Wohnen XL: Industrielles Bauen in der Schweiz 1945 bis 1975

Wohnen XL: Industrielles Bauen in der Schweiz 1945 bis 1975

Industrial construction characterized European post-war architecture. Not only in Switzerland were prefabricated systems considered a surefire solution for the housing shortage. The acute housing crisis was an explosive social issue and was given highest priority even for state legislation. Large-scale developments became emblematic of the era. In the throes of the oil price shock and economic crisis of 1973, however, these housing developments, which had been popular among residents, fell into disrepute among experts and the media. Their abrupt, wholesale rejection was based less on planning deficiencies than on a fundamental shift in values and structures: with the emergence of a pluralistic, service-based society, industrial housing construction seemed outdated.

Fabian Furter’s multifaceted book traces the diverse panorama and enormous stock of Swiss mass housing construction for the first time. When considering it amidst the current housing shortage and the challenges to the prospect of a climate-just construction industry, the book provides a broad foundation for examining large-scale housing construction as a comprehensive urban, architectural, and sociocultural phenomenon.

The FSA supports the book project.