Sublime Infrastructures: Alpine Switzerland

In January and February of 2024 I went on the Global Short Program to Switzerland. It might just have been the best elective I could possibly do at university. It was my first time going to Europe, and so this opportunity was perfect for me to get to explore a part of Europe as well as it being a part of my study and with a great emphasis on architecture.

I absolutely loved the architecture of Switzerland. It is extremely old which just makes it more impressive. From the large cities like Basel and Zurich, where there are medieval streets and cathedrals to the villages tucked away in the mountains like Vals and Fiesch with their wooden vernacular buildings covered in snow.

Despite the Tour being more focused on landscape, we still saw an impressive number of projects just for their Architecture. We also visited the Vitra Design Museum across the border in Germany, where designer chairs and furniture were produced and displayed. There were many architecturally designed buildings there, done by famous architects, and an exhibition of chairs organised by colour, filled with a complete mix of styles, materials and age.

We jumped around Switzerland as we made our way from city to village to city, and we of course made our way to The Alps themselves. They are impressive on a completely different scale. It was my first time seeing any mountains of that scale, and also my first time seeing snow. It was exhilarating and beautiful beyond words.

There were around 16 other students on the tour, and it was great that they were all in architecture or landscape degrees. We were all able to appreciate the projects and offices we visited and learn from each other. Going into the tour only really knowing one other person, it was great to make friends with the other students on the tour, and it is still great to bump into them at uni, to see how they are doing and to reminisce about this trip.

I absolutely loved this trip, getting to explore an entirely new and completely different country and culture from anything I had yet experienced was brilliant, and has definitely helped with my confidence in exploring and travelling. After this I even went on to Barcelona on my own for another few days, which was just as amazing, before coming back to Australia. Being able to do all this as well as receiving 6 credit points was an absolute blessing, and completely worth the extra costs such an elective entails.

Rosalie Windus
Bachelor of Design in Architecture
DAB Global Studio (Switzerland) – Design Study Tour
Global Short Programs Travel Scholarship

For more information about the UTS Global Short Program visit: www.uts.edu.au/thinkglobal