Barbara Buser
Baubüro in situ was founded in 1998 by Barbara Buser and Eric Honegger, beginning with the transformation of the former headquarters of the Swiss Peoples Bank in Basel into a vibrant city lounge.
Next, they founded Kantensprung AG to take over the closing machine factory Sulzer Burckhardt in Basel, a 12,000 m² site they transformed into “Gundeldinger Feld,” a neighborhood center. The existing factory buildings now house a kindergarten, family center, offices, bar, restaurant, indoor climbing, hostel, workshops, and a brewery. Based on a 90-year leasehold, Buser & Honegger, as owners, have the authority to guide the project toward sustainability.
With their “Lagerplatz” project in Winterthur, they convinced a pension fund to prioritize maximum social, ecological, and economic sustainability. After ten years of developing the area, they built the light house project K.118, a six-storey house made with 70% reused materials, emitting 60% less CO₂ than a new construction.
K.118 marked a turning point for Insitu, elevating the studio from pioneer to key actor in sustainable architecture. Buser & Honegger received the Meret Oppenheim Prize in 2020, the highest distinction for Swiss architects, and Insitu was awarded the HOLCIM Global Gold Award for sustainability in 2021.
Insitu’s mantra is “Never demolish houses: transform, adapt, modulate and circulate the materials!”
Today, Insitu employs around 60 people, with offices in Basel, Zürich, and Lausanne.
