Angaben zur Professur

Lehrstuhl 

Professur F. Cifuentes Utrero

Typ 

Professor für Architektur und Ressourcen

Standort 

HIL

Webseite 

www.cifuentes.arch.ethz.ch

Assistierende 

Gwendoline Eveillard, Guillem Hernandez Camarasa, Francesca Leibowitz, Willem Olenski, Paula Schilliger

Kontakt E-Mail 

leibowitz@arch.ethz.ch

Angaben zur Entwurfsklasse

Typ 

Entwurf V-IX

Thema 

Ground for Surses

Beschreibung
des Entwurfs-programmes 

Studio Cifuentes approaches architecture through the relationship between territory, resources, and construction processes. This semester we focus on the Surses Valley in the Swiss Alps, where limited resources, fragile ecosystems, and changing social conditions make these relationships particularly visible. The studio is grounded in the valley’s available materials, specifically earth and stone, which originate from riverbeds, erosion, rockfalls, landslides, and excavation. They serve both as a means of reading the landscape and as a starting point for investigation. The semester begins with a three-week phase of hands-on experimentation: the Atlas. Students will explore innovative low-tech construction systems using earth and stone, documenting their findings through models, drawings and videos. The following design phase takes place across three sites; the villages of Salouf, Riom and Savognin. Historically shaped by agriculture and increasingly dependent on tourism, these villages face ageing populations, vacant and deteriorating buildings, and a growing disconnection from urban services. The studio asks how architecture can contribute to resilient and regenerative futures for these communities. Students will study the valley’s history, the potential of local resources, and their role in construction and circular supply chains. They will investigate how the properties of earth and stone – their weight, scale, strength, texture, and limitations – can shape architectural space. They will design buildings that can accommodate communal activities and cultural performances, imagining an architecture of share and care, a regenerative future for Alpine villages.

Thematische und methodische Schwerpunkte 

Entwurf, Konstruktion, Handwerk

Lernziele 

The Chair approaches design as an iterative process of research and experimentation. Through mock-ups, models, drawings and videos, students will test, reflect, and refine their ideas. Uncertainty and failure are understood as productive and essential aspects of learning. Students will work in groups of four during the Atlas exercise and in groups of three for the design projects. The semester will be complemented by lectures, inputs, and workshops with academics, architects, and construction specialists. This Design Studio is conducted in collaboration with BUK. All students enrolled in the Design Studio are required to also enrol in the BUK elective course (052-0557-26).

LV-Nr. des Entwurfs 

052-1183-26

Unterrichts-sprache 

English

Arbeitsweise 

Group work only

Daten Zwischenkritiken 

6.10 / 17.11

Datum Schlusskritik 

15.12

Einführungs-veranstaltung 

15.09, 09:05, Bahnhof Brunnen

Zusätzliche Kosten 

CHF 150 (Schätzung, ohne allfällige Kosten für Modellbau und Seminarwoche)

Verfügbare Plätze 

42

Plakat des Entwurfs-programmes 

Plakat ansehen (PDF Datei)