Kaschka Knapkiewicz and Axel Fickert have gained great recognition since establishing their studio in 1992. Their housing projects especially have set new standards and have influenced an entire generation of younger Swiss architects. Knapkiewicz & Fickert rank among the leading firms in residential architecture in Switzerland. With twenty years of experience, they search for models and inspiration in the history of architecture and urban planning. They do not hesitate to ignore taboos and break rules to create emotionally attractive living spaces. A considerate and lavish use of materials, luxurious and austere, is a trademark of their work. 'Knapkiewicz & Fickert. Housing' is the first comprehensive book on their work in this field. Documented are twenty built and unrealised projects of two decades. Each is described in a short text and richly illustrated with photographs, renderings, drawings and plans. An introductory interview with the two architects on their work and ideas completes the book. Text in English & German.
Axel Simon, born 1966, studied architecture in Dusseldorf and Berlin and also read history and theory of architecture at the Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETH Zurich). He has been working as an architectural critic for various Swiss newspapers and architectural magazines since 2000, and has been an editor with 'Hochparterre' magazine in Zurich since 2010 Kaschka Knapkiewicz, born 1950, graduated in architecture from the Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETH Zurich). After working for various architectural firms (including Pentagram, Douglas Stephen & Partners, and Zaha Hadid in London) she established her own studio in Zurich together with Axel Fickert in 1992. She has taught as a visiting lecturer at the Ecole Polytechique Federal de Lausanne (EPFL) 2002-03 and is now teaching at the Zurich University of Applied Sciences's school of architecture, design and civil engineering. Axel Fickert, born 1952, graduated in architecture from Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETH Zurich). He has been working for various Swiss architectural firms 1979-92, before founding his own office with Kaschka Knapkiewicz in Zurich 1992. He is also teaching at the Zurich University of Applied Sciences's school of architecture, design and civil engineering.
