Nicolas Polli studied architecture at the STS, Scuola Tecnica Superiore (Lugano, CH) and later at the Accademia di Architettura (Mendrisio CH), where he graduated in 2003 under the guidance of Arch. Prof. Peter Zumthor and Michel Desvigne.
In 2001-2002, he worked at the architectural firm of Peter Zumthor (Haldenstein, CH). From 2003 to 2006, he collaborated with Durisch+Nolli architects (Lugano, CH). Since 2006, he has been involved in assisting the design Ateliers of Arch. Prof. Quintus Miller at the Accademia di Architettura, and since 2015, he has been teaching interior architecture design at SUPSI, Scuola universitaria professionale della Svizzera italiana (Mendrisio, CH), as a professor.
In 2020, he founded pollihirakimoto  in Lugano together with Sayako Hirakimoto.