If you, our valued readers, do not approve of the selection of presented projects in this issue, our editorial team might finally have to resort to superstition. 2012 was in fact not the easiest year to draw from for our annual summary due at the beginning of the following year. It lacked the grand openings, and no spectacles were to be seen. We were thus all the more pleased to observe certain tendencies that we try to portray in the current issue. A young generation – children of the early 80s – appears on the scene with their debut projects and manages, even if only with smaller works for the time being, to confront the stolid alpha males of the business with the results of a blithe, straightforward design ethic.

It is to be noted in this context that H&deM once again achieved to confirm their special national standing – possibly even more successfully than in 2011 – with two completely different museum projects. In contrast to that, many of the other works completed in Switzerland can only be called moderately good, with tendencies towards mediocrity and insignificance. This is, however, of no great loss to either city or society and was even in some cases, like in the third decision of the competition for the Zurich stadium, explicitly asked for.

However, for a magazine that is committed to a future-oriented, forward-thinking understanding of architecture, this is a challenge and cannot simply be allowed to pass without comment. As a consequence, this year’s selection does not only include highlights, but buildings that are representative for certain developments and deserve to be discussed as well. Supplementing the main body and the well-known „Swiss Unlimited“ category, we have also created a new project overview that succinctly – sometimes challenging, descriptive or unrelenting – presents a further selection of projects, picks out single aspects or simply offers information about buildings that have been finished by well-known offices. The current issue furthermore picks up on the pan-European tendency towards preservation and for the first time puts a special focus on built heritage conservation projects. In addition, an overview of Swiss books released in 2012 acknowledges the contribution domestic publishers have made to the culture of architecture. With all these innovations, we strive for formats that offer overviews and allow for criticism at the same time, and thus meet the responsibilities we as a medium see ourselves to have. If the criticism is being heard by sympathetic ears we hope to see new stances, new approaches and new projects in the future that provide content for publication.

Looking back on 2012, it is evident that two terms are slowly but surely being abandoned that were once defining Swiss architecture’s world fame – „construction“ and „tectonics“. What was once understood as a critique on modernism can now, in the light of the new tendencies, be seen as a return to the initial values of the project of modernism. Yet, these tendencies are in fact far from being new. The Swiss Pavilion at Venice’s last architecture biennale for example, curated by Miroslav Šik, is paradigmatic for the contemporary reconstruction of a romantic premodern period that favours an emotional atmospheric aspect over constructivist logic and analytical minimalism. A topic that will be looked at in greater detail in issue 4, The 19th century – Premodern is Postmodern.
Those of our readers who, contrary to our expectations, get hot under the collar reading this issue’s criticism and praise, can count on the upcoming issue to cool them down. Issue 2 focuses on the „Age of Cool“ (see preview on the last page).
The editors

04 Editorial

Swiss Performance 13
10 Herzog & de Meuron. Parrish Art Museum, Water Mill, New York | Florian Idenburg
16 Boltshauser Architekten. Schulpavillon Allenmoos II, Zürich | Martin Tschanz
20 Peter Märkli. Synthes Headquarters, Solothurn | Irina Davidovici
28 EMI Architekten. Wohnhaus Avellana, Zürich-Schwamendingen | Michel Frei
34 Loeliger Strub Architektur. Wohnhäuser Winkelriedstrasse, Zürich | Steffen Hägele
38 Sergison Bates Architects und Jean-Paul Jaccaud Architectes. Wohnüberbauung und Krippe, Genf | Steffen Hägele
42 Miller & Maranta. Hammam und Wohnungsbau Patumbah Park, Zürich | Eberhard Tröger
48 Valerio Olgiati. Wohnüberbauung ZugSchleife, Zug | Hubertus Adam
52 Gigon/Guyer Architekten. Löwenbräu-Areal, Zürich | Sasha Cisar
58 Architekturbüro Patrick Thurston. Bärenwaldhaus Tierpark Dählhölzli, Bern | Viviane Ehrensberger
62 idA Architekten. Gewächshaus Botanischer Garten, Grüningen | Jørg Himmelreich
66 Herzog & de Meuron. The Tate Modern Project: The Tanks, London | Hannes Mayer

Swiss Unlimited
70 Gramazio & Kohler. Flight Assembled Architecture | Hannes Mayer
72 BUREAU A. Bab Al Bahrain Pavilion, Manama | Steffen Hägele
74 Barão-Hutter.Atelier. Arkadia Südmodul, Kanton St. Gallen | Katharina Sommer
76 Selina Walder und Georg Nickisch. Hütte und Ferienwohnung, Flims
Steffen Hägele

Rubriken
79 11 Kurzkritiken zur Longlist der Redaktion
84 Shape is Swiss
86 Alt und Neu: Umbau und Denkmalpflege in Zürich 2012
90 Schweizer Architekturbücher 2012
92 Nachruf Alan Colquhoun
93 Konferenz
94 fsai
98 Neues aus der Industrie
102 Lieferbare Hefte
104 Vorschau und Impressum