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The Basel Trade Fair Tower. Photo: © Ruedi Walti, Basel Terrace houses, Lucerne. Photo: © Ruedi Walti
Outstanding architecture since 1977 No matter whether they are working on small refurbishments or a large-scale project, the architects from the Swiss firm Marques Architekten AG are always dedicated to their work. Founder Daniele Marques established his firm in 1977. Since then, he and his team have designed a diverse range of award-winning buildings, including schools, the Basel Trade Fair Tower, and a football stadium in Lucerne. TEXT: NADINE CARSTENS | PHOTOS: MARQUES ARCHITEKTEN AG
“We try to put as much emphasis on small projects as on prominent ones – what is most important to us is the quality of architecture and that our clients are happy with the results,” Daniele Marques explains. Right after finishing his studies, he launched his own architect’s office in Lucerne and quickly made a name for himself. Starting with designing houses in Ivory Coast in the early 1980s for a church project, he later turned his office into a joint-stock company in 1993, while establishing a growing expert team. Most of Marques’ approximately 20 employees have been working with him for more than ten years: “They are all experts who 100 | Issue 53 | August 2017
are able to assign diverse tasks, ensuring that any job is completed to the highest standards.” In 40 years, Marques and his team designed numerous public buildings, single family houses, market halls, or stadiums. Many of these projects have won a number of architecture awards due to their innovative designs, their sustainability, and their quality. ‘Villa Thérèse’ in Fribourg, for example, is a particularly beautiful project which was realised in 2003 and achieved high recognition. An old boarding school building was was expanded by 14 classrooms for a primary school, four kinder-
garten class rooms, as well as one double gymnasium. Grouped around the existing school building, these new elements interact with their surroundings due to their inner construction. While their outward appearance is rough, the interior of the three buildings stands out with fine surfaces and a special colour scheme that was developed in cooperation with an artist: While the interior is designed in many different colours with class rooms in individual shades, the school building’s façade is dark. “As one of the first projects of this kind, it was quite daring to choose this colour design back then, but the pupils love it,” Marques states. A diverse range of projects He himself lives in a complex consisting of three terraced houses in Lucerne that were designed by his firm as well. Perfectly nestling to the surrounding landscape is what makes these buildings so special and is the reason this project also received various awards. Situated on a hillside, the