Located under a freeway overpass in Zurich, next to the Toni-Areal which houses the University of Arts and the Zurich University of Applied Sciences, is a new 240 square meter public architectural installation. The project has been carried out by ALICE (Atelier de la Conception de l’Espace) laboratory, an active unit of the EPFL-ENAC (School of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering) that pursues research activities at the intersection of architecture, urban thinking and social sciences.

The installation was carried out by 200 first-year students and was erected in under 10 days. The students prefabricated all the built elements in Lausanne, where ENAC is located, and transported them in shipping containers to Zurich, where ALICE has been partnering with the Zurich University of Arts. The full-size, ephemeral structure, is comprised of 12 various contributions from the students and reflects numerous voices and spatial approaches. The project is meant to question the quality of public life in relation to growing cities around the globe and offers itself as a site for activity and civic engagement

To help foster this public engagement, a series of events will occur alongside the installation. First, in Zurich where it is currently located, and then onward to Lausanne, where the installation will be moved and re-erected in a new a form. Programming includes guided tours, theatre and music performances, a sound installation, symposia, student critiques and exhibitions, and an open-air cinema.