Die Polytechnische Welt - Wissensordnung und Bauideal. Band I und II

150 years ago Gottfried Semper built the Zurich Polytechnic, the prototype for university buildings in the nineteenth century. The story of the building is presented in two volumes - not just in the sense of a complex construction history of the main building, but also in order to show how and why the foundation of this institution in Zurich would become a model for an educational tradition which continues to influence Europe to this day. The growth, changes and history of the building are explained - an exemplary architectural history over two centuries.