Homo Faber

Forum for the ecological future of building crafts in Switzerland

19 March 2026, 00:00 – 00:00

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Homo Faber

Forum for the ecological future of building crafts in Switzerland

 

The title Homo Faber given to this Agora project draws on the Latin meaning of the term: “maker of things”. It is also a tribute to Max Frisch’s 1959 novel of the same name, which, through its protagonist – an engineer trained at ETH Zurich and working for UNESCO – evokes an era in which wisdom extended beyond the limits of scientific determinism and rationalism.

 

Concept Note:

Homo Faber is a public project exploring the role of traditional craftsmanship in the ecological transition, particularly at the scales of buildings and landscape. For centuries, local materials and know-how, combined with manual techniques, have shaped our built environment and, of course, our ways of life. Yet these practices have often been sidelined, both in contemporary debate on architecture and in strategic environmental foresight. Today, in the face of the challenges of climate change, there is an urgent need to rethink the ways we build and inhabit. Alongside increasingly dematerialised technological innovations, the knowledge and skills handed down through vernacular craftsmanship offer valuable avenues for developing more sustainable and resilient solutions.

From its starting point in Geneva, the project becomes a travelling forum visiting exemplary sites across Switzerland. The forum will bring into dialogue intangible aspects (craftspeople, techniques, oral transmission) and tangible ones (tools, building materials, printed manuals), in interaction with the general public.

In 2026, following an initial public event on the premises of the Fondation Braillard at the Palais de l’Athénée in Geneva, three gatherings will be held in different workshops, bringing together experts, craftspeople, researchers, institutions and citizens to exchange views on four major themes of craftsmanship: Heritage, Pedagogy, Practice and Community.

This initiative is led through a partnership between the Laboratory for the Art of Sciences (LAPIS) at EPFL and the Fondation Braillard Architectes, and is funded by an Agora grant from the Swiss National Science Foundation.

 

Organising committee:

Sophie Barenne, Panos Mantziaras, Nicola Braghieri and Vasileios Chanis.

 

Advisory committee:

Florence Graezer Bideau, Sabine Nemec-Piguet, Helen Wyss, Pauline Nerfin, Philippe Nicollier, Dominique Foray.

 

Programme and Registration:

  • 19 March: Opening lecture, with Giovanni Netzer at the Fondation Braillard Architectes
    Register here

 

  • 30 April: Guided tour and discussion at the MOAP, Musée des Outils Anciens de Pinsec, Valais

 

  • 27 May: Guided tour and discussion at VD3209 and La Scie des Planches (Vers-L’Eglise, Vaud)

 

  • 10 June: Guided tour and discussion at the Bocheresse quarry (Valais)

 

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