D-BAUG News
Walter Kaufmann honoured by fib
Walter Kaufmann, Professor of Structural Engineering (Concrete Structures and Bridge Design) at ETH Zurich, has been designated a fib Fellow and was awarded the fib Medal of Merit. The medal recognises his outstanding contributions to structural concrete and the fib – the International Federation for Structural Concrete. Congratulations!
What makes a city truly “smart” in the face of crisis?
In a world where cities face increasingly complex crises – from pandemics to natural disasters – researchers at ETH Singapore’s Future Resilient Systems (FRS) programme are rethinking how urban systems respond. In a new video, they explain how technologies like AI, eye tracking, and sentiment analysis are being harnessed to capture public reactions and identify stress points in real time to help city leaders act faster and more effectively.
Awards for excellent doctoral theses
This year, six doctoral students from the Department of Civil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering are honoured for their outstanding achievements: four of them receive ETH medals, two the Culmann Prize. Big congrats!
Two new "Professors of Practice"
The ETH Board has appointed several professors at the request of ETH President Joël Mesot, including two "Professors of Practice" for the Department of Civil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering.
"ETH Swiss GeoLab will put us among the world's leaders in Earth observation"
The Jörg G. Bucherer-Foundation's donation of 100 million Swiss francs will enable ETH Zurich to establish a new competence centre for Earth observation. ETH President Joël Mesot explains how the partnership came about and how it will benefit ETH Swiss GeoLab.
The Jörg G. Bucherer-Foundation donates 100 million Swiss francs to ETH Zurich for Earth observation centre
ETH Zurich will receive 10 million Swiss francs a year from the Jörg G. Bucherer-Foundation for the next ten years. The university will use the funds to establish a competence centre for Earth observation with global appeal and a physical presence in the Canton of Lucerne. The Canton of Lucerne is to support the project as infrastructure partner.
New models improve predictions of snow, rock and ice avalanches
A new 3D simulation tool developed by ETH and SLF researchers now allows for significantly more accurate predictions of complex alpine mass movements, supporting alpine risk management.
“Vertical extensions of buildings are becoming a key option for urban redevelopment”
Why are more new housing units being constructed in Geneva each year, while Zurich is seeing a decline? Why are older residential buildings in Basel, Geneva and Lausanne being vertically extended, while they are being demolished and replaced in Zurich? ETH researchers provide new answers to the role of housing construction and its social impact.
Shaping a Resilient Future: SBE25 Begins in Zurich
This week marks the opening of SBE25 – Sustainable Built Environment Conference, hosted in Zurich from 25 to 27 June 2025 under the theme “Shaping Tomorrow: Systems Thinking in the Built Environment.” The event brings together more than 400 participants from across the globe to explore how holistic thinking can unlock a just and climate-resilient future for our built environment.
D-BAUG opens its doors to secondary school students
By taking part in the ETH Study Weeks 2025, the Department of Civil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering (D-BAUG) at ETH Zurich reaffirmed its commitment to promoting and raising awareness of its study programmes. Of the 134 pupils who were distributed across seven different disciplines, 22 applied to participate in the Civil Engineering programme, while 16 chose Environmental Engineering.