Design for Climate (2024)

In his seminal book Design with Climate, published in 1963, Victor Olgyay introduced the concept of bioclimatic architecture that responds to its environment. Today, taking climate into account has become a matter of survival. Buildings affect the climate globally through their carbon emissions and locally through the internal and external microclimates they create. To meet climatic needs on both a global and local scale, we need to change the way we build radically. In the studio’ Design for Climate: Earth and Sun’, we will investigate earthen and bio-based materials and the sun as a provider of abundant energy for creating place and space.
The aim of the design studio is to apply a comprehensive methodology for the integrated design of a mixed-use building in the Valle di Blenio, Ticino, that combines low-carbon principles with architectural design quality. This involves gaining a thorough understanding of the essential parameters and metrics related to energy, emissions, and comfort in building design. Learners will be equipped to employ digital modelling and simulation tools to gather quantitative data, which will be integrated with aspects of design intent, spatial configuration, and quality, fostering an understanding of the interplay between architectural design and construction processes in relation to energy, emissions and human well-being.
This experimental studio will be carried out in collaboration with Prof. Roger Boltshauser and Prof. Momoyo Kaijima and their teaching assistants. Additionally, we will be joined by the client and architect of the project, as well as experts on earth construction and solar energy.

Link to ETH Enrolment portal.

Lecturer and module leader / A. Schlüter
Supervisors / Prof. Kaijima, Prof. Boltshauser
Assistants / Esther Borkowski, Illias Hischier, Valeria Piccioni, Samuel Kummer, Matthias Peterseim