Gian Salis Architekt

Gian Salis’ first stand-alone build was the House on a Hillside in Whylen in 2013, four years after the young Swiss architect set up his independent office in Zurich. Graduating from the prestigious ETH Zürich with a Masters degree in architecture, Salis has since kept an ongoing collaboration with the school, lecturing and conducting research workshops there. Drawing inspiration from Brutalism, Brazilian Modernism, and Arte Povera, Salis aims to create homes which are sensitive to their context and draw on the vernacular architecture from the Swiss alpine area of Bergell, where his family originates. Reflecting on his firm’s promising future, Salis hopes to ‘work closely with skilled craftsmen that find joy in innovation, whilst also developing projects for clients that appreciate quality and have distinctive taste.’
www.giansalis.ch
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
Ellie Stathaki is the Architecture & Environment Director at Wallpaper*. She trained as an architect at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece and studied architectural history at the Bartlett in London. Now an established journalist, she has been a member of the Wallpaper* team since 2006, visiting buildings across the globe and interviewing leading architects such as Tadao Ando and Rem Koolhaas. Ellie has also taken part in judging panels, moderated events, curated shows and contributed in books, such as The Contemporary House (Thames & Hudson, 2018), Glenn Sestig Architecture Diary (2020) and House London (2022).
-
Japan in Milan! See the highlights of Japanese design at Milan Design Week 2025
At Milan Design Week 2025 Japanese craftsmanship was a front runner with an array of projects in the spotlight. Here are some of our highlights
By Danielle Demetriou
-
Tour the best contemporary tea houses around the world
Celebrate the world’s most unique tea houses, from Melbourne to Stockholm, with a new book by Wallpaper’s Léa Teuscher
By Léa Teuscher
-
‘Humour is foundational’: artist Ella Kruglyanskaya on painting as a ‘highly questionable’ pursuit
Ella Kruglyanskaya’s exhibition, ‘Shadows’ at Thomas Dane Gallery, is the first in a series of three this year, with openings in Basel and New York to follow
By Hannah Silver
-
A contemporary Swiss chalet combines tradition and modernity, all with a breathtaking view
A modern take on the classic chalet in Switzerland, designed by Montalba Architects, mixes local craft with classic midcentury pieces in a refined design inside and out
By Jonathan Bell
-
Herzog & de Meuron’s Children’s Hospital in Zurich is a ‘miniature city’
Herzog & de Meuron’s Children’s Hospital in Zurich aims to offer a case study in forward-thinking, contemporary architecture for healthcare
By Ellie Stathaki
-
Step inside La Tulipe, a flower-shaped brutalist beauty by Jack Vicajee Bertoli in Geneva
Sprouting from the ground, nicknamed La Tulipe, the Fondation Pour Recherches Médicales building by Jack Vicajee Bertoli is undergoing a two-phase renovation, under the guidance of Geneva architects Meier + Associé
By Jonathan Glancey
-
Christian de Portzamparc’s Dior Geneva flagship store dazzles and flows
Dior’s Geneva flagship by French architect Christian de Portzamparc has a brand new, wavy façade that references the fashion designer's original processes using curves, cuts and light
By Herbert Wright
-
An Uetikon house embraces minimalism, light, and its Swiss lake views
This Uetikon home by Pablo Pérez Palacios Arquitectos Asociados (PPAA) sets itself apart from traditional Swiss housing, with a contemporary design that connects with nature
By Tianna Williams
-
CERN Science Gateway: behind the scenes at Renzo Piano’s campus in Geneva
CERN Science Gateway by Renzo Piano Building Workshop announces opening date in Switzerland, heralding a new era for groundbreaking innovation
By Ellie Stathaki
-
Herzog & de Meuron’s SIP Main Campus weaves together nature and sculptural concrete
SIP Main Campus, a new workspace by Herzog & de Meuron, completes on the Swiss-French border
By Ellie Stathaki
-
Studio Tropicana, Switzerland and Italy: Wallpaper* Architects’ Directory 2023
Based in Switzerland and Italy, Studio Tropicana is part of the Wallpaper* Architects’ Directory 2023, our annual round-up of exciting emerging architecture studios
By Ellie Stathaki