“ETH Zürich has been selected by the OPAL jury for redefining architectural practice through groundbreaking research, robotic fabrication, and full-scale built experimentation, translating advanced computational innovation into real, measurable construction methods with global impact.”
ETH Zurich (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich) stands among the world’s most influential centres of knowledge, shaping not only scientific progress but also the future of architecture. Founded in 1855, ETH Zurich has built a global reputation for excellence in engineering, science, and design, consistently ranked among the top universities worldwide. Its architectural department reflects this legacy, combining academic rigour with a fearless drive to rethink how buildings are conceived, fabricated, and inhabited.
What sets ETH Zurich apart is its deep integration of architecture with advanced research fields such as robotics, material science, computational design, and digital fabrication. Rather than treating innovation as a theoretical exercise, ETH translates research directly into full-scale prototypes and built projects. Through pioneering work in robotic construction, algorithmic design processes, and new structural systems, ETH has fundamentally expanded what is possible in contemporary architecture.
ETH Zurich’s expertise lies in its ability to bridge the gap between research and practice. Experimental structures, digitally fabricated buildings, and data-driven design methods developed at ETH have directly influenced architectural offices, construction industries, and educational institutions worldwide. Its research platforms challenge conventional building methods, demonstrating how technology can improve efficiency, precision, sustainability, and architectural expression simultaneously.
Equally important is ETH Zurich’s role as an educator of future leaders. Alumni and researchers from ETH occupy influential positions in leading architectural practices, academic institutions, and innovation-driven studios across the globe. The school fosters a culture of critical thinking, interdisciplinary collaboration, and responsibility—encouraging architects to engage with global challenges such as climate change, urban density, and resource scarcity.
In the architectural world, ETH Zurich is widely regarded as a benchmark for innovation. It proves that architecture can be both intellectually ambitious and practically transformative. By merging computation, craftsmanship, and ecological awareness, ETH Zurich continues to inspire a new generation of architects to design with intelligence, purpose, and a profound understanding of the systems that shape our built environment.
DFAB HOUSE is the world’s first multi-story residential building that was designed, planned and constructed predominantly using digital fabrication processes — including industrial robots, 3D printing and on-site autonomous construction machines. It brings together multiple breakthrough fabrication technologies such as Mesh Mould(reinforcement and formwork combined), Smart Dynamic Casting (robotic slip-formed concrete), Smart Slab (robotically fabricated ceilings) and Spatial Timber Assemblies, demonstrating how digital tools can completely transform the design-to-construction workflow
HiLo (High performance – Low emissions) is a research unit on the NEST platform that reimagines concrete construction and energy systems. Its standout feature is a doubly-curved, ultra-thin concrete roof built with a reusable flexible formwork, marrying structural optimisation with material efficiency. The floor system uses funicular shell geometry to reduce concrete and reinforcement by placing material only where structurally necessary. An adaptive solar façade and integrated building systems further push performance boundaries by combining computational design with real-time climatic responsiveness.
Created by ETH Block Research Group (BRG), the Armadillo Vault was a landmark at the 2016 Venice Architecture Biennale. It’s an unreinforced stone shell spanning over meters using hundreds of individually cut limestone blocks assembled without mortar. By reviving and extending ancient compression structures with modern computational form-finding and fabrication workflows, this prototype challenged assumptions about material use and structural form, showing how geometry can replace steel reinforcement in large, load-bearing shells.
KnitCandela is a thin concrete shell structure realised with ETH-developed flexible, textile-based formwork and CNC fabrication. By combining textile formwork with computational geometry, BRG achieved a lightweight doubly-curved shell that efficiently carries load with minimal material. This project pushed digital fabrication beyond rigid moulds and highlighted how textile formwork can enable complex geometry at architectural scale, reducing material use and ecological footprint.
