A New Ground Station for Earth Observation
Snøhetta & Özer/Ürger Architects & Battle Mccarthy, Çanakkale Antenna Tower (Turkey), 2014
The possibility to observe the Earth from the space using artificial satellites has drastically transformed the way we interact with
our environment. Due to the fast development of these technologies to transfer, store and analyze huge amounts of data, information
has turned into an extremely powerful means to anticipate and shape the human development. In this context, the traditional typology
of the communication tower that proliferated during the 20th Century needs to be re-evaluated and upgraded to respond to the needs of
contemporary communications systems.
The Swiss Space Center emerges as a local institution that is currently participating in the research and development of new
technologies related to satellite communication systems and data storage. The Design Studio Schwartz FS2017 will be focused on the
design of a new ground station for earth observation in collaboration with the Swiss Space Center. This will combine a tower for
satellite communication, a data center, a research hub and
facilities for visitors. Because of its average 3500 hours of sunshine per year, the spectacular site of Leuk (Wallis) has been
chosen as the location for the project.
Teaching Unit:
051-1184-17L, 13 ECTS
Teaching Team:
Prof. Dr. Joseph Schwartz
Juan José Castellón
Pierluigi D′Acunto
Patrick Ole Ohlbrock
Alessandro Tellini
Invited Guests:
Alberto Veiga (Barozzi/Veiga)
Patrick Luth (Snohetta)
Richard Horden (Horden Cherry Lee, TUM)
Rita Illien (Müller Illien Landschaftsarchitekten)
Stefan Buckenmaier (Swiss Space Center)
Jeroen Janssen (AKT Part II)
last modified 28.10.2018