Key projects from his early career include Parc de Sauvy (1980–1986) in Geneva’s Lancy suburb, Swiss Way—a trail section along Lake Lucerne created for the Swiss Confederation’s 700th anniversary in 1991—and the Bijlmer Monument (1994–1998) in Amsterdam, developed with Herman Hertzberger. Since 2000, Descombes has focused on the renaturation of the Aire River in Geneva Canton. Completed in 2015, this major project was realized in collaboration with Atelier Descombes Rampini, led by his son Julien Descombes and Marco Rampini.