Inventioneering Architecture
Month-Long Celebration of Swiss Architecture at CCA Includes Exhibition and Lecture Series
San Francisco, October 3, 2005
In celebration of Switzerland's rich architectural heritage and the unveiling of the new de Young Museum by Swiss architectural firm Studio Basel of Herzog & de Meuron, four Swiss-based architectural schools will participate in "Inventioneering Architecture" at California College of the Arts (CCA) in San Francisco. The month-long celebration will include a lecture series featuring prominent Swiss architects and an interactive exhibit housed in a custom-designed 131-foot-long cross-section of the Swiss Alps, designed to allow visitors to stroll the platform while viewing architectural models and visuals on overhead screens and display panels. The exhibition dates are October 3 through 27; the five lectures are scheduled on Monday evenings throughout October. All events take place at CCA at 1111 Eighth Street in San Francisco. "Inventioneering Architecture" is presented in collaboration with swissnex, the University of California Berkeley Department of Architecture, and CCA.
"Inventioneering Architecture" will showcase the various Swiss schools' approaches to teaching architecture. Leading architects from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Zürich (ETH); Accademia di Architettura, Università della Svizzera Italiana (USI), Mendrisio; Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL); and the Institute of Architecture at the University of Geneva will present the lectures on October 3, 10, 17, 24, and 31 in Timken Lecture Hall at CCA.
"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."
"In Switzerland, architecture and related coursework is taught primarily by practitioners, rather than academics," Angélil added. "While America leads the industry in crucial theoretical work, our focus extends beyond design to incorporate a variety of integrated disciplines such as sociology, engineering, construction, landscape design and urban planning."
A catalog, featuring essays and projects by renowned faculty members and students, accompanies the exhibition. The exhibit will also include computer terminals where visitors can submit their impressions. The Swiss Alps structure, imported from Switzerland, was designed specifically for this event using computer aided design tools. After San Francisco, the exhibit travels to Houston and cities in China, the United Arab Emirates, and Buenos Aires.
The exhibit and lecture schedule is as follows:
- Monday, October 3, 6:00 p.m.: "Inventioneering Architecture" exhibition opening reception, with a lecture at 7:00 p.m. by Marc Angélil, ETH Zürich
- Monday, October 10, 7:00 p.m.: Lecture by Andrea Deplazes, ETH Zürich
- Monday, October 17, 7:00 p.m.: Lecture by Inès Lamunière, EPFL
- Monday, October 24, 7:00 p.m.: Lecture by Valerio Olgiati, Accademia di Architettura, USI
- Monday, October 31, 7:00 p.m.: Lecture by Dirk Hebel and Jörg Stollmann, ETH Zürich
The exhibition will remain open through October 27. Lectures and exhibition entry are free and open to the public. Exhibition hours are Monday through Sunday, 8 a.m.–8 p.m. For more information, visit www.swissnex.org or call swissnex at 415.912.5901.