Schwoll: Our projects have become larger and more complex. When we started out, our focus was in retail. Today we’re building upscale offices and restaurants and revitalizing whole building units—which also shows how much we have diversified.

Sigg:Although Schwitzke Project hasn’t changed at its core. What we’re about is construction in existing buildings. Our retail background remains an essential part of our DNA. I’d even say it’s our competitive advantage.

Schwoll: Retail is a tough business. It demands extremely tight scheduling and enormous flexibility. That shapes you. Reaction speed, the ability to improvise, thinking in terms of solutions, and managing complexities well—these skills are absolutely necessary in an office project or building restoration, too.

Sigg: Call it agility, paired with a hands-on mindset.

Schwoll: I think they will be surprised at the way we hold discussions. We’re open, curious, we want to know where the pain points of a project are, and we definitely dig deeper to get a clearer picture of the job. Right from the start, that generates an atmosphere of transparency and a focus on solutions.

Sigg: That’s very true. We see our client as a partner and take the attitude that we’re sitting next to them at the table—not across from them. We are a part of their team and we maintain a close exchange of ideas and information with them through every stage of the project.

Schwoll: That creates a relationship of trust, which is central for us. The client notices that we aren’t pushing just to get the contract signed. We want to do a good job and be able to look each other in the eye—at the beginning, but even more so, at the end of the project.

Schwoll: First, trade the word “dilemma” for “challenge.” “Dilemma” suggests that there’s a conflict at hand that’s impossible to resolve. We don’t think that way at Schwitzke Project. We’re about making things possible. “Don’t tell me what can’t be done, tell me what can be done”—that’s one of our golden rules.

Sigg: Ultimately, for every time and cost situation, there’s an appropriate qualitative solution. Here, too, what counts is what we were just talking about with respect to partnership: dealing with each other openly and honestly also means clearly stating consequences. But always on the condition of pointing out a practicable path forward.

Schwoll: There are varying parameters, of course. A high-end project naturally has different preconditions than one with tightly set budgets. Our expertise takes in both ends of this spectrum. And why shouldn’t a cost-driven project benefit from our experience in the premium segment?

Schwoll: Not at all. We always adapt 100% to our client—to their working methods, their structure, their reporting system. We can’t get away with thinking in terms of templates. To begin with, because we’re always dealing with existing buildings, and the physical conditions are always different.

Sigg: Our routine is, at most, to continually adapt to each new project. To boil it down to its essence: our passion for the next new, even bigger challenge is exactly what has made us what we are today.

Schwoll: Only where there are physical limits. If a material takes five days to dry, we can’t just make it happen in two. For everything else, we work to find a solution—through specialized manpower, machines, creativity, commitment, and passion.

Sigg: The more than 150 projects that we move forward every year. And the many clients that come to us not just once, but again and again, because our performance for them has won them over. But I’m also proud of the fact that we’ve grown solidly and steadily over time.

Schwoll: And that we’ve remained true to ourselves. From four colleagues at the beginning, we’ve grown to almost one hundred, yet our spirit has never changed. We practice a culture of open doors and mutual exchange. Every employee can come to us—with whatever is on their mind, or simply with a new idea. After all, we, too, learn new things every day.

Sigg: That’s right. The project “Schwitzke Project” is never finished.

Sigg: Sustainable building will no doubt become more and more important. As a member of the German Sustainable Building Council, we see ourselves as one of the firms driving this development. The digitalization of existing buildings through new data lines will continue to pick up speed. “Smart technologies” is the catchphrase here.

Schwoll: In the competition for skilled personnel, companies are increasingly investing in modern offices, so the topic of “office refreshment” is sure to keep us busy going forward. And looking at our current client inquiries, at least for us there’s a trend toward revitalization and the structural renovation.

Sigg: We aren’t going to be bored anytime soon.

Schwoll: Have we ever been?