NRP 81 Seminar Series 2025/26 Baukultur: A European Genealogy - Session I

The concept of Baukultur has firmly taken its place in the European debate on architecture, cities and landscapes (Davos Declaration, 2018). Due to its topicality, the term is widely accepted and taken for granted, without questioning the significance of the preceding experiences it encompasses. From November 2025 to January 2026, the Steering Committee of the National Research Programme “Baukultur” including Paola Viganò (President and Professor at EPFL and IUAV), Pierre Caye (member of the Committee and research director at the CNRS) and Andri Gerber (member of the Steering Committee and Professor at ZHAW) organises a series of sessions, to outline the European genealogy of Baukultur.

Rather than searching for the origins of Baukultur, these sessions invite guest speakers, NRP 81 project teams, researchers, and students to explore the numerous ramifications that contribute to understanding its construction and emergence.

The introductory session assumes a specific format, combining a short introduction to the whole series, an engaging contribution from Sarah Wigglesworth and a roundtable discussion with members of the NRP 81 Steering Committee. The genealogical perspective it opens is first addressed from the present, by questioning its necessity and revealing its opportunities, from political, social and cultural points of view. On this perspective, this opening aims to highlight the lack of visibility surrounding the potential ramifications of the concept of Baukultur at the European level, while also contextualising the various related experiences and debates related to it within the European architectural and urban traditions.

The presentations will be held in English – in presence and online. Please subscribe for the live stream here:

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