Rupert Muldoon: "Architecture is a profession based upon good personal relationships and interrelated disciplines."

You graduated in architecture at ETH. What memories do you have from your student time?

A tutor once told me that the friends you make during the course are as important as the studies themselves. You will grow up with these friends, figuring out your individual stance towards your subject- and then become each other’s’ colleagues. My tutor was right!

I took my MASLA (Masters in Advanced studies in Landscape Architecture) at ETH Zurich. Walking up to the Hönggerberg campus through the woods each morning, the view, the peace. Hönggerberg is a huge place on the hill where I was one of thousands. Very different from my bachelors at the Bartlett School of Architecture in the heart of London. However, amongst this big mix at ETH Zurich, you were encouraged to be an individual and there was a great freedom to explore your own ideas. I took myself off down to the workshop and made endless experiment models and while doing so, making new friends from other departments. Funnily enough, I met one of my best friends in the printing room. Also sitting in on everyone else’s lectures in different language was very different from London. And what I vividly remember from my MASLA is a sense of this place as a fizzing hub of knowledge with some incredibly impressive lecturer and tutors passing through.

What did you do after your studies?

I stayed in Zurich. There was so much more to explore - I am a great walker and as a landscape architect I’m fascinated by the variety of landscapes the Swiss alps present.

I had my eye on a landscape firm I wanted to work for and was thrilled when they wanted me. I spend two years working at Vogt landscape architects. It proved a great place as a new graduate working on some interesting international landscapes while still being allowed to experiment with ideas and design through model making. These are some of the creative tasks I still love to do.
When the firm won the commission to design the landscape for the Olympic park in London I jumped at the chance and so managed to keep a foot in both Switzerland and England. A dream combination from my point of view.

When the time was right I managed to set up my own practice - and won the commission to design the garden and landscape for a Maggie’s Centre. For me, it was an honour to work for them as they work with the best designers of our day to create sanctuaries for people living with cancer. Their work’s purpose, then, is healing through good design.

I am passionate about designing through natural processes - using communities of plants that thrive together in a living matrix, using many trees, recycling water, to achieve as sustainable approach to creating landscapes as possible. The Maggie’s project become known about and people started talking which led to some more interesting projects.

I still come to Switzerland regularly, last year spending two months here working on two landscape projects. One project was the design of an urban pocket forest / garden. The other was the rewinding of a private tract of farm land in the east of Switzerland. To bring this private tract back into harmony with nature, I planted an extension to the forest and miles of fruiting nature hedges to increase biodiversity. (www.meeuwsenmuldoon.com)

Looking back, my stance toward my profession, my business partner and my contacts all came through the sociable and intellectually rigorous time at ETH.

As president of the newly funded Architecture Alumni group, what is your interest?

A year and a half ago, I noticed that there was no facility specific alumni group for architects, landscape architects or planners and I wondered why? Particularly, it came as a surprise as relationships really matter in our world.

I was about to head to Shanghai to explore what was going on there visiting some of the landscape projects. There must be alumni over there working in my field I thought - but there was no way to reach out to them.

The alumni office was very encouraging to set up the new organisation - so I did. Being an art enthusiast and getting excited when different disciplines meet and inform each other I wrote to Migros Museum to see if they would host our launch party last September.

It was really a great first event. A group of about 70 of us, all with the same start at ETH - but all doing incredibly different things - all different ages, met in this different context of an art gallery. I enjoyed every conversation I had that evening.

What is your goal?

Architecture is a profession based upon good personal relationships and interrelated disciplines. Creating a forum for alumni gives us all a chance to stay connected, make new acquaintances, find out what the latest ideas are, swaps news and stories and remain engaged with what is going on at ETH.

I looked at our numbers the other day, we have almost 500 members. There is huge potential for active engagement if given the right space to participate. Earlier this year, the new Alumni website was launched. It is looking great and much easier to use. All members are encouraged to contribute with event ideas and I hope our affiliate organisation will evolve by itself over the years to come.

Who can join the affiliate organisation?

ETH Architecture Alumni group is open to anyone with an interest or a career in the build environment. Architects, Landscape Architects, Planners and all Alumni of related disciplines. The wider the range the better the conversations at our gatherings.