ETH Zurich Faculty of Architecture

Historical Timeline of Architectural Education at ETH Zurich

1854 Parliamentary resolution establishing a federal polytechnic school in Zurich, on the basis of the 1848 constitution

15 October 1855 Opening of the ‘Swiss Federal Polytechnic School’ with six divisions, including the Engineering School and – although not originally envisaged – the ‘Building School’

With the appointment of Gottfried Semper, not only a successful architect of monumental buildings but also an established theorist and teacher becomes the first professor and director of the Building School. His educational model of the atelier libre, oriented on the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris, conflicts with the polytechnic school’s profile, which is chiefly practical and technically oriented. The pupils work in the drafting room on practical assignments, compete in rivalries and contribute to Sempers’s own projects. Semper succeeds in changing the title of the degree from ‘master builder’ to ‘architect’, but he nonetheless fails to extend the three-year duration of studies.

1857 The second professorial chair, focused on civil engineering, is filled by Ernst Gladbach

1864 The Building School relocates to the newly built polytechnic, erected according to plans by Semper, where it occupies the ground floor of the north and west wings

1866 Maximum of 52 students (consistently below 100 until 1914)

1871 Semper’s departure. Julius Stadler and George Lasius continue to teach in his spirit, but the school is in danger of ossifying

1881 With the appointment of Friedrich Bluntschli – an esteemed architect in the tradition of Semper, albeit far more formalistic – the instruction focuses entirely on the Renaissance vocabulary

1882 The studies are extended to seven semesters

1899 The Building School is renamed as the ‘Architecture School’ and again in 1924 as the ‘Architecture Division’

1900 Gustav Gull, Zurich’s municipal architect, is appointed as professor. Reform architecture arrives, and the differentiation between monumental and civil architecture becomes obsolete. Gull introduces the discipline of ‘urban design’ into the curriculum.

1904 The diploma thesis is separated from the seven semesters of the study programme

1911 The polytechnic is renamed as the ‘Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich’

1914 With Bluntschli’s retirement, instruction in the classical vocabulary is largely curtailed, finally ending in 1925 with the appointment of Friedrich Hess as the successor to Lasius.

1915 Karl Moser is appointed as professor Gull and Moser increasingly advocate two conflicting architectural views; Gull is considered regressive and Moser, by contrast, is seen as progressive – and as one of the forefathers of modern architecture.

1917 By reorganising the subjects of structural mechanics, structural analysis and engineering design, the division of responsibilities between engineers and architects we commonly know today is firmly established.

1929 After Moser’s retirement (1928) as well as Gull’s restructuring and the reformation of the architecture division by his successors, Otto Rudolf Salvisberg and William Dunkel: To avoid the coexistence of competing architectural ideas, the instruction is divided into a succession of two-semester courses, each of which is overseen by a single professor and which comprise tasks that are progressively more complex. The curriculum is given a stronger design orientation, with structural analysis and building construction are closely aligned.

1931 Work experience is anchored in the curriculum by implementing a mandatory six-month internship (one year since 1945)

1941 Hans Hofmann follows O. R. Salvisberg.

1959 Over 400 students enrolled. William Dunkel retires. The teaching is reorganised: The foundation course developed substantially by Bernhard Hoesli conveys the principles of modern architecture in a systematic way, thus making it is possible to simultaneously permit differing tendencies and understandings of (modern) architecture in the upper-level courses. The teaching staff is expanded, and now includes visiting professors like Georges Candilis, Ralph Erskine, Jørn Utzon and Aldo Rossi (1972–1974), whose design methodologies have been influential until very recently.

1960 The duration of study is extended to eight semesters (plus diploma thesis)

The architecture division develops an increasingly more scientific orientation New subjects, such as sociology (1962, Lucius Burckhardt), are introduced The teaching principles for architectural design are systematised by Hoesli (the teaching principles for construction are later systematised by Heinz Ronner and those for design by Peter Jenny) Research institutes established: – Institute for Local, Regional and National Planning ORL (1961; reorganised in 2002 as the Network City and Landscape NSL) – Institute for the History and Theory of Architecture gta (1967) – Institute for Building Research HBF (1969; abolished 1985) – Institute for Building Technology HBT (1972; since 2009: Institute of Technology in Architecture ITA) – Institute of Historic Building Research ID (1972; now: Institute of Historic Building Research and Conservation IDB)

1968 Additional space is taken up in the so-called Globus Provisorium at the Bahnhofbrücke Zürich

1972 A two-year rotation cycle is established for the dean

Mid-1970s Over 1000 students enrolled

1976 Under great protest, the architecture division relocates to the ETH annex on the Hönggerberg campus

1980s In light of the pluralism of international architecture and through ETH’s own research, the supposedly clear profile of the school, based on modernism, is increasingly called into question. The stringent didactic concept of the foundation course at the beginning of the programme is fragmented.

The school, called the Department of Architecture since 1999, gains more autonomy. In accordance with the ETH’s policies focused on international excellence, research takes on greater significance. This is reflected in the numerous publications issued by the chairs and institutes and in a significant increase in the number of doctorates.

2007 Introduction of a six-semester bachelor programme and a four-semester master programme in compliance with standards defined by the Bologna Process

Current lecturers

Marc Angélil, Professor, Chair of Architecture and Design

Philippe Block, Assistant Professor of Building Structure

Alfredo Brillembourg, Professor, Chair of Architecture and Urban Design

Gion A. Caminada, Professor, Chair of Architecture and Design

Jan Carmeliet, Professor, Chair of Building Physics

Adam Caruso, Professor, Chair of Architecture and Technology

François Charbonnet, Visiting Professor of Architectural Design

Emanuel Christ, Assistant Professor of Architecture and Design

Kees Christiaanse, Professor, Chair of Architecture and Urban Design

Andrea Deplazes, Professor, Chair of Architecture and Technology

Roger Diener, Professor, Chair of Architecture and Design

Dietmar Eberle, Professor, Chair of Architecture and Design

Tom Emerson, Professor, Chair of Architecture and Construction

Christoph Gantenbein, Assistant Professor of Architecture and Design

Annette Gigon, Professor, Chair of Architecture and Construction

Christophe Girot, Professor, Chair of Landscape Architecture

Fabio Gramazio, Professor, Chair of Architecture and Digital Fabrication

Mike Guyer, Professor, Chair of Architecture and Construction

Uta Hassler, Professor, Chair of Historic Building Research and Conservation

Dirk Hebel, Assistant Professorship of Architecture and Urban Design

Mathias Heinz, Visiting Professor of Architectural Design

Patrick Heiz, Visiting Professor of Architectural Design

Jacques Herzog, Professor, Chair of Architecture and Design

Ludger Hovestadt, Professor, Chair of Computer-Aided Architectural Design

Christian Kerez, Professor, Chair of Architecture and Design

Hubert Klumpner, Professor, Chair of Architecture and Urban Design

Matthias Kohler, Professor, Chair of Architecture and Digital Fabrication

Alexander Lehnerer, Assistant Professorship of Architecture and Urban Design

Hansjürg Leibundgut, Professor, Chair of Building Systems

Winy Maas, Visiting Professor of Architectural Design

Peter Märkli, Professor, Chair of Architecture and Technology

Vittorio Magnago Lampugnani, Professor, Chair of the History of Urban Design

Josep Lluis Mateo, Professor, Chair of Architecture and Design

Beat Mathys, Visiting Professor of Architectural Design

Marcel Meili, Professor, Chair of Architecture and Design

Sacha Menz, Professor, Chair of Architecture and Building Process

Pierre de Meuron, Professor, Chair of Architecture and Design

Ákos Moravánszky, Honorary Professor of Theory of Architecture

Markus Peter, Professor, Chair of Architecture and Technology

Karin Sander, Professor, Chair of Architecture and Art

Wolfgang Schett, Professor, Chair of Architecture and Design

Arno Schlüter, Assistant Professor of Architecture and Sustainable Building Technologies

Christian Schmid, Honorary Professor of Sociology

Gerhard Schmitt, Professor, Chair of Information Architecture

Joseph Schwartz, Professor, Chair of Structural Design

Miroslav Šik, Professor, Chair of Architecture and Design

Annette Spiro, Professor, Chair of Architecture and Technology

Laurent Stalder, Professor of Theory of Architecture

Ursula Stücheli, Visiting Professor of Architectural Design

Andreas Tönnesmann, Professor, Chair of the History of Art and Architecture

Milica Topalovic, Assistant Professorship of Architecture and Territorial Planning

Philip Ursprung, Professor, Chair of the History of Art and Architecture

Günther Vogt, Professor, Chair of Landscape Architecture

Notable former lecturers

Gottfried Semper, German architect (Professor at the ETH and Founder of the ETH)

Aldo Rossi, Italian architect, (Professor at the ETH) Pritzker Prize

Jørn Utzon, Danish architect, (Guest Professor at the ETH) Pritzker Prize

Kazuyo Sejima, Japanese architect, (Design Studio at ETH) SANAA Pritzker Prize

Eduardo Souto de Moura, Portuguese architect, (Guest Professor at the ETH) Pritzker Prize

Peter Eisenman, American architect, (Design Studio at ETH)

Frank Gehry, American architect, (Design Studio at ETH), Pritzker Prize

Dominique Perrault, French architect, (Design Studio at ETH)

Daniel Libeskind, American architect, (Design Studio at ETH)

Jacob Burckhardt, Swiss historian of art and culture (Professor at the ETH)

Paul Feyerabend, Austrian philosopher of science (Professor at the ETH)

Christian Menn, Swiss bridge designer (Professor at the ETH)

Valerio Olgiati, Swiss architect, (Design Studio at ETH)

Greg Lynn, American architect, (Design Studio at ETH)

Giorgio Grassi, Italian architect, (Design Studio at ETH)

Elia Zenghelis, Greek architect, (Design Studio at ETH)

Hani Rashid, American architect Asymptote, (Design Studio)

Hans Kollhoff, German architect, (Professor at the ETH)

Philippe Rahm, Swiss architect, (Design Studio at ETH)

Dieter Kienast, Swiss landscape architect, (Professor at the ETH)

Tony Fretton, British architect, (Design Studio at ETH)

Distinguished graduates

Hendrik Petrus Berlage, architect (Student at the ETH)

Aldo van Eyck (Student at the ETH)

Santiago Calatrava, architect (Student at the ETH)

Max Frisch, architect (Student at the ETH)

Jacques Herzog (Student and Professor at the ETH, Pritzker Prize in 2001)

Pierre de Meuron (Student and Professor at the ETH, Pritzker Prize in 2001)

Aldo Rossi, architect (Professor at the ETH, Pritzker Prize in 1990)

Bernard Tschumi, architect (Student at the ETH)

Peter Märkli (Student and Professor at the ETH)

Justus Dahinden (Student at the ETH)

Konstantin Jovanović (Student at the ETH)

Piet Eckert, architect (Student at the ETH)

Wim Eckert, architect (Student at the ETH)

Schak Bull, Norwegian architect (Student at the ETH)

John Engh, Norwegian architect (Student at the ETH)

Othmar Ammann, Swiss-American structural engineer (Student at the ETH)

Karl Moser (Student at the ETH)

Miroslav Šik (Student and Professor at the ETH)

Hans Benno Bernoulli (Student at the ETH)

Bernhard Hoesli (Student and Professor at the ETH)

William Lescaze (Student at the ETH)

Christian Kerez (Student and Professor at the ETH)

Marc Angelil (Student and Professor of the ETH)

Werner M. Moser (Student and Professor of the ETH)

Hans Auer (Student at the ETH)

Alfred Friedrich Bluntschli (Student at the ETH)

Livio Vacchini (Student and Professor at the ETH)

Roger Diener, Diener & Diener (Student and Professor at the ETH)

Mike Guyer, Gigon/Guyer (Student and Professor of the ETH)

Annette Gigon, Gigon/Guyer (Student and Professor of the ETH)

Luigi Snozzi, Swiss architect (Student at the ETH)

Institutes

ITA - Institute of Technology in Architecture

gta - Institute for the History and Theory of Architecture

NSL - Network City and Landscape

ILA – Institute for Landscape Architecture

ISB – Institute for Urban Design

Contemporary City Institute - Studio Basel

IDB - Institute of Historic Building Research and Conservation

FCL - Future Cities Laboratory

Degrees

The D-ARCH (Departement of Architecture), offers the following degrees:

Bachelor of Science ETH in Architecture (BSc ETH Arch.)

Master of Science ETH in Architecture (MSc ETH Arch.)

Doctor of Sciences (Dr. sc. ETH Zürich)

Master of Advanced Studies ETH in Landscape Architecture (MAS ETH LA)

Master of Advanced Studies ETH in Urban Design (MAS ETH UD)

Master of Advanced Studies ETH in Competence and Responsibility - Building Process (MAS ETH CRBP)

Master of Advanced Studies ETH in Architecture:

with specialisation in Computer Aided Architectural Design (MAS ETH ARCH/CAAD)

with specialisation in City Building Typology (MAS ETH ARCH/CBT)

with specialisation in Conservation Sciences (MAS ETH ARCH/CS)

with specialisation in History and Theory of Architecture (MAS ETH ARCH/HTA)

with specialisation in Sustainable Management of Man-made Resources (MAS ETH ARCH/SUMA)

with specialisation in Tectonical Construction Systematics (MAS ETH ARCH/TCS)

with specialisation in Housing (MAS ETH ARCH/Housing)