The Bones of Architecture

Beyond all of the many components that form a building’s appearance, the physical preconditions remain most important – that of holding the building together and keeping it standing: as animals have bones, every  building has a structure. Buildings have non-diminishable inner laws whereby the interconnection of its materials and components provide strength and consequently, these laws impose shapes, patterns, orders and constraints. Within architecture, there is a long tradition of thought that the load bearing structure is a biomorphic metaphor, with construction being the anatomy of architecture. Science, new materials and new technologies have been providing extra freedom in the design of buildings. The exhibition ‘The Bones of Architecture’ will examine the cultivation of structures in the service of architecture as developed by diversely different designers who are all active in building practice. These designers – altogether seven European architects and engineers - will show their works and approaches, reflecting upon rules, strategies and methods in the design of structures.

Exhibition Participants

Bruther, Paris, France
With a deep fascination for the physical presence of structure, Bruther strives to understand and act upon the conceptual and constructive needs of every project while remaining open to the unexpected encounter with new areas of experimentation and research. Founded in 2007 by Stéphanie Bru and Alexandre Theriot, Bruther works in the fields of architecture, research, education, urbanism and landscape. Stéphanie Bru and Alexandre Theriot have run their architecture studio since 2007 in Paris, France, and Lausanne, Switzerland. Both teach alongside their practice, Stéphanie Bru at EPF Lausanne and Alexandre Theriot at ETH Zurich in Switzerland.

Johansen Skovsted, Copenhagen, Denmark
Thinking with the eye of both the architect and the manufacturer, Johansen Skovsted Arkitekter carefully bring contemporary building processes and materials together with basic architectural values in a synthesis of ideas, techniques and manufacturing methods.  Johansen Skovsted Arkitekter was founded by architects Søren Johansen and Sebastian Skovsted. Both studied architecture at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts Schools of Architecture, Design and Conservation (KADK), with Sebastian Skovsted also completing part of his studies at TU Delft. In addition to their practice, both teach in the Institute of Architecture and Technology at KADK.

Rui Furtado, Porto, Portugal
Deeply interested in the spatial concept and the intended role of material and structure, Rui Furtado offers his personal view and experience to architects at the early design stage of projects or competitions. Rui Furtado is chief executive officer and project coordinator at afaconsult, based in Porto and Lisbon. He graduated in Civil Engineering from FEUP, Porto University in 1982, and cofounded afaconsult in 1985. Rui currently lectures at Lusófona University in Porto.

Brandlhuber+, Berlin, Germany
Structure often forms an interconnecting element in the Brandlhuber+ architectural concept, strongly focussing on the given context or, more precisely, the pre-existing fabric of a building. Located in Berlin, Brandlhuber+ was founded in 2006 and develops projects in open and flexible collaboration. Arno Brandlhuber studied architecture at the Technical University Darmstadt and the Accademia di Belle Arti di Firenze. Since 2017, he has been Associate Professor of Architecture and Design at ETH Zurich.

6a, London, United Kingdom
Structure is given a broader meaning in 6a’s work and generally reflects the order and arrangement of elements. Bringing together the inherent qualities of materials and the depth of natural light with a strong sense of atmosphere and immediacy, the London based studio extends the relations found in a given context. 6a architects was founded by Tom Emerson and Stephanie Macdonald in 2001. Stephanie Macdonald studied fine art at Portsmouth College of Art and Architecture at the Mackintosh School of Architecture, the Royal College of Art and London Metropolitan University. Tom Emerson studied architecture at the University of Bath, the Royal College of Art, and the University of Cambridge. Since 2010, he has been Professor of Architecture at ETH Zurich.

Pedrazzini Guidotti, Lugano, Switzerland
For the Lugano based engineering office, structure connects their curiosity and vision with a sense of congruity and robustness in the architectural space. Ingegneri Pedrazzini Guidotti was founded in 2012 by Andrea Pedrazzini, Eugenio Pedrazzini and Roberto Guidotti. Andrea Pedrazzini and his brother Eugenio Pedrazzini studied Civil Engineering at ETH Zurich while Roberto Guidotti studied at the University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland, Lugano, and at EPF Lausanne, where he also received his PhD under the supervision of Dr. Aurelio Muttoni. All of them have taught structure at various architecture schools in Switzerland.

Alejandro Bernabeu, Madrid, Spain
With a deep understanding of both the necessities and possibilities of structure together with a natural curiosity and passion, Alejandro Bernabeu considers structure as precise and unique components of architectural space. Alejandro Bernabeu founded the engineering consultancy Bernabeu Ingenieros in 2014 after studying civil engineering at the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM) and the Ecole Nationale des Ponts et Chaussées. He received his PhD from the UPM in 2008 and since 2007 has been a Professor at the ETSAM School of Architecture (UPM).