Initiated in 2014, the National Centre of Competence in Research (NCCR) Digital Fabrication aims to revolutionise architecture through the seamless combination of digital technologies and physical building processes. Over 60 researchers from six different academic disciplines collaborate to develop ground-breaking technologies for tomorrow’s construction. Their research allows Switzerland to take a leading position within the global field of digital fabrication. The NCCR Digital Fabrication is the first NCCR focused on architecture and construction funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF). Initiated at ETH Zurich, it is partnered with EPF Lausanne, the Hochschule für Technik Rapperswil, the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts, the Bern University of Applied Sciences and Empa.
Read more
10.12.2025
Alumnus Aryan Rad built on his traditional training in structural engineering and developed an interdisciplinary approach that brings together architecture, computational methods, and digital fabrication to advance sustainable construction.
08.12.2025
Spin-off Contouro is redefining the intersection of architecture, art, and engineering. Building on over a decade of research in digital fabrication, Contouro transforms complex computational designs into real-world structures, from monumental sculptures to innovative architectural elements.
01.12.2025
Ena Lloret-Fritschi is Director of the newly established Institute for Sustainable Architecture and Technology at USI. The Institute promotes research and innovation in architecture by integrating heritage conservation and adaptive reuse, structural design and engineering, digital technology and…
25.11.2025
NCCR DFAB alumna Prof. Kathrin Dörfler hosted the COMPAS_RRC workshop at the Technical University of Munich, bringing together experts and partners to advance robotic fabrication.
11.11.2025
Following the successful organisation of the IASS 2024 symposium by the NCCR Digital Fabrication in Zurich, this year’s International Association for Shell and Spatial Structures (IASS) conference was held in Mexico City.
13.10.2025
Robots on construction sites? A threat to some, an opportunity for others. NCCR DFAB Researcher Sihui Wu from ETH Zurich is researching how technology can support people in their everyday work, and why it must not become a source of fear.
20.05.2026 - 23.05.2026
The 'Future of Construction' symposium explores how technology shapes the way we design and build. The accelerating convergence of technological domains in architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) invites us to rethink human capability, skill, and agency. At this intersection, AI, extended reality, and robotics are transforming digital fabrication and…
25.11.2025
The NCCR DFAB and Innovationspark Siwitzerland Zurich invite builders, architects, engineers, planners, contractors, and end-users to explore the potential of resource-efficient additive manufacturing processes and the associated modern data and information flows. Objectives: Share knowledge and…
28.10.2025
Join Nora A. Escherle (SVIN) and Kaitlin McNally (NCCR Digital Fabrication) for an engaging dialogue on regeneration. This lunch webinar brings together voices from food culture, farming, urban design, and futures thinking to explore how regeneration can shape our daily…
27.09.2025
On Saturday, 27 September, the Arch_Tech_Lab will open its doors to visitors as part of the Open House Zurich event. Under the motto ‘Architecture for All,’ the association organises annual tours of over 150 buildings that are not otherwise open to the public. The National Centre of…
17.09.2025
Startup Architecture – Venture as a new mode of Ppractice: This conference explores the growing phenomenon of architects founding startups—not merely as a commercial extension of practice, but as a radical redefinition of what architecture can be. As traditional…
25.06.2025 - 27.06.2025
Releasing over 40% of global greenhouse gas emissions and consuming over 40% of primary resources, the built environment needs an urgent transformation towards climate neutrality and circularity while hosting a booming humanity in dignified conditions under…