About the practice
Architecture as a sustained act of attention.
Founded in 2010 by Isabelle Meier and Tomas Varga, Tabeen Atelier is a practice built around the conviction that every building should be the best possible version of itself — not the most innovative, not the most profitable, but the most resolved.
We believe that architecture is first and foremost a spatial art — not a technical exercise, not an investment vehicle, not a medium for self-expression. Buildings should make life better for the people who inhabit them. This belief guides every decision we make, from site strategy to door handle selection.
The studio is intentionally small. We take on twelve to sixteen projects per year. Every project is led by a founding principal from inception to completion. We do not delegate creative responsibility to junior staff, and we do not take on more work than we can do well.
We are material thinkers. Concrete, stone, timber, glass — chosen not for fashion but for longevity, tactility, and the capacity to age gracefully. We resist the trend toward novelty. A building that looks extraordinary on the day it opens but unremarkable ten years later has failed in its primary purpose.
Sustainability is not a feature. It is a precondition. Every project is designed from the outset to reduce energy demand, respond to its climate, and extend its useful life as long as possible.