8 Buildings, 1 Engineer: The Architecture of Heinz Hossdorf
18 December 2025 – 20 February 2026
gta exhibitions, ETH Zurich, Hönggerberg
Opening hours:
Wednesdays, January 7 to February 18, 2026: 12:00–4:00 pm
Fridays, January 9 to February 20, 2026: 3:00–6:00 pm
Outside these hours, by appointment: Giulia Boller
Opening: 17 December, 6.30 – 8 pm
Podium discussion with Elke Genzel, Jacqueline Pauli, Tivadar Puskas, and the exhibition curators, moderated by Giulia Boller
Heinz Hossdorf (1925–2006) ranks among the most outstanding civil engineers in twentieth-century Swiss architecture. He was an esteemed partner to numerous architects, including Otto and Walter Senn, Felix Schwarz and Rolf Gutmann, as well as Vischer & Weber Architects and Burckhardt Architects, in both design and execution. As a pioneer of computer-aided methods in civil engineering, Hossdorf witnessed the transition from traditional to innovative design processes. His models – both physical and digital – gave him the freedom to experiment beyond existing engineering theories, architectural typologies and standards. The sculptural expression of his buildings shows how structural innovations, material behaviour and aesthetic character can become integrated into a unified whole.
The exhibition 8 Buildings, 1 Engineer presents eight exemplary projects: from the rubber band factory in Gossau (1954–1955) and the Bruder Klaus Church in Winkeln (1957–1958) to the VSK central warehouse in Wangen bei Olten (1958-1961), to the gravel and concrete plant in Gunzgen (1960–62), and the reading room of the University Library of Basel (1962–1964) to the ‘Les échanges’ pavilion at the Expo 64 in Lausanne (1962–1964), the Theater Basel (1968–1976) and the unrealised design for the Swiss Pavilion at the Universal Exhibition of Seville 1992 (1990).
For the first time, original documents from the archives of his Basel engineering office are being brought together with documents from architects’ estates and from company and building contractor archives. This creates a multi-faceted overview of Heinz Hossdorf’s working methods, which spanned the fields of engineering and architecture – from the initial idea and models to execution and communication.
Curators
Alexandra Calvet Bordas, Rémy Crettenand, Fiona Hatz, and Lars Klemensberger
Scientific Coordination
Giulia Boller (ETH Zurich)
With the support of Chair of Theory of Architecture, Prof. Laurent Stalder (ETH Zurich), Prof. Elke Genzel (HTW Berlin), gta Archive and gta Exhibitions (ETH Zurich)
With the help of Kristina Meier, Filippo Kleinstein, and Yonas Tukuabo
Thanks to Schnetzer Puskas Ingenieure, Archiv Theater Basel, Ammann Schweiz AG, Archives de la construction moderne (EPFL), ETH Library’s Image Archive, Conrad Jauslin, Katholische Kirchgemeinde St. Gallen, Kieswerk Gunzgen AG, Alona Nitzan-Shiftan, Jacqueline Pauli, Antoine Prokos, Joseph Schwartz, Schweizer Radio und Fernsehen (SRF) Radio Télévision Suisse (RTS), Schweizerisches Wirtschaftsarchiv (Universität Basel), Ulrike Steiner, and Verlag Werk AG
Graphic design: Teo Schifferli