D-ARCH Department Lectures welcome architects from five continents in the Spring Semester 2025

The architect Xu Tiantian will open the lecture series at D-ARCH on 25 February 2025. She is the founding principal of DnA_Design and Architecture in Beijing and a visiting professor at the Academy of Architecture in Mendrisio. Xu Tiantian has engaged extensively in the rural revitalizing process in rural China. Her “Architectural Acupuncture” is a holistic approach to the social and economic revitalization of rural China and has been selected by UN Habitat as the case study of Inspiring Practice on Urban-Rural Linkages. The architect has received numerous awards including the 2022 Swiss Architectural Award, the 2023 Berlin Art Prize / Kunstpreis Berlin, and the 2023 UNESCO Global Award for Sustainable Architecture. Xu Tiantian was appointed an Honorary Fellow of American Institute of Architects in 2020 and became a member of Akademie der Künste in 2024.

On 11 March 2025, D-ARCH will be hosting the architecture studio Al Borde, that was founded in 2007 by David Barragán, Pascual Gangotena, Marialuisa Borja and Esteban Benavides in Quito, Ecuador. In 2023, the studio co-produced the short film "Building with Living Trees", that explores the social, environmental, political, cultural, and human contexts surrounding Al Borde’s projects. In 2024 studio received the BancaStato Swiss Architectural Award. From 2021 to 2022 the studio was Donghia Designer-in-Residence at Otis College of Art and Design in Los Angeles and in 2019 it was listed among the 100+ Best Architecture Firms by Domus Magazine. Al Borde's work has been featured at the Venice Architecture Biennial, the Chicago Architecture Biennial, and at the São Paulo Architecture Biennial among others.

Heinrich Wolff and Ilze Wolff from Wolff Architects in Cape Town will give their lecture at D-ARCH on 8 April 2025. The work of the practice is diverse, ranging from architectural and urban design to heritage consultancy, advocacy for spatial justice, research and curatorial practice. In 2011 Heinrich Wolff was elected as the Designer of the Future by the Wouter Mikmak Foundation. Ilze Wolff co-founded Open House Architecture in 2007, a transdisciplinary research practice. Both directors have taught at various institutions, including UCT, IUAV, Venice, ETH Zurich, the University of Goa in India, the Harvard Graduate School of Design and Liverpool University. The work of the practice has been featured at various architecture exhibition around the world. In 2023 Wolff was awarded an honorable mention for their work at the 18th Venice Architectural Biennale.

On 6 May 2025, D-ARCH will be hosting the Swiss architect Valerio Olgiati. His office is currently working on projects in Europe, the USA, Central America and the Middle East. There are several dozen monographs on Olgiati's work. His most important solo exhibition took place in 2012 at MoMa Tokyo. He held the Kenzo Tange Chair at Harvard GSD in Cambridge. At present he teaches all first year students at the USI Accademia di architettura in Mendrisio. Olgiati understands his role as an architect who thinks and creates space. In his own work and in his teaching, he acts independently. He is interested in architecture based on an idea and considers the experience of space and its physical application as the basis for the creation of an architectural work. Olgiati runs an office in Flims with his wife Tamara. In the Swiss mountains at 2000 m above sea level their new home is being built today. Whenever possible, they live in their Villa Além in Portugal.

Bobbie Bayley and Owen Kelly, the founders of Dogspike Design & Architecture from Alice Springs in Australia, will give their lecture at D-ARCH on 13 May 2025. The practice is working across architecture, design, research, advocacy, and illustration. Their approach is informed by Australia’s diverse climates and cultures. The architects focus on regional and remote areas, addressing climate challenges with durable, context-specific solutions. They collaborate with local experts, tradespeople, and communities, ensuring designs are responsive to site conditions. As project managers for Healthabitat, the two aim to improve health through better housing in Indigenous communities. Dogspike has received the 2019 Advancement of Australian Architecture Award and the 2025 Byera Hadley Scholarship. Bobbie Bayley and Owen Kelly are the creative directors for the 2025 design conference in Alice Springs.