Swiss architecture in the Jaroslav Fragner Gallery

Swiss Positions: 33 Approaches to Sustainable Building
Distinction Romande d´Architecture 2010

8/3 - 14/4/2013

As part of the March multi-genre project Swiss Spring, the Galerie Jaroslava Fragnera in Prague will present two selected exhibitions of contemporary architecture – sustainable Swiss architecture and projects from the Francophone part of the country.

The exhibitions will be ceremoniously opened at the Bethlehem Chapel on Thursday, March 7 at 7 PM, in the presence of two leading architects: Roger Diener and Matthias Müller, whose works are represented in the Swiss Positions exhibition in the category dedicated to the city. The Diener & Diener Architects studio will showcase the administrative building Forum 3 in Basel (completed in 2005), and architects Müller and Niggli from the EM2N studio will present the reconstruction of the arches of the viaduct for cultural and commercial activities in Zurich (completed in 2010). EM2N are also the authors of the new building Keystone in Prague's Karlín (completed in 2012). The lectures are free, but reservation is required by February 25 at the email address: [email protected].

On April 5, there will be another evening with the exhibition curator dedicated to Romandie Matthieu Jaccard, architects from the Brauen & Wälchli studio (the authors of the reconstruction of the Swiss Embassy in Prague, 1997-2005), Ivan Koleček (architect and educator, owner of a studio in Lausanne since 1982), and Petr Kratochvíl (theory of architecture, co-author of Koleček's book Layers/Stratigraphie, 2010).

Visitors will receive a poster and a catalog with texts about the individual buildings with their ticket.

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Swiss Positions: 33 Approaches to Sustainable Building

The traveling exhibition titled "Swiss Positions: 33 Approaches to Sustainable Building" is a collection of photographs of 33 key projects in Swiss architecture over the past twenty years that address the theme of sustainable development. The projects are divided into 6 categories: recreation, infrastructure, Alps, countryside, city, and suburb. The presented projects include new constructions as well as renovations of all types – public buildings (museum, chapel, sports stadium, school), residential objects (hotel, family house), but also infrastructure elements (bridge, signal house), and more. The different focuses of the buildings required various approaches from architects in terms of construction technologies, materials used, ecology, and environmental protection. The result is eco-friendly architecture with distinct aesthetic qualities. Among the architectural studies represented in the exhibition are renowned names in Swiss architecture such as Herzog & de Meuron, Buchner Bründler, Diener & Diener Architects, Gion A. Caminada, Bernard Tschumi or Peter Zumthor.
The exhibition thus aims to introduce visitors to the best that has emerged in the field of Swiss architecture from the 1990s to the present day. The photographs of individual projects are accompanied by texts that explain the construction methods used, the context of the building, and its overall character.

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Distinction Romande d´Architecture 2010

The exhibition prepared by the DRA Association, which deals with mapping and presenting the architecture of Romandie, the Francophone region of Switzerland. French is the official language or predominates in six cantons of the country: Fribourg, Jura, Neuchâtel, Vaud, Valais, and Geneva. The authors of the exhibition emphasize that while the buildings from the French, German, and Italian regions are distinct and unique to them, they are perceived abroad as "a single Swiss architecture." Visitors to the Galerie Jaroslava Fragnera will have an interesting opportunity to see for themselves, through two parallel presentations of thematic exhibitions, whether they will notice the mentioned nuances.

The exhibition presents thirty of the most interesting projects from four years (2007-2010) selected by a professional jury from a total of 256 candidate projects. The effort to highlight the best works while maintaining the diversity of projects and perspectives is also evidenced by the composition of the professional jury. In addition to six architects from across Switzerland, two colleagues from France and Liechtenstein were invited.

Among the selected projects, schools and public buildings (aviaries, sports halls, services) are prominently represented, while there are fewer family houses, administrative buildings, and apartment buildings. The jury placed great emphasis on the relationship between the building and the user, while also appreciating sustainability, contextuality, and traditional materials, as was the case in the aforementioned exhibition.

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Organizers/
Galerie Jaroslava Fragnera, Swiss Embassy in Prague, Association DRA 2010, Geberit

Project Partners/
Czech Technical University in Prague, Karlín Group, Architecture Week

With support from/
Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic, City of Prague, Prague 1 Municipal District, Czech Architecture Foundation

Gallery Partners/
AED, Archicad, HALLA, Schüco

Media Partners/
A2, archiweb.cz, architect, artmap, era 21, earch.cz, designmag.cz, DesignCabinet.cz, euro, estate, construction forum, radio 1