Boom. Cultures du bâti en Suisse 1945–1975

→ Le texte descriptif en français suivra prochainement.

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.

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.