Focus Work FS25
Contact:
Nina Irmert, Doctoral Candidate: irmert@arch.ethz.ch
Tiago Matthes, Doctoral Candidate: matthes@arch.ethz.ch
Patents are an essential part of our built environment. With the definition of modern intellectual property in the 19th century, patents have had a significant impact on both construction techniques and architectural design. Their applicants – individuals, companies, large corporations – filed them to monopolise their technical innovations and used them to develop their products and building designs.
Using case studies from the Ernst Koller archive, the relationship between patent specifications and architectural practice will be analysed. Koller found his own business in the early 1930s as an inventor of construction elements such as windows and doors. From the post-war period onwards, his company mainly realised façade constructions for prestigious projects. In response to the requirements of the building industry, he standardised his construction solutions until the 1980s. Koller, who attained the age of 100, registered inventions until the 1990s, and held over 150 patents.
The Focus Work examines Koller’s patents in the context of their historical development and explores the significance of patents in the changing architectural and construction practice between 1930 and 1990.