Andreas Ruby

Hütten & Paläste in Glarus 🏚️✨ Am Samstag, 2. Mai 2026 begrüssen wir Nanni Grau & Frank Schönert vom Berliner Architekturbüro @huettenundpalaeste zu den Landsgemeinde Lectures in Glarus. Das ist eine Serie von Architekturvorträgen, die jeweils am Vorabend der Landsgemeinde stattfinden und von @reto.fuchs und @andreasruby nun bereits zum vierten Mal organisiert werden. Seit der Gründung ihres Büros 2005 stellen Grau und Schönert eine einfache, aber radikale Frage: Wie können das, was schon da ist, besser nutzen, anstatt es zu schnell abzureissen und durch Neubau zu ersetzen? Ihr Name ist Programm – es geht nicht um Repräsentation, sondern um das Potenzial einfacher Bauten. Alte Industrieareale, Garagen, Nutzbauten: Hütten & Paläste verwandeln das Unfertige und Gebrauchte in lebendige Orte zum Wohnen und Arbeiten. Das Provisorische ist kein Makel, sondern der Rohstoff einer poetischen Pragmatopie. Ihre Architektur ist direkt, ehrlich und angenehm unangepasst. Sie reduzieren Flächen-, Energie- und Materialverbrauch durch kluge Strategien der Umnutzung, Reparatur und Suffizienz – und entwickeln Projekte gemeinsam mit Nutzer:innen, Genossenschaften und Stiftungen. Zu ihren bekanntesten Werken zählen das Holzmarkt-Dorf Berlin (2013), die Scheune Prädikow (2021), der Ossietzky-Hof Nordhausen (2023) und die U-Halle Mannheim (2023) – einst ein Distributionszentrum der US-Armee, heute Multifunktionsgebäude der Bundesgartenschau. Nanni Grau forscht ausserdem als Professorin an der TU Berlin zur Zukunft des Einfamilienhauses: 16 Millionen davon stehen in Deutschland, oft mit kaum 2 Personen bewohnt. Während viele Einfamilienhausgebiete als nogo-zones der zeitgenössischen Architektur abgeschrieben haben, sieht Grau darin das grösste Experimentierfeld einer wirklich nachhaltigen Baukultur. 🕖 Sa, 2. Mai 2026, 19 Uhr 📍 Soldenhoff Saal, Gerichtshausstr. 25, Glarus | Eingang Nord, 2. OG 📩 Die Plätze sind beschränkt, um Anmeldung wird gebeten: [email protected] #Architektur #BauenImBestand #Nachhaltigkeit #Glarus #Landsgemeinde #HüttenUndPaläste #Transformation #Wohnen

#rubypress publication no. 66: 𝑻𝒂𝒌𝒆 𝑶𝒏 𝑨𝒅𝒅 𝑨𝒘𝒂𝒚 – 𝑨 𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒏𝒔𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒎𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑷𝒂𝒍𝒂𝒊𝒔 𝒅𝒆𝒔 𝑬𝒙𝒑𝒐𝒔𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔 𝑪𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒍𝒆𝒓𝒐𝒊, edited by AgwA architecten jan de vylder inge vinck. Photos by Filip Dujardin. 𝐄𝐔 𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐳𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐀𝐫𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 – 𝐌𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐯𝐚𝐧 𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐑𝐨𝐡𝐞 𝐀𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭! A monument to industrial optimism—and its radical reinvention: this book tells the story of the transformation of the Palais des Expositions in Charleroi, Belgium. Built between 1948 and 1953 by architect Joseph André as a symbol of the nation’s progress, the vast complex fell into disuse after the decline of steel and coal. With a design approach rooted in radical sufficiency, AgwA and architecten jan de vylder inge vinck reveal the building’s inherent qualities. By removing much of the façade while preserving the floors, stairs, and roof, they transform the central hall into an open urban foyer that reconnects the structure with the city and the surrounding landscape. Featuring photographs by Filip Dujardin, who documented the process over six years, and detailed, color-coded drawings by the architects that distinguish between original structure, demolition, and new construction, the book renders the building’s complex transformation strikingly legible. An introduction by Ilka Ruby and Andreas Ruby and insights from the architects, engineers, developers, and city officials present the project as a powerful model for rethinking existing architecture. . Design: Something Fantastic Ruby Press, Berlin, 2026 English 240 pages, 210 x 262 mm Softcover, thread binding ISBN: 978-3-944074-62-7 38 EUR . . . . . . @eumiesawards @filipdujardin @ilkaruby @andreasruby @somethingfantastic_net @ideabooksnl @vertreter_rei @agwa_architecture @architectenjdviv @jan_de_vylder #architecturetransformation #donotdemolish #architecturephotography

Volles Haus an der SAY 25 Kindervernissage! Rund 50 künftige Baumeister und Architektinnen entdeckten die Wanderausstellung und erschufen fantastische Bauwerke aus LEGO. Die Ausstellung inkl. LEGO ist noch bis am 26. April geöffnet. Ein tolles Angebot für die Frühlingsferien! #architektur #kinder #lego #frühlingsferien #ferienprogramm

If you have not seen the show “All my actions” in the top floor of Claraturm in Basel, there is another chance tonight, 1 April, 8-11 pm. The show is a really impressive scenographic estrangement of this space high above the roofs of Basel. Since the space is left pretty much dark – only the art works placed all around are illuminated – it expands seamlessly into the nocturnal cityscape of Basel and the landscape beyond. You get a tangible sensation of the almost metaphysical idea of space that Mies van der Rohe was fascinated with. A kind of space that merged everything, object, room, landscape, universe. Basel generally oscillates between being a big small town and a small big town, but in “All my actions” it really seems to stretch until the horizon. The show was created by Ludwig Albert & Micha Ringger, who just founded their practice Albert Ringger, and was curated by Tuula Rasmussen. It features various art works by mostly local artists which harness the unique condition of this space which is not an art gallery. They all address the absurdity that the prime space of this building has been unused for 5 years. Let’s hope that this powerful mise-en-scène of its capacities convinces the owner to do something with it that fulfils the brief of the Canton, i.e. to provide a public program. I would say: worth a detour. Bravo to Albert Ringger for such a spirited debut project to launch their practice.

Am 14. 11. 2025, 19 Uhr halte ich meinen Abschiedsvortrag und lasse zehn aufregende Jahre am S AM Revue passieren. Wie alles mit Schweizweit begann, meiner Eröffnungsausstellung, die später zur Gründung des Schweizer Architekturjahrbuchs SAY führen sollte. Wie das Museum zu einem virtuellen Fortbewegungsmittel für Reisen zu anderen Orten wurde – Bangladesch, Japan, São Paulo, Neapel, Brüssel… Wie jede Ausstellung das Museum atmosphärisch in einen anderen Raum verwandelte – ein Kino, eine Badi, ein Architekturbüro, eine Baustelle, einen öffentlichen Platz … Und wie das S AM zur einer seismographischen Echokammer jener Entwicklungen wurde, die die Architektur im letzten Jahrzehnt geprägt haben: Verdichtung, Umbau vor Neubau, die Veränderung des Materialkanons des Bauens, Teilen als Common Luxury und die Suffizienz als die Kunst, im Wenigen den Reichtum zu erkennen. Ihr seid herzlich eingeladen! Anmeldung unter: /e/ade-merci-andreas-ruby-abschiedsvortrag-und-feier-im-s-am-tickets-1897657728349?aff=oddtdtcreator (und in der Bio).

One of my favourite buildings in Basel: Michael Alder’s Apartment building in the St. Alban Valley from 1988. It always enchants me to see how gracefully it ages. The weathering patterns of its wooden facades are a sublime symphony of color, which I never tire to contemplate. When I saw it for the first time, I could not decide whether it was a new or old building. Well it’s both, or „altneu“, to use the beautiful term by Austrian architect Hermann Czech. Built in the 19th century as an industrial building, it was earmarked for demolition by the 1980s. To preserve it Michael Alder bought it together with a group of people and transformed it with a remarkably soft touch. The placement of the windows alone is a poem, the gentle way in which the reveals stick out of the facade plane. The same goes for the balcony. Every new design action seamlessly merges with the existing. He did not add new elements to the old building but allowed the latter to grow older – and become younger at the same time. I am sure this is what Bernard Rudofsky had in mind with his trope of #ArchitecturewithoutArchitects. But while Rudofsky quoted only historical examples for this design attitude, Alder shows that there can be a contemporary practice of the vernacular. Devoid of a date stamp (no style) or an author’s brand mark burnt into its skin (no signature), this architecture can over time absorb meaning from the world around it, the local context, the people passing by and the time that changes. I believe in a hundred years it will be still as modern (understood in Baudelaire’s terms) as it is now. That’s what I would call sustainable. P.S. Kudos to @buchnerbrundler for the ingenious and sympathetic way in which the facade of their youth hostel - a matching classic - picks up on Alder’s groove. Because if you look closely, you’ll see that the wooden boards of their facade are of similar dimensions like the ones Alder used, but rotated by 90 degrees and spaced apart to act as columns to create the interstitial layer between the old building and the river, that weaves both together to one place.

I love to experience cities on an early sunday morning when everybody is still asleep. With my bike as my only companion I follow the magnetic pull of endless empty streets. With nothing but the sound of the wind gently rustling through the trees things enter my perception I would probably overlook in the middle of a crowded day. Such as the haunting beauty of temporary electricity cables drawing a ghost contour of Scharoun’s Philharmonic against the backdrop of the rising sun. This happened to be in Berlin, but it works with any city.

25.09. | OPEN HOUSE PLUS+ | TALK | AUSSTELLUNG | APÉRO WIE SOLLEN/WOLLEN/KÖNNEN/MÜSSEN WIR HEUTE NOCH BAUEN? 1973 erschien Rolf Kellers Pamphlet „Bauen als Umweltzerstörung“ – seine Analyse ist bis heute kaum widerlegt. Doch: Müssen wir überhaupt noch bauen? Oder reicht umbauen, erhalten, transformieren? Was bringen Neubauten – und wie schaffen wir es, dass Bauen nicht länger gleich Umweltzerstörung bedeutet? 🎤 Impulsvortrag von Nico Ros zur Roadmap klimaneutralen Bauens 💬 Diskussionsrunde mit Barbara Buser, Nico Ros, Piet Eckert 🎙 Moderation Andreas Ruby 🍷 Im Anschluss Ausstellung & Apéro 📍@zaz_bellerive PRESENTING PARTNER: @jaegerconeco 1. Foto: Nico Ros, @zpfingenieure , Movable House, Architektur: @rahbaranhuerzeler , Basel Oben: Weisswert / unten: Matthias Willi 2. Foto: Barbara Buser, Halle 118, Winterthur Oben: @bauburoinsitu / unten: Gabriele Schärer 3. Foto: Piet Eckert, @e2a_book , TAZ Verlagsgebäude, Berlin Oben: Rory Gardiner / unten: Christian Aeberhard 4. Foto: @andreasruby , @s_am_basel Wilma Leskowitsch

23.09. | OPEN HOUSE PLUS+ | TALK | AUSSTELLUNG | APÉRO "THE DO-IT-TOGETHER CITY" Städtebau ist für die meisten Menschen etwas abstraktes, was von Spezialisten erdacht und erbaut wird. Sie selbst kommen damit oft erst in Berührung, wenn ein Quartier fix und fertig ist und an die Bewohner:innen übergeben wird. Dass Menschen ihr städtisches Umfeld aktiv mitgestalten können, zeigen zwei wegweisende Städtebau-Projekte im ländlichen Kontext: Herfølge Bjergby, Dänemark (Werk Arkitekter) und Almere Oosterwold, Niederlande (MVRDV). Innerhalb grundlegender städtebaulicher Vorgaben konnten die Bewohner:innen ihre eigenen Vorstellungen vom Wohnen umsetzen – auf für Normalbürger:innen bezahlbaren Grundstücken. Mit ihrem basisdemokratischen Ansatz inspirieren beide Projekte die partizipative Stadtentwicklung in der Schweiz. Ob und was die Schweiz von den nordischen Bottom-up-Ansätzen lernen oder übernehmen könnte, steht im Zentrum dieses Talks. Gäste: 👤 Thomas Kock, Werk Arkitekter, Copenhagen 👤 Jan Knikker, MVRDV, Rotterdam 🎤 Moderation: Andreas Ruby, S AM Schweizerisches Architekturmuseum Die Veranstaltung wird auf Englisch durchgeführt. @werk_arkitekter @mvrdv @jan_knikker @andreasruby @s_am_basel @zaz_bellerive #OpenHouseZürich2025 #TheDoItTogetherCity #WerkArkitekter #MVRDV #JanKnikker #ThomasKock #AndreasRuby #SAM #SchweizerischesArchitekturmuseum #Städtebau #PartizipativeStadtentwicklung 📸 Stadtfragen GmbH 2022

Today at 17.45 I will be speaking at Flussbad Berlin Dip Club (situated at Flussbadgarten, Friedrichsgracht, 10178 Berlin) about my experience of River Swimming in Switzerland. Living in Basel for 10 years now, I can’t imagine my life without the everyday luxury of hopping into the Rhein during the warm periods of the year. In Switzerland liquid public space (in the form of lakes, rivers, and swimmable fountains) clearly improves the quality of urban living and is a key reason for the continuously high popularity scores of Swiss cities in global city rankings. I will talk about the vital importance of urban outdoor swimming as a sanitary measure during dangerous heat waves as we have experienced it just recently. When Basel’s climate reached a scorching 38 Degrees in this past June (!), people simply flocked to the river to cool their bodies down in the water (whose temperature was alarmingly high for the season - 25 Degrees - but still managed to give a noticeable refreshment). Considering that cities like Madrid or Sevilla reached temperatures of almost 50 Degrees last week, politicians need to understand that any city that has rivers and lakes where people can swim should count itself lucky and do whatever it takes to make the water accessible to the population. What are you waiting for, Berlin?

After 10 years as Director of the S AM Swiss Architecture Museum, I am leaving the museum at my own request at the end of 2025. Together with my fantastic team, I have been able to realize many wonderful exhibitions as well as many other exciting projects. The museum has come a long way in the past 10 years and it is now a good time to hand over the management before I break new ground in 2026. I would like to thank the many partners who have supported me in my work at the museum and all the architects who have made their work available to us. I am especially indebted to my team which deserves the greatest credit: Anne Schmidt-Pollitz, Andreas Kofler, Yuma Shinohara, Sandra Bachmann, Elena Fuchs, Valerie Zuber, Olivia Jenny and Anaïs Auprêtre de Lagenest. I admire the work of our phenomenal graphic designer Jiri Oplatek and his team at Claudiabasel Grafik & Interaktion. I am happy to have met Niklaus Graber thanks to S AM whose scenographies for Bengal Stream and Beton blew my mind. A very personal thanks goes to the former President of the Foundation Board Samuel Schultze, who created the conditions for me to shape part of the history of this special museum, for his trust and empathy. And now I'm looking forward to producing three more wonderful exhibitions this year. The first of these, “What was could be”, opens next Friday, April 4. As always, it will be super nice. Come all and let's celebrate.

#rubypress publication No. 58: „Time Matters“, edited by Urszula Kozminska and Nacho Ruiz Allén. How to build with what is already there and for what is yet to come? An inconclusive take on architecture and time. Time Matters questions the aesthetic and poetic potential that transformation processes can generate. Today, unstable climatic conditions, changing landscapes and new usage patterns must be anticipated right from the design stage. The apparent contradiction of an unstable context and our desire to create long-lasting buildings opens up possibilities for a new kind of process-based aesthetic. The book brings together six contributions that shed light on the relationship of architecture to time with a view to past, present and future scenarios, from theoretical essays, mappings and realized interventions to more speculative projects. The texts are accompanied by a series of images with artistic and architectural examples. With contributions by: Urszula Kozminska, Nacho Ruiz Allen, Mo Michelsen Stochholm Krag, Matiss Groskaufmanis, Studio 3A, Alicia Lazzaroni and Antonio Bernacchi, Katrina Wiberg. Design: Something Fantastic Ruby Press, Berlin, Nov 2024 English 224 pages, 115 x 185 mm Softcover with dust cover, thread binding ISBN: 978-3-944074-54-2 28 EUR . . . . #Timematters #architecturebooks #transformation #poeticsoftime #poeticsofspace #architecturetheory @ulakozminska @raal_arquitectura @aarchdk @ilkaruby @andreasruby @somethingfantastic_official @ideabooksnl @vertreter_rei