Interview: Guido Doppler und die Firma Burckhardt

SCH Yes, nowadays we are often reminded that Martin Burckhardt was a trailblazer and far-sighted in many ways. For example, back in the 1970s, he was already promoting the idea of greener cities. That’s just one of numerous examples or topics that are more relevant today than ever before. Martin Burckhardt was sometimes really way ahead of his time.  

GD He certainly was. And that’s why we dreaded the day when he would no longer be there, and that spark of genius would be gone.  

CI And did it disappear when he left?  

GD Yes, because his depth and foresight in terms of architecture were enormous, but the cultural and societal aspect that he contributed was also impressive. I have always wondered what we should do if ever all of this was no longer there. In the end, I was able to keep it all together by taking over the entire administrative side and bringing in structure and organization. Ultimately, though, I also realized that we don’t necessarily have to try to replace everything that was lost when he left.  

CI Apart from that, what other challenges did you have? 

GD Times were always challenging when there was uncertainty. For example, at some point I wanted to know whether it was all profitable or whether we were just spending money and working in vain. So I went straight to our financial officer, Mr. Eckert, and asked him. He couldn’t give me a proper answer, however, and no matter who I asked, no one could say exactly where we currently stood. That was stressful. Without further ado, I did a course in accounting in Brussels to learn all these things and gain an overview. After that, I focused completely on the essentials, on what was really needed, and Martin concentrated on the design side of things. I also made sure people were aware of that, or at least that they sensed that we had a plan and that we wanted to move forward together. Because it was important to me too that the profits did not just remain with the partners but were shared with all those who had helped to generate them, which included the employees. 

SCH That’s all very exciting for me, because the most pressing issues today are still exactly the same as they were back then. I always wanted to get into doing design myself, but I realized that I was needed for certain matters that you just mentioned. So I attended a management course at the Business Center in Basel because I simply didn’t know enough about this kind of thing to be able to run a company. 

But I also think you intuitively did a lot of things right, especially in terms of personnel management, or leading people in general. Because you have a big heart for people, don’t you? 

GD Yes, I do. 

CI What values would you say you created for the company? 

GD For me, it was always about people being allowed to develop their own ideas. In fact, being required to. I always tried to encourage personal responsibility and creativity, but also commitment among employees. I was successful in helping people reach their potential, apply it properly, and expand upon it when needed. 

SCH I myself always tried to get across to our team that we’re not only in the most exciting of professions, but that we also have a responsibility towards society. Because we influence the environment, we shape living space, and our work is visible and will last for decades. All of this comes hand in hand with responsibility. 

GD Responsibility towards society was always an important principle for us, especially for Martin Burckhardt. People were the focus of our work, and I wanted the team and our partners, both internal and external, to feel that too. 

CI What do the terms team spirit and partnership mean to you? 

GD They’re very important. For the company, but also for me. For example, I was a little disappointed when Edi Bürgin and Timmy Nissen told me that they were leaving the company and asked me if I would go with them. I didn’t understand their decision at all, and of course I didn’t go with them. Even though I liked them, I told them in no uncertain terms that I disapproved of their decision. I admired Martin Burckhardt on many occasions for his commitment to partnership and team spirit, and wouldn’t have wanted to hurt him by leaving the company with the others. As a result, Martin and I got closer and became friends. 

SCH Do you know why they left? 

GD Martin Burckhardt kept interfering in their work. Fortunately, not in mine, but that doesn’t mean that we didn’t often have arguments. Because we did, and I often had to bang on the table.  

SCH When I joined the team as a young architect, you told me back then that we needed to improve architecture again and develop in that respect, but also that we should look to young architects. And, after you had spent a long time focusing on business management and organization, it was important to you that the quality of architecture should not be lost when moving forward. 

CI What does architecture mean to you? 

GD Architecture is indescribable. Because it is not just the building itself which is important, but what it radiates. And it is this character that you have to design. 

CI What milestones or projects epitomize your personal time at Burckhardt? 

GD That’s not easy to answer, because there are also houses that I didn’t build, but that I scrutinized in detail on which I have given my opinion. Also, I often made sure that work was done with care and completed on time. That was always an important part and was appreciated. 

With the buildings we constructed, we also anticipated topics that are still very relevant today. For example, in terms of flexibility – we always scheduled enough time to ensure flexibility. Or in the chemistry labs, you can still see sophisticated concepts in the older buildings. They were good, and my only regret at the time was that we had to build so high, because I would always have preferred to keep it low.  

Overall, the development of the Zurich office was no doubt one of the most important projects for me. It was great fun.  

SCH You even had an ejector seat in the office in Zurich. What was that all about? 

GD Yes, I actually had one of those seats in my office. I was also a pilot and once brought it back from a plane and put it in my office, opposite my desk. In any case, rumor had it, if someone came into my office and was asked to sit down in that chair, something must have been wrong, and that’s why they were all scared. Of course, you wouldn’t actually get ejected from it, but nobody objected to a bit of fun during the everyday routine. 

CI What were the most unusual changes or developments that you experienced during your time at Burckhardt? 

GD Due to the oil crisis in the 1970s, construction in general came to a halt, so we also experienced a crisis and the work dried up. That was a terrible time. In response, I invited everyone to Bigorio in Ticino and told them that we needed to think about how we could get out of this difficult situation. 

In fact, a lot of suggestions were made, but they were all useless. At this point, I spoke up and stressed that if we wanted to carry on existing, we’d have to capture and dominate the existing market. This gave rise to the idea of the Zurich location, because Basel alone was too small for our size. Together with the construction expert from Zurich at the time, Theo Hotz, and my right-hand man Willi Sager, I seized the challenge. Without Willi, I wouldn’t have been able to do any of this. In the end, we turned a crisis into an opportunity and completed some really big projects in Zurich. I even managed, as a Basel native, to gain a foothold in Zurich, that was actually the challenge. 

SCH Burckhardt was able to build internationally, for example for Sandoz in Paris or Barcelona, but also in the USA for Ciba-Geigy or UBS. How much were you involved in this? 

GD I was very involved in the project for UBS in New York, but for other projects I was brought in later when they were already up and running. I also worked in Vienna for a while with Professor Lippert, but it wasn’t my thing and, in the end, we decided to sell the Vienna office to him. That was a good decision. 

We even wanted to survey a Greek island once, together with Paul Waldner. Ultimately, not much came of it, but it was a fantastic and above all, an extremely interesting project. We also built a hospital in Africa. And I’ve always been able to draw a lot of inspiration from Africa, both professionally and privately. But there has never really been a proper international strategy. It was more the case of building where our international partners needed us and where opportunities seemed to present themselves. 

CI What are you most proud of? 

GD I’ve always made sure that the people who work with me are well looked after and feel appreciated. It has always been important to me that staff, for example, feel that it is not just about doing a job, but that they can be a part of it and contribute, and are also allowed to take on responsibility. 

CI What could you never have dreamed of at the beginning of your working life that later became reality? 

GD As a matter of fact, everything I experienced at Burckhardt. Everything always turned out completely differently than we could have imagined. But it always turned out better, that’s the most important thing. 

CI/SCH That’s a lovely way to end our conversation. Thank you very much for talking to us, Guido.