Clubovka 2025: Lütjens Padmanabhan - lecture at TU-BA
In the autumn edition of CLUBOVKY, the Swiss studio LÜTJENS PADMANABHAN ARCHITEKT*INNEN from Zurich will perform. However, this time it won't be all! The architectural evening at TU-BA begins at 18:00 with SINGULARCH, which will kick off its program with a presentation by the BAKYTA architecture studio, followed by the Berlin studio b+.
"We appreciate that architecture can be both intellectual and draw from deep layers of history — and reconnect with the present and everyday life through the choice of materials, thickness, vulnerability, unusual forms, or fragmentation."
Oliver Lütjens (*1972, Zurich) and Thomas Padmanabhan (*1970, Stuttgart) are among the most prominent representatives of the contemporary Swiss architectural scene. The previous generation of architects — especially Herzog & de Meuron and Diener & Diener — was known for the solidity and monolithic expression of buildings where craft and construction formed a unity. Lütjens and Padmanabhan, however, entered the profession during a time of struggle with global market forces that forced architects to build cheaper, faster, and with limitations on creative possibilities. Their response was the search for inventive solutions for affordable housing while fully yet unconventionally developing the expressive means of architecture.
In their architecture, they connect to the tradition of European modernity but simultaneously decompose and reconstruct it — as a collection of independent architectural elements that come together into a whole without losing individuality. Their works radiate detachment, joy in creation, a love for craftsmanship, and a unique sense of scale and humor.
The studio has realized projects on three continents. Recent accomplishments include the award-winning residential building Waldmeisterweg in Zurich, the sustainable housing project Zwhatt in Regensdorf, the Unterfeld hydroelectric power plant, the Göbli residential complex in Baar, and residences for Swiss ambassadors in Algiers and Bogotá. In collaboration with the architectural firm Caruso St John Architects, the duo is currently working on a residential complex in Zurich. They have also left their mark as educators at TU Munich, EPF Lausanne, and Harvard Graduate School of Design.
They are currently serving as visiting professors at ETH Zurich.
"We appreciate that architecture can be both intellectual and draw from deep layers of history — and reconnect with the present and everyday life through the choice of materials, thickness, vulnerability, unusual forms, or fragmentation."
Oliver Lütjens (*1972, Zurich) and Thomas Padmanabhan (*1970, Stuttgart) are among the most prominent representatives of the contemporary Swiss architectural scene. The previous generation of architects — especially Herzog & de Meuron and Diener & Diener — was known for the solidity and monolithic expression of buildings where craft and construction formed a unity. Lütjens and Padmanabhan, however, entered the profession during a time of struggle with global market forces that forced architects to build cheaper, faster, and with limitations on creative possibilities. Their response was the search for inventive solutions for affordable housing while fully yet unconventionally developing the expressive means of architecture.
In their architecture, they connect to the tradition of European modernity but simultaneously decompose and reconstruct it — as a collection of independent architectural elements that come together into a whole without losing individuality. Their works radiate detachment, joy in creation, a love for craftsmanship, and a unique sense of scale and humor.
The studio has realized projects on three continents. Recent accomplishments include the award-winning residential building Waldmeisterweg in Zurich, the sustainable housing project Zwhatt in Regensdorf, the Unterfeld hydroelectric power plant, the Göbli residential complex in Baar, and residences for Swiss ambassadors in Algiers and Bogotá. In collaboration with the architectural firm Caruso St John Architects, the duo is currently working on a residential complex in Zurich. They have also left their mark as educators at TU Munich, EPF Lausanne, and Harvard Graduate School of Design.
They are currently serving as visiting professors at ETH Zurich.
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