Arthur’s Universe

Architecture is seen as a human being’s ‘third skin’, after the biological epidermis and textile clothing. It offers physical protection, its appearance follows traditions and con-ventions, and occasionally also innovations. If architecture serves a domestic purpose, it becomes a place of ‘home’ – regardless of whether it is a primitive hut, an urban apart-ment block or a periurban terraced house.

The dwelling is functionally differentiated. It is equipped with furnishings and installa-tions that make living more practical and comfortable. A chair, a table with cutlery and crockery or a bed make it easier to sit, eat or sleep. Water, kitchen and bathroom or heating and electricity provide further amenities.

The dwelling also offers space for the individuality of the people who inhabit it. A coat of paint, carpets, a television or decorations make it ‘to feel homely’. Pictures and photos of loved ones or meaningful objects are an expression of feelings of belonging, memory or of beauty. Every domestic space is hence unique.

Arthur Rüegg, born in 1942, is a Swiss architect, researcher and teacher. His architec-tural work covers all levels of scale, from the urban dimension to the architectural and the physical reality of crafted detail.

As a researcher, Arthur Rüegg deciphered the material dimensions of modern Swiss architecture and its furniture and interiors. With the same meticulousness, he also ex-plored the history of building construction, the furnishings and the use of colours in Le Corbusier’s work.

Arthur Rüegg made these discoveries accessible to the public in numerous exhibitions, scientific essays and book publications, many of which are to be considered as refer-ence works today. As a professor of architecture at ETH Zurich, he influenced genera-tions of students.

On the occasion of his 80th birthday, Reto Gadola an article in the Neue Zürcher Zeitung entitled Arthur Rüegg: Verdienter Förderer moderner Wohnkultur (Arthur Rüegg: Merited Patron of Modern Domestic Culture).