58th Innovation Conference: "People and living space"

The way we live, work, meet and relax in Switzerland is no coincidence. At the 58th Innovation Conference of the OST – Eastern Switzerland University of Applied Sciences, we shed light on the trends that are currently shaping our spaces. Our living space is the result of decisions made in planning and politics, in business and society, in the everyday life of every neighborhood. At the same time, space is changing rapidly: cities are growing and becoming denser, usage requirements are clashing, and climate adaptation and resource conservation are becoming key location issues. The big task is: How do we design living spaces so that they are still liveable, diverse and resilient tomorrow?

Four presentations at the Innovation Conference will shed light on these questions from different, complementary perspectives. Using Zurich as an example, Anna Schindler shows how dense building can succeed without losing sight of social diversity, ecological goals and economic prosperity. Tiziano Pelli explores the tension between living space and experience space: What makes places attractive and where does attractiveness tip over into overload when visitors from outside become vital but the local population reaches its limits? Christoph Inhelder focuses on the return of nature to the city and shows how biodiversity, climate adaptation and neighborhood identity can go hand in hand with high-quality inner densification and which instruments are decisive for this. And Lars Willi adds an existential basis to the spatial perspective: clean drinking water. His report combines global water realities with success factors for drinking water treatment in Switzerland.

This conference invites you to think beyond disciplines and responsibilities: from the building to the neighborhood, from the city to the region, from the leisure attraction to biodiversity and from water as a resource to quality of life. Let’s discuss together what innovations we need, what conflicting goals we have to endure and what concrete levers we can set in motion to ensure that Switzerland remains a place for people to live in the future.

The 58th Innovation Conference will take place on Wednesday, April 15th, 2026, from 18:15 to 20:30 at the OST – Ostschweizer Fachhochschule, Campus Rapperswil-Jona, Oberseestrasse 10, 8640 Rapperswil, Aula in Building 4 (Room 4.101). Afterwards, an aperitif invites you to a personal exchange.

We look forward to welcoming you to this evening with well-founded impulses and exciting discussions on the spatial development of Switzerland in the coming years.

Presentations

 

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