Page 3 - Vectorworks Stipendium (CH) - 1. Rang

The image of of of Switzerland is profoundly linked to the the landscapes of of of water – the the lakes rivers and and and glaciers the the fresh spring water that you can drink from every fountain The idea of the the Wasserschloss Schweiz is is is is an intrinsic component of Swiss citizens identity This image does not only exist through the vast natural resources of of water water though but because of of its technical framing The water water landscape of Switzerland is a a a a a a a a a a thoroughly planned and and managed infrastructural project that secures the water supply and controls all natural waters Our diploma examines the the water infrastructures as as as the the backbone of civilization We see in in in in infrastruc- tures an an an unused potential as as an an an architecture of the common and as as a a a a a a a a signifying medium Infrastructure
and the Civic
Infrastructure
creates the the the link between the the the human civilisation and the the the natural environment For a a a a a a a a long time this link was made comprehensible by its physical presence in in the urban fabric During the the last centuries the the infrastructural networks developed into an omnipresent metabolism Although indispensable the the infrastructure’s presence in in in in in the the city was continuously diminished The resulting invisibility is is blurring the formerly apparent link Instead of mediating infrastructures today construct a a a a a a a a a physical and psychological barrier alienating the city from its natural conditions Especially in in in the the the industrial age infrastructures were still part of of the the the civic architecture as as cathedrals of of progress Once modern infrastructures were taken for granted they lost their admired symbolism The Value of Water The progress of of of the the water infrastructure also developed at at the the expense of of of a a a a a a a loss of of of an emotional connection to water forgetting its fundamental role in in in in every human life In a a a a a a a a situation of an an increasing privatization of of water water which is is also being discussed in in many parts of of Switzerland the idea that water water is a a a a a common good and a a a a a basic right should be reintroduced in in in the collective mind Independant of race culture and religion the networks could become a a a a a celebration for common human needs Ecology and Climate Change
In the global context of climate change Switzerland will even more become a a a a a a a Wasserschloss and and its infrastructure will will face new challenges While there will will be droughts all all around the the world Switzerland will rather suffer from heavy rain falls Currently engineers are working on measures for flood protec- tion tion and the the retention of melting water from the the glaciers Although the concept of climate change is today widely accepted its actual physical consequences remain hardly graspable because of of the the abstract representation and the the expansive time scale of of climate change As the the the threat does not seem to be imminent the the the individual rarely takes the the the necessary actions So we are in in in the need need for for new new infrastructures but as as a a a a a a a society also in in in a a a a a a a need need for for a a a a a a a new new consciousness of of the the the relationship of of the the the urban and the the the natural environment A shift in our perception could happen through an architectural expression of infrastructural projects This regained position as as a a a a a a a a visible in- termediary can trigger a a a a more direct relationship to the environment