022.

He is currently working on competition projects.
He graduated from the Accademia di Architettura di Mendrisio in 2020.

Previously, he worked as an architect at Vècsey Schmidt Architekten in Basel. There he worked as a collaborator on various competitions and projects for the firm.

Ólafur also completed an architectural internship at Kurt og Pi Architecten in Iceland, where he is originally from.

olafur.jonsson@studiogugger.ch

Paul has been working as an architect at Studio Gugger in Basel since November 2023.

In 2019, Paul started his bachelor's degree at TU Munich to complete his architecture studies at the Accademia di Architettura di Mendrisio under the direction of Valerio Olgiati.

Previously he worked with BAUKUNST under Adrien Verschuere in Brussels, GrilloVasiu in Zurich and MOD Architecture in Bucharest. He complemented his design work by working as an assistant at the Department of Representation and Design at the Technical University of Munich and later at the Department of Fundamentals of Design at the University of Architecture Bucharest.

Paul is currently working on competition projects.

paul.machedon@studiogugger.ch

Jiri joined Studio Gugger as a Junior Architect in February 2025.

He graduated as an architect in the summer of 2024 from Delft University of Technology. As part of his bachelor's, Jiri pursued an internship at Dondervink, where design and construction were closely intertwined, working hands-on with timber structures at a 1:1 scale. His master's studies included a semester in Florence, where he focussed on architectural sociology.

Alongside his studies, Jiri gained practical experience as a freelancer and worked as a furniture maker, further developing his understanding of materials and craftsmanship.

jiri.meijers@studiogugger.ch

Furio joined Studio Gugger in 2016.

He worked on the design of the new building for the Arts and Design faculty of the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences in Emmenbrücke and led the competition for the Deutsches Tapetenmuseum. Currently he is taking care of the communication and the publication of the office projects.

Prior to working with Studio Gugger he collaborated with Eric Lapierre Experience in Paris and as an intern with Atelier Bow-Wow in Tokyo.

He graduated in 2015 with a Msc of Architecture at Accademia di Architettura di Mendrisio, Switzerland.

furio.montoli@studiogugger.ch

Caroline joined Studio Gugger in 2016 as a senior architect.

Caroline brings a wealth of knowledge in the field of design and execution to the studio. Between 2012 - 2015 she managed projects for private clients throughout all project phases at weberbuess Architekten in Basel and directly after graduating she worked on a variety of award winning urban design and housing competitions.

She is currently responsible for the execution planning for the new building of the Arts and Design Faculty of the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences in Emmenbrücke.

Caroline studied at Technische Universität Darmstadt and EPFL and graduated in 2011 and is living in Switzerland since 2012.

caroline.schmidt@studiogugger.ch

Karolina has joined to the team of Studio Gugger as an intern architect in September 2024.

She is a student at the Faculty of Architecture at the Silesian University of Technology in Poland and she is completing her mandatory internship at Studio Gugger before discussing her thesis.

She spent half a year on a student exchange in Rome at Sapienza University.

Karolina has participated in numerous international student workshops, competitions and conferences. She took part in European Architecture Student Assembly 2024 in Benidorm. She helped in the reconstruction of traditional half-timbered houses in Seifhennersdorf. She also has experience in organizing a festival focused on urban space creation.

karolina.sepot@studiogugger.ch

Gunnar is a senior architect and has been with Studio Gugger since 2017.

In the past he acquired skills in planning and execution with projects of very different scales. This experience ranges from the furniture detailing to developing and running a housing estate.

His professional career led him in the architecture firm of Dan Pearlman and Mutabor Design, Holzer Kobler, Weberbuess and Bauart Architekten. At Bauart Architekten, he was a long-standing employee in the planning and execution phases of various buildings.

Gunnar studied at the University of Kassel and graduated in 2007. During his studies he supervised the interdisciplinary basic studies of architecture, urban planning and landscape architecture. Since 2007 he lives in Switzerland.

gunnar.stachmann@studiogugger.ch

Victor has joined Studio Gugger in 2017 as a project leading architect.

He graduated with honors in 2014 from INSA Strasbourg, France.

From 2014 to 2017 he worked as an architect and project leader for DeA architects in Mulhouse. There, he was in charge of multiple projects, including public buildings and housings.

Victor ist project leading architect for the private Haus in Thalwil, the Sommerhouse in Antiparos and the Office building at the Centralbahnplatz in Basel.

victor.wichrowski@studiogugger.ch