SWITZERLAND: ARCHITECTURE + ENVIRONS

observation sketchbook

Switzerland, Austria, Germany, France, and Italy

Summer 2015

For the Swiss, the biggest source of beauty and inspiration is the landscape.  For this reason, they carefully consider the placement of objects within it. They think about views, procession, light, air, and water in ways that aren’t possible in other parts of the world. This is why Swiss architecture only works in Switzerland.  In my opinion, the criticism that the simple “Swiss box” receives is due to the fact that most of its critics have never ventured out to Landquart or Chur or Paspels to actually experience it within its austere yet awe-inspiring environment. After having the opportunity to travel to Switzerland and its neighboring countries, I realized that a goal of many Swiss architects is to create a certain atmosphere that cannot be translated into images and drawings, but is rather understood through experience.

In the following publication, I share my thoughts, inquiries, and observations from my Switzerland sketchbook.  Switzerland: Architecture + Environs compiles some of these experiences as I traveled through Switzerland, Austria, Germany, France, and Italy.