Angaben zur Professur

Lehrstuhl 

Professur M. Conen

Typ 

Professur für Architektur und Entwurf

Standort 

HIL

Webseite 

www.conen.arch.ethz.ch

Assistierende 

Joanna Lewańska, Pierre Marmy, Corinne Räz

Kontakt E-Mail 

pmarmy@ethz.ch

Angaben zur Entwurfsklasse

Typ 

Entwurf V-IX

Thema 

HOTSPOTS

Beschreibung
des Entwurfs-programmes 

Zurich is heating up: urban heat islands are concentrated in areas with a high proportion of mineral surfaces, sealed and impermeable ground, limited vegetation, and little air circulation, turning summer heat into a growing risk. These effects are not evenly distributed; they exacerbate existing inequalities. As climate research shows, the qualities that make a neighbourhood more liveable – trees, cooler streets, energy-efficient buildings – also tend to raise land values and rents. Unless climate adaptation and social urban development are thought together from the start, the climate crisis risks widening the inequality gap even further. The projects focus on Kreis 4 – one of Zurich’s densest neighbourhoods and among those most affected by summer heat. Its compact urban fabric, high proportion of sealed surfaces, and limited vegetation make it a particularly relevant field of investigation. Our starting point is living within the existing fabric – both inside buildings and in the outdoor spaces of the neighbourhood. We examine existing floor plans and ask where adaptations could enable new forms and qualities of living. At the same time, we consider courtyards, streets, and squares as part of the living environment and ask how they can be adapted to increasingly hot summers. Additions and extensions offer opportunities to rethink existing typologies and create additional housing without demolition. We understand façades, roofs, and outdoor spaces as an interconnected climatic and ecological infrastructure. Shading and vegetation can reduce overheating, while unsealed surfaces, roofs, and façades can collect and retain rainwater, making it available for vegetation and evaporative cooling. At the same time, these surfaces can provide habitats for different species, strengthening biodiversity and reconnecting fragmented ecological networks within the city. In this way, new relationships emerge between inside and outside, building and neighbourhood, human and non-human life. Individual interventions can perform several functions at once: a vegetated façade can improve the indoor climate while creating habitat; a transformed roof can combine additional living space, vegetation, water retention, and ecological niches; an unsealed courtyard can contribute to cooling while creating new spatial and social qualities. The projects investigate how spatial, climatic, ecological, and social improvements can work together. We do not understand buildings as empty structures that can be transformed at will. They are already inhabited and form part of an established social fabric. Every transformation therefore also raises the question of whose living conditions are being improved, and how architectural and climatic adaptations can be developed in relation to existing residents and their ways of living.

Thematische und methodische Schwerpunkte 

Entwurf

Lernziele 

Critical thinking: - develop a critical position to a site and an exercise – understand work requirements, manage your time carefully, and prioritize while being aware of your personal skills. Working methodology: - conduct qualitative site analysis through photography and observational drawing – use archives to conduct systematic analysis into social history, uses, materials, etc. – assimilate small, fragmentary observations into a broad understanding of the site and the project – clearly and effectively convey your ideas through oral presentations. Architectural project: - develop a structural, societal, constructional and environmental concept for the project – develop this concept into an architectural project while understanding technical, spatial and programmatic conditions – situate your position using references of historical, cultural or other creative fields – incorporate information and inspiration from input lectures. Representation: - develop a way of looking at your site by using photography – develop model-making skills of small conceptual models, as well as working models made of everyday household materials with precise conceptual purpose – develop an understanding of using different media of representation to strengthen your project idea – choose the frame of a plan, drawing, image, etc.: what do you need to tell your story? – each project may find its own method of representation based on its concept. Engagement in the studio: - actively participate in group projects, workshops and open discussions – actively listen to others and try to understand their perspective – at all times demonstrate honesty, integrity, and respect for fellow students, teachers and staff.

LV-Nr. des Entwurfs 

052-1137-26

Unterrichts-sprache 

English

Arbeitsweise 

Nur Gruppenarbeit

Daten Zwischenkritiken 

Datum Schlusskritik 

Einführungs-veranstaltung 

15.09.2026, 10:00, HIL G64

Zusätzliche Kosten 

CHF 0 (Schätzung, ohne allfällige Kosten für Modellbau und Seminarwoche)

Verfügbare Plätze 

42

Plakat des Entwurfs-programmes 

Noch nicht hochgeladen