Cocathedral of Taranto 1964/70 © Gio Ponti Archives

40 years on from his passing, MAXXI, the National Museum of XXI Century Arts, is devoting a major retro- spective to this exceptional figure. The exhibition examines and presents his multi-faceted career, starting with an account of his architecture, a unique and original synthesis of tradition and modernity, history and progress, elite culture and quotidian existence. (more…)

Matthew, Butcher, Dragged Drawing, Superstudio Grid 2017, © Betts Project

The avant-garde of the 1960s and 70s has been likened to an ‘architectural Big Bang’, such was the intensity of energy and ambition with which it exploded into the post-war world. It produced architectural projects that redefined the discipline and remain highly influential today. In contemporary design, references to the likes of Archizoom, Peter Eisenman, John Hejduk and Superstudio continue to define the approaches of a new wave of practitioners. This avant-garde was highly diverse, and not tied to a single methodology or tendency in its political, formal and cultural preoccupations. It was also geographically divergent – reaching from Europe to North America and Japan. The avant-garde was, however, unified as a critical and experimental force, critiquing contemporary society against the backdrop of extreme social and political upheaval. Those turbulent times mirror today. (more…)

Multi-generational housing estate Hagmann-Areal in Winterthur. © Georg Aerni

Climate protection, energy system transformation and resource conservation are increasingly drawing the public’s attention to contemporary timber construction. Timber is both a renewable raw material and an efficient building material. Thanks to recent technical and structural advancements, new uses are becoming possible, particularly for building in urban areas. weberbrunner architekten is a pioneer in urban timber construction. Founded in 1999, the practice is based in Zurich and Berlin. Complementing the exhibition, a series of events focuses on the many positive aspects of timber buildings and is dedicated to telling the stories about the people who plan, implement, and ultimately dwell in them. (more…)

Installation view »After the Wall: Design since 1989« © Vitra Design Museum, photo: Lucia Hunziker

The exhibition juxtaposes iconic product design and graphic design with works by leading furniture designers and retailers including Jasper Morrison, Philippe Starck, Hella Jongerius, Muji, and IKEA, as well as up-and-coming contemporary designers. The exhibits show that many of the global changes of the last 30 years have also been reflected in design: from a growing awareness of sustainability to social upheavals caused by the commercialization of the Internet in 1989. The latter has led to an undeniable flood of information and a radical acceleration of our everyday lives, which designers have also played a decisive role in driving forward – for example, with the first iPhone in 2007. Yet many of the works shown also point to critical ways of thinking that contribute to a responsible use of technology and resources. (more…)

“Geology” Fernando Casasempere © Ivorypress

Geology marks the first time that Casasempere’s paintings, with clear material and sculptural resonances, are more prominent than his three-dimensional works. Familiar with earthy and mineral mediums—including clay, porcelain and ceramics—the artist describes his creative process as ‘an acceleration of natural geological transformations, such as mineral sedimentation.’ In this new pictorial series, Casasempere explores the telluric phenomena of the Atacama Desert, its earthy crust and saline formations. (more…)

“Gili Tal. Mastering the Nikon D750” at ETH Zurich © Nelly Rodriguez

Conceived in response to an invitation to exhibit her photographs with gta, the show will comprise a series of them scaled up to become free-standing billboards that will be spread throughout the Department of Architecture’s hallways and foyers.  (more…)

Life, 2019 © LAVA

LAVA sees itself as part of this development and aims to bring about new ways of perceiving building and space with the help of techniques that abstract natural processes. Their exhibition presents five projects currently under construction, each with a different focus. (more…)

© Artek

A journey through the classics of Alvar and Aino Aalto, Ilmari Tapiovaara, Tapio Wirkkala, and Yrjö Kukkapuro, together with contemporary projects by Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec, Hella Jongerius, Konstantin Grcic, Daniel Rybakken and Taf Studio, complete with drawings and photographic material; events relating to Artek and the international network of supporters who, with their influence, have contributed to the development of the company. (more…)

©The Albertina Museum, Vienna

For the first time in France are collected drawings of great masters on the theme of architecture. The architectural design gained its nobility in the sixteenth and seventeenth century, at the same time that emerges the figure of the modern architect. It remains today at the heart of architectural practice, the digital pen often replacing pen or brush. (more…)

+Pool © Family New York, courtesy Friends of +POOL

The river became an entertainment spot right on the doorstep, firmly anchored in everyday life. The foreign countries admire the bathing culture on the Rhine, the Aare, the Limmat and the Rhone. Cities such as Paris, Berlin, London and New York see it as a model of how they can regain their riverine areas as a spatial resource in order to sustainably improve people’s urban quality of life. Curators: Barbara Buser, Basel architect and rheine expert; Andreas Ruby, Director S AM. For filming, the S AM collaborates with the Zurich director Jürg Egli, who creates a large-scale triple-screen projection that will show the experience of river swimming from the perspective of the swimmer. This has allowed for the river to become a place of leisure located right in front of one’s doorstep. The rest of the world looks on in awe at this bathing culture. (more…)