"Wohnungsbau" by Diener & Diener Architects explores their 40-year journey in residential architecture, presenting projects that reflect urban and architectural characteristics. The book emphasizes typological design, updating fundamental types for contemporary housing needs, and includes historical insights into the firm founded in 1942.
In Neuchâtel, the capital of its Swiss canton, a fifty thousand square meter industrial wasteland has been under redevelopment since 1990, guided by a sustainable master plan from the architectural firm bauart (Bern, Neuchâtel, Zurich). The second phase is set to conclude in May 2009 with the opening of a striking building that will accommodate a conservatory and a school of administration. Quartier Ecoparc establishes a modern urban connection between the railway station area and the historic city, showcasing exemplary density and a thoughtful integration of economic, ecological, and social factors. The architectural quality of the two new university buildings and the extensive residential development is noteworthy. Marchand meticulously documents and analyzes all facets of this exemplary neighborhood development, which stands as a model comparable to leading international examples such as Vauban in Freiburg/Breisgau and BedZED in London.
The Lausanne architects Mann Capua Mann have been active since 1991. Their mottoes are: Distill the answers for the concrete project from the elements on site. Design spaces that, for all their dynamism, are organized in a manner that is clear to the users. Utilize materials that are in harmony with the surroundings. Their structures are compelling thanks to the variety of their views, the diversity of their light effects, and the expressive simplicity of their spatial effects. This monograph is being published in the Collection Archigraphy Lémaniques, which is under the general editorship of Bruno Marchand. It offers for the first time a solidly based and thoroughgoing overview of the activity of the firm, which has distinguished itself in the Western Swiss architecture scene with its small but sophisticated body of work. Graeme Mann and Patricia Capua Mann are founding members of the Forum d’Architectures de Lausanne. In the 2006/07 semester, they served as visiting professors at the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL).