Susanne Schmid

Our approach is the cornerstone of our architectural practice. Based on the values of authenticity, methodology and poetry, it is this approach that elevates our projects around the world to architectural statements. Our buildings are authentic by virtue of their sensitivity to their local environments and their enduring relevance; they are both responsive to and representative of the settings in which they are located. They are also sustainable in the broadest sense of the term. Going far beyond energy and environmental issues, our notion of sustainability encompasses cultural, social and aesthetic values. We think in centuries, not just in decades. Our methodology renders the complex process of designing and constructing a building transparent and makes our decision-making processes clear for all to understand. We collect and scrutinise facts and figures systematically and work constantly to develop our architectural techniques. A ground-breaking example of this approach is 2226, our own head office building in Lustenau. Poetry, too, has its role to play: the poetry of form, of materials, of light, of everything we experience with our senses. We strive for elegance, distilling ideas in search of simplicity, and for timelessness, but even more we strive to reach beneath the surface, to find the poetry in architecture.