Department / Institute : Prof. Hubert Klumpner
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 Plus
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 Plus
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, Plus
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 Plus
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, Plus
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 Plus
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 Plus
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 Plus
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 Plus
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 Plus
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 Plus
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 Plus
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 Plus
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. Plus
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 Plus
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 – Plus
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 Plus
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 Plus
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 Plus
Transformations urbaines et du paysage, Addis Abeba, 2016. © Sascha Delz, ETH Zürich.
The Doctoral Programme at the ETH Zurich Department of Architecture’s Institute of Landscape and Urban Studies (LUS) offers two fellowship positions starting on 1 October 2023. 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, focuses on contemporary issues of urban and environmental transformation within their broader socio-cultural, political-economic, and theoretical contexts. The programme seeks to promote critical discourse and to cultivate independent, inventive, and proactive research addressing urgent social and environmental challenges.
The LUS Institute tackles the production of landscape, territory, and human settlements across a range of scales and diverse geographies. Research areas currently in the foreground include studies around landscape and designed ecologies, energy transition, agroecology, hydrology, and regenerative agriculture, adaptive infrastructures, housing, and socio-economic development addressing urban inequality. The geographical focus of the LUS Institute lies mostly within Switzerland, Europe, and across the wider global South.
The doctoral programme at the LUS Institute therefore attempts to bring together the disciplines of architecture, landscape architecture, urban and territorial design and planning, and the social sciences. Inter- and transdisciplinary research thus lies at the core of the LUS Institute. It is practiced through a diverse set of methodological approaches, both qualitative and quantitative, ranging from ethnographic research and critical cartography to design-based action research, systems research, and urban theory.
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.
Application
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 look forward to receiving your online application with the following documents by 15 March 2023, 23:59 CET:
- Letter of motivation (1 page).
- Outline of the proposed research project (max. 4 pages + max. 3 illustrations + bibliography and 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.
Further information about the programme, the participating faculty and the application process
Application Timeline
- 15 March 2023: Submission deadline (23:59 CET).
- Middle of April 2023: Notification to shortlisted candidates.
- End of April 2023: Interviews with shortlisted candidates.
- Beginning of May 2023: Notification to successful applicants.
- 1 October 2023: Start of programme.
About the Programme
The language of instruction of the doctoral programme is English. With over 25 participants currently enrolled, the LUS Doctoral Programme cultivates both individual research and collective exchange within the doctoral community. These modes of exchange include the LUS methods seminar, institute-wide colloquia, workshops, and doctoral reviews. The LUS Doctoral Programme is part of a larger, highly stimulating environment of doctoral education offered within the Department of Architecture at ETH Zurich. A close collaboration with the Doctoral Programme in History and Theory of Architecture offered by the gta Institute has been established.
Participating Chairs at the LUS
While an overall alignment between the research proposed by the candidates and the individual and collective research agendas of the participating chairs at the LUS Institute is desirable, candidates are free to apply with an independent research topic. The following seven chairs currently form part of the LUS Institute:
- 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 Sociology, Prof. Dr. Christian Schmid
- Chair of Architecture and Territorial Planning, Prof. Milica Topalovic
Employment, Residence & Funding
The programme offers to fund for only up to three years. You will receive 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 here.
You are required to take up residency in Zurich during the period of the scholarship.
Further Information
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 at bathla@arch.ethz.ch. 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 – Plus
Reactivate Athens
La fuite des capitaux, la dette et la crise ont laissé des traces visibles à la surface de l’environnement bâti dans des villes du monde entier. Dans le centre d’Athènes, la vacance endémique, la détérioration du patrimoine immobilier et un développement urbain fragmenté sont les symptômes de processus Plus
Barranquilla
La culture est une partie vitale de la vie urbaine, mais les équipements culturels sont souvent limités à des zones privilégiées. La Fábrica de Cultura a été développée par U-TT en association avec un réseau international de partenaires : la BAQ offrira un nouvel espace pour l’enseignement des Plus
Empower Shack
Alors que l’Afrique du Sud est généralement considérée comme une source de stabilité et de prospérité dans la région, quelque 7,5 millions de personnes vivent dans des habitations informelles et il manque 2,5 millions de logements dans le pays. C’est dans ce contexte qu’est né le projet de Plus
Torre David
Les stratégies bottom-up sont une réponse à l’actuelle pénurie urbaine. Torre David, une tour de bureaux de 45 étages à Caracas, a été abandonnée, alors qu’elle était presque terminée, à la suite du décès de son développeur et d’une crise bancaire nationale qui a paralysé l’économie vénézuélienne en Plus
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, Plus
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 Plus
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 Plus
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 Plus
SLUM Lab: Empower Shack.
PDF Mehr The Empower Shack team is a response to unsustainable housing approaches in South Africa. What began as a design and build workshop, aimed at developing a double-story shack prototype for Cape Town’s Khayelitsha township, has evolved into a more ambitious project to implement design innovations for rapid and Plus
Torre David. Informal Vertical Communities
Zürich: Lars Müller Publishers. Urban-Think Tank, Lehrstuhl für Architektur und Städtebau, ETH Zürich. Fotografien von Iwan Baan. Mehr Torre David, a 45-story skyscraper in Caracas, has remained uncompleted since the Venezuelan economy collapsed in 1994. Today, it is the improvised home to more than 750 families living in Plus
SLUM Lab: Asia Mode. Volume 7
Zurich: ETH Zurich, FCL Singapore. Mehr The magazine has grown to address a wide variety of global urban themes. Since its first edition, S.L.U.M. Lab has proven to be both provocative and popular. Knowledge sharing has always been a core aspect of the magazine, and many leading Plus
The People’s Museum
Can a museum be a force for change in a city? Inspired by citizen-led solidarity initiatives, the Urban-Think Tank Chair and Baier Bischofberger have redefined the iconic, but neglected, Historical Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina – not as an institution dedicated solely to the display of objects, but as Plus
Empower Shack News
The Empower Shack project continues to evolve. The design research program has been completed, resulting in the documentation of a phased urban layout plan and a ‘fit for purpose’ low-cost housing prototype linked to an incremental plan for formal building code compliance. Initially conceived for a 68-unit pilot Plus
Modeling Future Urban Scenarios for Switzerland
SwissAIM is an advanced software platform. It delivers dynamic high-resolution modeling of urban structures, landscapes, demographics, weather, energy, resources, and socio-economic conditions. Possible future urban scenarios will be synthesized for the whole of Switzerland from 2020 to 2050.
Supermercato
Founded in 1978 as a secluded site for drug rehabilitation, the Italian village of San Patrignano today consists of 1,600 residents whose therapy includes learning to produce food, furniture, and other goods. After visiting the community and markets in Emilia-Romagna, Urban-Think Tank’s design studio has been developing flexible Plus
Geographies of Opportunity
The Urban-Think Tank Chair of Architecture and Urban Design recently launched a two-year design research project in the informal settlements of Cape Town, South Africa, with field surveys, commented walks and the design and facilitation of a series of open workshops. Referencing methods of participation from the Informal Plus