ETH Zurich is exhibiting its architectural culture holdings
From 12 to 24 May 2023, the “Holdings of ETH Zurich Architectural Culture” exhibition will be on display in the main hall of the Main Building. In the free exhibition, visitors will be able to see some of the building components and furniture of ETH Zurich that are particularly worth protecting but that had to be removed from the university buildings due to construction work in the past.
ETH Zurich is home to many significant listed buildings that were built by renowned architects and considered to be groundbreaking for their time and purpose. Despite the conservation requirements that apply, these buildings sometimes have to be adapted in order to meet changing needs and regulations. This ensures the safety of the people using the buildings. It also means that teaching and research can be continued at the highest level in the future.
Before any construction work can begin, any building components and equipment that are representative of their time and demonstrate clearly the respective era’s artisanal and cultural heritage must be removed. Suitable objects are selected, collected, recorded in the inventory and then stored in a central location. By collecting and creating inventories for such items, ETH Zurich follows the strategy of the federal government and is a role model in the field of architectural culture.
Earliest exhibits date from the 19th century
The exhibition gives visitors the opportunity to see a selection of objects from the inventory, which has only been available online until now. The exhibits come from ongoing projects – such as the renovation of the Machine Laboratory building (2018–2023) and the Main Building’s underground car park (2021–2023) – and construction projects that have long since been completed. The oldest objects in the exhibition date from the 19th century and come from the old Physics Building located on Gloriastrasse and demolished in 1977. The building’s doors now act as the starting point of the exhibition, which has been developed in the form of five examples of types of rooms that you can find in the technical university: communal areas, offices, lecture theatres, workshops/laboratories and changing rooms. The objects are accompanied by some explanatory text and photographs that show what has changed and what has remained constant in the construction and operation of the university buildings.
The exhibition presents 25 objects, including pieces of furniture
Over 700 objects online
In parallel with the exhibition, ETH Zurich has revised its website www.be-baukultur.ethz.ch. The page brings together ETH Zurich’s entire architecture inventory of building fragments, furniture, equipment for teaching and research, as well as fragments of earlier outdoor areas of ETH buildings, and connects the key information about the objects with the history of the respective building. In addition, selected urban development-related changes affecting the area immediately surrounding the building are also presented.
With the “Holdings of ETH Zurich Architectural Culture” inventory, which can be accessed online and which currently contains around 700 objects and 16 listed buildings, ETH Zurich is able to make a significant contribution to the documentation and transfer of knowledge about the architectural development of the University. “Through our work over the past few years, we have been able to secure and document hundreds of objects and provide the general public with lots of information about them. We have been able to make part of the history of our University easily accessible and understandable for everyone,” explains Dr Anastasia Paschou, who is in charge of the ETH Zurich inventory and is responsible for the exhibition.
Cooperation with the University of Zurich
As a member of the Zurich City University District (HGZZ), and owner of an equally significant building stock, the University of Zurich will in future publish its inventory of historically important buildings on the website managed by ETH Zurich. With this collaboration, both partners are able to highlight their shared commitment to architecture.
The Project Team
- Idea, design and project management: ETH Zurich, Real Estate Management Department, Anastasia Paschou
- Planning and realisation: ruggero tropeano architekten, Zurich, Nicolò Bordoni, Ruggero Tropeano, Serafina Wojciechowska-Jurek
- Visual design: Bureau Plus, St. Gallen, Nathalie Koller
- Text and layout: Diethelm & Spillmann Architekten, Zurich, Alois Diethelm, Tamara Németh
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