Annette Stahl (b. 1946), originally from North Rhine-Westphalia, and Guido Berger (b. 1945), from the canton of Graubünden, first met while studying at FFI Basel. Stahl chose to continue her education in Basel because it allowed her to enter the programme directly in the third semester, rather than repeat the foundation course she had already completed in Zurich. Between 1969 and 1971, she studied under Richard Hersberger before joining his practice for two years. Looking back, she describes the cultural richness of the tri-border region as one of the defining influences on her development.

Berger began his career with an apprenticeship as a structural draftsperson before joining the Chur-based architecture practice Domenig und Domenig. Drawn by his growing interest in design, construction, colour and materials, he moved to Basel in 1967 to continue his studies, where he too became a student of Richard Hersberger. Between 1970 and 1971, he spent eighteen months working in Milan with Eleonore Peduzzi Riva.

In 1973, Stahl and Berger founded Berger & Stahl Architektur und Design in Basel. Their work has always been driven by a deep appreciation for Italian design and a shared commitment to working with the existing built environment rather than replacing it. Instead of focusing on new construction, they specialised in the careful transformation and adaptation of existing buildings, preserving their distinctive character while responding to contemporary ways of living. Architecture, interior architecture and product design are inseparable in their practice: many of their furniture designs emerged directly from architectural projects, where specific spatial challenges inspired new objects and solutions.

In late 1992, Annette Stahl joined the teaching staff at FFI Basel. During her tenure, the school strengthened its close ties with industry through collaborations with companies such as USM, Vitra and Driade, giving students valuable insight into professional practice. Factory visits and direct exchanges with manufacturers became an integral part of the curriculum. From 1995 to 2001, Stahl headed the Interior Architecture department.

Over the past five decades, Guido Berger and Annette Stahl have built an exceptionally diverse body of work spanning residential architecture, renovations and adaptive reuse, medical practices, retail and exhibition spaces, trade fair installations, and design consultancy. They have also collaborated with leading companies including Keramik Laufen AG, Création Baumann and Ruckstuhl AG. Their work has received numerous awards and is recognised for its thoughtful integration of architecture, interior architecture and product design.

One of their best-known designs originated in 1977, when they created a simple garden chair for Restaurant Kunsthalle Basel, producing the first pieces themselves. The design later evolved into the iconic Grün 80 Chair: a family of chairs and modular, meandering benches featuring tubular steel frames and glass-fibre-reinforced seating slats, which were subsequently manufactured by Stoll-Giroflex.

Their product design also includes the Waschmobil, the first freestanding washbasin of its kind, and XINOX, a modular range of sanitary facilities for public spaces. As with many of their early designs, the first prototypes were produced in their own workshop before moving into industrial production.

Commissioned by Keramik Laufen AG, Berger and Stahl also developed a prefabricated modular system for the first McClean hygiene centre at Bern railway station. The concept proved highly successful and was subsequently implemented at thirteen major railway stations across Europe.

Throughout their career, they have collaborated with manufacturers in Switzerland, Germany and Italy, including Ostara-Fliesen, Stoll-Giroflex, Ruckstuhl AG, Keramik Laufen AG, McClean AG, Franke, Rapsel, Ceramica Bardelli and Nito Arredamenti. Their products are characterised by durability, functional clarity and a timeless quality that has allowed many of them to remain relevant for decades.

Their longstanding collaboration is built on complementary strengths. While Annette Stahl develops the conceptual framework of a project, Guido Berger explores ideas through models, materials and construction. This close dialogue has shaped their work for more than fifty years and continues to inform new projects today.

The extensive Vorlass (collection donated during the creators’ lifetime), comprising drawings, plans, models, prototypes and personal papers, is preserved and fully catalogued in the ai-s archive. Additional documentation of Berger and Stahl’s work in architecture, interior architecture and design is available on their website: bergerundstahl.com.