CIAM Archives 1st Period (1928–1939)
The aim of the project
- archiving, structuring, rough inventory and complete digitisation of the CIAM archive, period 1 (1928–1939)
- linking the digitised material with the existing metadata in the gta archive database
- publication of the image data and metadata on the research portal and the new gta archive website
Description of the project
June 2028 marks the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Congrès Internationaux d'Architecture Moderne (CIAM). Founded in 1928 in La Sarraz in the Canton of Vaud, CIAM was undoubtedly the most important association of architects of the 20th century. It had a global impact on architecture and urban planning, influencing post-war reconstruction in Europe and new urban developments around the world. The architectural and urban planning theses developed by the most important protagonists of modernism at the CIAM meetings shaped international debates well into the post-war period. Switzerland played an important role from the outset.
One of the core collections on the history of CIAM is held in the gta archives. It includes the materials of the General Secretariat in Zurich, as well as the holdings of most of the Swiss CIAM members and the estates of various international actors. The project will improve the structure of the approximately 6 linear metres of material, which includes an estimated 20,000 pages (letters, notes, agendas, minutes, newspaper clippings, group photos, sketches, drafts and plans), and will archive and roughly inventory it. The correspondence is being digitised in collaboration with the DigiCenter of the ETH Library and linked to the existing metadata in the gta Archives database. The image and metadata are publicly accessible as a result on the research portal and the new gta Archives website.
Synergies and context
In view of the centenary of the founding of CIAM in June 2028, numerous symposia and exhibitions are already in preparation, in some of which the gta Archive is directly involved. Public interest in and demand for access to one of the most frequently used collections today will therefore increase significantly once again, resulting in a large number of requests for research, digitisation, publication or loans.
Other important collections on the history of CIAM are scattered around the world. They are held, for example, by the Het Nieuwe Institut in Rotterdam, the Frances Loeb Library at Harvard University, the CIAM Belgium archive at the Getty Research Institute, the Fondation Le Corbusier in Paris and the Bauhaus Archive in Berlin. Together with Het Nieuwe Instituut, the gta Archives are one of the two main project partners for a digital archive and research platform, CIAM Collections Online (CCO). CCO is to be launched in 2028, the centenary year, and CIAM-related materials from archives worldwide are to be made accessible online.
Time frame
1 January to 31 December 2025