The Machine Laboratory at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology: A Diachronic Study of Patents and Innovation
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Author / Producer
Date
2025
Publication Type
Conference Paper
ETH Bibliography
yes
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Abstract
Patents have long been the “unit” of innovation—as used and illustrated in Sigfried Giedion’s cultural history Mechanization Takes Command (1948); most recently in Peter Christensen’s Prior Art (2024); or, more methodically in the social sciences since Jacob Schmookler’s study Invention and Economic Growth (1966). Patents are, however, often presented as proof of innovation where they really merely testify to an invention. Since the founding days of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) in Zurich, the university’s new buildings needed to adhere to the newest standards to enable cutting-edge research and science. At the same time, decision-makers had to avoid unnecessary risks and generally relied on proven building techniques and elements. Especially in science buildings, there has always been a fine line between constructional inertia and innovation. This paper scrutinises the very concept of ‘innovation’ by examining the turbulent history of one of ETH’s iconic building complexes, the machine laboratory, as well as its later extensions. The plot on which the building stands is exemplary for 120 years of construction, ongoing architectural transformation—and moments of applied innovation through patents. Originally built according to a design by Benjamin Recordon from 1897 to 1900, the machine laboratory featured three different ceiling systems: Monier, Hennebique, and Schürmann. 30 years later, it was stripped of its façades and incorporated into a new and larger building, finished in 1934. This new machine laboratory, supplemented by a power plant, exhibited state-of-the-art elements as well as established building products. The Rapid Beam system—best known from its proliferation in Walter Gropius’ Dessau-Törten settlement—was used in the power plant’s boiler hall, while other concrete ceilings were constructed using Rohrzellen (“cellular tubes”). The machine laboratory was to be extended twice over the course of the next four decades. In 1948 an upper storey was added to the building, introducing lightweight suspended ceiling systems with Pavatex wood fibre boards to insulate the slender iron framework. In the early 1970s, the complex was complemented by an adjoining structure that employed voided concrete ceilings for the large spans. The lack of a suitable building product on the market led to the design of a unique cross section by architect Charles-Edouard Geisendorf and engineer Max Walt. Using the machine laboratory’s first eight decades as a springboard, this paper presents a diachronic perspective in patent research by looking at patented building elements, the application of which reacted to the changing needs of the typology. The paper tackles the very problem of using patents as a “unit” of innovation and critically addresses the varying time spans passed between invention, innovation, and actual construction.
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Publication status
published
External links
Book title
Construction Innovation: Materials, Processes and Systems : Proceedings of the Eleventh Annual Conference of the Construction History Society
Journal / series
Volume
Pages / Article No.
363 - 376
Publisher
The Construction History Society
Event
11th Annual Conference of the Construction History Society
Edition / version
Methods
Software
Geographic location
Date collected
Date created
Subject
Organisational unit
09724 - Langenberg, Silke / Langenberg, Silke
Notes
Conference lecture held on September 26, 2025
Funding
208086 - Architektur & Patent. Die Bauten des ETH-Bereichs (SNF)