Department / Institute: Prof. Hubert Klumpner
The Impact of Vertical Densification on Public Lighting in Informal Settlements: Using Virtual Environments as an Evaluation Tool for Policy Making
There are a variety of reasons to support the premise that public lighting is beneficial to urban communities. At the same time, a key challenge for the provision of public lighting in informal settlements is their constant physical transformation. The aim of this paper is to evaluate the Mehr
High-mast lighting as an adequate way of lighting pedestrian paths in informal settlements?
Lighting of pedestrian paths fulfils crucial needs for informal settlement dwellers. A common technological approach in some countries to address these needs is to provide high-mast luminaires. In this paper it is shown by computer simulation that those luminaires are not able to create adequate consistent lighting conditions Mehr
ACTION! On the Real City: 4D Urban Flux 24 Frames Per Second
Elective course | Starting 21 September on Mondays, 10:00–12:00 online and at ETH Zurich, Oerlikon, ONA E16, Neunbrunnenstr. 50, 8050 Zurich. Lecturers: Prof. Hubert Klumpner, Klearjos Eduardo Papanicolaou, Michael Walczak. The course aims to use diverse qualitative research methods and practical recording tools to interrogate the notions of Mehr
Urban Development RoundTable
Daylight in sustainable Urban Design
Initiative to form across different institutes a group responding to the diverse challenges and opportunities around daylight, with a multidisciplinary research platform to address questions of better including aspects of daylight in sustainable urban design and innovative energy technologies to support human wellbeing, living comfort, and health. The project offers two Mehr
Co-creating Public Lighting Technology and Policy for Informal Settlements
The transdisciplinary research project «Virtual Environments as a Decision-making Tool for Public Lighting in Bogotá» focuses on lighting technology and its performance in Bogotá’s densifying urban environments. New lighting approaches are co-created together with informal settlement dwellers and tested with Colombian policy-makers through a Virtual Environment.
ACTION! On the Real City: Filming the (un)Real City
On Mondays, 10:00–12:00 | Elective course | ETH Zurich, Oerlikon, ONA E16, Neunbrunnenstrasse 50. Lecturers: Hubert Klumpner, Klearjos Eduardo Papanicolaou, Michael Walczak. The course develops new forms of urban literacy in learning from the complex, real-life city.
Rijeka European Culture Capital 2020: Have a Seat
CANCELLED: Fábrica de Cultura: BAQ Inauguration
16 March, 18:00 | BAQ Fabrica de Cultura, Barranquilla, Colombia. With guests including Ambassador Raymond Furrer (SECO), this event will inaugurate the newest building emerging from the research of the Klumpner Chair – the Fábrica de Cultura: BAQ, in Barranquilla, Colombia.
Inscriptions in Relation. Sitting Matters – Imagining social relations by designing public space
14–16 February | Exhibition | Palais de la Porte Dorée, 293 Avenue Daumesnil, 75012 Paris, France. Sitting or seating, the provision of a seat or seating, the arrangement of material for a seat as one of the most basic human activities in private or public urban environments is the point of departure Mehr
Housing Challenges in the Global South
Launch Party LUS: Institute for Landscape and Urban Studies
2019–2020 MAS ETH in Housing: Kick-off Event
The Grand Projet, Understanding the Making and Impact of Urban Megaprojects
25 September 2019, 18:00-19:00 | The Grand Projet Book Launch & Exhibition Opening | ETH Zürich, Hauptgebäude, im Lichthof, Erdgeschoss (HG E Nord), Rämistrasse 101, Zürich | exhibition open 25.9. to 4.10.2019. At this book launch and exhibition opening, The Grand Projet team at the ETH-Future Cities Laboratory presents the Mehr
One new institute replaces three others: the Institute for Landscape and Urban Studies (LUS)
The Institute for Landscape and Urban Studies (LUS) has been founded as part of the Department of Architecture, with the Professors Christophe Girot, Hubert Klumpner, Freek Persyn, Christian Schmid, Milica Topalovic, and Günther Vogt. It replaces the three previous Institutes for Urban Design (ISB), Landscape Architecture (ILA) and the Contemporary City Institute (CCI).
Public Spaces in Post-conflict Cities. Post-conflict Colombia and Ex-Yugoslavia
Daily news headlines inform us about crises situations due to conflict and economic issues leading to soaring hunger and mass emigrations in various parts of the world. The ongoing research efforts at our chair in post-conflict Colombia, post-apartheid South Africa, and Ex-Yugoslavia focuses on creating synergies between city, Mehr
The Disappearance of Robin Hood
Screening and panel discussion on Monday 11 March, 20:00 – 22:00 | Kino Kosmos, Zurich. London, 1972 – the city is growing, and with it the need to house working populations. Post-war values of social welfare make experimenting with new forms of housing possible, ushering in an era of Mehr
Elective course: ACTION! On the Real City – CAMPUS: Sensory Ethnograpgy of Educational Space
On Mondays, 10:00 – 12:00 | ETH Zurich, Oerlikon, ONA E16, Neunbrunnenstrasse 50, 8050 Zurich. Lecturers: Hubert Klumpner with Klearjos Eduardo Papanicolaou The elective course «Action! On the Real City – CAMPUS: Sensory Ethnography of Educational Space» develops new forms of urban literacy in learning from the complex, Mehr
Design Studio Autumn 2018 – Urban Prototype: Sarajevo, Bosnia & Herzegovina
On Tuesdays and Wednesdays 08:00 – 18:00 | ETH Zurich, Oerlikon, ONA E25, Neunbrunnenstrasse 50, 8050 Zurich. The Urban Prototype studio will address environmental issues and social inequality by exploring urban resettlement strategies and knowledge transfer spaces through new urban and building typologies in the context of the Mehr
Lecture courses «Urban Design I/II – Urban Stories» and «Urban Design III/IV – Urban Stories»
On Thursdays 08:00 – 09:30 | ETH Zurich, Oerlikon, ONA E7, Neunbrunnenstrasse 50, 8050 Zurich. How did the cities develop that we live in now? Which urban plans, instruments, visions, political decisions, economic reasonings, cultural inputs and social organization have been used to operate in urban settlements in Mehr
Ignazio Cassis Visits Empower Shack
Swiss Federal Council member Ignazio Cassis visited the site of the Empower Shack Project in the township of Khayelitsha in South Africa, meeting Prof. Hubert Klumpner on site. Together with the Swiss Ambassador, they spoke at length about the project’s potential to reshape housing policy in post-apartheid South Mehr
Shareland Doctoral Colloquium
5th and 6th April 2019, a linked two-day event with the ETH Forum Wohnungsbau. Featuring an interdisciplinary panel of 24 PhD’s and Post-Docs engaging with the topics ‚Sharing‘, ‚Co-Creating‘, and ‚Dwelling‘, the Shareland Doctoral Conference will debate new frameworks for understanding cities, housing, and land distribution today. Sign Mehr
Digital Planning Tools and «Focal Practices»
The experiences gained from designing and implementing digital tools that aim to replicate an urban development methodology allows a critical reflection on the limits of emerging planning technology. These limits become clear when assessing how successful the technology is in enhancing the «focal practices» (Borgmann 1984) of participants Mehr
Urban Design I/II + III/IV – Urban Stories
Lecture course on Thursdays, starting 20 September, 8:00–9:30 | ETH Zurich, Oerlikon, ONA E7, Neunbrunnenstr. 50. How did cities develop in the cities we live in now? Which urban plans, instruments, visions, political decisions, economic reasonings, cultural inputs and social organization have been used to operate in urban settlements in specific moments of Mehr
Action! On the Real City: Informal Zürich
Elective course. Ethnographic Filmmaking on the City’s Edges. On Mondays, starting 17 September, 10:00–12:00 | ETH Zurich, Oerlikon, ONA E16, Neunbrunnenstr. 50. Lecturers: Alfredo Brillemboug & Hubert Klumpner with Klearjos Papanicolaou. The elective course «Action! On the Real City – Informal Zürich – Ethnographic Filmmaking on the City’s Edges» develops new forms of Mehr
Urban Prototype – New Typologies to Reclaim Public Space in Bogotá
The collaborative «Urban Prototype» research focuses on alternative architectural projects for the Colombian capital of Bogotá. Among the outputs, typologies, integrated infrastructure, and innovative urban scenarios wer developed, generating challenges to conventional urban development approaches, mobility models, and open space concepts around the Plaza de Los Mártires area Mehr
Langstrasse with Love – Rogue Urbanism
Our collaborative «Langstrasse with Love – Rogue Urbanism» research aims to develop new building typologies in response to gentrification processes in one of Zurich’s most diverse and inclusive areas, the Langstrasse district. Together with the Chair of Sociology, Prof. Dr. Schmid, and the ETH CASE / Wohnforum, Dr. Mehr
Social Design
Ausstellung im Museum für Gestaltung, Zurich, vom 5. Oktober 2018 – 3. Februar 2019. A loom to start a business, a do-it-yourself house, or a solar kiosk for local power supply: social design is design for and with society – and highly topical. The consequences of the global growth Mehr
Waiting in the Sky – Testbeds for a Vertical Future in Torre David
While much has been written about the fate of buildings that outlast their program, typically in the post-industrial context, this essay «Waiting In The Sky: Test Beds for a Vertical Future in Torre David» addresses the topic from a different angle: vertically. Taking the Centro Financiero Confinanzas – Mehr
The Disappearance of Robin Hood
NSL Colloquium: Re-Thinking the 21st Century City
Date: To be defined. As part of the series of NSL Colloquiua, this event will bring together practitioners from the fields of architecture and urban design with a special emphasis on the most pressing issues for cities in the 21st century. Through talks and open discussions, this event Mehr
Empower Integrated Research. Preferential City Making
The Empower project uses applied design research and organizational models to address the current deficit in urban land readjustment through the development, implementation and evaluation of 42 housing units and integrated urban systems. The research is conducted under the tracks: (A) Land Readjustment methodology, (B) Stakeholder Relationship Arrangements Mehr
The City Through The Lens: Experimental Documentary Film Series
Urban Design I/II – Urban Stories
ACTION! On the Real City – Record, Edit: Langstrasse
UrbanThink Tank: Inside & Out
The Independent: Città Parangolé
«Empower-Shack» auf der RIBA Longlist für das Weltbeste Gebäude
Die Lehr- und Forschungsinitiative «Empower-Shack» (des Lehrstuhls für Architektur und Städtebau von Alfredo Brillembourg & Hubert Klumpner) und dessen Weiterführung in eine Realierungsphase wurde von einer Internationalen Jury des Royal Instituts for British Architects (RIBA) auf die Longlist für das Weltbeste Gebäude gewählt. RIBA vergibt seit 1848 einen der wichtigsten Architekturpreise Mehr
![Urban and Rural Transformations, Addis Ababa, 2016. © Sascha Delz, ETH Zürich.](https://www.nsl.ethz.ch/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Urban-and-Rural-Transformations_Addis-Ababa_2016_Sascha_Delz-1280x960.jpg)
The doctoral programme at the ETH Zurich Department of Architecture’s Institute of Landscape and Urban Studies (LUS) offers one fellowship position starting on 1 October 2024. 100%, Zurich-based, fixed-term. Job description
The LUS Doctoral Programme
The doctoral programme at the Institute of Landscape and Urban Studies (LUS), ETH Zurich D-ARCH, is dedicated to exploring contemporary challenges in urban and environmental transformation within broader socio-cultural, political-economic, and theoretical frameworks. This programme is designed to foster critical discourse and nurture independent, innovative, and proactive research that addresses pressing social and environmental issues.
The LUS Institute engages with the production of landscape, territory, and human settlements across various scales and diverse global geographies. Key research areas include landscape and designed ecologies, energy transition, agroecology, hydrology, regenerative agriculture, adaptive infrastructures, housing, and socio-economic development with a focus on urban inequality. Geographically, the LUS Institute’s research spans Switzerland, Europe, and the broader global South.
By bringing together disciplines such as architecture, landscape architecture, urban and territorial design, and planning, as well as the social sciences, the doctoral programme at the LUS Institute adopts an inter- and transdisciplinary approach. This approach encompasses a diverse range of methodological approaches, from qualitative and quantitative research to ethnography, critical cartography, design-based action research, systems research, and urban theory.
About the Programme
The doctoral programme is conducted in English. With a current enrollment of over 25 participants, the LUS doctoral programme encourages both individual research and collaborative engagement within the doctoral community. The programme offers multiple platforms for interaction, such as the LUS methods seminar, institute-wide colloquia, workshops, and doctoral reviews. Embedded in the vibrant doctoral education environment of the Department of Architecture at ETH Zurich, the LUS doctoral programme actively collaborates with the doctoral programme at the Institute of History and Theory of Architecture (gta), ETH Zurich. This collaboration enhances interdisciplinary perspectives and provides enriched research opportunities.
Participating Chairs at the LUS
While the proposed research should align with the individual and collective research agendas of the participating chairs at the LUS Institute, candidates are welcome to apply with an independent research topic, provided it aligns with the collective competencies of the Institute. The LUS Institute currently comprises seven chairs, each contributing to its diverse research landscape:
- Chair of History and Theory of Urban Design, Prof. Dr. Tom Avermaete
- Chair of Architecture and Housing, Prof. Maria Conen
- Chair of Landscape Architecture, Prof. Dr. Teresa Galí-Izard
- Chair of Architecture and Urban Design, Prof. Hubert Klumpner
- Chair of Architecture and Urban Transformation, Prof. Freek Persyn
- Chair of Architecture and Territorial Planning, Prof. Milica Topalovic
- Chair of Landscape Architecture, Prof. Martina Voser
Job description
Conduct original doctoral research on an individually determined topic within the disciplines of landscape and urban studies. The fellowship places no restriction on the geography or time period of the proposed research project. You are expected to devote a small part of your time to community building activities at the LUS doctoral school and co-curate LUS Talks during the second year of your studies. See past LUS Talks here.
100% doctoral employment at the ETH standard rate, with an expected term of three-and-a-half years to completion, pending successful approval of the doctoral plan at the end of year one.
Your Profile
We are seeking individuals with a background in architecture, landscape architecture, urban and territorial design and planning, and social sciences, with strong research or design experience that can benefit from the inter- and transdisciplinary engagements offered by the institute.
You must hold a university diploma or master’s degree obtained at university level (equivalent to the FHEQ-Level 7) in architecture, landscape architecture, urban design, urban planning, and social science, or related fields.
You must additionally demonstrate excellent research and writing skills.
We offer
The programme provides funding for up to three-and-a-half years, with a potential extension. You will be employed at full employment (100% pensum), based on the ETH Zurich doctoral student contract, with monthly salaries according to the ‘standard rate’. For a detailed calculation of salaries, please refer to this link.
You are required to take up residency in Zurich during the period of the scholarship. Working, teaching and research at ETH Zurich
We value diversity
In line with our values, ETH Zurich encourages an inclusive culture. We promote equality of opportunity, value diversity and nurture a working and learning environment in which the rights and dignity of all our staff and students are respected. Visit our Equal Opportunities and Diversity website to find out how we ensure a fair and open environment that allows everyone to grow and flourish.
Curious? So are we.
Applications must be addressed to the Institute of Landscape and Urban Studies rather than to individual professors. Applicants must note that the application will be solely evaluated for their content and the applicants are thus requested to not contact individual professors before applying.
We are looking forward to receiving your online application with the following documents by 15 March 2024, 23:59 CET:
- Letter of motivation (1 page).
- Outline for the Proposed Research Project (4 pages + addendums). The document should include the research title, a review of the current state-of-the-art related to the proposed topic, clearly defined research questions, articulated aims and objectives, anticipated formats for publication, and a demonstration of why the LUS Institute is an ideal host for the proposed research. The main content must adhere to a 4-page limit, utilizing 11pt. font and single-spacing. Supplementary pages may be used for up to three illustrations (maps, drawings, images), bibliography, and a project timeline.
- Curriculum vitae (including publications, portfolio, and work samples, max. 10 pages).
- Published piece of writing if available (1 text, max. 15 pages).
- Name, affiliation, and email addresses of 2 referees.
Please note that applications missing any of the documents listed above and/or exceeding specified page limits will not be considered for evaluation.
The programme exclusively accepts application documents submitted through the ETH online application portal. Applications submitted via email or postal services will not be considered.
Application Timeline
- 15 March 2024: Submission deadline (23:59 CET).
- Middle of April 2024: Notification to shortlisted candidates.
- End of April 2024: Interviews with shortlisted candidates.
- Beginning of May 2024: Notification to successful applicants.
- 1 October 2024: Start of programme.
Further information about the programme, the participating faculty and the application process.
Applicants are requested to refer to the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) before approaching the programme coordinator. Only for questions that cannot be addressed through the FAQs contact the doctoral programme coordinator Nitin Bathla. Requests sent to any other email will not be considered.
FAQ
Fábrica de Cultura
Noise surrounds us. And yet, as willing as we may be to listen, it is not until a filtering process takes place that it becomes intelligible. For us, the language of architecture articulates this filtering process. With the re-arrangement of what is already there, noise becomes music – Mehr
Reactivate Athens
Kapitalflucht, Verschuldung und Krise haben weltweit sichtbare Narben auf dem Gesicht der gebauten Umwelt der Städte hinterlassen. Im Zentrum Athens sind endemische Leerstände, ein sich verschlechternder Gebäudebestand und ein zersplittertes Stadtgefüge Symptome eines längerfristigen Verfallsprozesses. Mit Unterstützung der Onassis-Stiftung wurde Reactivate Athens als gemeinschaftliche Forschungs- und Entwurfs-Initiative konzipiert, Mehr
Barranquilla
Entwickelt von einer Gruppe von Forschenden am LUS-Lehrstuhl für Architektur und Städtebau, Prof. Hubert Klumpner, unterstützt durch das Institut für Technologie in der Architektur ITA, Prof. Dr. Arno Schlueter und Prof. Dr. Philippe Block, in Zusammenarbeit mit einem internationalen Netzwerk von Partnern wie der Universidad del Norte wird Mehr
Empower Shack
Während Südafrika in der Regel als Quelle für Stabilität und Wohlstand in seiner Region angesehen wird, leben etwa 7,5 Millionen Menschen in informellen Siedlungen und das Land ist mit einem Wohnraummangel von insgesamt 2,5 Millionen Einheiten konfrontiert. Empower Shack ist ein interdisziplinäres Entwicklungsprojekt, das auf diesem Kontext aufbaut Mehr
Torre David
Bottom-up-Strategien sind eine Möglichkeit, die vorherrschenden städtischen Knappheiten anzugehen. Torre David, ein 45-stöckiges Bürohochhaus in Caracas, war fast fertig, als es nach dem Tod seines Entwerfers und der nationalen Bankenkrise, die 1994 die venezolanische Wirtschaft lahmlegte, aufgegeben wurde. Über ein Jahrzehnt lang vernachlässigt, wurde es 2007 zum improvisierten Mehr
Architecture and Light
Reactivate Athens: 101 Ideas
Ruby Press. Mehr Can architecture and design respond to cities under stress? With its roots in a research and design initiative, this book presents a collection of 101 spatial ideas that map a post-crisis urban vision for Athens. Targeting a range of challenges, from the economy and public space, Mehr
Theater for Informal Settlement
Having collaborated with Khayelitsha-based NGO Theater4Change on the 2016 production Holy Contract, the Urban-Think Tank Chair is now designing a new arts complex to replace the group’s existing self-built space. The Makukhanye Shack Theater will greatly expand the impact of programs already underway, as well as improve access Mehr
Urban Game: Action! On the Real City
Initiated in 2014, the Urban-Think Tank Chair is developing an urban game that aims to facilitate decision-making and design processes to understand complex, real-life urban transformations in cities worldwide. Part educational tool, part platform for scenario planning, the ongoing project supports a sustainable approach to urban development while Mehr
Forget About Utopia
In: Hou, Jeffrey; Spencer, Benjamin; Way, Thaisa; Yocom, Ken (Hrsg.): Now Urbanism: The Future City Is Here. Routledge. More This book explores the intersections of critical inquiry and immediate, substantive actions. The contributions recognize the rich complexities of the present city not as barriers or obstacles but as grounds for uncovering opportunity Mehr