Table Of ContentA R C H I
T E C T U R E
STUDYING ARCHITECTURE
IN SWITZERLAND
Training at the Lucerne School of
Engineering and Architecture
Lucerne, nestled on the shores of Lake Lucerne and surrounded
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by alpine foothills, is the largest city in central Switzerland
and a center of culture, tourism and education. It boasts a well-
preserved medieval quarter with a number of world-famous
landmarks. It features a good selec tion of cinemas, museums,
theaters, restaurants and sports facilities, as well as the
renowned KKL Culture and Convention Center. Alongside the
efficient, reliable and safe public transportation systems,
Lucerne and the surrounding area are ideally suited to
exploration by bicycle. Thanks to its central location and
its excellent highways and public transportation, Lucerne
is a convenient starting point for excursions to the rest of
Switzerland and beyond. Two international airports, in Zurich
and Basel, are each only about an hour's journey time away.
S T U D Y I N G
I N L U C E R N E
Lucerne is home to the Lucerne University The Lucerne School of Engineering and
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of Applied Sciences and Arts, which has Architecture is located on its own modern
a broad spectrum of academic programs campus in Horw, just ten minutes from
in engineering and architecture, business, the center of Lucerne. The campus is
social work, art and design, and music. equipped with state-of-the-art labora-
The Lucerne School of Engineering and tories, lecture rooms, a library and study
Architecture offers courses in the fields of areas and is set in pleasantly landscaped
architecture, interior design, civil gardens. The campus is easily accessible
and structural engineering, building by both public transportation and bicycle.
technology, electrical engineering, com- It is a short walk from the center of Horw
puter sciences, mechanical engineering, with its banking and shopping facilities,
and business engineering. The School and from Lake Lucerne with its many
focuses on extensive interdisciplinary recreational opportunities. More than
research and group work in the unique 1,900 undergraduates and graduates and
subject areas of ‚The Building as a System‘ 570 attendees on continuing education
and ‚Intelligent Solutions for the Energy programs benefit from these outstanding
Turnaround‘. facilities. With a focus on international
collaboration with partner universities,
the Lucerne School of Engineering and
Architecture provides students with a
welcome opportunity to experience an
exchange semester.
B A C H E L O R ' S
D E G R E E
P R O G R A M S
‘Achtung: die Schweiz’ develops an ‘Architecture & Tectonics’ introduces the
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understanding of a building as a whole fundamentals of design and gives the
in the interaction of its technical opportunity for students to apply their
requirements, artistic expression and abstract knowledge of tectonics in a
cultural meaning. It focuses on the comprehensive context. The focus is on a
Swiss architectural period 1945–1970. tectonic approach with special attention
Students study the interaction of paid to the physics of building, ecology
design, construction technology and the and sustainability. ECTS credits: 6
significant relevance of Swiss crafts
in the realization of projects during the The training in architecture offered by
cultural environment of the post war the Lucerne School of Engineering
years and during the years of strong eco- and Architecture is of immense practical
nomic growth in Switzerland. They relevance and covers a wide range of
examine the influence of these projects activities in the planning and construction
on contemporary Swiss architecture and process. The object of the training is to
the question of tradition. ECTS credits: 3 instill in students an awareness
of sustainable, economic and socially
‘Alpine Survival’ involves understanding responsible developments in the realm
a building as a response to the extreme of building.
requirements of its surroundings and
how weather, topography and social Representing the core of the training
conditions shape its architecture in a is the subject area ‚The Building
particular manner. The alpine environ- as a System‘ – by which we mean the
ment is analyzed both as the result of, design and realization of resource-
and having the potential to generate concerving structures that meet the
responsive architecture. The focus is on needs and expectations of people and
the alpine environment, construction the environment, now and in the future.
technology and materials. ECTS credits: 6 With its multidisciplinary degree programs
in architecture, interior design, civil
and structural engineering and building
technology, the Horw Campus provides
the ideal setting for this training.
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M A S T E R ' S
D E G R E E
P R O G R A M S
The project work carried out in the Focus lectures constitute an inter-
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Architecture & Structure Design Studio, disciplinary series of lectures on the
in the Architecture & Material Design three focal topics: materials, structure
Studio and in the Architecture & Energy and energy. In-house and external
Design Studio forms the core of the experts as well as architects address
semester‘s program. Students apply these semester topics and the design
and develop foundational skills and task and deliver the fundamental
knowledge by undertaking complex knowledge required for the course. ECTS
design assignments. They develop their credits: 3
individual architectural direction and
so explore relevant subject areas in Basic lectures develop a fundamental
greater depth. The studio work benefits knowledge of architectural theory and
from close ties with academic research history through seminars, exercises,
activities. Students‘ work is accompanied lectures and excursions. ECTS credits: 3
by roundtable talks, discussions in the
group and with experts, as well as interim Keynote lectures are held alternately at
and final reviews. The objective for the the Lucerne School of Engineering and
students is to develop architectural Architecture and the University of Applied
designs that help them articulate their own Sciences Northwestern Switzerland
architectural direction. ECTS credits: 12 FHNW. They allow architecture to be
examined from an outside standpoint
In-depth study The aim of the module in six all-day seminars with guests from
is to show working methods in research diverse subject areas. ECTS credits: 3
and the ways of thinking needed for
successful research. Students write a Every semester, students can select a
research paper on a focal topic during the study trip organized by one of the
semester. The program is accompanied master‘s degree programs from the
by workshops, discussions, roundtable Lucerne School of Engineering and
talks, interim and final reviews. At the Architecture and the FHNW. The trips
end of the semester, students present a generally focus on a specific topic.
concentrated treatment of their subject ECTS credits: 3
that delves deeply into a theoretical
issue. ECTS credits: 6
The master‘s thesis is completed in Strong craftsmanship
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the final semester, typically in the design
has shaped the
studio in which the student enrolled
architectural culture
at the start of the program. The thesis
semester challenges students to work in Switzerland for
independently on a complex project. centuries.
The professor in charge of the relevant
area of focus, or the head of the degree
This tradition
program, assumes the role of thesis
supervisor and assigns the thesis continues to this
topic. In consultation with the head of day and reflects
the degree program, students develop
in the architectural
their own research topic. Students‘
programs offered
work is accompanied by roundtable
talks, discussions in the group and with by the Lucerne
experts, as well as interim and final School of Engineering
reviews. ECTS credits: 21
and Architecture.
Building on the methods of the scientific
approach and mindset, students explore
subjects connected to their thesis
project. The thesis book is another com-
ponent of the thesis tasks. It describes
the architectural project and comprises
of essays on the three focuses: material,
structure, energy. By debating these
issues in their own projects, students
refine and sharpen their critical archi-
tectural positions. ECTS credits: 6
The Lucerne University of Applied ‚The Building as a System‘ is the signature
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Sciences and Arts and the University area of the Lucerne School of Engineering
of Applied Sciences Northwestern and Architecture and of its Master in
Switzerland FHNW offer a Master Architecture degree. In our latitudes, we
of Arts in Architecture in addition to spend most of our lives inside buildings
their bachelor‘s degree programs designed to provide shelter and serve
in Architecture. As the profiles of the our everyday and long-term needs with
two universities complement each other, regard to work, education and habitation.
this graduate degree program is both Buildings house us in an encompassing
broad and focused. Design projects, way and can foster our physical, spiri-
with their particular specializations, can tual, emotional and creative growth.
be completed in depth without neglecting Constructing a building and fulfilling all
further diverse topics in architecture. of the above-mentioned tasks, needs and
In Lucerne the emphasis is on the building wishes calls for materials to make it,
as a system and the focus is on material – a structure to give it shape, and energy
structure – energy; in Basel, where to make it habitable. At the master‘s
the building is examined in its context, degree level the significance of these
the focus is on building – settlement – three focuses – material, structure and
landscape. The inclusion of an obligatory energy – with respect to architecture
exchange semester at one of our partner is expanded to incorporate matter, notion
universities ensures that the training and atmosphere. Together, these focuses
is comprehensive. The universities‘ can generate form and define identity.
complementary specializations are based Now and in the future, buildings are
on a consolidated, reciprocally negotiated embedded in a context, whether they
definition of architectural theory, which are newbuilds, rebuilds or conversions.
is reflected in their tailored semester Given the cultural and technological
programs. Along with the prospectus complexity of accommodating this
and catalog of modules, these programs context, a coherent system can be
offer elaborate and detailed commentaries realized only through interdisciplinary
on the content of each semester course. cooperation.
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A R C H I T E C T U R A L
R E S E A R C H
The school stimulates a close collaboration
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between students, professors, resear-
chers and external entrepreneurs through
various projects during the course of
studies. The outcome of this collaboration
is a key success factor for the practical
education of the students and for the
industrial partners. These interactions
give rise to innovative improvements in
industry and also in the school's different
Competence Centers such as the Testing
Laboratory for Building Technology,
Thermal Energy Systems and Process
Engineering, and Typology and Planning
in Architecture.
Research always focuses on the technical
and the creative aspects of the process
simultaneously. This implies an inter-
disciplinary approach. The three focuses
– material, structure, energy – allow
for a concentrated yet holistic view of
architecture. This is essential because
the agenda of research consists of
constant improvement. Our competence
centers in architecture consistently
apply design as a point of departure – the
moment of implementation between a
concept and its realization.
Description:landmarks. It features a good selec tion of cinemas, museums, social work, art and design, and music The master's thesis is completed in.
