IASS 2024 Technical Tours
Photo by Nico Schaerer / Switzerland Tourism
To conclude the Symposium, Technical Tours allowed participants to gain unique access to and benefit from guided tours at a collection of carefully curated projects across Switzerland. The 3 official technical tours on offer this year were:
A: Isler Historical Tour
Time: 08:30 to 18:00 (full-day) | Audience: those interested Heinz Isler’s work and its impact on future generations of designers | Requirements: comfortable shoes, and rain jackets (in case of bad weather) | Participation Fee: CHF 45- (coach transportation & light lunch included)
Guide: Dr. Giulia Boller
About the Tour
Switzerland is renowned in the field of structural design for its innovative and unconventional structures. The country is the birthplace of master builders like Robert Maillart and Heinz Isler, pioneers in the use of reinforced concrete in the twentieth century. Their work has become an integral part of the Swiss landscape. Today, it serves as a valuable source of inspiration for contemporary structural designers worldwide.
The tour took participants to the canton of Bern, the home of Swiss engineer Heinz Isler. It included visits to several of his free-form buildings in reinforced concrete, such as the garden center Wyss, a tennis hall center, the Kilcher shell, and the world-famous motorway station in Deitingen. The highlight was a visit to the garden of his office in Lyssachschachen, where Isler’s prototypes remain in their original location.
B: Concrete Innovation Tour
Time: 08:45 to 18:00 (full-day) | Audience: those interested the latest innovations in concrete manufacturing and application in Switzerland | Requirements: comfortable shoes, and rain jackets (in case of bad weather) | Participation Fee: CHF 45- (coach transportation & light lunch included)
Guide: Prof. Philippe Block
About the Tour
Concrete has always been an important material for Switzerland. Historically, prominent structural designers like Maillart, Isler, Menn, Conzett, Calatrava and Schwartz, have pushed the limits of this versatile material. But, Switzerland is also the home/base of Holcim, the largest building materials provider and global giant in cement and concrete production.
This technical tour, focused on innovations in concrete materials, engineering and construction, ranging from sustainable concrete, digitally fabricated structural elements, 3D concrete printing, shell roofs and floors.
Highlights included visits to the HiLo, Step2 and DFAB House units at Empa’s NEST and an exclusive visit to Holcim’s state-of-the-art concrete plant in Siggenthal, which features the latest developments in decarbonisation measures.
C: Timber Innovation Tour
Time: 08:00 to 18:00 (full-day) | Audience: those interested in the latest timber construction innovations in Switzerland | Requirements: comfortable shoes, and rain jackets (in case of bad weather) | Participation Fee: CHF 45- (coach transportation & light lunch included)
Guides: Prof. Dr. Jacqueline Pauli, Prof. Dr. Andrea Frangi, Erne AG Holzbau
About the Tour
Interest in timber constructions as a more ecological building material has grown. In timber research, a main objective is the development of innovative and efficient timber structures. This tour travelled north in Switzerland, visiting a variety of projects that address current ecological challenges with different timber solutions, showcasing the potential and possibilities of the material.
The tour included guided visits to innovative Swiss timber constructions, including the House of Natural Resources at ETHZ, the HORTUS (House of Research, Technology, Utopia and Sustainability) project near Basel, and a visit to Erne Holzbau AG to view their advanced fabrication center for bespoke and prefabricated wooden structures and modules in Stein.