Christina Haas, Torsten Korte, Anne-Catherine Schröter, Harald R. Stühlinger
Boom. Baukulturen in der Schweiz
Book design: Gerschwiler & Berrel, Basel
German edition
Swiss-bound softcover
Euro [D] 68.–, Euro [A] 69.90
Pre-order. Release date: May 2026
ISBN
978-3-03863-102-6
• Building culture at different scales: territory, region and city
• Analysis of different typologies: transport and energy facilities, buildings for dwelling, communication, education and industry
• Analysis of different typologies: transport and energy facilities, buildings for dwelling, communication, education and industry
• For the first time, the infrastructure facilities from the era of the economic miracle are presented in detail in their context
For Boom, the authors have investigated the changes to Swiss landscapes brought about by urbanisation and infrastructure development during the construction boom of the economic miracle era from 1945 to 1975, describing and documenting these interventions from the vantage point of the building culture of that period, subjecting them to a holistic analysis and, in some cases, a completely new interpretation.
The premise of the book is that there was not – and is not – just one, but a whole array of different building cultures in Switzerland. This justifies a Swiss-wide perspective on the built heritage that not only focuses on territorial infrastructure networks but also the regions Limmattal, Chablais and Sopraceneri along with the cities Basel, Lausanne and Lugano.
Conducted at different scales – territory, region and city – the investigations analyse a host of different structures, including facilities for transport, energy, communication, dwelling, education and industry.
Conducted at different scales – territory, region and city – the investigations analyse a host of different structures, including facilities for transport, energy, communication, dwelling, education and industry.
The buildings were designed by planning offices that have left behind an extensive oeuvre that while having received little attention in terms of architectural research, have had an impact on the physiognomy of Switzerland that should not be underestimated.
The book offers a profound and extensive description of the transformation of Swiss cities and cultural landscapes during the boom years, at the same time focusing on key aspects of postwar building culture by considering personal networks and the roles of protagonists within the construction industry.
About the editors
Christina Haas is project manager for building culture and planning processes at the Basel-Landschaft Department of Spatial Planning and associate professor of Building Culture at FHNW.
Torsten Korte is a research assistant and study coordinator at the Institute of Art History at Bern University and associate professor of Building Culture at the Institute of Architecture at FHNW.
Anne-Catherine Schroter is an associate professor of Building Culture at the Institute of Architecture at FHNW and since 2025 research assistant at the Institute of Art History at Bern University.
Harald R. Stuhlinger was associate professor at ETH Zurich, professor at FHNW in Muttenz and has been a full professor of Art History at Vienna University of Technology since 2023.
