Angaben zur Professur

Lehrstuhl 

Professur A. Theriot / S. Menz

Typ 

Professur für Architektur und Entwurf

Standort 

ONA/RIA

Webseite 

www.theriot.arch.ethz.ch

Assistierende 

Blanka Major, Oliviero Vitali, Philippe Buchs, Arnaud Bostelmann

Kontakt E-Mail 

assistenz.theriot@arch.ethz.ch

Angaben zur Entwurfsklasse

Typ 

Entwurf V-IX

Thema 

(In)consistency

Beschreibung
des Entwurfs-programmes 

(In)consistency For architecture to endure, it must change. But if it evolves too quickly, it risks being reduced to a mere passing effect, doomed to oblivion. The ephemeral can seem inconsistent, without lasting roots. Yet this fleetingness can sometimes leave its mark on people's minds, fertilizing other disciplines and nurturing innovation. It questions established norms, and explores new forms of adaptability and transmission. When it transcends its own brevity, it becomes a common good. Architecture seems to be the opposite of the ephemeral. Designed to last, it aims for solidity and permanence. Yet it can also be inspired by experimental approaches that, while temporary, leave a deep imprint. Some spaces, created for a brief and seemingly fragile existence, reveal unexpected constructive dynamics. Far from being a mere artifice, the ephemeral becomes a lever for reflection on the use, perception and impact of structures. By integrating lighter, more adaptable and reversible elements - modular, inflatable or biodegradable - architecture renews its own modes of existence. Experimenting with these devices enables maximum scale to be achieved with minimum material. Here, we return to the textile origins of shelter: huts, tents, blankets, primitive architectures based on movement and flexibility. By shedding excessive rigidity, architecture rediscovers an essential consistency. Philosopher Emanuele Coccia reminds us that “the world has the consistency of an atmosphere”, both enveloping and fragile. In the same way, architecture cannot extricate itself from the shifting world around it. Its durability depends not only on stability, but also on its capacity to adapt. It must embrace a dialectic between solidity and volatility, anchoring and transformation. Rather than imposing fixed frameworks, the aim is to design structures that interact with their environment, integrating the atmospheric and sometimes intangible dimensions of the places in which they are set. In this way, architecture remains a paradox: while it must be stable, it also demands movement and mutation. It is by transforming itself that it acquires even greater consistency. Riachuelo, Buenos Aires Life along a poisoned river „The Riachuelo River, which flows into La Plata and gives its name to the famous neighborhood of La Boca in Buenos Aires, is one of the most polluted places on the planet: From the city’s earliest days, the river has been a dumping ground for waste and sewage. In modern times, it has become one of the most polluted waterways in the world, owing to some fifteen hundered local businesses—mainly tanneries, chemical plants, andfactories—whose runoff fows directly into the river, contaminating it with arsenic, cadmium, and lead. Today, close to five million people live in the Riachuelo’s basin, many of them in urban slums known as villas, along the water’s edge. It is a toxic place to call home: twenty-five percent of children living in the villas have lead in their bloodstreams, and an even higher portion suffers from respiratory and gastrointestinalillness.“ (source: the New Yorker) Through an approach combining investigation, research and community dialogue, we - the Sacha Menz and Alexandre Theriot Chairs in association with Marcelo Faiden from the Universidad Di Tella in Buenos Aires - will work to rethink uses, rehabilitate the environment and create a future where the Riachuelo ceases to be a toxic border and becomes a space for life and renewal. Integrated seminar week The studio includes a study trip to Buenos Aires, which will take place from Friday 14 March 2025 (departure from Zurich) to Sunday 23 March 2025 (return from Zurich). The list of students registered for our workshop via the ‘Interne Einschreibung’ will be sent directly to the travel agency, which has already pre-booked the flights. It will therefore not be possible to change studio after the allocation made by the department. Travel costs: CHF 750 includes flight tickets + hotel Flights and accommodation are booked by the Chair. Students enrolled in the studio are responsible for having a valid passport for this period. We look forward to exploring Buenos Aires and the Riachuelo with you.

Thematische und methodische Schwerpunkte 

Entwurf, Konstruktion, Staedtebau, Handwerk, Visualisierungen

Lernziele 

Methodology The aim is to take advantage of economic requirements to transform constraints into levers that produce qualities. These qualities can be material or immaterial, prosaic or poetic, constant or unstable, general or occasional. As long as they are initiated by the economy and located far from any rationality. Creating generosity, the ‘excesses’ that make a place strong and unique. The semester will be divided into three chapters: Chapter 1 Mythology Chapter 2 Finding freedoms  Chapter 3 Linking the fragments Integrated workshops Mathis Pfäffli, artist Olivier Campagne, 3D visualisations Jacqueline Pauli, structure Gontran Dufour, façade and envelope Symposiums Two international symposia are scheduled for 19 February 2025 in Zurich and 17 March 2025 in Buenos Aires, bringing together a panel of experts from a wide range of backgrounds - politics, sociology, economics and science. The aim of these interdisciplinary meetings will be to enrich our thinking and guide our actions in the face of the complex issues surrounding the Riachuelo, one of Argentina's most emblematic and problematic rivers. Through in-depth discussions and research presentations, these events will address the environmental, social and economic challenges associated with the pollution and rehabilitation of the Riachuelo. Particular attention will be paid to the ecological and economic impacts of the degradation of this watercourse, the technological and scientific solutions for cleaning it up, the costs of cleaning it up and the opportunities offered by sustainable management of its resources. By taking a global approach, these symposia will highlight the interconnections between science, governance and economic development, in order to identify viable and sustainable strategies for the future of this waterway and the people who depend on it.

LV-Nr. des Entwurfs 

052-1152-25

Zusätzliche integrierte Disziplin(en) 

Unterrichts-sprache 

English

Arbeitsweise 

Nur Gruppenarbeit

Daten Zwischenkritiken 

12.03.2025 / 15.04.2025

Datum Schlusskritik 

27.05.2025

Einführungs-veranstaltung 

Integrated seminar week The studio includes a study trip to Buenos Aires, which will take place from Friday 14 March 2025 (departure from Zurich) to Sunday 23 March 2025 (return from Zurich).

Zusätzliche Kosten 

CHF 500 (Schätzung, ohne allfällige Kosten für Modellbau und Seminarwoche)

Verfügbare Plätze 

24

Plakat des Entwurfs-programmes 

Plakat ansehen (PDF Datei)

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