Swiss Arc Award: Gion A. Caminada honored with Lifetime Achievement Award

At the Swiss Arc Award ceremony on 23 October 2024, the Lifetime Achievement Award was presented for the first time in recognition of a personality from the Swiss architecture scene. This year's award goes to Grisons architect and Professor Emeritus Gion A. Caminada. He taught at ETH Zurich from 1998, where he was Associate Professor of Architecture and Design from 2008 and Full Professor from 2020 to 2023.

“Caminada stands for the local, tradition and social commitment, but also for high-quality architecture and future-oriented work,” reads the laudation. According to the jury, Caminada's buildings exemplify what architecture should be today more than anything else: responsible in its approach to the climate, committed to the local building tradition and available resources. “His awareness of high-quality architecture proves that contemporary building in mountain regions can also be forward-looking,” said the jury. “Caminada's register of works opens up new perspectives that are highly relevant in view of the current architectural challenges.”

Three design studios from ETH Zurich were nominated for the Next Generation Award, which recognizes the work and achievements of an entire semester. Under the title “Unfamiliar Ageing”, Anna Puigjaner's professorship explored alternative care spaces. 55 students from Momoyo Kaijima's professorship designed and built ten pieces of furniture in the forest on the Hönggerberg in Zurich in collaboration with the Waldlabor. In the collaborative studio “Design For Climate” of Arno Schlüter's professorship, students learn to apply the latest findings and digital tools from research for climate-friendly construction in an integrated design process. The Next Generation Award 2024 went to the FHNW for the project “Constructive Futures - Beyond Concrete & Keeping What's Good”.