Scan Magazine
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International Architect Profile of the Month |
Switzerland
International Architect Profile of the Month, Switzerland
Designing for resilience
The ability of the building to adapt with the changing needs of the future is central to the concept of Augusta Raurica Archaeological Center. Photo: Maxime Delvaux
Exploring how architecture can endure and evolve, global architecture firm Karamuk Kuo has established a reputation for large-scale projects that balance conceptual innovation with practical resilience. From cultural landmarks to laboratories and schools, the studio develops buildings conceived not as finished objects, but as frameworks ready to adapt to shifting needs. Co-founder Jeannette Kuo discusses the art of designing for change while staying rooted in context. By Signe Hansen
Founded in Zurich in 2010 by Jeannette Kuo and Ünal Karamuk, Karamuk Kuo Architects has completed cultural, educational, and research buildings across Europe and the US. Behind the company’s success is a genuine urge to reinvent, push boundaries and create buildings that are not just objects, but adaptable and resilient user reflections. Kuo explains: “We always ask: how do we build buildings that stand the test of time, buildings that remain useful and that evolve with their users?” Recent commissions include the Augusta Raurica Archaeological Center near Basel and the new Rice University Architecture School in Houston, both sustainable projects designed to respond to the dynamic conditions of their users. 90 | Issue 182 |
September 2025
Building in phases Won through a design competition in 2014, the Augusta Raurica Archaeological Center, located on the edge of one of Europe’s most significant Roman sites, posed unusual challenges. The building had to consolidate archives, laboratories, and offices that were previously dispersed across multiple locations, while also welcoming the public. At the same time, a complex funding structure meant construction could only proceed in phases. The team answered the phasing requirement with a structural and organisational system, not a fixed object. “The first phase was the workshops, followed by the archives in the second phase where the collections would be,” explains Kuo. “The idea was that the building could
theoretically keep growing – maybe even indefinitely – to accommodate the expanding collection.” This strategy also addressed day-to-day flexibility. Departments can reorganise, add or remove partitions, and maintain clear horizontal connections between units without compromising the building logic. In Kuo’s words, the project was designed “to take the users’ perspective into account in how a building might evolve.” The result is a durable framework that can accept programmatic change, controlled environments for storage, and The red-brick fabric of the campus resonates in the glazed terracotta panels chosen for the façade of the new Cannady Hall extension. Photo: Iwan Baan