Holzer Kobler Architekturen was formed in Zurich in 2004 by Barbara Holzer and Tristan Kobler. The studio operates internationally, covering a broad spectrum of activities from urban planning to architecture, from scenography to exhibition curatorship. A multidisciplinary team comprising architects, designers, graphic artists and curators shapes its special approach to projects. Close collaboration with clients in both public and private sectors is integral to Holzer Kobler Architekturen projects, as is a tightly knit network encompassing business, academia, research, arts and culture. A second studio is currently being set up in Berlin.

Our brand is
built on
substance,
not style –
there’s no such
thing as
typical
“Holzer Kobler”

Tristan
Kobler

Born in Lucerne in 1960, Tristan Kobler graduated from Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETH) in 1987 with a degree in architecture. Following his studies, he worked alongside Martin Heller, Alois Martin Müller and Claude Lichtenstein as a scenographer and curator at the Museum of Design Zurich until 1996. In this time he helped organize some sixty exhibitions in the areas of graphic art, media, photography and art history.

After working for three years as an independent architect and scenographer in Zurich and Berlin, he initiated the KLINIK art and culture project in 1999 in cooperation with Dorothea Wimmer and Teresa Chen. Following this he founded his own architectural office, Morphing Systems, which also placed special emphasis on scenography.

Together with “extasia”, a collaboration consisting of several international architectural offices, Morphing Systems developed and constructed the “Arteplage” in Yverdon-les-Bains for the Expo.02, Swiss National Exhibition.

In 2004 Tristan Kobler and Barbara Holzer founded Holzer Kobler Architekturen in Zurich, an architectural office that over the course of the years has extended its range to include many international projects.

In 1988 and 1997 Tristan Kobler was an instructor at ETH Zurich’s Faculty of Architecture under professors Vincent Mangeat, Marc Angélil and Daniel Libeskind. Since 1994 he has taught at international universities in Switzerland, France and Germany. From 2009 to 2010 he and Barbara Holzer held a guest professorship at the Faculty of Architecture at ETH Zurich. From 2009 until 2011 he was a professor at ECAL, University of art and design Lausanne. Since 2011 he has a professorship at the Geneva University of Art and Design (HEAD).

In 2008 Barbara Holzer and Tristan Kobler were awarded the Grand Prix Design of the Swiss Confederation for their international engagement in the field of scenography.

Awards

2011
Swiss Design Prize
Nomination with Realstadt
Nomination with 2000 Watt Gesellschaft

2011
State Award for Exemplary Architectural Design,
awarded by the State of Hesse, Germany
Special recognition for Messel Pit Visitor Center

2011
Award for Marketing + Architecture
Nomination with focusTerra

2010
Grosse Nike,
awarded by the Association of German Architects (BDA)
Nomination with Nebra Ark Visitor Center

2009
Swiss Design Prize
Nomination with focusTerra

2009
Hannes Meyer Prize,
awarded by the Association of German Architects (BDA),
Regional Association Saxony-Anhalt, Germany
for Nebra Ark Visitor Center

2009
World Architecture Community Awards
Winner with Nebra Ark Visitor Center

2008
Grand Prix Design 2008,
awarded by the Swiss Confederation
for the complete works

2008
Architecture Prize Colour – Texture – Surface 2008
Nomination with Nebra Ark Visitor Center

2008
Austrian Museum Seal of Approval
Awarded for Alpinarium Galtür

2008
Tourism Award Saxony-Anhalt,
Germany
Awarded for Nebra Ark Visitor Center

2007
Architecture Award of the State of Saxony-Anhalt,
Germany
Awarded for Nebra Ark Visitor Center

2003
Swiss Design Prize
Nomination with sWISH* and Shadow casting Weapons

2003
Swiss Art Awards
Nomination