House of Switzerland

The House of Switzerland is a relocatable building serving as Switzerland’s official visitor centre at major international events. Its operational premiere were the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sotchi. Further stations the same year were the European Athletics Championships in Zürich, the Giro del Gusto in Milano, and the FIFA World Cup in Rio de Janeiro.

Commissioned by Switzerland’s Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, the design is by Spillmann Echsle Architects with Ortreport scenographers, both based in Zürich. The unique functional timber structure consists of four houses of different size that can be used in combination or individually. It offers a variety of rooms, such as restaurant, show rooms, covered outdoor stage, lounge, and a broadcasting studio. The 193 modular elements, tailored to fit in standard truck containers, can be transferred and re-assembled at a new location within days.

This new book features a dictionary of all elements in the pavilion’s building set by keyword, illustrated with images and plans and offering much technical detail. It presents the architectural and scenography concept and design, and also documents transport and assembly, again richly illustrated with photographs and plans and diagrams.

Text in English and German.