ETH Zürich   Studio Adam CarusoETH Zürich  Studio Adam CarusoETH Zürich  Studio A. CarusoETHZ   Studio Caruso

Diesbach was once a village that was home to generations of people from all walks of life. Following the relocation and closure of the textile factories in the Linth valley, demographic decline ensued, leaving vacant buildings behind after the workers had left. 
Other factors also contributed to the decline in Diesbach's social life. The village shop, which used to be a place for villagers to share, had to close because it was no longer profitable. The village Gasthaus, which had a small bar-restaurant, also closed, leaving the villagers without a meeting place close to home. 
This lack of meeting places quickly became apparent during our site visits, and was confirmed by the villagers we met. 

But how can Diesbach be revitalised? 
Thanks to our regenerative farm project in Diesbach, a new economic activity is emerging in the village. This farm of more than 100 hectares involves more than forty farmers and supplies a wide variety of local produce. 

The former village shop building has been converted into a kitchen, restaurant and grocery shop.  Products from our regenerative farm, as well as products from the Legler areal start-ups, are sold on site in a self-service shop, the pantry of the inhabitants of Diesbach.  
These products are also prepared in the kitchen to create dishes available in three different ways. They are sold directly in the grocery shop for takeaway, they are also available by delivery for the village's elderly, and it is also possible to eat them on site in the Diesbach canteen, a place that brings together villagers, seasonal workers and new workers from the village. All generations from different working backgrounds come together in this place of sharing, which had disappeared and was so much appreciated by the villagers. 
On the ground floor is the village's kitchen and pantry, which benefits both. The cooks use the pantry to prepare meals and also restock the shelves with takeaway food.  
The first floor is accessible via a staircase that opens onto the public space to access the restaurant area. The staircase leads past a greenhouse, a reminder that the produce comes directly from the village and a foretaste of what's on the plates. 

This greenhouse was once a garage that has now been transformed into a place for growing plants. The wooden structure of the existing garage is duplicated on either side of the building, like an extrusion of its original volume. The opaque cladding of the existing building is retained, while the two extensions to the building have a transparent polycarbonate cladding, to heat the space using the sun's rays. 
A workshop and plants requiring little light are placed in the centre of the building, while those requiring more sunlight are located in the two extensions. 

The Gasthaus, which faces the grocery shop and restaurant building, is home to seasonal workers in both summer and winter. During the warmer months, some of the civil servants are housed in this former gasthaus, which has been converted into a large WG. During the cold season, some of the seasonal workers from the Braunwald ski resort, 20 minutes away by public transport, can be accommodated in this WG when the fields no longer require as many workers. 
The building mainly requires interior work, as its facades are iconic in this village and must not be altered.  
A variety of rooms have been designed to meet different needs. 
Rooms have been created on the first two floors, where the Gasthaus' communal areas used to be. On the second floor, bathrooms have been added to the existing rooms to add quality to what already existed. And under the magnificent wooden roof structure is the new common area of this large WG.

In this way, a place that had been neglected over the years has been reborn in a new light, with the arrival of a younger generation in the village, while at the same time responding to the wishes of the inhabitants who no longer felt considered following the unification of all the villages in the valley into one large municipality, Glarus Sud.

 The Klausenpass, where the project is located, is very strongly impacted by the different seasons. Indeed, the road closure due to the winter snow covering of the 1948m asl pass makes the place very different depending on the seasons.

The project then seeks to create two different uses, interweaving the different conditions of the surroundings and answering challenges both in winter and summer. In summer, the main focus is to provide a platform dwelling people high up around the pass, providing cheap manpower for the local farmers working in the nearby alps.

In winter, the project otherwise very close to the road become completely isolated. The people that stayed and worked there during summer can stay in the same building, but in a very different environment. As a counterpart -and retribution- to the work accomplished during summer, guided skitouring outings are organized. This way of being compensated for the summer work allows a more economically accessible way to learn mountain sports.

In a more practical way, the building is dimensioned according the the workforce need of the farmers during the summer season. In winter, the building shifts in hibernation mode: since there is less need of rooms, the groups staying there are smaller. The bottom floor is then covered in snow, and is only used again the next spring.

PDF  223 MB

The Anna Göldi Museum is located in Ennenda and is housed in the historic attic of the former Hänggiturm. It is barely recognizable from the outside and only the large letters ANNA on the chimney indicate that the museum is situated on the Trümpi site. The museum does not only tells a forgotten story of witches and women from another time, but also recalls the global influence and power of the textile industry in Switzerland.

In the first phase of the research, I looked at the content of the exhibition in the Anna Göldi Museum and took a closer look at the textile industry around Ennenda. As my grandmother was one of the workers in the Uznach spinning mill, I chose a very personal and intuitive research method. In the book Untold Stories I collected tellings of different women and recorded them as a collage in my book. The collected material is very diverse and highlights specific aspects that the women experienced and that concerned me. The aim was not to find a single truth, but to use the medium of the artist book to make them visible side by side without judging them.

On the ground floor of the museum, an additional program is to be provided that the residents of Ennenda can use and appropriate the space. As an exhibition, the women in my book have been given a space as a reminder of them and what they have experienced. Each of these spaces has a domestic character and does not correspond to the authoritarian character of a typical museum. Everyone should find their own access to the museum and new stories should be able to develop side by side in this new place.

In addition, a new park is to be created, which will become a visible center in Ennenda where people can meet or simply go for a walk. A water basin and a pavilion are located in the spacious area and give the outdoor area its character. The structures are simply designed, showcase the traditional craftsmanship of the area and provide another space for the clubs in Ennenda to appropriate and benefit from.

PDF  139 MB

The canton of glarus was strongly influenced by the industry of the cotton manufacture in the 19th century. The former cotton printing plant on the Löntsch in Netstal, Canton Glarus is representative of the industrial ensembles that were built at that time. Unfortunately, many of these have already been destroyed and this ensemble is also not sufficiently protected and is therefore threatened with demolition. The Stöckli AG company, founded around the same time 200m further downstream, has had consistent growth and is therefore strongly interwoven with the village today. However, its possible expansion is limited by the river, the cantonal road and an interwoven residential area. In 1976, the company Stöckli AG bought the old industrial ensemble with the idea of demolishing it if necessary and integrating the area into their production with a new building. In order to prevent this, the potential in preserving this ensemble has to be shown to the company on various levels. Their offices, reception as well as an exhibition space could be brought under one roof in the beautiful interiors of the old industrial ensemble and together with the remaining buildings of the ensemble, the inner courtyard could be made into a village centre for Netstal. This would clarify their corporate identity as a traditional, innovative family business that has grown together with the village to its current size. But before this scenario becomes credible, a new spatial organisation of the site must be sought. The old industrial building, or more precisely the location of the ensemble, must be freed from its function as a potential production space or storage area, as this would inevitably lead to demolition. This is where this diploma project comes in. With a punctual intervention that functions like a catalyst, a rethinking of the company's strategy and a new organisation of the site is initiated. By significantly improving the logistical situation of the heterogeneous Stöckli site (with a new, efficient high-bay warehouse and a new axis that connects production, warehousing and shipping), it opens up new thinking space for the sustainable development of Stöckli AG into a shared future with the village of Netstal.The canton of glarus was strongly influenced by the industry of the cotton manufacture in the 19th century. The former cotton printing plant on the Löntsch in Netstal, Canton Glarus is representative of the industrial ensembles that were built at that time. Unfortunately, many of these have already been destroyed and this ensemble is also not sufficiently protected and is therefore threatened with demolition. The Stöckli AG company, founded around the same time 200m further downstream, has had consistent growth and is therefore strongly interwoven with the village today. However, its possible expansion is limited by the river, the cantonal road and an interwoven residential area. In 1976, the company Stöckli AG bought the old industrial ensemble with the idea of demolishing it if necessary and integrating the area into their production with a new building. In order to prevent this, the potential in preserving this ensemble has to be shown to the company on various levels. Their offices, reception as well as an exhibition space could be brought under one roof in the beautiful interiors of the old industrial ensemble and together with the remaining buildings of the ensemble, the inner courtyard could be made into a village centre for Netstal. This would clarify their corporate identity as a traditional, innovative family business that has grown together with the village to its current size. But before this scenario becomes credible, a new spatial organisation of the site must be sought. The old industrial building, or more precisely the location of the ensemble, must be freed from its function as a potential production space or storage area, as this would inevitably lead to demolition. This is where this diploma project comes in. With a punctual intervention that functions like a catalyst, a rethinking of the company's strategy and a new organisation of the site is initiated. By significantly improving the logistical situation of the heterogeneous Stöckli site (with a new, efficient high-bay warehouse and a new axis that connects production, warehousing and shipping), it opens up new thinking space for the sustainable development of Stöckli AG into a shared future with the village of Netstal.

Download Book

PDF  117 MB

Referring to Lucius Burckhardts ‘Der kleinstmögliche Eingriff’ written in the 1980s, the project aims to de-objectify the Marriott Hotel that is located at the most central locations, yet remains mostly unnoticed by the cities’ inhabitants. In the sense of Burckhardts aesthetic survey, the project follows six paths that lead up to the many entrances of the building and proposed the smallest possible interventions to initiate transformation. By promoting a change in perception of the building and its relationship to the urban landscape the buildings strength of accessibility can once again be valued. It could then become a space for the public that ultimately prevents it from demolition.

PDF  252 MB

PDF  113 MB

This proposal explores an alternative type of tenure that works collectively with tenants and wildlife coexisting, equally participating in the maintenance of the soil we cultivate, the air we breath, biodiversity and the beauty of our walks.

This project will focus on one of the buildings Im Strähler and how its infrastructures and the landscape along the Triemlifussweg are adapted and renovated to suit this new form of housing.

indd.adobe.com

PDF  103 MB

The project tries to question our approach to saving energy in the built sector. While concepts such as the 2000 Watt society are ambitious in their scope, real life implementations often seem to result in dull and lifeless consequences for everyday life. Instead of imposing ever more rules and regulations, the proposal seeks the pleasures of an alternative lifestyle inspired by a more sensible approach to energy consumption.

Download Books

Book Final Submission
PDF  3 MB

Book Pin Up 2
PDF  4 MB

Download Book

Have you ever wondered what's behind the cover?
PDF  45 MB

Download Booklet

Der Zürichberg – Ein zweifacher Aufstieg
PDF  59 MB