Open House Zurich – collections and archives of the ETH Library contribute

Have you always dreamed of gazing into Zurich’s night sky from the Semper Observatory? Been curious to learn about the sustainable green space on the Hönggerberg Campus? Wanted a closer look at the modern, open-space offices at Octavo?

Among the stars

The Semper Observatory is one of ETH Zurich’s oldest research buildings. During a external pagespecial guided tourcall_made of the historical building from the 1860s and its surroundings, we will explain the latest construction measures as well as the history and significance of the research facility. On the same occasion, we will open Gottfried Semper’s historical dome, from which Rudolf Wolf once observed sunspots, and the sun tower, where Max Waldmeier studied the outer atmosphere of the sun between 1951 and 1980. Visitors are also given insight into the Observatory Collection, which currently comprises 300 objects from the sixteenth to twentieth century, including astronomical chronometers and copies of Semper’s original architectural plans and of historical photographs of the building. You can also discover further holdings of the collections and archives of the ETH Library at this exhibition at the observatory.

Hönggerberg Campus – an oasis not just for researchers

The Hönggerberg Campus is known for its attractive green spaces, which bear witness to the tradition of landscape gardening in Swiss post-war modernism. Surrounded by university buildings from the 1960s and 1970s, the Albert Steiner Garden features an idyllic pond, old pines and Persian ironwood trees and a landscaped terrace. Join a external pageguided tourcall_made of this popular oasis to learn about the significance of green spaces for humans and animals as well as the far-reaching efforts of ETH Zurich to ensure their sustainable maintenance and expansion.

Workspaces of the future

At the end of last year, employees of three university management areas – Infrastructure, HR and Leadership – moved into the modern open-space offices of Octavo in Oerlikon. Join a external pageguided tourcall_made to see what work is like in such an office space. Discover the various types of rooms designated for collaborative exchange or focused individual work.