In Spring Semester 2022, student Kate Owens designed a Camera obscura in the Master Studio «Architecture & Material».

Water & Eternity at Lake Uri

The topic of Spring Semester 2022 in the «Culture of Water» Program was «Water & Eternity». The students worked on sites at Lake Lucerne, in particular, Lake Uri. The guiding instruments for finding a place and working with architecture were the aspects of understanding the relation of stone and water. With an eye from the long history of Lake Lucerne to a possible future, the students were guided by the thought experiment of rethinking Eternity and ask themselves the question: «What is and what does eternity mean in regard to nature and human beings?»

Project by Kate Owens

Kate Owens writes about her project: With the concept of water and eternity at the heart of the brief, I felt working in the heart of the forest would be suitable. The forest is naturally a damp place where water collects and reserves, this provides the ability for moss to grow. The moisture in the air provides a noticeable difference in air temperature and quality. Water is an essential component of this forest. Without it, it would cease to exist.
While walking through the forest, I was drawn to the various open spaces naturally created by the trees. This provoked a sense of curiosity in everyone that drew us from the dedicated path to explore. I learned the Japanese language has a practice called Shinrin Yoku, which means forest bath. By walking through the forest and finding your own path, you replenish yourself through nature. I enjoyed this feeling and wanted to provide a place for people to experience this.

Final presentation

For the final presentation, the japanese professors Masahiro Kinoshita and Hiroyuki Kimura from Kyoto Institute of Technology (KIT) joined the students in Horw.