“Endgültige Form wird von der Architektin am Bau bestimmt.”

The Swiss Pavilion at the 19th International Architecture Exhibition—The Venice Biennale, commissioned by the Swiss Arts Council Pro Helvetia, presents the exhibition "Endgültige Form wird von der Architektin am Bau bestimmt." curated by Elena Chiavi, Kathrin Füglister, Amy Perkins, Axelle Stiefel, and Myriam Uzor.

In Switzerland’s contribution, the curators ask: ‘What if Lisbeth Sachs, rather than Bruno Giacometti, had designed the Swiss Pavilion?’ Sachs (1914–2002) was one of the first registered women architects in Switzerland and a contemporary of Bruno Giacometti, who designed the Swiss Pavilion in the Giardini. The curators aim to revive the short-lived art hall Sachs created for the 1958 Swiss exhibition for women’s work (Saffa) in Zurich, pointing to the historical absence of women architects in the Giardini and evoking the spatial memory of lesser-known architectures.

Sach’s approach to architecture was respectful and inclusive, engaging with available resources – not only labor and material but also natural. The curators carry this vision into the Pavilion, creating something entirely new, yet deeply rooted in its spirit: 

“During our research, one detail that stood out was a drawing in which Sachs wrote: "Endgültige Form wird von der Architektin am Bau bestimmt." (The final form will be defined by the architect on site.) This sentence resonated so strongly that it became our project's title. Sachs explicitly identified herself as a female architect in the 1950s—an extraordinary act in our profession. It was a statement of strong independence, which we felt compelled to embrace.”

Resounding architecture 
In the exhibition, the curators consider how Sachs’ vision might have influenced the design of the Swiss Pavilion today. They draw on Sachs’ approach to create a fragmented, immersive spatial memory that evokes both the aesthetic and ethical concerns of her era and their own. 

With the incorporation of a site-specific sound installation, the curators transform the pavilion into a multi-sensory experience. By reconstructing elements of Sachs’ radial floor plan and making it host to a sound system, the curators invite visitors to experience the open-ended process of a “resounding architecture” that emerges when past and present voices converge. As light is turned into sound, the Kunsthalle tips into another dimension in an act of constant tuning.

Connecting past to the present: Traces and Records of lived spaces
Field recordings capturing conversations, interactions, landscapes, and on-site construction, encourage visitors to listen as they navigate the space. Sound becomes a tool of immersion and translation, unveiling hidden histories and allowing the audience to engage deeply and intimately with the built environment. The non-linear nature of the installation not only connects different actors; it also allows for an understanding of architecture that transcends its role as a mere spatial structure and becomes a resonant body, alive with sound.

The project team
Curators: Elena Chiavi, Kathrin Füglister, Amy Perkins, Axelle Stiefel and Myriam Uzor

For their project, Annexe—Elena Chiavi, Kathrin Füglister, Amy Perkins, and Myriam Uzor—works with the embedded artist Axelle Stiefel. The wider team consists of Tobias Becker (Project Coordinator), Ella Eßlinger (Grant Writer), Emma Kouassi (Graphic Design), Octave Magescas (Sound Design) and Leopold Strobl (Supporting Architect).

Supporting events and publications
The Swiss Pavilion exhibition will feature a parallel program, including a series of public events that will take place during Pavilion Days (9–10 October), followed by the very first Lisbeth Sachs Convention on 10–11 October. Accompanying the exhibition, gta Verlag Zurich will publish Lisbeth Sachs: Animate Architecture, the English translation of Lisbeth Sachs: Architektin. Forscherin. Publizistin by Rahel Hartmann Schweizer, with a new foreword by Annexe.

A series of essays will be published on e-flux Architecture as part of the exhibition. Titled Phantasma, this project is a collaboration between e-flux Architecture and the Swiss Pavilion.

Media requests: Zeynep Seyhun at Pickles PR, zeynep@picklespr.com