Window Behaviorology in Switzerland
Swiss Window Journeys: Architectural Field Notes
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.
Chair of Architectural Behaviorology, ETH Zurich, Momoyo Kaijima, Simona Ferrari, Lena Stamm, and Joel Zimmerli, eds. Swiss Window Journeys: Architectural Field Notes. Zurich: gta Verlag, 2023
Simone Farner, Naima Schalcher
2023. 21 × 28.4 cm, softcover
224 pages, 531 illustrations
ISBN 978-3-85676-458-6
Text in English
Conversations with Christine Binswanger und Raúl Mera (Herzog & de Meuron), Mario Botta, Gion A. Caminada, François Charbonnet (Made in), Emanuel Christ and Christoph Gantenbein, Annette Gigon and Mike Guyer, Silke Langenberg, Peter Märkli, Elli Mosayebi and Ron Edelaar (EMI Architekt*innen)
Print edition available through gta Verlag