At the end of last week, Burckhardt celebrated the 20th anniversary of its Swiss Romande site, comprising offices in Lausanne and Geneva. At the Collège Rousseau in Geneva, members of the site management team and partners Oliver Henninger, Nicolas Vaucher and Eric Proment welcomed around 250 companions from the past two decades.

Starting in 2004, Burckhardt quickly made a name for itself in Swiss Romande by executing complex projects in life sciences and production sites. This was complemented by partnerships with international firms such as SOM for various large-scale projects. A distinct culture of competition was soon established and the expertise of the location was expanded to include further typologies. These include the new building for the Swiss Embassy in Seoul, South Korea (2019). Eric Proment drew a parallel between the current management constellation and Burckhardt’s origins in Basel in 1951: «Then as now, the balance of design strength, technical expertise and entrepreneurial foresight has proven to be a successful model.»

Oliver Henninger emphasized: «Without the trust of our customers, we wouldn’t be able to tell our 20-year story in Swiss Romande.» In addition to the customers, he thanked all the other players who have contributed and continue to contribute to the success of the site: the project and planning partners, some of whom have been with us for many years; the CEO of Burckhardt, Wolfgang Hardt, and the partners; the employees who are committed to the success of the projects at a high level every day; and finally Philipp Brühlmeier, the Chairman of the Board of Directors, who was Site Manager for Swiss Romande until 2018 and whose legacy is the successful constellation that exists today.

With the Collège Rousseau, the Canton of Geneva has generously made one of Burckhardt’s current projects, which is nearing completion, available for the anniversary celebrations. Built in 1969 by Alain Ritter, it is a modern monument of impressive quality, which Burckhardt was allowed to renovate and to extend in recent years after winning a competition. Nicolas Vaucher commented: «The concrete cube is organized around a central courtyard like an Italian palazzo. Its architecture seems to have originated from classical thinking but is characterized by the transparency of modernity. It is permeated by light like a gigantic lantern.» The short speeches led into a long summer evening, during which the architecture of the Collège proved itself in ever new ways: as a stage for the scenically staged courses of the menu, as a projection surface for a light installation, as an exhibition course «20 years – 20 projects», but above all as a place of encounter and exchange.