Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich
Department of Architecture

Pavilion of Reflections, Manifesta 11, Zurich, 2016 [Studio Tom Emerson]

STRATEGY

Department of Architecture,
ETH Zurich

STRATEGY
Department of Architecture, ETH Zurich

Clay rotunda, SE MusicLab, Bern, 2020-2021 [Chair for Digital Fabrication]

Presented and approvedat the Departementskonferenz
on 8 December 2022
Authors: François Charbonnet, Maarten Delbeke,
Benjamin Dillenburger, Christophe Girot,
Momoyo Kaijima, Vera Kaps, Matthias Kohler,
Silke Langenberg, Rosina Maibach, Sacha Menz,
Elli Mosayebi, Nikola Nikolov, Cara Rachele,
Milica Topalović, Eva Schneuwly, Laurent Stalder
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Department of Architecture, ETH Zurich

SUMMARY
The following document describes the strategy of the Department of Architecture (D-ARCH) at ETH Zurich.

I. It positions the department inside the polytechnicalinstitution and articulates its vision and mission.
II. It affirms its core values and competences.
III. It lists the five strategic areas of action:
1. Answering the Challenges of Climate Change
2. Fostering Digital Forms of Craftsmanship3. Shaping Future Environments
4. Making the Past Productive
5. Empowering Design and Construction
IV. It sketches out the cultural development of thedepartment.
D-ARCH’s Strategy Committee drafted the document after department-wide consultations with all the student,
teaching and administrative bodies.

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Department of Architecture, ETH Zurich

Photographical survey of the Semperaula, 2020 [Chair of Construction Heritage and Preservation](© Fotos: Ralph Feiner)

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Department of Architecture, ETH ZurichI.		 INTRODUCTION
D-ARCH’s Position within
ETH Zurich
ETH Zurich is its people and architecture. Through its
people, new forms of knowledge are created, cultivated andpassed on to the next generations. In its architecture, thestability of the institution is materialised. Within the spacesof ETH Zurich, freedom of research can occur and unfold,ideas can be openly and safely debated, and sound opinions
can be formed. It is there that our relation to the environment and the way we will live together are envisioned. The
school’s polytechnic ambition is experienced daily in its buildings and inscribed in the façade of the main building, wherescience and art, engineering and humanities, all standing on
the shoulders of history, are united at the service of a multi­
lingual and culturally diverse community. ETH Zurich isspread over various buildings in and around the city, reflecting a new form of networked organisation. These buildings
and their adaptations over time give form to the institution’s
capacity to constantly pursue change while remaining true toits history and mission.
The Department of Architecture (D-ARCH) embodies thevalues of ETH Zurich. It brings together, within one faculty,
the broadest forms of polytechnical knowledge. Its diversity
allows it to play a leading role in large research projects andnational initiatives funded by the European Research Council(ERC), National Centre of Competence in Research (NCCR),
Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) and ETH Zurich
itself. In its labs, workshops, libraries, collections and exhibition spaces, the built environment is measured, analysed andrepresented with many different tools and at many different
scales. A complex body of knowledge is thus constantly produced, revised and updated, mobilised in the design studios
to create visions of the future. The organisation of D-ARCH
reflects all these ambitions. Researchers and teachers fromthe fields of architecture, urban design, landscape architecture, history and theory of architecture, heritage and preservation science, structural design, building technology andcomputation all work together and strive towards a common
goal: to design the built and natural environment holistically.
Through research and teaching, D-ARCH aims to equip its
students with the theoretical and practical tools necessary toaddress the most urgent environmental and policy issues. Its
mission is to contribute to society by pioneering design andresearch methods that respond to the challenges of an increasingly complex world.

The leading position of D-ARCH has also been acknowledged by a number of the most prestigious international
prizes granted to its members over the last two years, including the Pritzker Prize, the Wolf Prize and the Swiss
Architectural Award.

VisionTo equip and empower future architects to skilfully and critically engage with our increasingly complex natural and built
environment and to propose and design desirable and live­
able buildings, cities and landscapes for the well-being ofour planet and society.

Mission
D-ARCH is a leading research and teaching institution dedi­
cated to the advancement of architectural design at the building, urban, landscape and territorial scales. Architecturaldesign is fundamentally holistic in that it utilises a broad
epistemological and technical apparatus to give shape to cultural, ecological, environmental, social and economic needs.
And, by constitution, architectural design is concerned bothwith the analysis of the past and the making of the future at
every scale, from the local to the global.

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Department of Architecture, ETH Zurich

Renia Bode and Michel Crelier: Picadilly Circus [LUNACY – THE FOOL – DAILY CIRCLE], 2022 [Chair of Architectural Design Voluptas]

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Department of Architecture, ETH Zurich

II. CORE VALUESAND COMPETENCES
D-ARCH is an outstanding research and teaching environment. Internationally established practicing architects andleading researchers contribute to the development of thebroad range of skills necessary to the discipline, fostering
an inclusive learning and research environment that reflects
the institution’s polytechnic endeavour and public role. The
studio culture, complemented by a variety of labs, archives,
libraries and research sites, is D-ARCH’s most valuable asset. It is based on the cultural and intellectual diversity ofthe student, assistant, professorial and administrative bodies.
D-ARCH is distinctive in its academic structure. By combining multidisciplinarity and fundamental research withpractice and excellence in teaching, the department constantly pushes the frontiers of knowledge while staying true
to the core values of design.

At the Service of Society
At heart, architecture is a spatial discipline. As such, it plays
a role in today’s major societal and political challenges. Social justice and inclusion, ageing, the digital revolution andplanetary urbanisation are all spatially driven and articulated – hence the importance of caring about how our spaces
are designed, built and experienced at every scale – from theinterior to the building, the city and the landscape, up to theterritory and the planet. In addition to pioneering solutionsin the fields of construction and building systems, the department investigates novel and integrative forms of living inbuildings, settlements and landscapes. Its research examinesa wide range of issues, from planetary urbanism and smart
cities to the history of architecture in local and global contexts. Underlying all its efforts is the idea of housing as abasic human need.

Committed to Durability
D-ARCH is committed to durable architecture over the long,
medium, and short term. The longue durée of topography,
climate and historical memory presents particular challenges
to how architecture is planned and executed; the medium
term of a building’s lifespan is a function of its materials andtechnical features; the short term of the usages. Research andteaching at D-ARCH critically tackle all these temporalities
by considering buildings in their historical, constructive,
formal, technological and material complexity. The department’s vast knowledge apparatus enables tailored approaches
to preserve, improve, reuse and develop existing architecture, as well as to imagine and deliver alternative forms ofbuilding and living. Expertise in typology, morphology andtopology underpins the study of spatial and metabolic trans-

formation within the city and its territory. Competence inbuilding materials and construction science improves the life
cycle of buildings and their technical elements. An under­
standing of cultural, social and environmental phenomena
reveals the manifold relations between humans, buildings
and the natural world.

Responding to Scarcity of
Resources
D-ARCH addresses the fundamental question of the relation of buildings to their place and environment on manydifferent levels. At a technical level, it explores new materials and forms of production, including digital fabrication,
innovative concrete-construction techniques and adaptive
building systems for energy conservation and carbon reduction. In landscape architecture and urban studies, thedepartment investigates sustainable design approaches, economic and supply chain models for material shortage scenarios, and planning and construction criteria for land-scarcesettings. In so doing, the department advances resilient strategies for the built environment beyond short-sighted solu­
tions. Finally, in history and theory, D-ARCH examines howbuildings have been imagined, built, promoted, managed
and experienced in the past, also focussing on the role thatdifferent stakeholders (building materials manufacturers,
construction companies, private and public institutions, cartels, lobbies) have played in shaping the built environment
until now. It actively commits to reaching out and informing
stakeholders and society about sustainable, future-proof architecture and construction.

Mastering Fundamental Skills
Digitisation has spurred a proliferation of design, simulationand fabrication tools in architecture. This proliferation, inturn, has introduced a new set of design and construction
skills to the discipline. D-ARCH is actively involved in expanding digital literacy in architecture to survey, design,assess and fabricate the buildings of the future. But cultivating literacy is also key to D-ARCH in a much broader
sense. Literacy in drawing and writing are fundamental toconceptualising and explaining architecture and effectively
reaching out to peers, the industry and the public. Literacy
in architectural theory helps to engage with current practiceand propose alternative paths for it. Finally, literacy in design(both analogue and digital) and construction enables an understanding of society’s demands and the ability to translatethem into well-designed and well-built spaces.
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Department of Architecture, ETH Zurich

Tobias Saner und Geraldine Storb: Use of waste heat in data centers, 2019
[Chair of Architectural Design / Chair of Architecture and Building Systems]

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Department of Architecture, ETH ZurichIII. STRATEGIC AREAS OF
ACTION
Answering the Challenges of
Climate Change
D-ARCH actively addresses the ecological sustainability of thebuilt environment through innovative teaching formats anddesign studios, master’s programmes in landscape architec­
ture and integrated building systems, and in leading research
projects such as the Zurich–Singapore Future Cities Laboratory Global (FCL Global), the National Centre of Competencein Research (NCCR) Digital Fabrication, or the Swiss Competence Center in Energy Research, Future Energy-Efficient
Buildings and Districts (SCCER FEEB&D).
The challenges facing the built environment, however, areunprecedented. Buildings are among the most significant
contributors to anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions.
Buildings, cities and landscapes play a critical role in thenecessary transition of the energy system, both through theuse and the generation of renewable energy. The warming
climate is magnified through the built environment. Cities,buildings and landscapes must thus be designed to mitigate
and adapt to climate change to ensure the well-being of inhabitants and society at large. Responding to these challenges
in research and teaching is no longer optional but critical forthe transformation of the built environment and the role of
the architect.
Measures and Initiatives:• Adopt a holistic definition of sustainability (environmental, social, economic)
in design, including alternative practices and theories• Provide continuous and broad education through literacy and skill sets
regarding sustainability, energy and emissions throughout the curriculum• Implement strategies of regenerative design (i.e. low-carbon construction,
resource depletion, operational and embodied energy, lifecycle assessments)
in the studio• Consider the changing climate and the impact of buildings and cities on climatic
regulation and comfort• Actively transform design practices and the building industry towards
circularity and scalability of sustainable solutions, both locally and globally• Acknowledge the role of improving and retrofitting existing buildings,
both as an alternative to replacement schemes and as a resource and context

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Department of Architecture, ETH Zurich

Mariana Popescu: KnitCrete: Stay-in-place knitted fabric formwork for complex concrete structures, 2017 [Chair of Architecture and Structures]

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Department of Architecture, ETH Zurich

Fostering Digital Forms of
Craftsmanship
D-ARCH has pioneered digitisation in interdisciplinary environments, as evidenced by the excellent track record of the
NCCR Digital Fabrication, the Design++ Centre for Augmented Computational Design in Architecture, Engineeringand Construction and collaborations with industry. The department has also successfully disseminated its findings overthe last decade in numerous lighthouse projects (e.g. DFAB
House, HiLo), demonstrating the potential of coupling digital methods with state-of-the-art construction expertise.
To advance the digitisation process, the department will
foster digital literacy throughout the curriculum. Complementary skills in computational design, data analysis, andadvanced modelling and simulation need to be introduced
systematically in design and in research. The students will
be taught how to use these skills on both new and existingbuildings. In research, the department will spur developments in the strategic areas of interactive design, extended
reality, machine learning, sustainable digital-fabrication materials, environmental simulation and theory of the digital inarchitecture. Finally, in terms of infrastructural assistance,
the department will strategically support software platforms
that have a high impact on teaching, research and practicein the areas of design, planning and fabrication, economics,
and data organisation in preservation and historical sciences.
Measures and Initiatives:• Embrace an inclusive and creative understanding of digital processes inarchitecture• Introduce computational education throughout the curriculum and acrossevery scale• Implement digital literacy in design studio education• Support software development and maintenance relevant for architectural
education, research and practice• Intensify strategic alliances with key centres, departments and international
research institutions• Intensify qualitative alliances with industry partners

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Department of Architecture, ETH Zurich

Entanglement of the soil ecosystem, 2021 [Chair for Landscape Architecture Being Alive]

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Department of Architecture, ETH Zurich

Shaping Future Environments
D-ARCH has a long tradition of excellence in landscape architecture and urban and territorial design. It also holds astrong and proven record in analysing global urbanisation
processes, as exemplified by its recent launch of the new master’s programme in landscape architecture or its leading rolein FCL Global. However, the challenges posed by landscapeerosion and by global urbanisation – namely the severe environmental crisis caused by resource extraction, rising social
inequality, migration and population ageing – demand thatthe department steps up its efforts in these domains.
Our aim is to be an international leader in answering to theseneeds to produce the best possible living conditions for specific geographies and local conditions, whilst simultaneously addressing safety and shelter, wellness and well-being,equality and fairness. For this reason, the department will
strengthen its competence in four areas of interest to alignits research and design activities: housing; regenerative practices for territories and landscapes; urban transformation;and theory and methods, including analysis of urbanisation
processes.
Measures and Initiatives:• Develop the master’s programme in landscape architecture• Further competence in the field of landscape architecture within the whole
D-ARCH and throughout the whole curriculum• Embed the field of landscape architecture within all of ETH Zurich at theinterface between science, humanities and design• Foster collaborations with public and private stakeholders, as well as within
the ETH Domain (D-USYS, D-BAUG, D-MAVT, D-GESS, M-TEC, ISTP)
through living lab research, research-based design studios and other formats• Strengthen synergies with ETH Wohnforum – ETH CASE throughcollaborations inside and outside D-ARCH (e.g. Housing_lab)• Promote literacy in socio-environmental issues, critical urban theory andhousing across the curriculum• Foster the integration of socio-environmental issues throughout D-ARCH

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Department of Architecture, ETH ZurichLouis Vandenabeele: Longitudinal section through a point cloud of the Basilica of St Anthony in Padua, 2020
[Chair of Building Archeology and Construction History]

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Department of Architecture, ETH Zurich

Making the Past Productive
D-ARCH is a leading research centre for the history andtheory of architecture and preservation, the history of construction, and the archaeology of the built environment, asshown by its numerous international research projects andcollaborations (SNSF, Horizon 2020, ERC Starting Grant)
and its vast teaching programme (bachelor, master, masterof advanced studies and doctoral programmes). Today, these
historical and theoretical disciplines are already embeddedin the department’s research and teaching. However, the current societal and environmental challenges call for more –and more diverse – critical perspectives on the past, present
and future of the built environment. To this end, D-ARCH
will take steps to strengthen the impact of all these perspectives in the school’s curriculum. In teaching, it will foster
historical literacy and critical thinking through integrated
studios, seminars and on-site workshops. In research, it will
expand the faculty’s competence in the areas of adaptive reuse, recycling and preservation, landscape and environmental
studies, and postcolonial and feminist studies. At an infrastructural level, it will make its archives, databases and libraries fully accessible, ensure their safe and durable conservation, and promote the sharing of data and research findings.
Measures and Initiatives:• Enhance historical literacy in design and construction throughout the curriculum• Introduce theoretical and practical preservation in design education• Further the impact of postcolonial and feminist studies, and the historyof landscape and environment, in teaching and research• Develop a platform for open-access publications and archival collections• Intensify alliances with public and private partners• Clarify and strengthen the alliance with the Werner Oechslin Library
Foundation, Einsiedeln

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Department of Architecture, ETH ZurichMonte Rosa Hut, Zermatt, 2009 [Studio Monte Rosa with Bearth & Deplazes]

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Department of Architecture, ETH Zurich

Empowering Design andConstruction
D-ARCH is internationally recognised for its competence
in architectural design and construction. This competence
is based both on knowledge of the discipline’s vast history
and mastery of new design and technological solutions. Allof this comes together in ETH Zurich’s design studios, theschool’s collaborative showcase projects (Monte Rosa-Hütte,Manifesta Pavilion, Arch_Tec_Lab, Vacancy-House, Semiramis, etc.), and in the prolific professional and internationallyrecognised work of the ETH Zurich design faculty. However, current climate and social challenges also demand thefostering of specific knowledge of materials, structures andbuilding processes within and through design. Accordingly,
D-ARCH aims to boost its research on resource extraction
and building materials; materials life cycles and cradle-tocradle management strategies; new building methods instructural design and building services; alternative ways ofbuilding; and the history, technology and digitisation of thebuilding process. As for teaching, D-ARCH will integrate
construction throughout the curriculum. These measures all
aim to guarantee the holistic design culture of the department at the highest level.
Measures and Initiatives:• Further construction literacy in the school and improve its teaching andapplication in the design studios throughout the curriculum• Foster knowledge transfer from architectural practice into teaching
and research (D-ARCH’s ‘architects in practice’ model)• Strengthen and integrate construction literacy during the first two yearsof the bachelor’s programme• Strengthen collaboration with industrial partners and institutes within
the ETH Domain (e.g. Empa, D-BAUG)• Advance knowledge of how construction materials can counter resource
scarcity, rising carbon emissions, material obsolescence and the shortlife cycles of current buildings

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Department of Architecture, ETH Zurich

Exercise in free and perspectival drawing, 2022 [Chair of Art and Architecture]

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Department of Architecture, ETH Zurich

IV. CULTURAL
DEVELOPMENT
Governance and Diversity

Communication and
D-ARCH is a diverse institution made up of many different Transparency
individuals involved in a broad range of disciplines and me­
thods in architecture for the benefit of the Swiss and international communities. To continue operating at the highest
levels in the discipline and spearheading innovation in architectural research and teaching, D-ARCH must improvediversity, equity and inclusion within its community. Overthe next years, the department will achieve this in several
ways: by diversifying its faculty through targeted hires, revising its curriculum and strengthening its spatial identity.
The school will build on existing grassroots and community
initiatives within the department to develop concrete policychanges to support the diversification of students, staff andfaculty. D-ARCH commits to being a safe environment by
ensuring the mental and physical well-being of the whole
departmental community. Reforming the governance of
D-ARCH will contribute to this effort since it will improve
hierarchical relations, processes, decision protocols andcommunication to foster more diversity, equity and inclusivity in the department.
Measures and Initiatives:• Support joint appointments• Support new teaching methods,
models and spaces• Incentivise more courses tacklingissues of global and cultural identities• Improve career paths for scientificstaff (Mittelbau)• Promote grassroots initiatives• Improve the spatial quality, identity
and unity of the department(i.e. campus Hönggerberg and ONA
building Zurich-Oerlikon, design
studios, archives, etc.)• Align strategic, educational,
administrative and spatial needs withexisting resources

D-ARCH is built on mutual trust between its members andinstitutes, which in turn is based on common values, aware­ness and respect. Although the department has supported
a series of initiatives to improve its internal functioning in
the last year (Engage Report, Mental Health Report, Mittelbau Forum, etc.), internal and external communication has
not always been up to the task. The department, therefore,
pledges to improve its communication via a transparent (i.e.
easily accessible) and clear (i.e. simple and visual) illustra­tion of the department’s structures, processes, protocols
and activities.
Measures and Initiatives:• Create an onboarding system forstudents, assistants and professors• Create an accessible website thatwill be constantly updated• Create a yearly event dedicated to
improving communication within
the department• Publish the department’s organisational structures and communication
protocols• Create several clearly identifiable
points of contact within thedepartment (e.g. a mental healthsupport unit)• Establish a system whereby grading
criteria are communicated early instudios and exam reviewing becomesthe norm

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Department of Architecture, ETH Zurich

Timo Bauer, Michel Crelier, Joel Fischer, Hannah Kunzelmann, Francesco Pizzillo: Archipelago, 2021
[Informal Learning Spaces Studio, Innovedum Project]ETH ZurichCampus Hönggerberg
Department of Architecture
Stefano-Franscini-Platz 58093 Zurich