QUALISCAPES – Assessing Tipping Points in Baukultur Qualities
2025-2028, Minusio – Biel – Friesenberg Plateau
Swiss National Research Programme NRP 81 “Baukultur. For an ecological and social transition of the built environment”
Project Partners
Prof. Dr. Adrienne Grêt-Regamey, ETH Zürich
Prof. Frédéric Bonnet, Università della Svizzera italiana
Prof. Dr. Emmanuel Reynard, University of Lausanne
Dr. Raimund Rodewald, Stiftung Landschaftsschutz Schweiz
Urs Steiger, Landschaftsschutzverband Vierwaldstättersee
Globalization and standardized development are eroding the unique character of Swiss cultural landscapes, weakening people’s sense of place and, with it, the public’s engagement in shaping their surroundings. This loss of connection threatens both social well-being and the resilience of Baukultur — the integrated quality of our built and unbuilt environments.
QUALISCAPES addresses this challenge by identifying the tipping points at which changes in Baukultur qualities — such as beauty, diversity, social cohesion, local identity, and civic participation — cause significant loss of sense of place. Our goal is to activate placemaking: intentional, participatory transformations of landscapes that foster attachment, identity, and stewardship. Through a transdisciplinary approach combining design, geography, land system science, social sciences, and cognitive-psychology, we will:
- Understand which Baukultur qualities strengthen sense of place.
- Co-develop innovative qualities that can guide sustainable, place-specific transformation.
- Activate Baukultur as a driver for social and ecological resilience through community engagement.
The project uses cutting-edge 3D modeling and virtual reality tools to model changes, measure emotional responses, and co-create solutions with stakeholders in real-world demonstrators across Switzerland. Outputs will include a practitioner handbook, a Baukultur quality monitoring proposal, and digital participatory design tools — all embedded in a growing community of practice to scale solutions nationwide.
The overarching aim of QUALISCAPES is to identify, protect, and activate the Baukultur qualities that foster a strong sense of place, strengthening people’s connection to their environment and their role as stewards of it. The project investigates the tipping points at which gradual changes in the built and unbuilt landscape lead to a loss of meaning, identity, and attachment. Through cognitive-psychological research, immersive 3D technologies, and participatory design, QUALISCAPES develops evidence-based strategies for co-creating high-quality Baukultur that is ecologically sound, socially inclusive, and culturally distinctive. Grounding transformation in local values and lived experiences, it aims to mobilize communities, guide planners and decision-makers, and ensure that Switzerland’s landscapes remain distinctive, meaningful, and resilient for generations to come.
Image Above: Minusio, in the Canton of Ticino on the shore of Lago Maggiore, faces pressures from densification in its suburban landscape. To adapt to climate change and heavier rain events, the city must enhance public spaces and better integrate its hydrologic network for drainage. Priorities include linking key landscape elements—mountain, lake, promenade, and creeks—to everyday urban life, restoring former agrarian paths and topography, improving access to natural assets, and mitigating the impact of uniform high-density buildings.