Herzog & de Meuron

Herzog & de Meuron, architectural practice established by Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron, based in Basel, Switzerland. The founding partners are regarded as being among the leading international architects of the late 20th and early 21st centuries.

Both men were born in Basel in 1950, and attended the same schools, graduating from the Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule (ETH; Federal Institute of Technology), Zurich, in 1975. In 1978 they founded their own firm, Herzog & de Meuron.

Their work has encompassed buildings for a wide range of purposes, from residences, apartment buildings, libraries, and schools, to sports complexes, museums, hotels, offices, and factory buildings. Projects designed by the firm include the Kempinski Residence, Dresden (1989); Casa Rudin, Leymen, France (1997); Dominus Winery, Yountville, California (1998); Institute for Hospital Pharmaceuticals, Basel (1998); Ricola Marketing Building, Laufen, Switzerland (1998); Köppersmöhle Museum, Duisburg, Germany (1999); Dornacherplatz apartment and commercial building, Solothurn, Switzerland (2000); Herrnstrasse apartment and commercial building, Munich, Germany (2000); Roche Pharma Research Institute, Basel (2000); Rue des Suisses apartment buildings, Paris (2000); and the Walker Art Centre expansion, Minneapolis (2005).

In 2001 the pair was jointly awarded the Pritzker Prize, the citation commenting that their architecture “combines the artistry of an age-old profession with the fresh approach of a new century’s technical capabilities”. In praise of their skills, Jorge Silvetti, one of the jurors, stated that “all of their work maintains throughout, the stable qualities that have always been associated with the best Swiss architecture: conceptual precision, formal clarity, economy of means, and pristine detailing and craftsmanship”. Of their completed projects particular note was given to their work on the Ricola Factory addition, Laufen, Switzerland (1991); the railway utility building in Basel known as Signal Box (1994); the Technical School Library, Eberswalde, Germany (1999); and the Tate Modern gallery (2000), a much lauded project involving the conversion of a disused power station, in London. Two years after the Pritzker Prize win, another of their London projects, the Laban contemporary dance centre was the winner of the annual Stirling Prize.

Herzog and de Meuron’s earlier collaborations resulted in relatively severe, box-shaped buildings, but more recent projects such as the Prada building, Tokyo (2003), the Forum Building, Barcelona (2004), and the planned 2008 Olympics stadium in Beijing, indicate a change in direction and softening of design ideas. They frequently collaborate with artists and Joseph Beuys has been cited as an enduring artistic inspiration. Rather like Beuys, who was particularly fascinated by the use of felt, the architects are constantly looking for new, unconventional applications of familiar materials.

The two men have been much sought after in academia as well. In 1983 Herzog took up the post of guest professor at Cornell University and in 1989 both architects became guest professors at Harvard. Similar roles followed at Tulane University, New Orleans, and back in Zurich at the ETH. See also: Modern Art and Architecture.