Urs Meister – författare

Die Schweizer Wirtschaft hat sich seit der Jahrtausendwende ausserordentlich robust und erfolgreich entwickelt. Das Land kann sich aber nicht darauf ausruhen, denn die Herausforderungen bleiben gross. Dazu gehören die Folgen der demografischen Alterung, die überproportional steigenden Gesundheitskosten, die anhaltende Migration und das Bevölkerungswachstum, die Engpässe bei der Infrastrukturversorgung, die Zersiedelung der Landschaft, die Sicherung der Energieversorgung, die Wahrung einer eigenständigen Geldpolitik sowie gesellschaftliche Veränderungen, die etwa das Milizsystem infrage stellen oder zu einer neuen Wahrnehmung von sozialer Ungerechtigkeit führen. Die Autoren skizzieren eine mittel- und langfristige Reformagenda, gegliedert nach zwölf unterschiedlichen Politikbereichen.Mit Beiträgen von Alois Bischofberger, Jérôme Cosandey, Urs Meister, Daniel Müller Jentsch, Lukas Rühli, Marco Salvi, Markus Schär, Patrik Schellenbauer, Gerhard Schwarz, Rudolf Walser und einem Nachwort von Ulrich Bremi

Over the course of three years, the Institute of Architecture and Planning at the University of Liechtenstein, the Mackintosh School of Architecture in Glasgow, and the Academie van Bouwkunst, Amsterdam, cooperated on an international research project dedicated to the design of façades. Crafting the Façade presents the results of this productive co-operative study, which cut across disciplines to look at historical developments in the design and building of façades, the theoretical underpinnings that can explain these developments, the common materials and their main characteristics, and the techniques used in assembly. The project also prompted a great deal of innovative design work, including detailed drawings at a scale of 1:10 and the design and construction of life-size prototypes in stone, brick, and wood - all of which are reproduced here among the book's two hundred illustrations. Through their leadership roles with the project, editors Urs Meister, Carmen Rist-Stadelmann, and Machiel Spaan also reflect in Crafting the Façade on the learning processes that emerged from the project and offer guidance and resources for others looking to delve into this topic in depth.

The Institute of Architecture and Planning at University of Liechtenstein in Vaduz pursues highly innovative approaches in architectural education. A focus on practice and bringing students together with craftsmen and their businesses are a key part of this. Model Workshop documents one of these programs at the institute. Students are confronted with different aspects of construction at a scale of 1:1, ranging from experimental wood structures through assembly techniques to questions of manufacturing. Complementing theoretical groundwork, the students’ design ideas are produced by timber construction firms as prototypes at a scale of 1:1, tested for functionality, and further developed.The book introduces this design work and direct transition into practice and analyses the learning process of building at full scale. It also offers guidance through texts and images for an in-depth engagement with these didactic methods in close cooperation with local trades businesses.Text in English and German.

In 2024, the University of Liechtenstein in Vaduz opened its Ebaholz campus extension. Design and realisation of the building’s interior was entrusted to students from the Craft & Structure Studio at Liechtenstein School of Architecture. Their key task was to create new working environments and to offer space for social interaction. The building’s structural conditions were the only limits to the design process. Students had to deal with materials and tectonic aspects of designing wall systems, furniture, and lighting, as well as all the issues of space and atmosphere for creative teamwork. Supported by experts of scenography, acoustics, and colour design, they experimented with spatial concepts, atmospheres, materials, and colours. The entire planning was done on a 1:1 scale and eventually realised in collaboration with craftspeople from local construction firms.This book highlights these didactics of design-build used at the Craft & Structure Studio under the direction of Urs Meister and Carmen Rist-Stadelmann and places it in the international framework of architectural education. Illustrated with plans, photos, and visualisations, it offers an insight into the close exchange between the students and the professionals from construction firms.Text in English and German.

Water scarcity is not exclusively a concern of the poor. Developed countries are increasingly facing problems related to higher per capita consumption and pollution so that enhancing the efficiency of the water supply ranks among the main global challenges of the future. The necessary improvements are not only a matter of technical progress but also of institutional design.Using tools of modern industrial economics, Urs Meister examines the effects of privatisation and competition in the piped water industry. Considering the two main approaches for competition in an industry with natural monopoly character, common carriage (interconnection) and franchise bidding (auctions), he analyses costs, retail prices and investment. Such analysis shows that competition may be a valuable opportunity to improve the efficiency of water supply.