
Housing as pretext
Martin Steinmann - Wrintings and teaching
Triest Verlag
1st Edition
Will be published approx. in October 2026
Book
Paperback/Softback
320 pages
978-3-03863-111-8 (ISBN)
Description
First publication of Martin Steinmann's collected and annotated writings on housing
Typological analyses and critical comparisons offer an in-depth discussion of residential construction
Regarded as a building block of neighbourhoods, the urban residential building offers valuable impetus beyond the
residential building typology
Architect, critic, architectural historian and professor Martin Steinmann (1942-2022) was one of the pre-eminent intellectual representatives of the Swiss architectural scene from the late twentieth century until his death in 2022. Known above all for his phenomenological and semiotic thoughts on contemporary Swiss architecture, his writings on housing are relatively unknown. Despite this fact, for Steinmann housing was the entry point or, as he put it, a "pretext" for understanding the influence of architecture on society. In view of current demands in terms of densification and sustainable design of urban environments, this approach is more important than ever.
The possibilities of different social groups living together are fundamentally influenced by housing and its physical manifestation in urban design. By means of his critical reflections on historical and contemporary forms of housing in Switzerland, Steinmann identifies points of reference for current housing and design practices.
The method that Steinmann applied in his research and teaching is as compelling as it is relevant. By harking back to history to identify and analyse typological developments, he draws parallels between traditional forms of housing and contemporary design.
Steinmann analyses historical forms of housing such as workhouses and mezzanine apartments along with current housing projects by leading architectural firms in order to forge links between traditional forms, social and economic conditions, and cultural norms that are equally relevant for contemporary housing projects.
For the first time, this publication explains Steinmann's teaching methods, bringing together his essays on the subject of housing, some hitherto unpublished and others long out of print.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Zürich
Switzerland
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
Illustrations
200
Dimensions
Height: 230 mm
Width: 160 mm
ISBN-13
978-3-03863-111-8 (9783038631118)
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Editor
Irina Davidovici ist Architektin, Historikerin und Dozentin fu¨r Architektur an der ETH Zu¨rich. Sie ist dort Leiterin des gta Archivs; ihre Forschungsschwerpunkte liegen im Bereich Wohnungswesen und Schweizer Architektur.
ISNI: 0000 0004 1754 5496
ISNI: 0000 0004 1754 5496
Bruno Marchand ist Architekt; er promovierte 1992 an der EPFL Lausanne in Naturwissenschaften und ist dort seit 2020 em. Professor fu¨r Architekturtheorie. Er befasst sich mit Studien zu historischen Fachgebieten sowie zu regionaler und städtebaulicher Planung.
Bernard Zurbuchen ist Architekt und war von 1990 bis 2000 Assistent und später Oberassistent von Martin Steinmann an der EPFL Lausanne. Zudem war er mehrfach in Louvain-la-Neuve als Gastprofessor tätig. Er leitet sein eigenes Architekturbu¨ro gemeinsam mit Maria Zurbuchen-Henz.