Est. 2014 — Zürich / Tokyo / São Paulo
Space, considered.
Architecture & interior design studio.
We build environments that hold meaning over time.
Selected Works
Disciplines
Architecture
New builds, extensions, adaptive reuse. We work from concept through construction administration — every material choice deliberate, every section justified.
Interior Design
Spatial sequencing, material specification, bespoke joinery. We design rooms as choreographed experiences — light, proportion, and silence as primary tools.
Landscape
Site ecology, water features, terracing, planting plans that age well. We treat the ground plane as architecture — shaped, graded, and considered as the built mass above it.
Heritage & Adaptive Reuse
Listed buildings, industrial conversions, historic town centres. We intervene with precision — knowing when to reveal, when to contrast, and when to leave well enough alone.
How We Work
Listen
Brief development & site analysis
We spend time on site, in conversation, and in silence. Understanding the place, the brief, and the client's unarticulated expectations before a single line is drawn.
Deliverables
- Site survey report
- Feasibility study
- Brief document
Propose
Concept & schematic design
Physical models, hand drawings, material boards. We test ideas at multiple scales simultaneously. Proposals are argued for, not presented as fait accompli.
Deliverables
- Concept report
- Schematic drawings
- Material palette
Detail
Technical development & specification
Every junction drawn at 1:5. Specifications written with suppliers. Planning and regulatory submissions managed. Budget reconciled against design intent with honesty.
Deliverables
- Technical drawings
- Specification package
- Regulatory submissions
Build
Construction & administration
Weekly site visits, contractor coordination, RFI management, and a formal defects period. We stay until the door handles are right, because they matter.
Deliverables
- Site administration
- Defects schedule
- As-built drawings
The Studio
"We are not interested in architecture as image. A building should earn its place on a site over decades — not just photograph well on the day it opens."
Form Atelier was founded in Zürich in 2014 by Mira Söderström and Kenji Watanabe — two architects who met at the ETH and share a conviction that restraint is not the absence of ambition, but its truest expression.
We are a studio of eleven: architects, landscape designers, material researchers, and a structural engineer embedded in the team from day one. Our office is deliberately small. We take on nine projects per year. Every project receives partner attention from brief to handover.
We work across Europe, Japan, and South America. We accept projects in other geographies selectively, where client commitment to quality of construction matches our standard of design.
47
Completed projects
11
Studio members
9
Projects per year
Recognition
Wallpaper*
"One of the most disciplined practices working in residential architecture today."
Dezeen
"Hara House shows what happens when restraint becomes a design language."
Domus
"Form Atelier's approach to heritage is neither subservient nor aggressive — it is considered."
Architectural Review
"The Nkosi Library is the year's most quietly important public building."
FX Magazine
"Volta Spa demonstrates that wellness interiors need not resort to cliché."
Frame
"A studio that understands the politics of material choice."
RIBA Award 2023
Dezeen Award — Shortlist 2023
AR Award 2024
FX Award 2022
Swiss Architectural Prize 2021
Team
Mira Söderström
Founding Principal
ETH Zürich graduate. Former practice at Zumthor & Partners. RIBA chartered. Leads all residential and cultural commissions.
Kenji Watanabe
Founding Principal
Tokyo University of the Arts. Former Tadao Ando & Associates. Leads hospitality, landscape, and Japan office. JIA member.
Adaeze Nwosu
Associate Principal
UCL Bartlett. Specialist in heritage interventions and post-occupancy evaluation. Manages São Paulo office and African commissions.
Lars Grönvall
Associate Architect
KTH Stockholm. Six years with Form Atelier. Leads technical development and contractor coordination across European projects.
Begin a Project
We accept a limited number of new commissions each year. Tell us about your project and we will respond within 5 working days.
General
hello@form-atelier.com
Zürich
+41 44 211 28 37
Tokyo
+81 3 5739 3294
São Paulo
+55 11 3948 1273