Editor’s note: This listing was updated on December 2, 2002

OVERVIEW

The Swiss Institute of Technology, or ETH Zurich, is at the forefront of building technology. From innovations in sustainable concrete to robotic fabrication, its faculty and research centres – including Philippe Block and the National Centers of Competence in Research – have brought the institute’s cutting-edge proofs of concept to a world stage.

ETH Zurich’s Architecture programs take on a multi- and transdisciplinary teaching approach that has evolved over time to constantly assess the current and future states of architecture and urban design, particularly on the topics of future cities, energy, climate change and sustainability.

Undergrads are immersed in the fundamentals on three fronts: design and construction, engineering disciplines and historical and social disciplines. Masters students develop their individual approach to architecture by working on larger projects leading up to the master’s thesis, based on a given topic in the fields of constructive design, architectural or urban design. The completion of both the BSc and MSc programs (where competency in German is a must) are then followed by six-month internships in the students’ preferred field of work.

NOTABLE FACULTY

Tom Emerson, Matthias Kohler, Maarten Delbeke, Elli Mosayebi

NOTABLE ALUMNI

Rupert Muldoon (Meeuwsen Muldoon Landscape Architects), Sibèlle Urben  (Swiss Federal Office for Construction and Logistics), Benedikt Kowalewski, James Atle Melsom (LANDSKIP), and David Ettlinger (LOMO Architekten)