International Conference “Architecture & Patents”

Offering a broad platform for exchange on patents as drivers of innovation in architecture. 

"Architecture & Patents", conference poster. Poster image (c) Ernst and Herta Koller-Ritter Foundation.
"Architecture & Patents", conference poster. Poster image (c) Ernst and Herta Koller-Ritter Foundation.

THE CONFERENCE

The international conference “Architecture & Patents” offers a broad platform for exchange on patents as drivers of innovation for building elements, constructions, and building systems in their local and global contexts. It covers the 19th through the 21st centuries and addresses legal, historical, and architectural questions; materials and processes; construction heritage; and the latest developments in digital fabrication. The conference is part of the broader research project “Architecture & Patents. The Buildings of the ETH Domain.

 

THE PROGRAMME

The conference is organised and curated by the Chair of Construction Heritage and Preservation, led by Prof. Silke Langenberg, at the Institute of Preservation and Construction History and the Institute of Technology in Architecture, Department of Architecture, ETH Zurich, with conference programme featuring moderated sessions on topics:

  • IP and Law
  • Perspectives on Recent Patents
  • (Trans-)National Perspectives
  • Innovating Wood Constructions
  • Inventions in Metal Facades
  • Patents in Cultural History
  • Towards Digital Architecture
  • Patents as Construction Heritage

 

WITH THANKS TO THE PROGRAMME SUPPORTERS

The conference is kindly supported by the Ernst and Herta Koller-Ritter Foundation, H. Lüdi + Co. AG, and Mero TSK. The research project “Architecture & Patents. The Buildings of the ETH Domain” is funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation.

 

FIND OUT MORE / REGISTER

The conference takes place June 18–20, 2025, at the Semper Auditorium, Central Campus, ETH Zurich. For further information and registration, visit the conference webpage.

 

Poster image (c) Ernst and Herta Koller-Ritter Foundation.

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