Developed between 2017 and 2025 during the two-part course in Design Construction at the Department of Architecture at ETH Zurich, this publication could be seen as the legacy of teachings by professor and practicing architect Andrea Deplazes.

This book brings together key questions, models, and sketches to explore the fundamentals of spatial design. These are complemented by images from seminar weeks and even excerpts from Deplazes’s personal notebook. The book stands as a synthesis of his pedagogical approach and marks the conclusion of his academic career on the eve of his retirement.


Andrea Deplazes is a professor of architecture at ETH Zurich and a practicing architect. Internationally, he is best known for his book Constructing Architecture: Materials, Processes, Structures - a comprehensive handbook on building construction that has been translated into several languages and is widely used in architectural education worldwide.

Developed between 2017 and 2025 during the two-part course in Design Construction at the Department of Architecture at ETH Zurich, this publication could be seen as the legacy of teachings by professor and practicing architect Andrea Deplazes.

This book brings together key questions, models, and sketches to explore the fundamentals of spatial design. These are complemented by images from seminar weeks and even excerpts from Deplazes’s personal notebook. The book stands as a synthesis of his pedagogical approach and marks the conclusion of his academic career on the eve of his retirement.


Andrea Deplazes is a professor of architecture at ETH Zurich and a practicing architect. Internationally, he is best known for his book Constructing Architecture: Materials, Processes, Structures - a comprehensive handbook on building construction that has been translated into several languages and is widely used in architectural education worldwide.