Introduction

«In situ» means an interest in a particular place, in a specific local material, in an almost forgotten handicraft – the antithesis to an «international style» applicable almost everywhere. Basically, it is a romantic attitude. The spontaneity of an independent subject, the longing for a difference from the ubiquitous mainstream, can be a starting point for creating an «in situ» design. It seems consistent that this can be primarily an affair of small countries, regions or small groups of people, with emphasis on the culture of minorities.

Therefore, Chur, as the capital of the canton of Graubünden in Switzerland, can be regarded as an ideal location for the research of in situ-phenomena. The diversity of this alpine country is reflected in nature such as topography, climate, geology as well as in cultural history. Seven languages are spoken there, and international relations, which developed through the intense traffic over the alpine passes, go hand in hand with almost medieval agricultural traditions. When Badrutt’s hotel in St. Moritz was by far the first institution to generate and use electricity in the 19. century, the remote village of Furna in Prättigau, with its 200 inhabitants, did not receive its first electric light until 1968.

Today we refer to an important part of architecture and art production between 1900 and the First World War as «National Romanticism». In this sense, Switzerland was not the only prolific country. During these years, there were strong relations, e.g. with Finland or Slovenia.

In civil engineering, the Rhaetian Railway became famous for its viaducts, which were built from local natural stone. The traditional of using natural stones in engineering still lives on – parallel with a lively development of reinforced and posttensioned concrete (visible in works of Robert Maillart, Walter Versell, Emil Schubiger and Christian Menn).

With this in mind, we invite you to spend some days discussing together peculiar projects and structural ideas for footbridges, small and large, from unspectacularly sophisticated to the most extravagant solutions – as long as they have something to do with a specific place.

Jürg Conzett / Gianfranco Bronzini
September 2024