Miséricorde University, Fribourg FR

The Miséricorde main building of the University of Fribourg, now a listed building, was inaugurated in 1941 above Fribourg railway station. This large-scale reinforced concrete structure was designed by Denis Honegger, a pupil of Auguste Perret and Le Corbusier. An extension was added in the late 1970s in a style consistent with the existing building: a wing was extended and supplemented by an additional transverse building, creating a new courtyard. This was based on an earlier design by Honegger, who supervised the construction himself. The demolition of the elegant external staircase caused controversy, as space had to be made in its place for a new canteen, which finally opened in 1982.

Our Questions

• Will smart structural engineering solutions be sufficient in the face of new climate extremes?
• Do existing maintenance and intervention intervals need to be adjusted? 
• To what extent are users currently willing to tolerate increased indoor heat, and what might countermeasures look like that preserve building fabric and conserve resources?

© HKB / Jonas Roters

Participants

• Anjo Weichbrodt, project team member
• Canton of Fribourg Office for Cultural Heritage
• Henri Dietiker, Research Assistant, Canton of Fribourg Office for Cultural Heritage
• Alex Kaczorowski Rusca, Architect, University of Fribourg Facilities Management