APPROACH
Our studio focuses on a fundamental unit of the built environment: the home.
Whether an apartment, a row house or a freestanding villa, we approach the home as a place for being as much as a place for doing. This is what distinguishes residential architecture from other project types. A well-designed home should support everyday life, adapt to change and contribute to a lasting sense of well-being.
Every project begins with questions: How do we want to live? How can people live together while also allowing privacy and solitude? How can spaces respond to changing family structures or living arrangements? How can a home consume less energy, enhance our connection to the outdoors and provide greater comfort through lighting, acoustics and sun control? And for all of that, how can we build most affordably?
DESIGN, BUILD, REUSE
In the search for more affordable and sustainable ways of building, the use of existing structures is one of the most effective means of conserving resources and reducing greenhouse-gas emissions. While individual building components can be repaired or replaced according to their respective life cycles, renovation for improved performance of whole structures represents the most far-reaching form of reuse.
Renovation requires a careful understanding of what is already there. We uncover spatial and structural potentials, while addressing energy-law requirements, construction constraints, historical contexts and the evolving needs of the people who live there. Budget forecasting and planning are also an essential part of our design process.
TEAM
Tiffany Melançon
Dipl. Architektin M.Arch, SIA.
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Tiffany has lived and worked in the Basel area since 2003. Before partnering with Paige Mader, she led her own practice, Melançon & Co., having previously worked with Flubacher–Nyfeler + Partner and Herzog & de Meuron in Basel. Her experience includes leading design and construction for residential, commercial, hospitality, and corporate spaces. Tiffany has been a frequent organizer of architectural education initiatives in Switzerland, including the inaugural Architecture During Art Symposium (Laufen Forum 2014), the Innovators and Maintainers Conference for the AIA Committee on Design (2019), and from 2014 to 2025, the Tulane University School of Architecture and Built Environment Swiss Travel Study Program. Tiffany has served on the boards of AIA International, AIA Europe (President 2017), the Swiss Society of Engineers and Architects Frau + Net, and Tulane School of Architecture Dean’s Advisory Committee.
Paige Mader
Dipl. Architektin M.Arch.
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Paige has over fifteen years of experience in Switzerland and abroad working on a range of commercial and residential projects. She holds a Master of Architecture from Columbia University, an Associate of Applied Science in Interior Design from Parsons School of Design, and a Bachelor of Arts with Honors from Stanford University.
Jennifer Bruner
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Originally trained as an organizational and behavioral psychologist, Jennifer is passionate about supporting people’s well-being through interior design. Utilizing her cross-industry experience, she brings thoughtfulness and craft to building the studio’s interior design services.