Connecting people with places through empathy

GG: Our main interest lies in exploring the emotional power of architecture. We push the boundaries of established narratives to create empathetic designs. We work with colourful materials and geometry to craft polychrome atmospheres that radiate energy. We believe architecture has the power to spark joy in daily life, offering moments of emotional recharging through engaging, distinctive environments. This ties into our academic interests: I conduct research on the impact of spatial configurations and on how people move and interact within them, while Natalia examines ‘banal’ post-war housing, highlighting its empathetic qualities and reviving its relevance in architectural discourse.

NV: I’ve recently started a PhD on Zurich’s residential developments from the 1940s and 1950s, designed in the spirit of the garden city model. What fascinates me most is the democratic roots of these ‘sweet’ pitched-roof houses. Unlike the typical modernist, top-down approach, these neighbourhoods came about through mutual agreement between urban development stakeholders and citizens—a characteristic feature of Swiss history at the time. Even though they’re often dismissed as banal today, I think these post-war neighbourhoods have qualities that are really worth preserving. My research is about uncovering the empathetic character rooted in their history and advocating for cultural appreciation as a first step toward thoughtful preservation and sensitive improvement, instead of just replacing them outright.

GG: We are also deeply interested in participatory projects that tackle the pressing urban challenges of capitalist cities. Rather than revolutionary changes and grand master plans, we aim for reformist strategies that prioritize step-by-step bottom-up approaches to unlocking spatial resources within the existing systems.

NV: For us, one of the main issues with capitalist-driven architecture is the alienation it often creates. Buildings are treated as financial instruments, designed with little input from their future users. This disconnect leads to neutral, impersonal architecture. Across our work—academic research, competitions, and participatory projects—we aim to bridge the gap between environments and the people who inhabit them.

A global lens on Swiss architecture

GG: Everything started during a time when we felt overwhelmed with design ideas we couldn’t express. We were working in other practices or focused on academic work, and we felt a strong need to create something of our own—projects that would channel our creativity. Competitions became the quickest and easiest way to achieve this.

Our first competition was for elderly housing in Küsnacht, a town near Lake Zurich. Unexpectedly, we won a prize, which motivated us to continue. Over the following months, we participated in several other competitions while also pursuing opportunities for young architects to develop more experimental, participatory projects. One notable achievement was winning a fellowship with the LINA Community, a European platform that allowed us to develop participatory projects in countries like Austria and Serbia, where we previously had no connections. 

NV: In the meantime, we started collaborating with a few international offices, including Fala Atelier. I first came across their design approach during a workshop at Politecnico di Milano, which really left an impression on me and got us excited about working together. Over the past year, we’ve partnered on several competition entries in both Switzerland and Portugal. Working with Fala has been incredibly inspiring and has really helped us refine our interests and sharpen our architectural identity.

Thanks to this, we maintain a broader overview of architecture, combining the skills and qualities we’ve developed through Swiss competitions with other experiences and approaches gained from international projects.

GG: We are definitely an international practice, shaped by our personal backgrounds and education. Natalia and I come from very different countries, and neither of us is Swiss. We both studied in Milan and our work is centred on an international set of references which includes Memphis, James Stirling, Aldo van Eyck, and Pompeian villas. This experience definitely motivated us to explore contexts outside Switzerland where we could expand our role as architects.

A boulevard in Belgrade

GG: We developed a project on a large socialist housing complex in Belgrade that included 16-story towers arranged along a huge central strip of land, originally planned to host a cultural centre but never developed due to lack of funds during the socialist era. After the fall of socialism, the land was gradually being occupied and sold off, leading to the development of shopping malls and private housing.

We talked to local residents, who shared their frustration and felt their rights were being violated as their public space was disappearing. Many were already part of an association to protect the land from development. While they saw the space as an important community resource, authorities and developers viewed it as an underused area suitable for large-scale projects. Our role as architects was to help bridge this gap by shifting how the space was perceived. We came up with a low-budget idea to create green pathways across the land, linking it to the lively courtyards on either side of the boulevard and making it part of the neighbourhood’s green spaces. Using hand-drawn sketches, we showed how these pathways could change how people see the space, proving that a small, simple step could add value and pave the way for a future community park.

NV: Our approach was informed by our background in typological research—not just of buildings but also of open spaces. The area is a long boulevard with high-rise buildings and, in the middle, a 300-meter-wide, 1.7-kilometre stretch of empty land. We wanted to reframe this as a series of connections between the courtyards on either side of the boulevard, rather than seeing it as a single large park. These courtyards are already pleasant, shaded spaces with mature trees, almost like paradise islands. Instead of thinking of the entire strip as a huge park project, we envisioned creating multiple tiny connections between the courtyards. This small step could be the first move in reappropriating and revitalising this vast, alienating space. To illustrate this, we organised a symbolic performance with the residents, where we stood in a line, holding hands, crossing from one courtyard to the other. We used hand-drawn illustrations to show how easy it would be to completely change the perception of the space, which helped convey the simplicity of the idea.

A shared approach

NV: Hand-drawn illustrations have always been important to me. From a young age, I was interested in graphic arts and hand drawing. I believe this skill gives me a specific perspective on architecture and is essential for communicating ideas clearly and simply. The hand drawings we use today allow us to present architectural ideas in an intuitive, friendly way. This style makes complex spaces more accessible, similar to how a children’s book simplifies the world for young readers. We’ve used this technique not only for competitions but also in participatory projects, as it resonates with people. It invites them into the process and makes them feel more connected to the space.

GG: I believe that dialogue always leads to better ideas than working in isolation. We value the process of discussing projects together and finding the best way forward and when we work on larger projects, such as competition entries, we collaborate with other architecture offices, which expands our understanding and enriches the process.

NV: The learning aspect is crucial for us, especially as a young practice. We see collaboration as the best way to learn and share experiences, skills, and knowledge. This exchange helps us grow and form our identity.

GG: We don’t want to be architects who have an "aura" or claim to have all the answers.

NV:  Exactly. It’s not about the ‘divine artist’ creating mysteriously in isolation, searching for some elusive notion of ‘pure beauty’. For us, it’s about dialogue and shared experience—explaining, listening, and enjoying the design process together. We also place great value on the atmosphere of the work itself, ensuring it’s open, fair, and inclusive. This reflects our belief that architecture shouldn’t be shrouded in mystery but rooted in collaboration and care. Through this process, ideas evolve and deepen. By connecting with people and places in meaningful ways, we create spaces that truly resonate. Whether through vibrant atmospheres, empathetic designs, or thoughtful spatial configurations, our goal is to craft architecture that brings joy and infuses daily life with energy.

Where ideas converge

GG: During my studies, I gradually found myself drawn to Central Europe. I started my architecture education in Venice and later participated in an Erasmus program in Munich. My interest in Switzerland began during an internship at baukuh, an office in Milan, where I worked on a large urban project in the Geneva region. This exposure sparked a fascination with the Swiss architectural landscape, which eventually led to my decision to move here right after graduating.

NV: My journey started in Moscow, where I was studying before participating in an exchange program in Milan. There, I attended a course taught by Tom Avermaete, a professor from ETH Zurich, who was a guest lecturer in Milan. That’s also where Giulio and I first met. Switzerland was already in the background as a point of interest. After finishing my bachelor’s degree, I returned to Milan for my master’s and began collaborating with Giulio. For my thesis, I initially focused on post-war Milanese housing, studying how it developed during a period of economic growth aimed at middle-class quality of life. I noticed parallels with the construction boom in Zurich, where similar ideals were shaping the urban landscape. This led me to explore Zurich as a case study, particularly how its architecture integrates with nature—gardens, for instance, being an important element in both contexts. I found this deeply inspiring, and it shaped my decision to move to Switzerland, complete my thesis here, and eventually participate in competitions before starting our practice.