Swiss Window Journeys: Window Walk

To launch the publication of “Swiss Window Journeys”, we cordially invite you on a walking tour of notable windows in the city centre of Zurich.

Friday, April 12, 2024, 5.30 p.m. – Meeting point: Hallenbad City, Sihlstrasse 71, 8001 Zurich, ca. 2 km, rain or shine

Followed by an Apéro and discussion with Andrea Deplazes and Laurent Stalder, 7 p.m., at the bookshop Never Stop Reading, Spiegelgasse 18, 8001 Zurich

Please find more information in the poster.

Swiss Window Journeys: Architectural Field Notes edited by the Chair of Architectural Behaviorology, ETH Zurich, Momoyo Kaijima, Simona Ferrari, Lena Stamm, Joel Zimmerli. Designed by Simone Farner, Naima Schalcher

© 2023, gta Verlag, ETH Zurich ISBN 978-3-85676-458-6

Book abstract: A window is a mediating device between our body and the environment: by simply opening or closing it, we can regulate air, light, and sight. Both climatic and cultural conditions, alongside technological developments, shape the architecture of windows. Switzerland’s diverse climate, which results from the Alps’ particular geomorphology and its geographical location at the crossroads of European cultures, has generated a wide variety of window forms.

The collection of windows gathered from field research takes the reader on a tour of the diverse practices of living and working in the country. Full-page hand drawings portray each window as a part of a complex network of elements and a site of knowledge. Short texts offer insight into various historical, technological, and socio-economic conditions of each spatial configuration. Conversations with Swiss architects reveal challenges of window design in contemporary building processes. The book unveils the role of the window as a tool for resourceful living practice and suggests ecological perspectives for its architectural design.

Apr. 02, 2024