Ein Auslandsemester in der Schweiz

Axelle and Melanie studieren ein Auslandsemester lang Innenarchitektur an der Hochschule Luzern. In ihrem Campus-Beitrag berichten sie, wie sich ihr Studium hier von dem Zuhause in Belgien und Deutschland unterscheidet.

Our project for the course ‹Human building› is located in Sufers in the canton of Grisons. They want to build a diary, a brewery and a restaurant in the same building. We focus on the restaurant. We take care of the interior, but we are a bit limited because the plans are already drawn and we have to try to stick with the given structure. Nevertheless it is a fun project because it really exists. It is a complete task, where we have to think about the light, the acoustics et cetera. We also got to know the clients when we visited the site in Sufers. At our home university we often don’t have the time to go very deep into technical details. Here we had an acoustic and lighting coaching.

In general we like how well organized everything is. For example when we went on an excursion. We got an e-mail with all the information about which train to take, which bus et cetera. In our schools there is often confusion. If you don’t know how to go further with your project, the instructors often say that you have to figure it out yourself.

The facilities at the campus are different as well: Here in Horw we have a shop where we can buy materials for models, an atelier, a lot of storage space, a sleeping room, a big canteen. In Germany and Belgium we have to buy the big cardboards in the city center and then walk all the way through the wind and rain and the busy city. We don't have an atelier where we can leave our stuff. We make our models at home and then take them to school. So when you have your final examination with a jury and have to bring all your models to school, you might do the journey a couple of times in one day.

We will miss the pleasant atmosphere at the HSLU. Everybody is so driven to work and to create amazing things. All the people were helpful and interested in the things we do. That was a huge motivation for us.

We enjoyed the campus, the library, the canteen and the workshops. But also the private events, like the cheese fondue evening or the Christmas kiosk, to collect money for study journeys. All in all we had an amazing time. We learned new architectural skills but also new things about the culture and the lifestyle in Switzerland.

* Melanie Tischer und Axelle van Landuyt belegten das 5. Semester ihres Innenarchitektur-Studiums als Auslandsemester an der HSLU Architektur & Technik in Horw.