ahaa

Founded in 2012 by Andreas Heierle, ahaa quickly made a mark by winning an open competition for a school in Lausanne-Crissier the same year. Shortly afterwards the studio garnered awards and publications for two modest, conceptually prototypical residential projects in Romania.

In Switzerland, ahaa thrives on diverse competition-acquired tasks, tackling architecture across various usage areas and scales. The studio’s ethos revolves around creating distinctive places with a strong identity, always rooted in what already exists. Each project aims to identify the particular quality of a place and develop it further. Context and user-centric design are paramount in the approach.

ahaa embraces different cultural, technical, and programmatic conditions, finding creative dynamism in each while restrictions and seemingly contradictory starting points stimulate the design process. The multicultural team, drawing from a variety of life and professional experiences, shapes ahaa’s daily work. The studio strives to avoid local clichés and transient fashions. Intercultural and interdisciplinary exchange is integral, fostering diverse impulses and a wide range of solution approaches.