Oliver Lütjens and Thomas Padmanabhan founded their practice in Zurich in 2007, having previously worked together at Diener & Diener. By opting for lightweight structures, the practice breaks with the Swiss tradition of craftsmanship and robust concrete volumes. “Contemporary ecological standards make the traditional way of working unfeasible, let alone affordable,” explains Lütjens.

The firm’s portfolio consists mainly of collective and individual housing. In search of a coherent narrative, Lütjens Padmanabhan draws inspiration from the classical past. In the Waldmeisterweg housing block from 2018, light-coloured façade surfaces fold into a polygonal building. The material and colour scheme are reminiscent of “anonymous beach houses”, but on a second level, the façade takes on a delicate tectonic quality, structure and rhythm. Striking façade elements emphasise the street-side entrances and abstract the building’s function. Lütjens: “The fact that the architectural language can tell the story, regardless of the material or the complexity of the construction, was a revelation to us.”