The Polytechnic World - Knowledge Classification and Building Ideals

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.