A significant collection of Swiss architectural production has been growing quietly and unobtrusively since 1999 – in the form of the series ‘De aedibus’ by the publisher Heinz Wirz. The collection of small yet dignified booklets with the rust-red cover, which meanwhile contains more than 20 volumes, documents contemporary architectural teams and their buildings.
Stefan Mayerhofer. In: Baumeister B1, Munich 2007
Over a period of seven years, the Quart Verlag in Lucerne has with its new book programme established an autonomous position within the flood of architectural publications. Unpretentious in appearance, the books provide a differentiated and up-to-date insight into the Swiss architectural scene thanks to their clear presentation, informative selection of images and factual texts.
Regula Haffner: In: Werk, Bauen + Wohnen, P. 79, Zürich 10/2006
Since 1999, Heinz Wirz, architect and founder of the Quart Verlag für Architektur und Kunst (Quart publishers for architecture and art), has pursued an ambitious programme: the presentation of the constructed environment and its theoretical background in booklets and small books with an attractive, high quality design. …Things will never be easy for a small publishing house, but a good publishing house is able to establish itself step by step – Quart at any rate should be a well-known term for every architect.
Rainer Schützeichel. In: Der Architekt 7-8, P. 23, Bonn, November–December 2006
It is time to show our appreciation for an extremely ambitious series by a publishing house, which, well removed from fashionable or even attention-seeking trends, is notably dedicated primarily to the works of the younger generation. Yet it is not only the astonishing continuity of such a programme or the invariably beautiful, even exquisite design of the books that deserves praise – it is above all the content, the opportunity to become familiar with a wide range of qualitative designs that have received little attention to date. …Entitled “De aedibus,” the book series frequently expands one’s horizons. This also applies to the recently published volumes nine and ten, which are once again full of new discoveries: who would know, for example, about “Werkstücke/Workpieces,“ by Marco Graber and Thomas Pulver, unless they happen to live in Switzerland or are regular readers of the federal specialist press?
Stefan Teufel: Werkstücke in Reihe. In: [Umrisse], Zeitschrift für Baukultur, Issue 6, Wiesbaden 2005
With the eleventh volume of the book series “De aedibus,” the Quart Verlag in Lucerne has succeeded in creating a concise yet very visual portrait, which also convinces with its careful design. In a short essay, the prominent architect and theorist Vittorio Magnago Lampugnani himself expresses his opinion.
Dorothea Leicht: Vittorio Magnago Lampugnani. Stadtarchitekturen/Urban Architecture. In www.regioartline.org, 24.09.2006