Dialogue

How do we want to live? How can we solve pressing social challenges? The dialogue on Baukultur in Switzerland is diverse and challenging – and takes place through various channels. The Baukultur Switzerland platform gives visibility to this dialogue. What ideas, projects or political plans are currently causing a stir? Get inspired by the Question of the Month and join the discussion via the Baukultur Switzerland channel on LinkedIn or one of your own channels.

Question of the Month

What are your hopes for Baukultur in 2025?

My hope for 2025 is that we will be able to establish a broader understanding in relation to the maintenance and further development of high-quality Baukultur. Nobody is against high-quality Baukultur per se. And yet it has to be constantly negotiated and defended against other requirements. In Basel, we have been seeking a broad dialogue with the population since 2018 with the forum for urban development "Basel 2050" and addressing Baukultur in various formats. I hope that through dialogue, cooperation and negotiation, in 2025 we will succeed in reconciling the necessary solar offensive with the requirements of good design, for example.

Beat Aeberhard
Cantonal architect for Basel-Stadt

For me, Baukultur is the link between history and planning for tomorrow. For 2025, I hope that the careful handling of the built heritage that characterises our towns and villages is able to build a bridge for the development of new ideas or even visions for people's lives and coexistence. In this context, leveraged monuments and heritage sites are not only home but also a starting point for and source of inspiration.

Barbara Franzen
Managing Director KSD, Conference of Swiss Monument Conservators

Is the ISOS a blessing or a curse?

Reconciling the protection of heritage buildings (ISOS), the high-quality inward development of settlements (RPG) and energy requirements on the ground is something of a headache for Swiss municipal authorities. Cleaning up historic buildings while increasing density to reduce urban sprawl often undermines the features of settlements. The ISOS performs a key role, which is to prevent irreversible damage being done. Although this is important, local authorities must have the necessary leeway to develop their sites so that the ISOS does not create a "picture postcard" effect.

Claudia Kratochvil-Hametner
Director Association of Swiss Communes

For me, an inventory like the ISOS is first and foremost a list of places to enjoy and make the most of. Developing built-up areas in a way that respects the substance, the structure or at least the character of their surroundings plays a major role in helping people to identify with where they live. In this sense, the ISOS is a guarantee of quality. Of course, I'm not naive and I know that the ISOS is also a battleground, but I struggle to understand those who think the ISOS is the main thing slowing down the development of construction work and who see it as unnecessary interference by the federal government in local affairs.

David Vuillaume
Secretary General Swiss Heritage

Your Baukultur tip for autumn?

Baukultur is a forward-looking process shaped by people. The work of the SIA Master’s Prize, which is being awarded for the third time this year in collaboration with the Architectural Council of Switzerland, shows how this is developing. The 33 nominated student projects from Swiss universities reflect current issues in teaching and research that are shaping academic discourse today and will shape the realisation of Baukultur in the not-too-distant future. They will be on display at the ZHAW in Winterthur from 7 October until the award ceremony on 17 October 2024.

Peter Staub
Director of Bern University of Applied Sciences - Architecture, Wood and Construction

My advice: discover the origins of Baukultur in a contemporary setting. The Laténium, on the shores of Lake Neuchâtel, offers glimpses of the archaeological evidence heralding construction in our region. The museum highlights the ways in which humans have left their mark on the environment in order to improve their life in it. In those distant days, our ancestors protected their hearths with stonework, erected megaliths and built pile-dwelling edifices – so many captivating harbingers of architecture as we now know it.

Nicole Bauermeister
Director of the Society for the History of Swiss Art

Is Switzerland barrier-free enough?

No, there is still a lot to do. Not enough importance is attached to the key quality criterion that built living environments must be easily accessible and usable in a variety of ways for people in all situations and at all ages. Barrier-free construction is part of a holistic, contemporary Baukultur. It leads to a noticeable increase in value and a better quality of life for everyone. "Adaptable housing" is an example of this: planned with foresight, the homes adapt to the needs of each individual. Are more convincing arguments necessary?

Eva Schmidt
Head of the Swiss Centre for Barrier-Free Architecture

For buildings owned by the City of Zurich, it is up to us to prioritise barrier-free construction as an aspect of social sustainability, just as much as ecological and economic aspects. From the early planning phase to the building permit process and execution, barrier-free construction is an integral part of our building projects. After all, Zurich also wants to be a city worth living in for people with disabilities and thus to contribute to a barrier-free Switzerland.

Wiebke Rösler Häfliger
Director Office for Buildings, City of Zurich

Do gender-neutral toilets make sense?

Toilets are an existential subject relating to human dignity, even if they rarely enter the discourse on Baukultur. Toilets are gender-neutral in themselves; everyone needs them equally urgently. But there are historically more public toilets for men. This is where the unfair treatment of people begins. More toilets are needed for all people of all genders, and as many as possible for everyone. That's only fair. Gender-neutral toilets are a solution to the problem.

Alexa Bodammer
lecturer and project manager Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts

Yes. I only have one toilet for everyone at home, and I've never found that to be a problem. It's the same in our office. In my view, there is therefore no reason why this should not be done as a matter of principle. A toilet for everyone makes us aware of our differences; one for each type of identity separates us from one another. Avoiding unnecessary differentiation strengthens inclusion.

Andreas Ruby
Director S AM

Why is Baukultur important for children?

Baukultur education is the key to real-life learning experiences. It arouses the curiosity of children and young people to engage with aesthetics, functionality and sustainability in their living environment through well-designed spaces and the social interaction that takes place in them. Baukultur education promotes an awareness of participation and responsibility through creative and participatory teamwork.

Barbara Windholz
Board of the Conference of Bildschulen Schweiz (Swiss Schools of Education), LABforKids Presidium

Our approach to the built environment raises questions. Children also have to analyse and understand their environment and translate it into expectations. They experience spaces from their personal perspective, define subjective spatial qualities and formulate needs on this basis. We were able to observe all of this during our collage competition on the topic of "Intelligente Umgestaltung meines Quartiers dank Stahlbau (Intelligent redesign of my neighbourhood thanks to steel construction)" at Bulle secondary school. This "awareness raising" is a joint task, and children are very much a part of it!

Laurent Audergon
Managing Director SZS, Baukultur Delegate of the SIA Professional Guild of Engineering

What is the difference between architecture and interior design?

Architecture focuses on the spatial design and construction of buildings in a larger context. Interior design, meanwhile, focuses on the design and utilisation of interior spaces. Architecture and interior design are crucially important for the overall effect and functionality of a building. Both disciplines are mutually dependent and must complement each other, merge into each other or sometimes even counteract each other. They have to enter into a kind of love affair – only then is it possible to create holistically conceived and architecturally outstanding buildings.

Stefan Graf
Partner Bauart Architects and Planners

Often, the difference lies in the scale. While architecture begins on a large scale and ultimately extends into the depths of the rooms, interior design starts on a small scale. It is based on people and their needs and is also concerned with the design of spaces. This takes into account aesthetic, functional, structural and technical aspects as well as the cultural, social, economic and ecological environment of the users. From the inside out and from the outside in, as Peter Zumthor aptly describes his meticulous way of working.

Remo Derungs
President VSI.ASAI.

How does the Art Biennale inspire Baukultur?

Recent editions of the Biennale have, among other things, showcased artists who have worked far from the limelight. This curatorial decision has enabled an international audience to make important discoveries in the setting of one of the world’s prime cultural gatherings. Baukultur thrives not only from the works of renowned authors, but also from a host of lesser known, yet ubiquitous positions. The Biennial’s strategy inspires us to recognize the underlying qualities of a built environment that goes beyond grand gestures.

Victoria Easton
member of the Federal Art Commission and partner at Christ & Gantenbein

Baukultur must allow diversity to play a part in cultural identity. The Venice Biennale 2024 entitled "Foreigners Everywhere" highlights the global nature of the condition of being or feeling foreign, validating the cultural value of expressions arising from this condition or feeling. It's inspiring for Baukultur to go to Venice and take a look at the visual arts, which seem to take one of the greatest contemporary challenges seriously: how to create a society that embraces individuality...

Adrien Jutard
visarte.ch central committee member

How do we solve the housing shortage?

Enabling construction – removing hurdles: The visible queues in front of flat viewings are also a consequence of the invisible months-long wait developers face for building permits, further exacerbated by improper objections. Utilising scarce building zones correctly: The higher the utilisation rate and the lower the boundary distance standards, the more living space can be created on the scarce building land that is available. Making the zoning plans more flexible also helps. Let's tackle the hurdles of housing construction together. After all, any one of us will only ever find the right home once it's actually been built or converted.

Karin Bührer
Managing Director of Development Switzerland

Only by working together – investors, planners and authorities alike. The tools of spatial planning can be used to make an important contribution to high-quality inward urban development and thus to demand-orientated living space. Successful municipalities are those that act with energy and foresight and involve the relevant stakeholders at an early stage. And: Wherever it can be shown that densification preserves qualities, eliminates deficits and creates added value, then densification will also find acceptance.

Damian Jerjen
Director of EspaceSuisse

Should Baukultur be enshrined in law?

Our built environment is increasingly lacking in quality – something that can only be achieved through greater coordination of sectoral policies, better cooperation between stakeholders, and shared goals in our Baukultur. We can only be efficient here if we have clear legal requirements. This does not in fact create expensive additional rules, but rather leads to better planning and construction. The legal basis for high quality Baukultur is therefore as necessary as it is urgent.

Oliver Martin
Head of the Baukultur Section, Federal Office of Culture

Yes, it is important that we have a holistic understanding of Baukultur legally anchored in the Nature and Cultural Heritage Protection Act. Only with a holistic Baukultur can we solve pressing social challenges such as the housing shortage, climate change and the scarcity of resources. Anchoring these in law enables the federal government to promote Baukultur. This benefits not least the education and training of children and young people in relation to Baukultur: Only those who can make competent judgements can make a qualified contribution to shaping our living environment.

Eveline Althaus
Managing Director of Archijeunes

How do archives contribute to Baukultur?

When we talk about archives as institutions of memory and Baukultur as the characteristics of how we design living and working spaces, one thing is important to me: If you want to build a better future, you need to understand the past and be able to assess the present. This requires, among other things, archives to provide reliable information and impart knowledge, ideally with dynamism. (Photo: Bettina Matthiessen)

Yvonne Radecker
General Manager of Material-Archiv

Project archives (a term used to describe extensive archives that include not only architecture but also the disciplines of engineering, urban planning, landscaping and design) contribute to Baukultur above all through the valorisation and academic dissemination that they actively promote on the basis of their holdings, and through the indispensable link between conservation and research – which should not be seen as two distinct processes, but as one and the same act.

Nicola Navone
Vice Director of the Archivio del Moderno, USI

Is Swissbau the centre of Baukultur?

Baukultur is a living culture. The interaction between the various stakeholders and different disciplines of the constructed environment is of central importance. Far-sighted planning of our living space and high quality landscapes are just as much a part of Baukultur as the careful design and realisation of individual projects. Urban planners, landscape designers, architects, building contractors, bricklayers all meet at Swissbau to learn about the state of the art and discuss the challenges of the future. In this sense, Swissbau is undoubtedly a centre, a venue, and, yes, a key part of Baukultur.

Peter Wullschleger
Managing Director of the BSLA from 1995 to 2023

The Swissbau programme starts from the following initial situation. The construction industry faces major changes and is called upon to continue tackling current challenges such as resource and climate targets, the circular economy and urban development. All of these topics are linked to the eight criteria of the "Davos Baukultur Quality System". In this respect, Swissbau is the centre of Baukultur.

Cristina Schaffner
Director of Bauenschweiz

What does Christmas have to do with Baukultur?

At Christmas, the focus is on community and family. Baukultur can only be successful if it is created and lived collectively by different actors. Celebration and culture are permeated by economic factors. These must be addressed responsibly, creatively and sustainably. Structuring elements can provide guidance: at Christmas and in a Baukultur practice, they can be adapted to the specific contexts and constantly renewed and cultivated in the sense of a lived tradition.

Monika Litscher
Deputy Director of the Swiss Association of Cities (SSV)

In winter, during the dark season and especially around Christmas, we spend more time indoors. This makes it all the more important to have good quality spaces in our homes and in all the other places where we spend time. Meanwhile, festive lighting illuminates some public spaces, making them pleasant places to be. It may be cold, but we still feel warm and cosy.

Caspar Schärer
Secretary General of the BSA-FAS

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