Inventioneering Architecture - exhibition in San Francisco

In celebration of Switzerland's rich architectural heritage and the unveiling of the new de Young Museum by Swiss architects Herzog & de Meuron (Studio Basel), swissnex and the four Swiss schools of architecture present Inventioneering Architecture, an exhibition and lecture series at the California College of the Arts (CCA) in San Francisco.

Inventioneering architecture, an event initiated by swissnex, will showcase Swiss architectural teaching and contemporary Swiss architecture.

The exhibition features an interactive 131-foot platform of an imaginative cross-section of the Swiss Alps, created by the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETH), the Academy of Architecture at the Universit? della Svizzera Italiana (USI), the Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (EPFL) and the Institute of Architecture at the University of Geneva.

Lectures by prominent Swiss architects from the four schools will take place each Monday in October at the CCA, and will be made subsequently available online at Architecture Radio.

Inventioneering Architecture opens on Monday, October 3 at 6:00 pm at the California College of Arts, San Francisco (Google Map). The exhibition will be on display through October 27 (with the last lecture on October 31) from 8:00 am to 8:00 pm daily. Admission is free.

Prominent architects from each of the four Swiss schools of architecture will present different approaches to architectural teachings. "We want to expose the swiss method of architecture instruction to other cultural contexts," explains Architecture professor Marc-Angélil, ETH Zürich. "This exhibit provides an exciting opportunity to share our perspectives, gather feedback, and evaluate what we are doing."

Lectures take place in the Timken Lecture Hall, on the San Francisco campus of the California College of Arts. Admission is free. For more information on lectures, please call (415) 912-5901, ext. 101.

Professor Marc Angélil, ETH Zürich

Marc Angélil's research addresses contemporary developments in urban design. Using various case studies from Europe, Asia, and the United States, he investigates large metropolitan areas in view of their physical structures. Major attention is given to sustainable processes as well as the dynamic forces that impact the formation and transformation of a city. Angélil is professor of architecture and design at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) in Zurich and the author of Inchoate: An Experiment in Architectural Education, published by ETH Zurich. He is a practicing architect for agps architecture, with offices in Los Angeles and Zurich.

Andrea Deplazes, ETH Zurich

Andrea Deplazes' research addresses a broad spectrum of architectural design activities, including public and institutional projects, urban design, housing, and industrial buildings, with special focus on wood construction. His lecture, "Constructing Architecture. Materials, Processes and Structures," will showcase studio work with students, in particular sustainable structures in the Swiss Alps.

Deplazes is Professor of Architecture, Construction, and Design at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETH) and is the author of "Constructing Architecture. Materials Processes Structures" and "Bearth & Deplazes: Constructs."

In?s Lamuni?re and Patrick Devanthéry, EPFL Lausanne

Patrick Devanthéry and In?s Lamuni?re were born in Sion and Geneva in 1954. Partnership DEVANTHERY & LAMUNIERE, Architects in Geneva and Lausanne in 1983. Since 1989 they are part of the editorial committee of FACE architectural journal in Geneva, where they pursue their interest in history and criticism of modern and contemporary architecture. Both have taught at the Graduate School of Design of Harvard (1996, 1999) and at ETH Zurich (1991?1993, 1994). Since 1993 In?s Lamuni?re is Professor in Architecture at EPF Lausanne. Winners of many public competitions in Switzerland, among which are recently: Psychiatric Clinic in Yverdon (completed 2003), Urban Housing District in Neuchâtel (completed 2004), Town Hall in Payerne (completed 1999), a 250-room hotel in Bern (building completed 2004), and Public garden in Lausanne (completed 2000). In 2002 they were commissioned for the new Headquarters Building for Philip Morris International in Lausanne.

Valerio Olgiati, SIU

Valerio Olgiati is Professor of Architecture at the Academy of Architecture of the Universit? della Svizzera Italiana (USI), Mendrisio. His research addresses new methods of designing large buildings in terms of structure and organization. His lecture will include studio work with students.

Dirk Hebel and Jörg Stollmann, ETH Zürich

The research of Dirk Hebel and Jorg Stollmann involves applying the details of small-scale objects to the design of larger structures. Their lecture will showcase how they applied the structure of the sprinkler head to the design of the Diller & Scofidio Blur Building at the base of Lake Neuchatel in Yverdon-les-Bains, Switzerland, for which Hebel served as project architect. The building was described as "an inhabitable cloud whirling above a lake" by Architecture Magazine. Dirk Hebel and Jorg Stollmann are Assistant Professors of Architecture and Design at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETH).

Lecture videos courtesy the California College of Arts.

Use your iTunes or Podcast compatible software to automatically download Inventioneering Architecture lecture recordings as they become available.

Look for Inventioneering Architecture on the iTunes Podcast directory under Arts & Entertainment/Architecture -- coming soon.

Inventioneering Architecture will be on display in the nave of the California College of the Arts (CCA), San Francisco campus, and will feature a 40-meter-long (131-foot-long) platform of an imaginative cross-section of the Swiss Alps, imported from Switzerland and created specifically for this event. This exhibition will give visitors a physical and intellectual opportunity to experience the differences between Swiss architecture pedagogy and American architecture teaching methods. Visitors can walk on the platform, view monitors with web-based architecture content and add their own thoughts at various terminals. An overhead screen will display Swiss architecture projects in CAAD software.

Presence Switzerland
Arts Council of Switzerland Pro Helvetia
Holcim
swissnex

Founded in 1895 in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park, the de Young Museum has been an integral part of the cultural fabric of the city and a cherished destination for millions of residents and visitors to the region for over 100 years. On October 15, 2005, the de Young Museum will re-open in a state-of-the-art new facility that integrates art, architecture and the natural landscape in one multi-faceted destination that will inspire audiences from around the world. Designed by the renowned Swiss architecture firm Herzog & de Meuron and Fong & Chan Architects in San Francisco, the new de Young will provide San Francisco with a landmark art museum to showcase the museum's priceless collections of American art from the 17th through the 20th centuries, and art of the native Americas, Africa, and the Pacific.