Foreign Architects Switzerland

FAS -exhibited at the AA

2011-11-07T11:28:00.003+01:00

(pic Valerie Bennett)

Well, we can't be unhappy about representing Switzerland in the Architecture-Zines production.

So we are happy to be presented at the ARCHIZINES exhibition at the AA.

The press release say: " Architectural Fanzines and Alternative Publishing Phenomenon Celebrated at the AA School

New exhibition reveals astonishing insight into how people around the world relate to their built environment.
From the homemade fanzine to the professional magazine - the desire to talk about architecture is global.
ARCHIZINES: Public Opening 5 November – 14 December 2011."

Thank you. We feel less lonely out there.

There is a catalog:
http://www.bedfordpress.org/forthcoming/archizines/

PJZ= call to Zurich voters!

2011-08-31T14:21:00.007+02:00

"Achtung: Wer den Polizei-und Justizpalast nicht will, muss JA stimmen!"

Swiss democracy is awesome. So awesome that local citizens can vote on what's being built around them. I know of no other country that does that.
However, foreigners can't vote (some political parties can for that), so FAS calls for our Swiss/Zurich supporters to think and vote correctly, for once. So a YES for a NO.
Because the voting are not asked namely: do you want the PJC built or not? The question is: do you want the law requiring the construction of the PJC cancel, or not? Who does not want the PJC, must apply for the lifting of the PJC-law and agree that YES! Clear?

We hate the project and we hate the idea of wanting to build just anything without consultation. We would like a green house, or a pet paradise. Certainly NOT a jail.

Remember the project?

NO THANKS!

Architecture Foundation publication: The Mosque in the Contemporary Urban West

2011-07-05T10:58:00.002+02:00

The Architecture Foundation launches a publication documenting and critically expanding upon the AF's November 2010 symposium, Faith in the City: The Mosque in the Contemporary Urban West, featuring new essays by Lukas Feireis s, Foreign Architects Switzerland and Professor Nasser Rabbat amongst many other notable contributors.

Check it out here

Save The Guterbahnhof!

2011-04-06T16:06:00.004+02:00

To our great jubilation, plans for a new Police-and-Justice-Center in Zurich came to a screeching halt last autumn, when its budget was nixed by parliament. Months earlier, FAS had given Theo Hotz' competition-winning project for the (glorified jailhouse) "Police Center" our heavily sarcastic WTF (What The Fuck) Award. The Guterbahnhof rail depot in Kreis 4 would be a fantastic location for just about anything except a penal institution. The 75,000 m2 site is perhaps the last large chunk of land in the rapidly developing district of town.

It is therefore no suprise that upon cancellation of the project, a flood of speculation and intrigue came. Vast swaths of developers, collaboratives, and politicians now feast their eyes on the Guterbahnhof, with dreams of claiming the site for more yuppy offices, low-cost housing, parkland, or even a museum.

FAS (Fundamentally Ambiguous Strategies) came to the conclusion that Zurich already has everything that you can name under the sun. Except, of course, undefined space. Especially in an age where real-estate tycoons are quick to market every square meter of space in the city for a target use, it is hard to find anything that grows organically. But rather than let a system of committees decide its fate, we imagine that, if left to its own devices, the Guterbahnhof will eventually rise to become a haven of culture, the last vestige of creativity in a city of dwindling prospects; its eclectic mixture of tenants and its vast and atypical spaces provide the generative matrix for a cross-pollination of ideas.

CALL FOR LOVERS

The Guterbahnhof, a protected site, was only threatened by a mandate stating the construction of the Police-Center and necessary. (A citadel? Necessary?) So while the rail depot is temporarily safe, its days are still limited: it is only a matter of time before luxury apartments are deemed as necessary for the welfare of the city. Therefore, FAS (Feeble Attempts at Salvation) is launching another call for ideas, to ensure the protection of the Guterbahnhof by turning it into an Icon of Zurich. But we don't just need architects: the Guterbahnhof's future needs no plans or planners, it needs lovers.

We are asking for your vision of a future for the GBH. How can the life of Zurich inhabit the Guterbahnhof?

Responses can take the form of a postcard from the future, a love-letter, poem, sketch or painting, and can be as abstract or as realistic as you like. The introduction of new programs/functions is allowed, but not necessary, to depict a future for the Guterbahnhof.

Select entries will be displayed in the city as part of a campaign to save the soul of the city. Send your dreams to:

FAS

8000

Zurich

or faszine@gmail.com

Deadline: May 1, 2011

FAS #03

2011-04-06T15:30:00.003+02:00

Open publication - Free publishing - More architecture

Mobimo: Daaaammmnnnn

2011-04-06T15:01:00.006+02:00

Mobimo Tower, threatening the real-life "Nagelhaus" in the Maag Areal

“It is thought of as radically urban. Here urban living and a highly urban program merge. The superposition of different structures and interests, the ambiguity create a special intensity. The inhabitants of the Mobimo Tower find “in house” activities such as a restaurant, bar, gym, and conference center, in combination with the 5-star hotel in the first fourteen floors.”

-Roger Diener (Translated by FAS)

In his description of his Luxury Tower project, Roger is using all the language of urbanists, talking about superpositioning of interests, ambiguity, and intensity. But it is fiction: it's just a 5-star hotel and luxury flats. The only superpositioning of interests, the only intensity, comes from the conflict the developers run into with the crazy old man inhabiting the nagelhaus.

FAS comparison of Mobimo luxury flats to Nagelhaus flats; is one "denser" than the other?

+Alternative proposals for inhabitation of the Mobimo Tower

WTF Award #3

2011-04-06T14:32:00.007+02:00

And the winner is: Affoltern Nord!

Why pick a building when an entire district deserves a big WTF?

Left: South Bronx, New York City, 1967

Right: Ruggachern, Affoltern (Architects: Baumschlager Eberle) 2007

Faith In The City: The Mosque in the Contemporary Urban West

2010-11-14T19:54:00.002+01:00

We were there

A great symposium! Very refreshing to see that some architects do care...

FAS talks

2010-10-31T12:22:00.002+01:00

FAS is delighted to inform you about this:

We will hold a small presentation and be part of the Faith in the City: Symposium
on Thurs 11 November 2.00-6.00pm at the Architecture Foundation, London, UK.

For those of our fans who are in town...

Mosk near Ground Zero.

2010-10-04T15:18:00.002+02:00

All renderings © 2010 SOMA Architects

The group behind the proposed Islamic cultural center near New York's ground zero has released what it is calling the first official images of the center.

Long Live the GütherBahnhof!

2010-09-21T14:19:00.004+02:00

You might remember that the WHAT THE FUCK award n°1 went to the Theo Hotz PJZ's delirious project. We can't be delighted enough to announce that the credit has been refused!
What a joyous day!

image credit: keystone

We are not alone!

2010-08-26T09:08:00.003+02:00

It seems we are not the only ones around that react on the ambiant xenophobia.
Off course, Foreign Architects Switzerland can only rejoice on that love declaration to foreigners!
We love you too!

A muslim woman will save us all!

2010-08-25T16:35:00.005+02:00

A super muslim heroin will save the planet! Faiza Hussain is a British Muslim super heroine introduced in Marvel- Not an architect unfortunatly.

A new Mosq for UAE

2010-07-20T11:16:00.002+02:00

RUX WINS TRAFFIC’S INTERNATIONAL DESIGN

COMPETITION TO BUILD A MOSQUE IN THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

FAS #002!

2010-05-30T22:49:00.007+02:00

FAS> the sequel

2010-05-03T22:59:00.003+02:00

We are preparing the second issue of FAS!
Coming soon: the winning teams projects and what we want to do with it, our opinion on the SANAA building in Lausanne and much less...
____
Yours,
Fantastic, Agnostic & Superficial

Mosque in Kopenhagen

2010-04-07T11:17:00.004+02:00

In Denmark they're doing something....

COMPETITION RESULTS

2010-03-19T12:37:00.012+01:00

In response to the Swiss minaret ban, FAS launched a competition for an Islamic Center in Zurich, on the Kronenwiese site along the Limmat River. Hoping to catalyze a much needed discussion within the architectural community about cultural differences, we were pleased to receive such a plethora of thoughtful entries. Many entries, looking at ‘integration’ as a mutual exchange of information, found ways to bring Zurich into the Mosque, as well as bring the Mosque into Zurich. They challenged stylistic norms, some going so far as to suggest that religion, as well as architectural style, is bound to evolve in a changing cultural climate.
It is no surprise that our entries came from all over the world, as Switzerland has recently become internationally notorious for this human rights issue. Since local architecture platforms have been apathetic to their own problems, we at FAS recognize it as our responsibility to make voices heard, to open up to other cultures and mentalities. The success of our call reaffirms this need for discussion as well as a real desire for architects to interact politically.
Our next step is a move towards wider debate, deeper confrontation, and more real interactions. Therefore, we would like to take the discussion outside of the architecture realm to the public forum:

We ask the city of Zurich, why shouldn’t an Islamic Center be built here?
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1st Prize
(De) + (Re) thinking Islam in Switzerland
Swapna Parab and Nubras Samayeen

Directing energy towards a network of landforms, rather than built objects, this project succeeds in creating inviting spaces, somehow a peace offering between disparate factions. In lacing the site with an encyclopedic collection of Islamic metaphors, we were particularly interested that the “Paradise Garden” was somehow pious and secular at the same time. A Trojan Horse, it does not present its power outright; one could imagine being in the middle of this Islamic Center without even realizing it.The park avoids an unnecessary discussion about architectural style and minaret by focusing on urban strategies rather than architectural clarity. One could imagine it very well as the next 'Place to be' in Zürich.

2nd Prize
[…]Veil! Void!
Matthew Hall

This project proposes that the Swiss minaret ban necessitates a reconceptualization of the minaret, and Islamic practice, in Switzerland: the “minaret” becomes an observation deck and prayer space on the top floor. However, its fortress-like appearance depicts an image of solidarity and singularity, introspective towards its site. Although menacing and undiplomatic, we found it to be symptomatic of a situation, that Islam is at odds with its surroundings in Europe.

3rd Prize
Ceci n’est pas un minaret
Frei + Saarinen Architektur

In rewriting the program, this ‘Brave Swiss’ mixes routine commercial space with the functions of the Islamic Center. In Zurich, where real estate is always in demand, it is particularly exciting to imagine that members of the conservative SVP (Schweizerische Volkspartei) might find their new headquarters looking out into a minaret-void. Ironically, the office tower and minaret are both symbols of power; their combination suggests that Switzerland’s love of commerce outweighs its fear of Islam.

Competition: Building Conflict

2010-03-02T21:21:00.001+01:00

Something happened. Although Switzerland profited all its history by its forthrightness towards immigrants, today this is over. The Swiss population has voted to ban the building of minarets. The ignorance and fear about a different culture was uncovered. A discriminating law found its way into our constitution. But this vote does not solve any problems nor addresses the real issues: Media-constructed incompatibilities, migratory movements, social barriers, Islam in Europe, etc…

Therefore, FAS calls for an open competition for a public Islamic Center in Zurich with a mosque where Muslims can gather and practice their religion in an open urban context.
This complex will be open to all, furthering interactions and dialogue.
How can architecture, as a manifestation of social relationships, expedite conflicts in a city? Is Zurich an undisturbed town, or a war-zone, a platform for ideas to be fought for? How can elements of a foreign culture be augmented, rather than diminished, through contextualism?

View Larger Map

View Larger Map

The chronically controversial Kronenwiese is located above the Kornhausbrücke, in the triangle of Kronenstrasse, Kornhausstrasse and Nordstrasse. On this prominent site above the Limmat River, the presence of a mosque is impossible to camouflage. In the middle of a residential area, directly adjacent to a greek orthodox church, swimming facilities and an active bar scene, the distinctly Islamic Center must posture itself with an attitude towards its dissimilar neighbors.
Originally intended as an open green space, development of the Kronenwiese Park was made possible when the whole area was declared a construction zone in 2008. Social engagement was stopped by the eviction of the „Gassenküche“ (soup-kitchen) and of the homeless` shacks. Today the city council is proceeding with a project competition for a new, high end residential allotment. But FAS introduces an alternative that the entire city can profit from.

proceeding open competition

program \\
-Mosque (A wall correctly oriented to Mecca)
-Aula for lectures, exhibitions and theater
-multipurpose rooms for men and women
-offices
-library
-coffee shop & restaurant
-hamam
-public park & playground
site Kronenwiese: 7000 m²

objective:
-to give Muslims a place to pray and meet
-to design an open meeting point between cultures
-to gain a nuanced perspective on the Islamic architecture in Switzerland
-to create a top quality public space where people can meet or relax
-to save the honour of Switzerland
No minarets.

Closing Date March 1st, 2010
Submittal format:
- Images (sketches, montages, plans, renderings, etc.)
- Descriptive text
All format: pdf

send to FASzine@gmail.com

1st prize : Crowned with the FAS legion of honour & awesome FAS T-shirt
2nd prize: a slick FAS T-shirt
3rd prize: an ok FAS T-Shirt
Best projects will be published.

..For Altruism & Strength…

FAS#00

2010-02-03T21:25:00.000+01:00

Editorial January 2010

2010-01-17T23:58:00.001+01:00

Among Swiss architects, it is a common belief that our profession is not politically active- or even interested in political debates -and will not endanger its practice by unveiling political opinions -nor taking parts in political movements or getting involved in controversies.

Our colleagues also seem to believe that this ‘detestable’ weak and wimpy feature of architects, planners and co. does not only apply to Switzerland but is a worldwide plague. However, a recent good example proves different as Jean Nouvel, involved in the consultation on the Grand Paris with 9 other teams, slammed the door to the 35 billions euro project. Quite a political statement indeed. Concerned with the disregard of quality and social issues, he along with other specialists (urban designers, sociologists, etc…) opposed the project and published articles on daily basis in national newspapers.
France has a long and deep-rooted tradition of disputing, protesting and doing this aloud, and this attitude includes some of its architects.

Now, on the other hand, Switzerland is famous for its low profile political line.
A quiet populace, fundamentally conservative and liberal, believes and takes pride in its direct democracy; mostly votes what the Congress Counsel tell them to, what is reasonable for the country well-being. Very seldom mass demonstrations hit the streets to complain or claim something .

Accordingly, our architect colleagues are well fitting into that consensual and politically inert environment. Every now and then, some bored colleague willing to get some visibility writes an article about single-family houses in the NZZ. Then another ETH professor publishes an article on density that are –really- extracts of his new book. And there is of course good ol` SIA brown-nosing discussions with entrance fees. Frankly, the same people talking to the same audience about the very same things won’t do anymore.
If truth be told, there is nothing worse than a milieu, a scene that looks at itself with satisfaction.
All of this was still ok, right?

But something happened. The unfortunate results of the minaret-ban election exposed two significant facts about architecture in the country: First, the ban brought up an unabashedly xenophobic culture resistant to change. “Swiss Contextualism,” as it is known to architects and urbanists, seeks solutions that augment the built environment with minimal disruption, in essence, “fitting in” with an existing landscape. This ideology, promoting continuity with history, has protected Switzerland from the “slash-and-burn” tactics to global urbanism in the twentieth century. But it has essentially kept the country in a petrified stasis, a form of protective urbanism. This isolated, homogenous culture of building leaves little room for real dialogue. Swiss architects believe their own architecture to be the best, a bit like the western world believes its values to be the best for humankind.

Second, the minaret ban demonstrated the great value that the Swiss put on architecture: the minaret, as a construction primarily of communicative purpose, represented a threat to Swiss uniformity and sovereignty. The whole of the general population, not only those directly engaged in construction, is deeply interested in what gets built (or does not get built) around them. In a country where an unusual emphasis is placed on the power of the built environment, architecture has an especially important responsibility as arbiter for culture.

ARCHITECT’S RESPONSABILITIES BEGIN WITH THEIR SILENCE AND THEIR DISENGAGEMENT.

Because architects are responsible for the form of the city;
Because it is also up to us to organize social relationships;
Because architects are capable of constructive, creative dialogue;
We would like to start by offering the opportunity to architects to save the honor of their country, of their profession and of themselves by calling for an open competition for a mosque in Zurich.

If you are aware that there is a urgency to react
If you believe that discussion and political involvement lacks in the profession
If you think that architecture can be trans-bordered and should open up towards other disciplines and other countries
If you hope that together we could achieve some change
Architects, urbanists, engineers, economists, geographers, landscape designers, sociologists, intellectuals…
JOIN FAS!

FAS Manifesto

2010-01-17T21:24:00.003+01:00

Dearest Switzerland,

We met some time ago. (I believe it was a party) We were the rest of the world. (We were the maids.) We had a love child. Her name is FAS. (Foreign Architects Switzerland) We thought it best that she keep your surname, even though you haven’t taken one single interest in your child. (Is it because she’s a Foreigner?)

FAS (Furthering Activist Solidarity) doesn’t want your money. FAS (Frequently Attacking Standards) just wants to talk. FAS (Freaks And Suffragettes) wants real dialogue in the architectural community.

FAS (Forum of Anonyous Statements) is a platform for ideas, projects, and people that remain illegitimate to the brain-dead, incestuous architectural media of Switzerland. We recognize that architecture has a potential to have a great social impact in this peculiar country, but has been severely limited by the narrow focus of its practitioners. It is time that light is shed on the alternative perspectives of thousands of foreign thinkers.

FAS (Fat And Sexy) breaks through antiquated paradigms and technocratic piousness prevalent in this architectural bubble. It is impossible that such a technically advanced culture can sustain with such a medieval, xenophobic social order. We need architects, not technicians, for the 21st century!

FAS is not (Fashionable Architecture from Squares) the official organ of foreign architects in Switzerland.*
*The views and opinions expressed by FAS (Foundation for Alpine Sabotage) in no way reflect the views and opinions of foreign architects in Switzerland.

FAS does not stand for Fascist Architecture School.*
*But could stand for Fundemental Arabic Society.

FAS (Flawed Argument Scripting) is never right.

FAS (Fight Arrogant Suckers) does not know what it is doing, but dares to nonetheless.

Love,
The Rest of the World.