HOMO FABER | Excursion programme
Fondation Braillard Architectes (Geneva)
LAPIS Laboratory – EPFL
Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF – Agora programme)
SCIENTIFIC CONTEXT
Vernacular architecture, craftsmanship and ecological transition
The Homo Faber programme forms part of a contemporary reflection on the role of craft skills in the ecological transition. It explores the relationships between local materials, construction techniques and ways of dwelling, at the interface of architecture, landscape and material culture.
Historically, these practices played a major part in shaping built environments and forms of dwelling. Today, in the face of climatic and territorial change, they emerge as valuable resources for conceiving housing typo-morphologies that are rooted in the socio-economic realities of their territories, and that are more sustainable and more resilient.
From this perspective, Homo Faber is developing as a travelling forum, bringing together:
- intangible dimensions (gestures, transmission, know-how)
- material dimensions (tools, materials, construction systems)
The excursions provide a framework for in situ observation, aimed at both a specialist audience (architects, engineers, urban planners, researchers) and the wider public, in a spirit of cultural transmission. They offer a fresh reading of vernacular logics in relation to contemporary challenges.
AIMS OF THE EXCURSIONS
- To study craft techniques within their territorial context
- To understand the relationships between resources, climate and built forms
- To analyse contemporary transformations (tourism, economic change, evolving uses)
- To examine the present-day relevance of this know-how from an ecological perspective
UPCOMING EXCURSIONS (fully booked)
EXCURSION 3 – VAL D’ANNIVIERS (VS)
Saturday 11 July 2026
Theme: Tools, techniques and material culture
This excursion combines a visit to the Museum of Old Tools in Pinsec with an analysis of the village of Grimentz, renowned for the quality of its built fabric.
It offers an opportunity to consider tools, gestures and architectural forms together, in order to understand the interactions between techniques, resources and the organisation of the territory.
Programme
- 07:53 – Departure from Geneva (train)
- 10:07 – Arrival in Sierre
- 10:15 – Transfer to Pinsec (coach)
- 11:30 – 13:00 – Visit to the Museum of Old Tools
- 13:00 – Transfer to Grimentz
- 13:30 – Lunch (restaurant)
- 14:30 – 16:45 – Visit to the village of Grimentz and its traditional houses
- 17:00 – Transfer to Sierre (coach)
- 18:22 – Return to Geneva
- 20:35 – Arrival in Geneva
Lines of analysis
- Material culture and tools
- Construction techniques (timber, joinery, execution)
- Spatial organisation of the village
- Transformations linked to contemporary uses
- Dynamics of territorial change
HOW TO TAKE PART
- Fee: CHF 25 per person per excursion
- Registration required (maximum 20 participants per excursion)
⚠️ Train travel (Geneva–Sierre) is at participants’ own expense
Included
- Local transport
- Scientific supervision and guided tours
- Meals (as per programme)
APPROACH
The excursions are part of an approach that regards vernacular architecture as a body of practices rooted in specific geographical, cultural, economic and constructional contexts.
They help to grasp its contemporary significance, particularly its capacity to inform current thinking on environmental change and ways of dwelling.
ARCHIVE
EXCURSION 1 – LES DIABLERETS (VD)
Highlights of the event:
Wednesday 27 May 2026
Theme: Plant materials and the processing of timber
This excursion explores the relationships between forest resources, technical processing and architecture, through a visit to a historic water-powered sawmill and discussions on contemporary practices.
Programme
- 12:05 – Departure from Geneva Cornavin (train)
- 14:15 – Visit to the water-powered sawmill at Les Planches
- 15:15 – Travel to Les Diablerets
- 15:40 – Round table
- 17:40 – Dinner (convivial fondue)
- 19:30 – Return (via Aigle)
- 22:25 – Arrival in Geneva
Lines of analysis
- Processing timber: from resource to material
- Hydraulic power and technical systems
- Transmission of know-how
- The place of timber in Alpine architecture
EXCURSION 2 – VAL DE BAGNES (VS)
Wednesday 10 June 2026
Highlights of the event:
Theme: Stone and the logics of extraction
This excursion addresses stone as a building resource, from its extraction to its uses in architecture.
Programme
- 08:05 – Departure from Geneva Cornavin
- 10:17 – Arrival in Le Châble
- Transfer to Bonatchiesse
- Guided walk to the Bocheresse quarry
(approx. 1 hr 20 min, uphill – experience of mountain walking recommended, moderate pace) - Visit to the quarry
- Transfer to Champsec
- Visit to the soapstone museum
- Lunch (convivial raclette)
- Return to Le Châble
- 16:48 – Departure
- 18:55 – Arrival in Geneva
Lines of analysis
- Extraction and processing of stone
- Material properties and construction uses
- Territorial roots of resources
- Local economy and know-how
