D-BAUG - Departement Bau, Umwelt und Geomatik - ETH Zürich

D-BAUG 

Department of Civil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering 

Annual Report 2009 

10 Years D-BAUG

03 Preface 

05 MSc Excellence Scholarships 

06 «Switzerland is still in the 

making» 

11 Donators D-BAUG 

Table of Contents 

12 Development of Student 

Figures 

14 Field Trip to Vienna’s Water Supply 

and Waste Disposal Plant 

18 Doctoral studies at the 


22 The Juneau Icefield Research 

Program 

26 The Rüdlingen Monitoring 

and Landslide Experiment 

32 Raum+ 

38 The mountain hut of the future – 

the New Monte Rosa Hut SAC 

40 Environmental Sustainability 

of the Monte-Rosa Hut 

44 Fire Safety of Guests and 

Hut’s Crew of First Priority 

48 Highlights 

Structures 

56 Highlights 

Infrastructure Systems 

60 Highlights 

Resources 

66 Highlights 

Geo-, Structural- and 

Environmental Data 

70 Highlights 

High-Tech Measuring Systems 

75 Facts and Figures 

82 Contacts 

84 Masthead / 

FSC Certificate 

Preface 

D-BAUG Annual Report 2009 ▪ 1

Preface 

In the middle of difficulty lies 

opportunity. 

2 ▪ D-BAUG Annual Report 2009 

Albert Einstein

Dear readers 

Preface 

For ETH Zurich and for the Department of Civil, Environmental and Geomatic 

Engineering (D-BAUG), the year 2009 was marked both by continuity and by 

important changes. 

The Executive board could further develop and consolidate various initiatives to 

helping to promote a qualitative growth of ETH Zurich. In particular, there is a plan 

to establish about 80 new professorships; however, the funding provided by the 

government will still remain unchanged. In order to meet this goal, new funding 

models must be developed. Therefore, the importance of professorship and project 

sponsoring is growing; besides department-specific networks, the ETH Foundation 

is thereby playing a central role. For the outside viewer, this growth is represented 

by numerous new buildings, which are under construction or planned at “ETH 

Zentrum” and “Science City Hoenggerberg”. D-BAUG currently prepares to move 

the Laboratory of Hydraulics, Hydrology and Glaciology (VAW) into a new building 

at Hönggerberg. 

Lorenz Hurni 

Preface 

Unfortunately, the Vice President for Research and Corporate Relations of ETH, Prof. Peter Chen, had to resign only after 

two years due to a case of fraud in his research group. The increasing pressure to publicise may be a reason why such 

cases tend to increase on international level. Presumably, fundamental research is more affected than goal-oriented 

domains with an application-induced risk awareness.The Executive board of ETH was able to limit the damage by a clear 

decision and by a timely and comprehensive information policy. D-BAUG puts all its efforts into the compliance with the 

guidelines for research integrity and good scientific practice. 

Also unpleasant were some undifferentiated, politically motivated scurrilities in a newspaper advertisement, targeted 

at German professors in Zurich. In fact, a comment on this should be obsolete. Naturally, our department is convinced 

that only a college of professors consisting both of Swiss and foreign members can guarantee the highest level of 

quality in research and teaching. Many colleagues of D-BAUG, of ETH and of the University of Zurich distanced 

themselves publicly from these polemics. 

In autumn 2009, the Department of Civil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering could already look back on its 10th 

anniversary. D-BAUG evolved in October 1999 from a merger of the former Departments of Civil and Environmental 

Engineering (D-BAUM) and Geodetic Sciences (D-GEOD), as well as from the former Divisions of Civil Engineering (II) and 

Rural Engineering and Surveying (VIII). On August 1, 2009, I had the honour and pleasure to take charge of the 

Department, being the successor of Professors Hans-Rudolf Schalcher and Peter Marti, and being very actively supported 

by my Deputy Prof. Ulrich Weidmann. I would like to thank my predecessors for having launched and navigated the 

department successfully, despite some intermittent storms and calms. I would like to extend my sincere thanks to all 

colleagues, staff and institutes members; by their devotion and enthusiasm, they allow for excellent results in research 

and for a high level education of our students. I am looking forward to continue to work together with all of them in 

the coming years. 

The reorganisation of the faculty is still under way. In the reporting year, the following colleagues have retired: Prof. 

Hans-Gerd Kahle (Geodesy), Prof. Hans-Rudolf Schalcher (Construction planning and management), and Prof. Armin 

Grün (Photogrammetry). Besides, two colleagues have left ETH Zurich: Prof. Jan van Mier (Fracture mechanics of concrete, 

per December 31, 2009), and Prof. Alessandro Dazio (Earthquake Engineering and Structural Dynamics). We would like 

to thank them for their excellent work during all their years at ETH and wish them all the best for the future. 


Preface 

In 2009 we could welcome the following new colleagues at D-BAUG: Dr. Irena Hajnsek as Professor for Earth Observation 

(Microwave Remote Sensing) per November 1, Dr. Robert Boes as Professor for Hydraulic Structures per February 1, and 

Dr. Eberhard Morgenroth as Professor for Process Engineering in Urban Water Management per August 1. On January 1, 

2010, Dr. Bryan Adey was appointed Professor for Infrastructure Management. 

Currently, a number of appointment procedures are pending; they will presumably be terminated in 2010: Spatial 

Information Engineering, Photogrammetry, Construction Materials, Structural Mechanics (externally funded Assistant 

Professorship), Industrial Ecology/Air Quality Control (Assistant professorship together with EMPA), and Structural 

Dynamics and Earthquake Engineering. 

The number of incoming new students has increased again and amounts to a total of 289. In the curriculum of Civil 

Engineering, 178 new entries were registered. The increase of 21 students compared to 2008 can be attributed solely to 

new female students, fortunately! The curriculum of Environmental Engineering has 91 new students; the entries in 

the curriculum of Geomatics and Planning remain slightly below 20. There is a large discrepancy between the number 

of Geomatic engineers leaving ETH and the demand in the professional world. As an appeal on the website of the 

University of New South Wales in Sidney/Australia shows, this represents a world-wide emergency:„There is a desperate 

need globally for both Surveying and Spatial Information System professionals.“ We hope to find a remedy by increasing 

the public presence of the domain through involvement of the new professorships and by improving the information 

of high school students and career counsels (see also pages 12–13). 

The Bologna System with Bachelor and Master curricula was established in 2003, and the first graduates started their 

professional career in 2008. Currently, the Bachelor curricula are being revised, based on the experience gained in the 

first years and the feedback of the alumni. The curricula will come into effect in autumn 2010. 

The Excellence Scholarship programme for outstanding Masters students which was initiated with support of the ETH 

Foundation, is still pleasantly evolving. Currently, 7 students are being supported (see page 5).They had the opportunity 

to present themselves to the private, institutional and company sponsors in the large experimental hall of D-BAUG. A 

report about this useful networking event and on the Excellence Scholarship programme can be found on pages 6–11. 

We would like to thank the sponsors for their very much appreciated support, which directly fosters the new members 

of our professional domain. We hope that this enjoyable development will continue. 

Also this year we would like to thank all our partners in the ETH domain, in the national and international environment 

and in institutions and companies. Through your collaboration and support, you place your trust in us and in our 

graduates. We are looking forward to further mutual projects and stimulating contacts and we hope you will enjoy 

reading our Annual Report 2009! 

Zurich, March 2010 

Lorenz Hurni 

Head of Department 


Preface

MSc Excellence Scholarships 

Maren Peter 

Was born March 22, 1987 in Leipzig (Germany), is proud to be a Saxon, she likes to 

show different personalities on stage and has sometimes a too high focus on details.Whenever 

there is time she tries to cook and to save money for her next journey. 

Not only through her camera but also in sciences she likes to watch out for different 

perspectives. 

Notable achievement 

Maren did her bachelors degree at the Freie Universität Berlin in Geographical Sciences 

about the water problem in Istanbul.Due to her good academic achievement 

she was considered for the Mcs scholarship, so she can keep researching on that 

topic. 


Corinna Elaine Salzer 

Was born August 14,1984 in Stuttgart (Germany). She enjoys spending time in nature, 

prefers being aware of where her food comes from and sets high value on cultivating 

friendships. Lack of moral courage annoys her. Corinna is enthusiastic 

about sustainable ideas and innovations,which align the world with future requirements. 

Thanks to her scholarship she can focus on her studies. 


Corinna feels strongly about applying her knowledge in regional contexts.She has 

worked in South Africa,Turkey and Nepal so far and graduated as BSc in Civil Engineering 

with very good results at the Bauhaus University Weimar. 

Stella Viktoria Schieffer 

Was born August 24,1987 in Neuss (Germany).She enjoys travelling and is very much 

interested in foreign countries and cultures.Besides her studies,Stella likes listening 

to music and to explore the art and culture scene of Zurich.As a creative free thinker 

she gets annoyed with humorless bureaucrats and petite bourgeoisie and plans to 

change the world when she gets the chance. 


Stella is thankful for the MSc Excellence Scholarship after her Bachelor studies in civil 

engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and the University 

of Cambridge. 

Benjamin Wissmann 

Was born August 30, 1985, from Berne, Switzerland. He’s looking for the challenges 

in work and studies,relaxes on his racing bicycle,likes to eyeball our society and is inspired 

by contemporary art and design. 


Benjamin received the MSc excellence scholarship for his excellent academic achievement 

during his Bachelor studies in civil engineering at the Swiss Federal Institute 

of Technology in Zurich. 




“Switzerland is still in the making“ 

The Excellence Scholarship Programme seeks to support talented ETH Master’s stu- 

dents. Civil engineering scholarship holders recently met with their sponsors. Konrad 

Basler, a donator of the ETH Zurich Foundation, explains in an interview with ETH 

Life why he supports young people and how he sees the future of Civil Engineering. 

by Thomas Langholz, ETH Life 

What has influenced you, Mr. Basler, to actively support students? 

I am very attached to ETH Zurich, since essentially it is thanks 

to the ETH that I myself have gotten this far. Although programmes 

like the Excellence Scholarship did not exist in my 

student days, I received support and encouragement from 

my teachers. I consider it to be a snowball effect: we support 

the young students and they in turn will support the next generations. 

Konrad Basler is committed to 

promoting outstanding young 

scientists and actively supports 

the ETH Zurich Excellence Scholarship 

and Opportunity Programme. 

What can you tell us about 

your own education? 

I was a farmer’s son and I initially 

learned the carpenter 

trade before changing to 

what was then known as the 

Technical College in Winterthur. 

Taking up civil engineering 

studies at ETH was then 

only a stone’s throw away. In 

those days, Civil Engineers 

were regarded as something 

special. They were the people 

who built big dams and tunnels, 

and impressive railway 

bridges like the Rhaetian Railway 

Bridge, which has now 

been incorporated into the UNESCO list of world heritage sites. 

In the fifties, Civil Engineering was the biggest department 

at the ETH. 

What distinguishes ETH for you? 

My studies at ETH were the key to my future career. I like the 

idea that the ETH wants to be a leader amongst European uni- 

versities. This philosophy also partly reflects the success of our 

own company, Basler & Hofmann. We want to be a cut above 

the rest and not simply compete with them.We must offer excellence. 

What is your impression of the scholarship holders whom you 

have met? 

They come across as motivated, friendly people. Their visions 

are still vague, but they want to be above the average and I 

am convinced they will succeed. I would say they know the 

name of the game at ETH and that is why I want to support 

them. 

How would you compare your studies at ETH with the current 

Bologna programmes? 

My grandchildren are studying and fill me in on the current situation. 

Regardless of the Bologna process, I think it’s important 

that students still have time for philosophy, the theatre, art and 

life. Nowadays cultural interests are sacrificed to the examination 

sessions. I don’t know how this problem can be solved. 

What is your advice to students? 

I wish we could improve our use of the Bologna system to effectively 

promote student exchange. In Switzerland, the EPF in 

Lausanne provides the opportunity of learning another 

language and getting to know another culture.We must build 

bridges across language barriers, which is also of political importance. 

The Excellence Scholarship Programme should also aim at 

supporting young engineers. Has it reached its goal or should 

it promote more engineers? 

It could definitely support more engineers. The fact that 

there are too few engineers is a never-ending discussion.




Even in this current economic crisis, there are too few engineers. 

Certain circles maintain that Switzerland is increasingly being 

supplanted with industrial and residential areas. Is engineering 

a career for the future? 

Absolutely! Take the terminal train station in Zurich, for in- 

Konrad Basler 

Konrad Basler was born in 1929 in Thalheim on the river 

Thur. When he finished his apprenticeship as a carpenter, 

he studied at the Technical College in Winterthur 

and completed his engineering studies at ETH Zurich in 

1954. His concluded his doctoral studies at Lehigh University 

in Bethlehem (USA) in 1959. From 1960, he worked 

as a self-employed advisory engineer in Egg and since 

1969 has been a shareholder in Basler & Hofmann Engineering 

and Planning Ltd. From 1977 to 1991, he represented 

the SVP in the National Assembly where his main 

political focus was on energy, the environment and finance. 

In the eighties Mr. Basler was a member of the 

Swiss Federal School Board (now called the ETH Board; 

www.ethrat.ch).Today the Basler & Hofmann group has 

about 500 employees working on construction, energy, 

environment, mobility and security. The company has 

numerous offices throughout Switzerland and branches 

in Germany, Singapore, India and Slovakia. 


stance. We are currently constructing a cross-over line under 

the main station. The denser the population, the greater the 

challenges. In the pioneering days, workers would have done 

it in no time with shovels and picks. Today it’s a two-billion 

franc project engaging the best engineers. Switzerland will always 

need a high level of engineering. This country is still in 

the making! 

“A future of provenance” 

Innovation and promoting young scientists at the Department of Civil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering 

Organised jointly by the ETH Zurich Foundation and Professors Peter Marti and Lorenz Hurni, the partners of the 

Excellence Scholarship Programmes (excellence scholarships for Master’s students) were, on 20 October 2009, invited 

to meet the young talents they support at an event held in the D-BAUG experimental hall. Needless to say, this was an 

ideal opportunity to thank the funders for generously supporting our young talents and to present some current research 

work to our guests. 

This event also marked a change in office when Professor Marti, the former head of department, officially handed over 

duties to his colleague, Professor Lorenz Hurni. In office since August 2009, Prof. Hurni maximized the occasion by bringing 

our guests up to date on recent events within the department. 

Young talents at D-BAUG: our five scholarship holders 

Since the launching of the “Excellence Scholarship & Opportunity Programme” at ETH Zurich, six talented Master’s students 

at D-BAUG have each been awarded a scholarship. Five scholarship holders attended the ‘talents meet funders’ 

event and introduced themselves to the event participants. These young scientists spoke individually about what this 

scholarship has helped them to achieve and how they foresee their future. Naturally, they also thanked the partners for 

their kind support.The students’light-hearted, informal presentation went down well and gave this event its rather special 

tone. 

Whether our young, innovative scientists take up employment in research, seeking to resolve tomorrow’s problems, or 

in a company, both have a common denominator: they strive towards progress and effectiveness by engaging in joint 

collaborative efforts. 

Nathalie Fontana 

ETH Zurich Foundation 

The Excellence Scholarship Fund of the ETH Zurich Foundation 

In 2007, the ETH Executive Board initiated the scholarship 

programme. Its aim is to recruit excellent students 

from at home and abroad for Master’s studies and to 

educate talented young scientists for the industry. Financial 

contributions are made by private donors. The 

ETH Zurich Foundation wants to establish partnerships 

with enterprises and foundations and to identify private 

sponsors. Scholarship applicants must hold an excellent 

record in their Bachelor’s studies and submit a 

sound project outline for a research project. Currently, 30 

scholarships are awarded, but it is intended to raise this 

number to 50 scholarships a year.



Donators D-BAUG 

If we meet someone who owes us thanks, we 

right away remember that. But how often do 

we meet someone to whom we owe thanks 

without remembering that. 


Johann Wolfgang von Goethe



We’d like to thank the following companies, foundations und individuals who supported 

us in the year 2009, and likewise those who do not want to be mentioned by name: 

Partners, Companies and Foundations 

Albert-Lück-Stiftung 

Basler & Hofmann AG 

Gruner AG 

Implenia AG 

Walo Bertschinger AG 

Dr. Vollenweider AG 

Private Donators 

Kurt Allemann 

Hans W. Appenzeller 

Ernst Arber 

Oliver Y. Barde 

Dr. Konrad Basler 

Roland Baumann 

Ernst Berger 

Pirmin Betschart 

Erwin Beusch 

Heinrich Bossert 

Frank Werner Bosshardt 

Walter Brauchli 

Patrick Burgherr 

Reto Caflisch 

Luca Censi 

Gian-Carlo Dalla Vedova 

Francesco Delmué 

Dr. Alexandros Deloukas 

Camille Diederich 

Heinz Eichenberger 

Urs Emch 

Urs Fähndrich 

Ernst Fahrni 

Hans Fischer 

Pascal Fleischer 

Prof. Dr. Mario Fontana 

Kurt Frey 

Norbert Fürer 

Dr. Armand Fürst 

Peter Christian Gafner 

Heinrich Gnehm 

Dr. Mathis Grenacher 

Frank P. Gross 

Prof. Dr. Hans von Gunten 

Thomas Häring 

Christian Hausner 

Werner Hirschi 

Hans Rudolf Holenweg 

Konrad M. Huber 

Prof. Dr. Lorenz Hurni 

Friedrich Jacober 

Peter Jenny 

Prof. Dr. Jacques Kamm 

Waldemar Kieliger 

André Kollbrunner 

Hermann Kunz 

Peter Landert 

Prof. Dr. Hans-Jürgen Lang 

Dr. Rodolfo Lardi 

Felix Lauper 

Dr. Gilgian Leuzinger 

Alfred Lorenz 

Peter Lüthi 

Rudolf Ulrich Mettler 

Dr. Bruno Meyer 

Sotirios Mougridis 

Dr. Andreas Müller 

Walter Munz 

Jean Neiers-Tockert 

Heinz Neuenschwander 

Jürg Nyfeler 

Dietrich W. Oechsle 

Daniel Oertli 

Mattia Pace 

Frédéric-M. Perret 

Rudolf Pfister 

Dr. André Piller 

Ruedi Räss 

Gian G. Righetti 

Prof. Dr. Alfred Rösli 

Antonio Rosnati 

Peter Rysler 

Milutin Scepan 

Peter Schlub 

Hans-Peter Schneebeli 

Alfred Schürch 

Peter Spirig 

Rudolf Stüssi-Hodel 

Paolo Tamò 

Jon Andri Tgetgel 

Edy Toscano 

Yves Tournier 

Peter Trauffer 

Thomas Trüb 

Hans Tschamper 

Hans Vollenweider 

Hugo von Gunten 

Ernst Wädensweiler 

Richard Weber 

Paul Wenk 

Prof. Dr. Willy Wilk 

Hansjakob Windler 

Maximilian Winkler 

Walter Zumstein 


Student Figures 

1 For additional figures, see Section Facts & Figures. 


Development of Student Figures 

Teaching, a key aspect of our mission at D-BAUG, focuses on three Bachelor’s and four 

Master’s curricula courses to support doctoral studies and continuing professional edu- 

cation: Civil Engineering (CE), Environmental Engineering (EE), Geomatics and Planning 

(GP), and Spatial Development & Infrastructure Systems (SDIS, only MSc). 

by Patrick Dilger, Planning & Controlling D-BAUG 

From the year 2000 onwards, figures for new incoming students have shown a positive trend: they have actually more 

than tripled since D-BAUG was established in 1999 (Fig. 1), clearly surpassing the figures of the early 1990’s. 

In 2009, the number of incoming female students rose significantly to 81, which accounts for a good 28% of all incoming 

students.This represents a vast increase of 50% since 2008 and points towards a general trend at ETH Zurich: the number 

of first-year female students has never been so high. It can safely be said that the efforts made (e.g.‘ETH on the road’ 

to meet grammar school pupils or the annual Researchers’ Night) to attract more female students are beginning to pay 

off. 

By the end of the 1960’s, less than 5% of incoming students were female. This number increased to 25% by the end of 

the 1990’s. Engineering, a field in which females were far and few between, has seen considerable growth in female registrants. 

In fact, Civil Engineering is attracting an increasing number of women who want to take up professions that 

serve society and produce results. Overall, however, Switzerland must further endeavour to draw more women towards 

the engineering professions. Most female students at ETH Zurich still pursue studies in architecture, pharmacy, sport, 

food science or biology. 

The recently initiated Master’s degree courses have developed nicely. Since the MSc programmes were introduced in 2006, 

the number of incoming MSc students has risen from 70 to 140 (Fig. 2). In the wake of the Bologna Reform, 2009 has 

been the second year to award Master’s degree certificates (Fig. 3) to successful graduates. Compared to 2008, the number 

of graduates completing the course has doubled. 

The number of doctoral graduates has increased steadily over the years, although the increase flattened and stabilised 

at 39 graduates last year. At the end of 2008, there were 204 registered doctoral students at D-BAUG. (Fig. 4). 1 

While in 2009, the University of Zurich had, for the first time ever, over 25,000 matriculated students, ETH Zurich has 

exceeded the impressive number of 15,000 students. Since the number of grammar school pupils completing their 

matriculation examinations (“Matura”) is rising, it is expected that the overall number of students in Switzerland will 

increase during the next 3–4 years. Thereafter statistics show that this growth curve is expected to flatten.

New incoming students at D-BAUG (BSc-level) 

300 

275 

250 

225 

200 

175 

150 

125 

100 

75 

50 

25 

0 

New incoming students at D-BAUG (MSc-level) 

150 

140 

130 

120 

110 

100 

90 

80 

70 

60 

50 

40 

30 

20 

10 

0 

MSc degrees (MSc ETH) 

100 

80 

60 

40 

20 

0 

Doctoral students and dissertations 

225 

200 

175 

150 

125 

100 

75 

50 

25 

0 

80/81 

81/82 

82/83 

83/84 

84/85 

85/86 

86/87 

87/88 

88/89 

89/90 

90/91 

91/92 

92/93 

93/94 

94/95 

95/96 

96/97 

97/98 

98/99 

99/01 

00/01 

01/02 

02/03 

03/04 

04/05 

05/06 

06/07 

2007 

06 / 07 2007 2008 2009 

2008 2009 

2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 

2009 

40 

35 

30 

25 

20 

15 

10 

5 

0 

Fig. 1 

�BSc new incoming total 

�CE 

�Rural Engineering and Surveying 

�EE 

�GP 

�BSc new female students 

Fig. 2 

�MSc new incoming total 

�CE 

�EE 

�GP 

�SDIS 

Fig. 3 

�MSc total 

�MSc CE 

�MSc EE 

�MSc GP 

�MSc SDIS 

Fig. 4 

�Doctoral students 

�Dissertations 

Student Figures 


Field Trip 

Field Trip to Vienna’s Water Supply and Waste Disposal Plant 

Organised for the second consecutive year, the study excursion to Vienna’s Water 

Supply and Waste Disposal Plant, which is an official course in the Master pro- 

gramme, was scheduled from 30 April – 3 May 2009. 

by Michael Margreth (MSc Geography) / IfU 

and Christian Maslo (Ing. Mag. [MSc in Engineering]), AQUA-PR and senior lecturer at the University of Vienna 

Excursion overview 

About 30 students studying environmental sciences and 

engineering at ETH Zurich, or geography at the University 

of Zurich, had the opportunity to visit Vienna’s Water Supply 

site, its sewerage treatment plant, units and technical 

facilities, as well as its headwaters. 

Stop in Vienna, the federal capital (30 April 2009) 

During our one-day visit of our eastern neighbours’capital 

city, the students had a tour of the sewerage treatment 

plant, which was upgraded in 2005. Located to the southeast 

of Vienna in Simmering, the 11th Viennese district, 

the plant treats the entire effluent of the city’s 1.8 million 

inhabitants. With a cleaning capacity of around 96%, this 

plant is the most modern of its type In Europe. 

In the afternoon, we visited the water tower on Wienerberg 

in the 10th Viennese district, “Favoriten”. Built between 

1898 and 1899, the tower, which from 1910 was only used 

occasionally once the second Viennese mountain spring 

water line (German acronym: HQL) came into operation, 

was finally closed down in 1956. It is considered as a building 

of industrial historicism and is under monumental 

protection. The pressure for supplying the surrounding 

houses was enabled by the principle of “communicating 

vessels”. Most impressive of all, visitors may look around 

the originally built technical facilities. In the evening of the 

first day of our visit, our entire delegation from Zurich was 

invited by the City of Vienna to a reception hosted by the 

mayor followed by dinner in the basement of the Viennese 

City Hall. Not only was this an ideal opportunity to interact 

socially and professionally with our colleagues from the 

Viennese water supply works, but our students could also 

relish the many delights of Viennese cuisine. 


Stop at Vienna’s Headwaters located in the provinces of Lower 

Austria and Steiermark (1–3 May 2009) 

Vienna’s drinking water supply is largely based on spring 

water which, considering its type and quality, is unique 

for a city with a population of one million people. Depending 

on whether the year was dry or wet, the percentage 

of spring water is between 92 to 98%. The remaining 2 to 

8 % is groundwater in porous media and comes from 

ground water works (Lobau and the third Viennese water 

supply line in Moosbrunn). Spring water is extracted in 

the east Karst region of the northern Kalk Alps in the provinces 

of Lower Austria and Steiermark and is piped to 

Vienna via the first and second Viennese mountain spring 

water line.With the exception that the Pfannbauern spring 

water has to be pumped, drinking water from all the other 

springs flows to the Austrian metropolis only with the 

help of gravity along the ducts of the first and second 

Viennese mountain spring water line. About one sixth of 

the Austrian federal territory is covered by landscape shaping 

processes which are generally referred to as karst formation. 

During our three-day visit of the City of Vienna’s headwaters, 

the students were shown different types of springs: 

dolomite springs with a relatively constant delivery and 

lime springs with high fluctuating delivery.The connection 

between spring delivery and karst formation system in 

lime or dolomite inside the mountain is crucial. Since, before 

seepage in the karst rock, the water is filtered mostly 

only through a relatively thinly covered soil layer, the danger 

of contamination in the spring water catchment area 

is high. For this reason, the protection of the spring water 

catchment area – from the plateau to the spring water immersion 

points in the valleys – is of major importance.

Fig. 1: Participants of the Vienna water field trip May 2009. 

Fig. 2 

Field Trip 


Field Trip 

In particular, measures taken and developed, especially 

the implementation of protective measures, were brought 

home to our students.This included setting up sanctuaries 

in spring water catchment areas and constructing an elaborate 

monitoring system which, by means of specially 

developed sensors, measures the water quality parameters 

constantly online in very short intervals (e.g. of a minute). 

Needless to say, this guarantees a closing monitoring of 

the quality of the water. Such measures ensure an optimal 

management of the spring water and an excellent water 

quality for its consumers. 

Our visit concluded with a tour of the water reservoir, Neusiedl 

am Steinfeld, which is considered to be one of the largest 

closed water reservoirs in Europe. It is mostly used to 

balance out the partly high fluctuating spring water delivery 

and to optimise water supply to the city of Vienna via 

the first mountain spring water line. A total of 600 million 

litres of water can be stored in four vaults which suffice to 

meet the water supply demand for 1.5 days. By means of a 

pipeline network stretching over 3300 kilometres, drinking 

water is delivered to over 100,000 house connections 

in the urban area. 


This excursion provided our students with an excellent 

overview of the technical and financial complexities that 

have been involved in building both the mountain spring 

water lines and the adjacent facilities since 1873 when the 

first HQL went into operation. All the students thoroughly 

enjoyed the excursion and express their thanks to D-BAUG 

for financing the study trip. 

Fig. 3: Route of drinking water from the karstic springs to the Austrian capital via the I. and II. Viennese pipeline network.

Fig. 4: Spring: Side branch of the Kläfferquelle covered with 

moss. With the capacity of a maximum 40’000 l s -1 is this 

spring the biggest chanelled karstic spring of Central Europe. 

Fig. 6: Flowstone cave: Lime sediments of different shapes in the 

cave system of the Lurgrotte. 

Fig. 8: Bird's eye view ot the sewerage treatment plant of Vienna . 

Field Trip 

Fig. 5: Drinking water reservoir: Arches of the water container 

Neusiedl located in the suburbs. 

Fig. 7 


Doctoral studies 

Doctoral studies at the Department of Civil, Environmental and 

Geomatic Engineering 

“Never again study – work, here I come!” In 2003, I was resolved to adhere to this 

motto following my geomatic engineering studies. 

by Hans-Martin Zogg, Dr. sc. ETH 

Now I am sure you are wondering for how long I kept 

that up ...? Motto here or there, after one year in the working 

world, I dared to return to university life for my PhD 

studies. 

One thing at a time however! When I finished my degree 

course at ETH Zurich, I was tired of the constant exposure 

to an academic, theoretical and scientific environment, 

and simply wanted to get on with using this knowledge 

in the practical world. My geomatic engineering studies 

at ETH Zurich, referred to as a Master’s degree in Geomatics 

and Planning since the Bologna Reform, were varied 

and thought-provoking. I had been well prepared for 

the working world. No sooner had I completed my diploma 

thesis on terrestrial laser scanners at the Institute 

of Geodesy and Photogrammetry than I had the chance 

to go directly and work at Leica Geosystems in the USA. 

What a unique opportunity to be able to work abroad in 

the industry! I gained considerable experience and began 

to realise that learning and instruction are also an integral 

part of the professional world. After spending one 

year in San Francisco, I decided to return to Switzerland 

and soon had the opportunity to take up PhD studies at 

the Institute of Geodesy and Photogrammetry (IGP), ETH 

Zurich, while maintaining contact with Leica Geosystems 

by attending to some smaller projects. That was certainly 

an offer I could not refuse and my “Never again study – 

work, here I come!” motto quickly faded into oblivion. The 

practical experience I gained during that year certainly 

encouraged me to take up PhD studies. It also emphasised 

the importance of a good education and participation 

at continuing education courses to enhance 

professional development. In addition, being able to 

study an interesting topic in-depth was very motivating. 


So, in autumn 2004, I returned to the ETH, one year after 

my degree, to work as an assistant and doctoral student 

for Professor Ingensand, Chair of Geodetic Metrology and 

Engineering Geodesy. I spent half of my working time on 

teaching and the other half on researching terrestrial 

laser scanners and other smaller research projects. This 

combination of activities gave me great diversity at work. 

Initially, I was challenged by the direct contact with the 

students. It was no longer a matter of asking the assistant 

questions as in my student days – I myself now had 

to answer them! Since I always strove to give clear explanations 

which the students could follow, I could not 

formulate my answers in a sparse few words. I tried to 

get down to their level and to recall my own experiences 

and expectations as a student. As a result, my teaching 

memories are still very positive. I tutored students taking 

surveying courses and those preparing their Master’s 

thesis. Needless to say, working as an assistant did have 

its drawbacks: the lectures and exercises, as well as the 

students’ questions, became repetitive. Still, two major 

highlights during my time as an assistant at ETH Zurich 

soon obliterated the negative aspects: organising and 

conducting the 3-week geodetic project course for Master’s 

students in Sedrun and, in autumn 2006, accompanying 

Master’s students on their final year trip to Lisbon. 

I had not just returned to the ETH to teach, but rather to 

continue my research studies and prepare my dissertation. 

Concluding my research project required a great 

deal of energy, particularly when my research work was 

making no progress. This is, needless to say, part of a researcher’s 

life and I had to learn how to cope with setbacks 

or the unexpected when experiments did not go 

just quite the way they should have. But, sure enough,

Fig. 1: ISPRS Congress 2008 in Peking. The 

congress centre was right beside the “bird’s 

nest” (Olympia Stadion). 


Fig. 2: Presentation of research results at the third Swiss-Baltic Week 2008 in 

Tallinn. 

Fig. 3: Basic surveying at the Gotthard intermediary construction phase in Sedrun with visiting scientists from Lituania (2005). 



every cloud has a silver lining and, slowly but surely, my 

research progressed. After about two years of research 

work, a small light finally appeared at the end of the tunnel 

encircling my PhD studies: the motivation to complete 

my studies and prepare my dissertation. During the 

entire period, the Institute of Geodesy and Photogrammetry 

provided me with an excellent environment to 

conduct my research work, not only in terms of its infrastructure, 

but also thanks to the scientific competence 

of the professors and staff working at the Institute. 

In those four years spent at the Institute, I learned to experience 

and appreciate scientific exchange between research 

groups in an international environment. The 

various seminars, conferences and congresses were welcome 

highlights in the everyday life of a scientist. Besides 

being exposed to new thinking and perception 

processes, I also got to know new cultures by participating 

at conferences in Graz, Vilnius, Fulda and Tallinn. I 

especially remember the ISPRS Congress (ISPRS – International 

Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing) 

in Peking which took place in summer 2008 shortly 

Fig. 4: Research project surveying in an extraordinary setting on the Jungfraujoch (2007). 


before the Olympic Games. Naturally, the Olympic spirit penetrated 

the scientific lectures and reflected itself in both 

the content and the diverse levels of the contributions. 

In autumn 2008, I concluded my PhD studies by handing 

in my dissertation, the defence of which was my last official 

exam at ETH Zurich. I had to, or rather could, present 

my results obtained over a research period of four years 

to a large audience. Primarily, I had to defend my results 

by answering the assessors’ critical questions and presenting 

convincing counter-arguments. 

In retrospect, and considering the experience I gained at 

work immediately after my doctorate, I would definitely 

register again for PhD studies. The scientific and cultural 

diversity, the collegiality and the optimal research environment 

are, in my opinion, unique at ETH Zurich. My 

motto, “Never again study – work, here I come!”, is certainly 

part of history, and I am more convinced than ever 

that taking up PhD studies at ETH Zurich provides optimal 

qualifications for life and work.

Fig. 5: Swiss and Baltic State researchers’ scientific meeting at the second Swiss-Baltic Week 2007 in Lituania. 

Fig. 6: Poster session at the MCG Conference (International Conference on Machine, Control and Guidance) in Zurich (2008). 

Fig. 7: Evaluating surveying data during the geodetic project course at the course centre in Sedrun (2007). 



Key Article ▪ Juneau Icefield Research Program 

The Juneau Icefield Research Program – 

A long-term study on the implications of climate change 

Glaciers are significant indicators for climate change and research teams around the 

globe try to analyze and understand the process of glacial changes. The Juneau Icefield 

in Alaska has been subject to such research since 1946 and measurements for the inter- 

pretation of climate change implications are available for more than 60 years. The geo- 

detic surveys and processed data serve as basic data for this purpose. 

by Werner Stempfhuber / IGP; Melanie Kunz / IKA 

Approximately 5% of Alaska is permanently covered by ice 

and snow. The Juneau Icefield is referred to as 5th largest 

contiguous glacial area in the western hemisphere and 

covers an area of over 4000 km2. Situated in the north of 

the Alaskan capitol Juneau, the Icefield consists of about 

140 glaciers, some as long as 30 km and the main glacier 

with the name of Taku is over 1400 m thick. The area was 

mapped by the Preliminary Boundary Survey from 1983 to 

1894 and again from 1906 to 1910 with more sophisticated 

methods. After World War II the Juneau Icefield Research 

Program (JIRP) was founded under the leadership of Dr. 

Maynard M. Miller (University of Idaho). Since 1946 JIRP expeditions 

are run every year which makes the Juneau Icefield 

one of the most explored glacial areas worldwide. 

The Juneau Icefield Research Program (JIRP) 

Every summer scientists cross the Juneau Icefield with a 

group of students from the southern end towards Atlin 

(Canada) in the north. Equipped with the latest survey 

hardware they gather and analyze data to answer glaciological 

questions in the domain of glacier dynamics and 

mass balance. The scope of the research and training program 

is to offer practical projects based on the following 

fields: glaciology, hydrology, geology, geomorphology, geophysics, 

geodesy, photogrammetry, remote sensing, meteorology, 

botany, as well as environmental and resource 

protection.This long-term study produces answers to current 

questions about climate change through countless 

publications and dissertations (crevassezone.org/reports- 

JIRP.htm). The extensive JIRP infrastructure encompasses 

around 20 base camps and allows for a convenient stay on 

the icefield. However, research teams and students have to 

cover the 150 km long way across the glaciers only with 

their skis, carrying all their gear with them. And exactly 

these experiences fascinate every JIRP participant and 

make an unforgettable memory (Fig. 1). In the year 2009 an 


ETH staff member was able to actively join this research 

program and spend an amazing summer in Alaska. 

JIRP is run by the Glaciological & Arctic Sciences Institute 

of the University of Idaho and by the Foundation for Glacier 

and Environmental Research. The collected information 

about the program and an extensive literature list are available 

at crevassezone.org and www.juneauicefield.com. 

Surveying the Juneau Icefield 

From 1946 to 2009 countless surveys have been conducted, 

the data analyzed and visualized. Because the early surveys 

were based on theodolite and distance measurements, a 

holistic processing of all available survey data is not fully 

possible. Since 1992 all longitudinal and cross sections on 

the icefield are surveyed with the help of 2-frequency GPS 

receivers and for the last few years also with GLONASS receivers. 

With this global surveying method processing and 

visualization of the geodetic data are possible in a continuous 

system. In Figure 3 (upper left) all surveyed longitudinal 

and cross profiles are presented graphically in a georeferenced 

LandSat-satellite picture. With the available 

stakeout and reference points the profiles can easily be staked 

out and measured in real-time.The two plots of results 

(Fig. 3, upper right and middle) show the changes over the 

years exemplary for a profile on Taku glacier.Together with 

the information on annual layers gathered in the snow pits, 

mass balances can be modeled. Some cross profiles are 

measured twice during the season, which provides information 

on the flow rate of the glacier surface. On Taku 

glacier this velocity is over 60 cm per day (Fig. 3, bottom). 

Long-term surveys on Lemon Creek glacier (Fig. 4, left), 

which have been analyzed and evaluated in connection with 

the International Geophysical Year of the American Geographical 

Society between 1957 to 1999, resulted in a decrease 

of the total mass from 901 x 106 km 3 to 695 x 106 km 3 . This

Fig. 1: above – Gilkey Trench; below – small Building at Camp 18. 

Fig. 2: Left – GPS-reference point near Camp 10; right – GPS-rover survey on Taku glacier. 

Juneau Icefield Research Program ▪ Key Article 


Key Article ▪ Juneau Icefield Research Program 

trend can also be observed in the GPS surveys from 2001 to 

2009 (Fig. 4, right), which provide point and line data for 

the determination of ablation, flow rate and analysis of 

glacier deformation. In order to conduct a holistic evaluation 

of mass balance, information on precipitation, topography, 

meteorology, as well as runoff and inflow over the 

whole glacial area have to be considered. 

Nowadays also terrestrial and remote sensing methodology 

can be used for the survey of glacier surfaces. CryoSat- 

2 is a satellite which has been built for the precise determination 

of elevation-changes in areas covered by snow 

and ice. This satellite mission is expected to start soon 

(www.cryosat.de). To help this mission, a preparation of 

the available survey data is necessary. At the moment a database 

for the consistent handling of the survey data and 

additional information is being built and filled. This homogeneous 

system forms the basis for further research 

projects. Apart from the future satellite surveys for the 

exact determination of the thickness and surface position 

of the ice research projects in the field of strain and stress 

analysis as well as the derivation of uplift rates (momentarily 

approx. 11 mm/year) are planned. For this purpose a 

monitoring system which delivers data to the office 365 

days a year would be helpful. Preliminary assessments for 

such a project have already been conducted. 

Outlook 

So far the geodetic JIRP projects have been limited to surveying 

profiles with RTKDGNSS. However, the existing data 

represent a unique series of measurements for an analysis 

of the icefield. The survey data accurately document the 

annual changes of the surface and form the basis for all 

further research. With the future satellite data even more 

high quality data will be available, allowing for new research 

perspectives. Since these data have first to be verified 

via ground control points, the expedition team is still 

facing new challenges. 

Literature and Weblinks 

Welsch,W., Lang, M., und Miller, M. M. [1997]: Geodetic Activites 

Juneau Icefield, Alaska 1981-1996, Schriftenreihe der 

Universität der Bundeswehr München, Heft 50. 

http://www.crevassezone.org 

http://www.juneauicefield.com 

24 ▪ D-BAUG Annual Report 2009

Juneau Icefield Research Program ▪ Key Article 

Fig 3: Upper left – Longitudinal and cross profiles on the Juneau Icefield; upper right and middle – Example of cross section surveys 

on Taku glacier, plot of the elevation of a point in the middle of the glacier; bottom – velocity vector on Taku glacier. 

Fig. 4: left – areal changes on Lemon Creek and Ptarmigan glacier; right – Elevation changes on Lemon Creek glacier. 


Key Article ▪ Rüdlingen Monitoring and Landslide Experiment 

The Rüdlingen Monitoring and Landslide Experiment 

A large scale field experiment was conducted on a steep forested slope in north Switzer- 

land to trigger a landslide by means of artificial rainfall. The experiment was successful 

and has delivered valuable knowledge about the behaviour of landslides. 

by Sarah Springman, Amin Askarinejad, Peter Kienzler, Francesca Casini, Marco Sperl, Ernst Bleiker / IGT; 

Devrim Akca, Armin Grün, Professur für Photogrammetrie / IGP 

One of the many strengths of working in Switzerland and at 

the ETH Zurich is the many and varied possibilities to engage 

in ‘big picture’ research that offers an opportunity to contribute 

within a multidisciplinary environment to solve a problem 

of societal concern. In this case, civil and geomatic engineers 

were at the centre of a fascinating project that sought 

to expose the ways in which landslides would be triggered, 

leading to understanding about initiation of failure and the 

subsequent movement of the displaced soil. Earlier field experiments 

in Gruben (Teysseire, 2006) and Tössegg (Thielen, 

2007) were forerunner doctoral projects that were largely focused 

on geotechnical aspects alone. Nonetheless, they contributed 

much useful knowledge for the planning and execution 

of this project as well as a clear understanding that we 

needed to incorporate input from colleagues in the fields of 

geology, hydrology, soil physics, geophysics, photogrammetry, 

bio-engineering and instrumentation and sensor technology. 

The Competence Centre for Environmental Sustainability has 

provided the stimulus for an overarching project entitled 

TRAMM 1 , Triggering of Rapid Mass Movements, in which 

groups from WSL, ETHZ and EPFL, coordinated by 

Dr Manfred Stähli, have focused their research on enhancing 

understanding of triggering and initiation mechanisms, including 

the transition from slow to fast mass movement processes, 

and flow characteristics of such catastrophic mass 

movements. The roles of heterogeneity of hydro-mechanical 

slope processes on the onset of snow avalanches, landslides, 

and debris flows are also being studied by other research 

groups. 

The Rüdlingen Experiment was a sub-project within 

TRAMM, led by the first author.The express purpose was to 

1 http://www.cces.ethz.ch/projects/hazri/tramm 


trigger a rainfall induced landslide, having characterised 

the slope, instrumented it with a range of state of the art 

sensors to observe its response to the environmental loading 

and exposed it to 24 hour observation using high resolution 

cameras to witness the slide. Rüdlingen village 

(Fig. 1) was chosen following an extreme event in May 

2002 in which 100 mm of rain had fallen in 40 minutes, leading 

to 42 landslides around the local area. Student projects 

were carried out in three of these locations in 2003 

during the remediation period, in support of the local 

council.The Council President, Katy Leutenegger was open 

to the idea of a controlled experiment being conducted on 

a slope within their territory, when she was approached in 

2007. Permission was obtained to fell a few trees, which 

were mainly at the boundaries of the slope. The Schaffhausen 

cantonal authorities, represented by their delegate 

for natural hazards, Jürg Schulthess, and the 

neighbouring Buchberg village were both supportive and 

interested in the outcomes of the research, which has already 

been reported back to the community in 2010. Local 

assistance was essential at a practical level during the period 

of the experiment and in the clean up afterwards! 

Having identified a possible steep forested slope that 

would be susceptible to slope instability on the basis of 

geology, topography, accessibility, vegetation and expected 

ground profile (Fig. 2), it was necessary to characterise the 

layers of soil and determine depth to rock to decide whether 

the experiment would be feasible or not. A series of 

test pits were dug around the edges of the projected test 

field to determine soil layering, investigate the root systems, 

locate rock depth and extract soil samples to enable 

the relevant properties to be measured. Infiltration tests

Fig. 1: Location of the test site, detailed map and map of Switzerland (after Sieber, 2003). 

Fig. 2: Soil profile from upper part of the slope. 

Rüdlingen Monitoring and Landslide Experiment ▪ Key Article 

Fig. 3: Dye pattern in the middle section of a test pit 

(scale: from ground surface to 1.3 m depth). 



were also carried out, using water coloured with brilliant 

blue dye, to investigate the mode and speed of infiltration 

of water into the ground (Fig. 3).These exhibited homogeneous 

saturation and staining of the soil profile (Fig. 3) 

with only little preferential flow and possible local build up 

of a perched water table at the transition to bedrock (here 

at 1 m depth), which confirmed the high vulnerability of the 

slope to a deep-seated failure above the transition to bedrock 

rather than a near-surface failure. Furthermore, since 

a small percentage of active clay minerals, increasing with 

depth, were found in the soil, and these would tend to reduce 

the soil strength and the permeability, it was quickly 

established that a likely failure surface would lie above 

the bedrock at between 1 and 2 m depth. State of the art 

seismic dilatometer testing was also conducted by Andreas 

Schmid and René Rohr (IGT: Chair Geomechanics) to 

deliver shear wave velocity near the surface. Combined 

with the planned area of the experimental test field of 35 

m longitudinally and 7 m transversely on the slope, around 

500 m 3 of debris could be mobilised in the worst case: a not 

insignificant amount! Since much of this could have been 

expected to flow over the road and into the Rhine, protection 

measures were sought with the help of GEO- 

BRUGG, who generously donated two panels of their Swiss 

made ring net, instrumented to measure force at impact. 

The reasons why a slope fails suddenly due to rainfall can 

be compared to the collapse of a sandcastle due rainfall or 

flooding. The capillary action of at the water-air-soil particle 

interface in partially saturated ground adds strength to 

the soil due to the suctions that increase contact stresses 

between the particles. As the ground saturates due to infiltration, 

the suctions reduce as does the shear resistance 

in the ground, with the reverse condition emerging as soil 

saturates and a groundwater table rises. In this case, increasing 

hydrostatic porewater pressures reduce contact 

stresses and hence the strength.The relationship between 

the degree of saturation and the suction becomes a critical 

means of evaluating the contribution to strength (see 

Fig. 6). 

A 4-camera arrangement was adopted for the image 

acquisition. IDS cameras were placed in housing shields to 

protect them against environmental effects and two each 

were equipped with 8.0 mm and 12.0 mm C-mount lenses. 

They were fixed on two tall trees at the foot of the slope 

(Fig. 4) at approximately 25 metres height by a professional 

climber. Approximately 250 white ping-pong balls (with 

diameter 40 mm) were glued onto wooden pegs and embedded 

in the ground in a 1 m by 1 m grid (Fig. 4). 21 well distributed 

ground control points were established on the 

surrounding stable trees.The a priori point positioning accuracy 

of the ping-pong balls, using an in-house developed 

network simulation tool, was estimated as ± 10.3 mm along 

the horizontal direction and ± 3.5 mm along the vertical direction. 

In the second sprinkling experiment, the area of interest 

was moved ca. 5 metres up the slope. In order to 

make the targets more discernable on the image space, the 

ping-pong balls were replaced with approximately 80 

white tennis balls. A posteriori point positioning accuracy 


obtained from bundle adjustment in the first sprinkling experiment 

was ± 16.5 mm along the horizontal direction and 

± 3.4 mm along the vertical direction. For the second experiment, 

these values were ± 11.0 mm and ± 4.3 mm for 

the horizontal and vertical directions, respectively. Just 

prior to the monitoring experiment in October 2008, Cornelia 

Brönnimann (EPFL), conducted a pumping test close 

to the lowest instrument cluster above bedrock. No 

groundwater table could be sustained.This rejected one of 

the possible triggering mechanisms due to watertable 

rise. Furthermore, geophysical monitoring conducted by 

Klaus Holliger’s group from Uni Lausanne, led by Barbara 

Suski with Francesca Gambazzi, indicated the likelihood of 

a strata change in the underlying Molasse rocks, which 

would confirm the presence of cracking in the more competent 

coarse grained Susswasser Molasse compared to 

the weaker, fine grained Meereswasser Molasse. 

A safety concept was also set up to make sure that noone 

was buried during the landslide, since it was predicted 

that failure would occur within a matter of seconds, and it 

would not be possible to escape the muddy onslaught.The 

observational method was used as a decision-making framework 

depending on the degree of saturation and 

suction with depth, linked to stability calculations of a predicted 

failure mechanism (Fig. 6). A traffic light system backed 

up with appropriate observations, measurements and 

permitted actions at each level, set up clear command, 

control and communications between the team members 

and the local community. A‘red’state meant that the slope 

could fail at any time and so noone was permitted to pass 

below the net or within 20 m of the slope. 

Connecting up the water supply (Figs. 7a, b, c) was successfully 

achieved. The first experiment ran in October 

2008. After a preliminary testing phase, a total of 1.7 m of 

rainfall, calculated as an average over the slope area, was 

supplied over 3.5 days. The mode of saturation of the 

ground was observed and some deformations were measured 

in the top right quarter of the field, but failure did 

not occur. Furthermore, some extremely promising technology 

using acoustic sensors developed (Fig. 4) by D-BAUG 

Associate Dani Or’s group, were installed by Gernot Michelmayr 

and hinted at some significant shear movement 

during one of the most extreme rainfall periods (at 40 

mm/hour), that was supported by data from both the surface 

deformations and the inclinometers. 

The research team concluded that failure had not occurred 

on two accounts, because of the leaky base rock in the lower 

half of the slope, where the greatest part of the water 

had been supplied so that a groundwater table could not 

rise and root reinforcement, characterised by WSL/STEP 

doctoral researcher Massimiliano Schwarz, from a tree 

stump in the lower left quadrant of the slope. 

Measures taken included confirming that there was less 

permeable base rock underlying the top of slope to permit 

a groundwater table to rise during the rainfall event, and 

re-orienting the sprinklers at closer spacings, further up the

Fig. 4: Location of the instrumentation clusters (Cl. 1 – 3), the sprinklers and the photogrammetry 

cameras. 

Fig. 6: Decision – making graph for the observational method. 


Fig. 5: Deformation probe. 

Fig. 7: a) Supply of water from a hydrant, b) long water pipe to the test field c) water-meters and main connections to the sprinklers. 



slope (Fig. 8), where less influence was expected from the 

vegetation and a rising groundwater table would be possible. 

Roots were severed to a depth of 40 cm along the sides 

of the field and more extensive tracer / run-off experiments 

were planned for a follow-up experiment in March 

2009 over 2 weeks, so that saturation could be achieved 

prior to initiating failure. 

Pre-test predictions of a failure event were as follows: a 

landslide would be triggered towards the end of the first 

week, it would be initiated in the top right quadrant, and 

travel towards the bottom right of the field, with a failure 

surface at a depth of about 1.5 m, mobilising between 

100–300m 3 of debris. 

With newly aligned sprinklers, the rainfall was adjusted to 

an average distribution of 15 mm/h. There was an instant 

response in the upper part of the field as the saturation degree 

increased, suctions dropped and then the water table 

rose over 5 h to about 1.5 m below ground level, where it 

stayed for the next 10 h. 15 h after the rainfall had begun, 

at 3:00 am, the upper right quadrant started to creep 

downslope, with the rate increasing until 3:23 am (Fig. 9). 

A crack opened up parallel to the top of the test field, and 

as the failure surface spread through the ground, the right 

hand side of the landslide followed the scar made through 

the vegetation and the left ripped away from and through 

the surficial vegetation (Fig. 10). It took 36 seconds to mobilise 

about 130 m 3 (3 super script) of soil and roots, which 

travelled left towards the tree stump in the lower part of 

the field, which re-directed the flow to accelerate towards 

the bottom right, whereupon it took only 12 seconds more 

to impact on the protection net. Not one grain of debris 

reached the forest road below (Fig. 11). Water oozed out of 

the back scarp for several minutes after the event and the 

research team celebrated ‘a bonnie slide’, which was quite 

well predicted in size and shape. The difficulty of estimating 

the time to failure was emphasised however. 

Lessons for the locals include that a cracked base rock is 

very effective at draining the overlying ground, rather like 

trying to fill up a bath when the plug is not in! The challenges 

of slope instabilities lie when shallow soil layers 

overly semi-impermeable rock so that a water table can 

build up locally or even flow out of the ground. Useful 

hints to such episodic springs can be obtained from vegetation 

and during winter from the build up of ice (Fig. 12). 

In general, vegetation has a very positive effect on slope 

stability, with tree roots acting as effective deep reinforcement, 

which could be quantified by the experiment. 

References. 

Askarinejad, A. (2009). A method to locate the slip surface 

and measuring subsurface deformations in slopes. 4th International 

Young Geotechnical Engineers' Conference, 

Alexandria, Egypt: 171-174. 

Casini, F., Jommi, C., Springman, S.M. (2010). A laboratory investigation 

on an undisturbed silty sand from a slope 

prone to landsliding. Granular Matter, in print, DOI: 

10.1007/s10035-010-0182-y. 


Colombo L. (2009) Large shear box for analysing strength 

mobilisation in unsaturated conditions. Master Thesis, Politecnico 

di Milano. 

Minder, P. (2008). Shear resistance of silty sand from the 

Rüdlingen monitoring and triggering test site. Semester 

thesis, ETH, Zurich. 

Springman, S.M., Kienzler, P., Casini, F., Askarinejad, A. (2009). 

Landslide triggering experiment in a steep forested slope 

in Switzerland. Proc. of the 17th Intern. Conf. on Soil Mech. 

and Geotech. Engin., Egypt, 5-9 Oct. IOS Press. 

Teysseire, P. (2006). Geotechnische Eigenschaften von Moränen. 

PhD dissertation ETH Zurich. 

Thielen, A. (2007). Einfluss der Bodensättigung auf die Stabilität 

von Hängen. PhD dissertation ETH Zurich. 

Acknowledgements: 

This research was partially funded by the Competence 

Centre for Environment and Sustainability (CCES) and 

the ETH Research Fund, within the framework of the 

TRAMM Project. Geobrugg AG, Canton Schaffhausen 

and Terr-Bohr AG are thanked for contributing as 

sponsors. 

We are grateful to the Rüdlingen Council, especially 

Mrs. Katy Leutenegger (President) and Martin Kern, 

the fire station, the farmers, foresters and communities 

of Rüdlingen and Buchberg. 

Fatih Akdeniz, Mengia Amberg, Harald Bollinger, Rico 

Borellini, Cornelia Brönnimann, Louis Bugnion, Lorenzo 

Colombo, Matthias Denk, Sara Durot, Alfred Ehrbar, 

John Eichenberger, Francesca Gambazzi, Ralf Herzog, 

Martin Huber, Hilmar Ingensand, Markus Iten, Elena 

Kapogianni, Thomy Keller, Kubilay Kelesoglu, Lyesse 

Laloui, Jan Laue, Peter Lehmann, Anita Meyer, Gernot 

Michlmayr, Ferney Morales, Mathieu Nuth, Dani Or, 

Heinz Richner, Christian Rickli, René Rohr, Andreas 

Schmid, Massimiliano Schwarz, Manfred Stähli, Karl 

Steiner, Barbara Suski, Laurent Tacher, Axel Volkwein, 

Albrecht von Bötticher, Corinna Wendeler, Felix 

Wietlisbach and Adrian Zweidler are thanked for their 

contribution to this project.

� Fig. 8: Sprinkler locations: October 2008 (left); 

March 2009 (right). 

Fig. 9: Sequence of movements in the upper part of 

the slope 1 . � 

1 Vgl. Video auf: 

http://www.cces.ethz.ch/projects/hazri/tramm/ 

film_landslide_ruedlingen.wmv 

Fig. 10: a) Pulled out or b) broken roots at the side of the failure wedge. 

Fig. 11: GEOBRUGG net containing debris. Fig. 12: Frozen springs. 



Key Article ▪ Raum + 

Raum+: A project to assess land reserves for settlements – 

a contribution to sustainable spatial development1 

One of the most strategic tasks for spatial development in the near future is the 

reduction of the consumption of land in our cities and regions. 

by Bernd Scholl und Hany Elgendy / IRL 

Innenentwicklung vor Aussenentwicklung 

In the 1990s, the amount of land in Switzerland already in 

use for development purposes was ca. 400 m 2 of land per 

person. (Arealstatistik des Bundesamtes für Statistik, BFS 

1992/1997). Since then, land consumption has been disconnected 

from population growth, as in other European 

countries, and continues to grow steadily. Every second 

about one square meter of land in Switzerland is sealed for 

settlement purposes – about eight hectares per day (Arealstatistik, 

BFS 1992/1997). 

The main driving forces behind this development are the 

continuously changing demographic structure, increased 

individual mobility, increasing prosperity as well as 

changing demands on living space by the Swiss population. 

In recent times, a new upsurge in population numbers has 

added to the problem. The results are expressed in the increasing 

amount of living space per person. In Switzerland, 

living space per resident climbed from 34 m 2 in 1980 

to 44 m 2 in 2000 (BFS: Eidgenössische Volkszählung, 1980 

& 2000]. At present, this important statistic lies at ca. 50 m 2 . 

Looking at this figure in relation to the number of residents, 

it shows that Switzerland has a relatively high ratio compared 

to land use in other European countries. 

Many of the investigations of recent years have delivered 

numerous supporting evidences that show the reduction 

of land use can help avoid some undesirable developments, 

for example, in conflicts between areas designated for 

settlement, landscape and transport. Against the background 

of the demographic developments, an economical 

use of energy and available (but always more limited) financial 

resources gives limiting settlement areas additional 

topicality and expanded dimensions. In the meantime, 

the strategic significance of a reduction in the amount of 

land used for settlement purposes has also been politically 


recognised. The economical use of land is anchored in the 

Federal Constitution and was established in Article 1 of 

the 2006 Federal Law on Spatial Planning (Bundesgesetz 

über die Raumplanung 2006). As a consequence,“inner development 

before new development” is now finding a 

place in land-use planning strategies in Switzerland (Bundesamt 

für Raumentwicklung – ARE 1996). 

As a minimum effort towards sustainable spatial development, 

the strategy of inner development before new development 

is not only an effort to halt the use of valuable 

cultural land and to steer settlement development towards 

inner development , it is also to promote a transformation 

of the current inventory.Thus, its intention is not 

to bring spatial development to a standstill, but rather to 

manage the use of settlement land. In truth, the transformation 

that more than doubled the settlement inventory in 

the last 50 years is the actual central challenge and a task for 

future spatial development. This will also trigger large investments 

for the renovation and expansion of the building inventory 

and the infrastructure, as has happened in the past. 

Following the inner development before new development 

principle, however, requires an overview of potential settlement 

areas, i.e., quantities, qualities and availability. The 

usual information in a spatial inventory only includes quantitative 

information on the settlement reserves outside 

the currently settled areas or infill areas within the settlement. 

It does not give specific information at the level of 

land parcels. Other important potential sites, e.g., disposable 

or fallow areas, have not been available in the records 

for a considerable amount of time. 

To fill this information gap, a site-by-site overview of the 

potential areas is required to finally make the distribution 

pattern of potential areas visible.The overviews also bring

Fig. 1: The methodological approach of Raum + . 

Raum + ▪ Key Article 



in information on temporal availability and potential obstacles 

through the activation of available potential areas. 

This is the purpose of the Raum+ initiative from the ETH 

Zurich Chair for Spatial Development. 

Raum+: The methodological approach 

The first Raum+ initiative was launched in 2006 as a cooperative 

project by six regions of Baden-Württemberg 

(with over 400 communities), the Canton of Basel-Landschaft 

(with all its cities and communities), the Environment 

and Economic Ministries of Baden-Württemberg, 

the University of Karlsruhe and ETH Zurich. By its conclusion 

in 2008, the project had provided a wealth of experience in 

the methodology of surveys and their evaluation.These experiences 

were incorporated into the pilot project in the 

Canton of Schwyz, which will be reported later in this report. 

Raum+ is a problem-oriented project that tests the possibilities 

and limits of inter-municipal cooperation.The basis 

of the project is made up of problem-oriented and crossborder 

overviews of potential settlement areas in inner 

cities and suburbs in a form that can be adjusted and 

brought up to date. Along with the overview, a resilient and 

flexible basis for the discussion and adjustment of the 

existing approaches, planning instruments and promotion 

mechanisms for sustainable land management 

should be created. 

The core of the methodological approach of Raum+ is to 

make an instrument available to the cities and communities 

of the various cantons that will provide an overview of 

any potential settlement areas necessary for their cantonal 

spatial development, without involving any major effort 

1 . In addition, expert consultants are provided to help in 

the creation and regular updating of the overviews. This 

survey of the community and its follow-up become the 

foundation for the generation of overviews of potential 

settlement areas for the canton and perhaps in future for 

all of Switzerland. An essential element of this activity is an 

Internet-based platform that allows information to be gathered 

independent of time and place. The access eligibility 

for the platform can be decided by the participants and 

correspondingly regulated by them. The basis for the 

Raum+ approach is built upon the following three fundamental 

elements: 

� Cooperation and dialogue-oriented: a cooperative approach 

based on trust is critical for regional land management. 

� Decentralised and updateable: The basis of the Raum+ 

approach is an Internet-based planning information system 

that is decentralised, accessible and updateable. 

� Overview and situation evaluation:The Raum+ approach 

enables, for the first time, the evaluation of potential 

settlement areas by quantity, spatial distribution and 

quality, as well as across administrative boundaries. 

Raum+ in Canton Schwyz 

In 2007, the Canton of Schwyz and the Federal Office for 

Spatial Development (ARE) took the initiative to create an 

overview of settlement area reserves throughout the can- 


ton. A further goal of the initiative was to update the Canton’s 

Planning Guide 2006 within the framework of the approval 

process and, based on the information gathered, to 

make a discussion about the existing building zone reserves 

possible. The resulting project, Potential settlement 

areas for a spatial development policy of ‘inner development 

first’ – Raum+ Schwyz, was conducted by ETH Zurich 

in cooperation with ARE as part of the pilot project on sustainable 

settlement development. A total of 30 communities 

in the Canton of Schwyz participated in the project. 

The existing settlement area reserves within the legally 

binding building zones of these communities were surveyed 

and divided into the following three categories: 

� Inner development potential: areas larger than 2,000 

m2 within the current settlement area, both built up and 

not built up areas. 

� Building gaps: ready to build land parcels and classic 

building sites with an area between 200 and 2,000 m2, 

inside or outside of the current settlement area. 

� External reserves: areas larger than 2,000 m2, outside of 

the current settlement area that are not built up. 

A total of 1,724 potential settlement areas were surveyed in 

the Canton of Schwyz with a total surface area of 541 ha. Of 

these, more than half are within a current settlement area 

and corresponds to an area of 15 m2 per capita (residents 

and workers in a spatial unit).Transferred into the survey’s 

three categories, about 307 ha have inner development 

potential and infill areas that can be placed at the canton’s 

disposal.The remainder, about ca. 234 ha, are reserves outside 

the current settlement area, but within the legally defined 

building zones. 

If, for example, the inner development potential and infill 

areas were completely consumed in residential areas, a 

mid-sized utilisation of 0.4, about a million square meters 

of floor space, could be created. This would allow, using a 

simplified estimation of 50 m² of floor space per resident, 

the addition of about 20,000 residents, i.e., about a 15% 

growth of the population. And, this would still conform to 

the prerequisites of mobility for the area and maintaining 

the living space need per capita at its present level. From 

another viewpoint, the areas with inner development potential 

and infill areas would also be sufficient to provide 

the same number of residents in the Canton of Schwyz 

with a growth in living space per resident to 10 m². 

Availability of settlement reserves. 

Availability of settlement reserves 

A central question for inner development is the question of 

availability. According to the survey and evaluation, about 

30% of the inner development potential can be mobilised 

without any obstacles. For the other 70%, there is a minimum 

of at least one obstacle to mobilisation, of which, according 

to the community representatives, the most common 

by far is a lack of owner readiness. 

Likewise, about 30% of the infill areas and 46% of the external 

reserves do not present obstacles, which means

Fig. 2: Categories used in the survey of potential settlement areas. 


Fig. 3: View from the southwest of the communities of Altendorf, Galgenen and Lachen. Represented are the cubatures of a possible 

build-up with heights normal for the site. The colours represent the various potential categories: Red: redevelopment; blue: building 

gaps, yellow: reserves outside the current settlement area. 

Basis data from SWISSIMAGE © swisstopo (DV 012725); DTM-AV © 2009 LN089 Umweltdep. Kt. SZ, AVG, Cubatures: Survey results. 



that at least a third of the inner-city reserves can be mobilised 

in the short term. Here as well, it is good to differentiate 

spatially and consider if mobilisation can be accelerated 

through the concerted action of individual 

communities, through the communities working with each 

other and communities working together with the canton. 

However, the readiness of owners to evaluate the potential 

is the most common obstacle here as well. Now, more 

than in the past, it will depend on being able to, first, awaken 

interest in an exchange through an active strategy of 

inner development , and second, to activate interest in the 

diverse potential through offers, consultations and mutual 

planning. This means that, more than in the past, is 

will be important to invest in planning support for the 

mobilisation of inner development reserves. 

A differentiated examination of the temporal availability 

and additional tasks needed to mobilise the potential areas 

shows that, under these conditions, the readiness of the 

landowners to grant building permission would have to 

take place in a time frame of ten years at the latest. 

Perspectives and recommendations for further steps 

The experience with the pilot project supports the concept 

that a survey of potential settlement areas can be managed 

within a level of appropriate expenditure for the communities. 

The technical conditions for the use of an Internet-based 

overview and for the evaluation of the data are 

now available to all the communities in the canton. During 

the pilot project, the canton had already begun to make arrangements 

to ensure that communities will have access 

to the overviews over the long term. Based on the experiences 

with the pilot project, the following recommendations 

have been formulated: 

a. From the overview of land management in the Canton 

of Schwyz 

� To agree on performing a regular follow-up of the overviews 

in the Canton of Schwyz. 

� To prepare regular status reports on the land-use balance in 

the canton and to submit the reports to the government. 

� To check which special processes of an especially important 

nature for a inner development -oriented settlement 

policy in the defined spaces in the Canton of 

Schwyz can be supported and therefore what special 

means can be placed at their disposal. 

� To entrust the Federal Office for Spatial Development 

with the coordination of the work required. 

b. Nationwide support for the implementation of the minimum 

strategy: inner development before new development 

� To request community and inter-community concepts 

and strategies for inner development and to promote 

and support them. 

� To provide argumentation and implementation help for 

a inner development -oriented settlement policy in the 

form of instruments and to test and compile examples 

of their implementation and make these available to 

the communities and cantons. 


� To test inter-community cooperation and processes to 

establish their positive effects. 

c. Gradual expansion of the overviews 

� To use the knowledge gained from the pilot project for 

a gradual nationwide expansion of the use of the overview 

instrument and to make provisions that, starting in 

2010, the overviews can be compiled in two to four additional 

cantons. The experiences of the Canton of 

Schwyz in the follow-up processes should be added to 

this information as an update. 

� To ensure comparability and a minimum content requirement 

for the overviews and to coordinate this between 

the cantons. 

� To investigate and approve the general legal conditions 

and technical prerequisites in the federal and cantonal 

governments needed for a nationwide expansion of the 

use of this instrument. 

Sources 

� Wirtschaftsministerium und Umweltministerium des 

Landes Baden-Württemberg (Herausgeber): Schlussbericht 

des Kooperationsprojektes „Nachhaltiges grenzüberschreitendes 

Siedlungsflächenmanagement - 

Raum+“, Regions- und Nationalgrenzen überschreitendes 

Kooperationsprojekt, Stuttgart 2008. 

� Professur für Raumentwicklung der ETH Zürich (Herausgeber): 

Schlussbericht des Modellvorhabens„Raum+ 

Schwyz: Siedlungsflächenpotenziale für eine Siedlungsentwicklung 

nach innen“, Zürich 2010.

Fig. 4: Total surface area of potential inner development areas in the Canton of Schwyz by planning status. 



Key Article ▪ New Monte Rosa Hut SAC 

The mountain hut of the future – the New Monte Rosa Hut SAC 

High above Zermatt, exposed at an altitude of 2883 m above sea level in the centre of 

the spectacular Monte Rosa massive, ETH Zurich and the Swiss Alpine Club (SAC) have 

successfully concluded a ground-breaking project in high alpine construction. 

by Patrick Dilger, Planning & Controlling D-BAUG 

The project on the New Monte Rosa Hut SAC was launched 

in 2005, the 150th jubilee year of ETH Zurich. In collaboration 

with SAC, ETH Zurich strove to construct a transforming, 

innovative and ecologically sustainable hut, exemplary 

in design and technology, and mirroring the research 

conducted at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology. 

ETH Zurich considers this visionary mountain hut, nicknamed 

“Mountain Crystal”, to be the most complex timber 

construction in Switzerland. In addition to elaborating the 

project’s architectonic and technical concepts, ETH Zurich 

actively searched for sponsors, but did not contribute to the 

construction costs amounting to CHF 6.5 million. 

Due to the extreme climatic conditions, construction had 

to be completed during the five spring/summer months. 

Each cubic metre of cement, each wooden element and 

every single screw were flown to the site by helicopter. 

Bearing in mind that a maximum load was limited to 600 

kg, the high level of prefabricated elements had to be ready 

to assemble. Since Mountain Crystal’s wooden construction 

is enveloped in a layer of lamellar aluminium fascia, 

its polygonal shape glistens and glows in the heart of 

this majestic rocky landscape. Not only pioneering in terms 

of its facade, the alpine hut is also eco-friendly.The high alpine 

building is 90% energy self-sufficient. Starting in 

March 2010, “Mountain Crystal” is scheduled to welcome 

approximately 120 guests. For further information, see: 

www.neuemonterosahuette.ch 

www.sac-cas.ch 

D-BAUG was also involved in the construction of the New 

Monte Rosa Hut SAC, providing input on ecological sustainability 

and fire prevention. The following two articles focus 

on these topics. 


Map section: Monterosa area 

Publication (available in German only) 

«Neue Monte-Rosa-Hütte SAC 

Ein autarkes Bauwerk im hochalpinen Raum» 

Vorworte von 

Ralph Eichler, Meinrad K. 

Eberle, Reto Jenatsch, 

Franz Steinegger. 

Beiträge von 

Paul Knüsel, Marie-Anne 

Lerjen, Ákos Moravánszky, 

Adolph Stiller. 

Gespräch mit 

Ákos Moravánszky, Andrea 

Deplazes, David Gugerli. 

Fotografien von 

Tonatiuh Ambrosetti. 

Ausführliche Projektdokumentation mit Beiträgen der 

beteiligten Experten. 23x27 cm, Hardcover, 224 Seiten, 

ca. 180 Abb., gta Verlag, Zürich 2010, ISBN 978-3-85676-273-5 

CHF 65.– (inkl. MwSt., exkl. Versandkosten).

New Monte Rosa Hut SAC ▪ Key Article 



Environmental Sustainability of the Monte-Rosa Hut 

The overall concept of a construction process that preserves resources and is free of 

pullutants minimizes the impact on our environment and sets new standards in eco- 

logical building planning and realisation. 

by Stefanie Hellweg, Melanie Goymann, Mathias Wittenwiler / IfU 

Goal and scope of the study 

Life cycle assessment (LCA) and prospective material and 

energy flow balances were used during the planning of the 

new Monte Rosa hut.The use of these tools in the early stages 

of the planning phase allowed them to have a high leverage 

effect on design choices, allowing for sustainable 

construction and operation. For example, increased insulation 

can reduce heat consumption, and the environmental 

impact of energy consumption can be reduced 

through the use of renewable energy sources. Construction 

materials and processes, including manufacture, transport, 

and disposal, were also analyzed. Figure 1 shows the 

system boundaries of this analysis. Operation of the hut, including 

transport of provisions, was included, although 

the production of food and beverages was neglected. It was 

assumed that there is no increased demand for nourishment 

as a result of visiting the hut. 

Methods 

An LCA was performed to evaluate the environmental impacts 

of the building materials and processes “from cradle 

to grave”. Various material choices were assessed, and the 

best materials were indicated. For hut operation, electricity 

and heat generation, including the production, transport, 

and disposal of photovoltaic and lead battery system, and 

all other technical devices were considered. Electricity use 

of the hut was estimated by extrapolating measured electricity 

use data from the old hut. Meteonorm software was 

used to calculate solar insolation, and subsequently solar 

electricity and heat production. The energy supply system 

of the hut will be supplemented with a combined heat and 

power plant, which will serve as a back-up system during 

bad weather periods. The fuel use of this device was calculated 

based on historical weather data, using the difference 

between solar energy supply and anticipated demand. 

Helicopter flights to transport food and fuel were 


included in the study.The life cycle assessment data for the 

production of materials and energy were taken from the 

database ecoinvent (www.ecoinvent.ch) and additional 

project-specific data. Life cycle impact assessment was 

performed using two different methods: cumulated energy 

demand and global warming potential, calculated over a 

100 year timeframe and expressed in CO2 equivalents. 

Results 

Although the new hut offers more space and a higher level 

of comfort, the energy demand and greenhouse gas 

emissions per overnight stay are significantly reduced compared 

to the old hut (Fig. 2).This decrease in CO2 emissions 

comes primarily from the use of renewable energy sources 

and building materials, as well as from a well insulated 

building, energy-efficient equipment, and by the avoidance 

of snow melting through recycling and seasonal storage of 

water. Melting and heating water in the old hut led to the 

use of 6000 kilograms of coal annually (Fig. 2). The new 

wastewater purification plant uses electricity but reduces 

the impact of wastewater emissions to the environment. 

The use of nontoxic and recyclable materials helps to preserve 

resources and to reduce the emission of substances 

harmful to the environment and human health. Figure 4 

shows the high fraction of renewable energetic resources 

used in the production and disposal of the new hut materials. 

This is particularly due to the large amounts of wood 

used as building material. Almost one third of the total cumulative 

energy demand of the construction comes from 

the outer wall. The façade is the part of the outer wall 

with the highest impact, and the selection of an ecological 

façade was therefore very important. Vacuum isolation 

panels (VIP), glass with integrated sodium carbonate 

hydrate heat storage, and conventional isolation combined 

with an aluminium skin were analyzed, and are shown in

Fig. 1: System boundaries of the life cycle assessment. All processes marked in yellow were assessed. 


Fig. 2: Energy flow analysis of the old Monte-Rosa hut (above) and comparison of greenhouse gas emissions per overnight stay in 

the old and new Monte-Rosa hug (below). 



figure 3. All three options had similar insulation properties, 

but the conventional isolation/aluminium skin package 

was shown to be the most favourable alternative.The new 

Monte Rosa hut was therefore built with a conventional 

isolation package. 

The key to achieving truly low-impact construction and 

operation was the integrative use of life cycle assessment 

during the entire planning phase.The new Monte Rosa hut 

shows that a sustainable mountain hut can also provide a 

high level of comfort. Even though the electricity demand 

of the hut will increase, because of increased guest numbers 

and an the addition of a wastewater treatment plant, 

the sustainable energy supply and the use of ecological 

construction materials will bring down the quantity of 

non-renewable energy and cumulated CO2 emissions. Life 

cycle assessment of buildings normally show higher environmental 

impacts during the building use than during 

the construction and disposal phases. Looking at the new 

Monte Rosa hut, figure 4 shows that this gap is much 

smaller, as sustainable energy is used whenever possible 

for running the hut. 



Fig. 3: Energy flow analysis of the construction and disposal of the building (left) and comparison of environmental key parameters 

of three building skin types (right). 

Fig. 4: Cumulative Energy demand of the old and new Monte-Rosa hut over a time period of 50 years. 




Fire Safety of Guests and Hut’s Crew of First Priority 

The choice of structural timber for the new Monte Rosa Hut necessitated an object-spe- 

cific fire safety concept. In it the safety objectives and all measures were specified that 

were required to achieve it. The safety of guests and the hut’s crew are of prime impor- 

tance. Quality control ensures the implementation of the concept. 

by Hansbeat Reusser, Holzbaubüro Reusser GmbH, Winterthur; Mario Fontana / IBK 

The standard concept for Swiss Alpine Club (SAC) huts 

normally applies the fire protection guideline «Abgelegene 

Beherbergungsbetriebe» der Vereinigung Kantonaler 

Feuerversicherungen (VKF) – «Operating Remote Hostels» 

of the Association of Cantonal Fire Insurers. If a project involves 

more than two storeys, for the whole structure and 

the fire compartments a non-combustible construction is 

required. The selected method of timber construction 

using prefabricated elements for the new Monte Rosa Hut 

necessitated a specific fire safety concept for the building. 

Fire protection objectives and special features 

The safety of guests and the hut’s crew was of paramount 

importance in the formulation of the fire protection objectives. 

Thus the occurrence of fires and explosions should 

be prevented using technical and organisational measures. 

The spread of flames, heat and smoke is limited by constructional 

measures and the creation of fire compartments 

while also ensuring the structural stability of the 

building for a specific period of time. The protection of 

neighbouring buildings is not a factor here due to the remoteness 

of the location. The intervention of the fire service 

is made impossible by the lack of access and the insufficient 

supply of fire-fighting water. On the other hand, 

it may be assumed that because of the location of the hut 

high in the mountains, the hut’s visitors are agile, physically 

fit and quite used to the mountains. However after a fire 

they must be protected against icy weather conditions. 

Concept 

Besides the short and convenient escape routes from all the 

rooms to a safe place, the concept provides each guest room 

with a secondary escape route using a fixed outside emergency 

stairs. According to the VKF regulations the new Monte 

Rosa Hut is defined as having four storeys. Therefore, the detailed 

design of the timber structure accorded with the building 

rules for four-storey timber structures with living accommodation, 

working areas or rooms for educational purposes. 

Quality Control 

Quality control was considered to be of prime importance 

in relation to fire safety. The assigned quality control level, 

agreed upon with the fire safety authority, was Q3 in accordance 

with the Swiss Timber Industry Lignum documentation 

«Brandschutz» – «Fire Safety». In general, the 

work of the fire safety specialists involved the preparation 

of a fire safety concept in agreement with the fire safety 

authorities, advising the planners, supervision of the call for 

tenders, production (prefabrication) as well as periodic 

checks during erection and the final checks with the authorities. 

Thus, throughout all phases of the project it was 

required to act as consultants for the components relevant 

to fire safety from planning and execution right up to the 

putting into operation as well as supervising and accompanying 

the work. This also required close cooperation 

with the architects and site management personnel. 

Technical Fire Safety 

The hut is fitted with an automatic fire detection and 

alarm system with continuous monitoring in all rooms. 

The system controls the ventilation dampers, the fire doors 

and the smoke and heat venting system. Emergency 

lighting facilitates safe escape. The energy is supplied by 

solar and battery power. For fire fighting, because of the insufficient 

supply of water, hand-held fire extinguishers 

and fire buckets with spraying devices are available. 

Organisational Fire Safety 

A special feature is the provision of 120 bivouac bags outside 

the hut. These are necessary so that after a fire with 

a quick successful escape people are not left without protection 

in the case of icy weather conditions.

Fig. 1: Plan view of 1st storey with fire compartments and escape routes. 

Fig. 2: Section with fire compartments. 




Structural Elements 

It is certainly unusual for the lower storeys to be built in 

timber. In this case all structural elements are constructed 

to have a fire resistance of 60 minutes. All surfaces are 

coated with non-cumbustible lining. The same applies to 

the staircase. The ground floor is also provided with a fire 

resistance 60 minutes. In the dining room however the surfaces 

are flammable.The fire compartments of the storeys 

with guest rooms have a fire resistance of 30 minutes with 

flammable surfaces. All insulation in the building is made 

with non combustible materials having a melting point of 

over 1000 degrees Celsius. 


Fire Test on Glazing system 

In order to keep the staircase free of fire and smoke in the 

event of a fire, the glazing in this area is furnished with E30 

windows. The stud-and-tie system using aluminium in 

combination with a triple fire protection glazing was not 

available with the corresponding certificates of approval . 

Thus a fire test, which was successful, was carried out at 

the EMPA in Dübendorf under the supervision of Thomas 

Nussbaumer to obtain a object-specific approval by the fire 

authorities. 

Fig. 3: Fire resistance test on a window at the EMPA Dübendorf (Photo: Hansbeat Reusser, Holzbaubüro).


Fig. 4: Installation duct for the ventilation system with fire protection damper and firewall (Photo: Hansbeat Reusser, Holzbaubüro). 

Fig. 5: Installation of fire-protective insulation material for floor element (Photo: Hans Zurniwen). 


Highlights ▪ Structures 

Elastic modului of spruce wood 

Comparison between experimentally and 

theoretically determined elastic moduli of 

spruce wood depending on the growth 

ring angle. 

When wood is mechanically loaded perpendicular to the grain, 

its elastic modulus depends on the so called growth ring angle. 

This angle is defined by the load direction and the anatomical 

structure of wood in the radial-tangential plane (Fig. 1a). Elastic 

moduli depending on the growth ring angle were,so far,ascertained 

either theoretically according to the tensor theory for 

anisotropic materials on basis of elastic engineering parameters 

for the principle growth directions (L,R,T).Or a dynamic approach 

was employed (measurement of direction-depending 

ultrasound velocities). 

The goal of a project in the Wood Physics Group (Institute for 

Building Materials) was to determine these values experimentally 

using a static approach suitable also for angles between 

the principle planes. For this purpose, miniature specimens 

from spruce wood were produced (surface area in the RT 

plane: 10mm x 10mm; thickness in the longitudinal direction: 

4mm) and tested with a micro compression stage. The small 

specimen size (compared tostandardspecimens) allowed to assume 

an orthotropic wood structure, curved growth ring 

boundaries were avoided.The growth ring angles of the specimens 

were varied in 15° steps (Fig.1a:0° = radial load direction, 

90° = tangential load direction) and for each angle 13 specimens 

were tested. The results (Fig. 1b) show a high correlation between 

experimentally and theoretically determined values, 

and confirm the sufficient accuracy of the theoretical approach. 


Heat and moisture transport of 

building envelopes based on wood 

How is the behaviour of heat and mois- 

ture transport in building elements made 

of timbered wood compared to conventio- 

nal wood frame constructions? 

by Daniel Keunecke, Joszef Garab, Peter Niemz / IfB by M. Joscak and P. Niemz / IfB 

To answer this question, comparative measurements were 

carried out at the IfB in the group of Wood Physics. Because 

of the novelty of this type of solid wood constructions, the 

practical experiences concerning the behaviour under nonsteady-state 

conditions are scarce. Additionally, further investigation 

and calculation of the heat and moisture transport 

is needed because of the extremely high material 

consumption for the manufacturing of such building elements. 

For the experiments under natural weathering conditions 

at the campus of the ETH Zurich, small test buildings without 

openings were constructed. For further experiments, 

wood-based building components were created and are 

currently tested in cooperation with the Fraunhofer Institute 

for Building Physics in Holzkirchen (Germany). 

The conventional wood frame constructions with different 

types of insulation (low density fibreboard, cellulose flakes 

and glass or rock wool) improved with thin layers of 

wooden panels or solid wood are compared to those made 

of timbered wood, like layered board construction joined 

with wooden dowels, a construction with slotted wooden 

boards and a log construction. 

For the calculation of the relevant physical parameters 

such as heat and moisture transport under non-steadystate 

conditions based on measured data, the simulation 

software Delphin is employed. (Fig. 2) shows the calculation 

of the heat transport inside the wall of a small test building 

made of a layered timber construction joined with 

wooden dowels. The aim of the investigations is to discover 

new building physics parameters and their advantages and 

disadvantages, respectively, for building envelopes made of 

solid wood. Additionally, the simulation should answer the 

question, if contemporary calculation models of heat and 

moisture transport are suitable to calculate building elements 

based on wood.

Structures ▪ Highlights 

Fig. 1 a) Specimen alignment and definition of the growth ring angle. b) comparison between the calculated and experimentally determined 

elastic moduli. 

Fig. 2: Calculation of the heat transport inside the wall of a small test building made of a layered timber construction joined with 

wooden dowels. 



Air-Coupled Ultrasound Inspection of 

Glued Timber Components 

Non destructive bonding quality assessment 

of glued timber products is necessary in order 

to prevent security hazards. 

by S. J. Sanabria, J. Neuenschwander, U. Sennhauser / 

EMPA Dübendorf; P. Niemz / IfB 

Air coupled ultrasound investigations allowed successful imaging 

of glued and non-glued regions with high reproducibility 

and spatial accuracy. Glued laminated timber, solid wood panels 

and prefabricated wood components currently experience 

a strong increase of use in timber constructions; bonding quality 

assessment is necessary in order to prevent security hazards. 

Air-coupled ultrasound (ACU) is a novel non-destructive 

method with important improvements in reproducibility and 

fine scanning capability with respect to other traditional ultrasonic 

technologies used for wood. 

As part of an ongoing PhD project,ACU measurements in normal 

transmission mode with 120 kHz transducers were performed 

on samples consisting of two 5 mm Norway spruce 

solid wood lamellas glued together with a polyurethane adhesive, 

with artificially introduced delaminated areas. Ultrasonic 

scanning with high resolution was performed to image 

the presence or absence of glue.The samples were broken up 

after measurement and the glued and non-glued regions were 

photographed and compared with the ultrasonic amplitude 

images. 

(Fig. 1) demonstrates successful ACU imaging of glued and 

non-glued timber down to a spatial resolution of 20 mm. Ultrasound 

amplitude variations up to 55 dB are observed between 

glued and non-glued material,which ensures a reliable 

glue line assessment,despite amplitude variations below 8 dB 

in bonded regions due to the heterogeneity of wood structure. 

The reproducibility of the measurement is below 1.5% after one 

year. Future research work is planned to inspect thicker multiple 

laminated glued timber structures.The main challenge is 

to resolve ultrasonic signal changes between bonded and disbonded 

areas from those introduced by wood heterogeneity. 


Modeling the Growth and Impact of 

Wood Decay Fungi 

The wood decay fungus P. Vitreus increa- 

ses the permeability of wood and thereby 

the uptake of wood preservatives. 

by M. Fuhr, H.J. Herrmann / IfB 

The selective degradation of pit membranes in refractory 

wood species e.g. Norway spruce (Picea abies [L.] Kast.) by 

the basidiomycete Physisporinus vitreus increases the 

permeability of the wood. This process which has been 

termed bioincising can be used to improve the uptake of 

wood preservatives and environmentally-benign wood 

modification substances.The bioincised wood can be used 

for a range different industrial purposes. 

The objective of this project is to develop a mathematical 

model of hyphal growth and expansion of P. vitreus by 

means of stochastic processes both in space and time 

(Fig. 2). Irreversible growth has been investigated for a long 

time in the context of cancer growth, dendritic growth 

and gelation and penetration in porous media. In addition, 

the project allows to examine degradation patterns of 

the fungus and its enzyme activity. By focusing on these 

fundamental processes, we hope to improve our knowledge 

on how the complex system (fungus - wood) interacts 

under defined conditions.This information is crucial for the 

scaling up of the bioincising process. This work is a joint 

project of the two research groups Wood Protection and 

Biotechnology, EMPA St. Gallen (Prof. Dr. F.W.M.R. Schwarze) 

and Computational Physics for Engineering Materials (Prof. 

Dr. H.J. Herrmann).


Fig. 1: ACU imaging of glue presence and absence. Top: Photograph of open board; glued and non-glued areas are separately indicated. 

Bottom: ACU amplitude image. The well glued areas correspond to high amplitude levels; the presence of a droplet of glue (1) 

can be successfully imaged. 

Fig. 2: (a) Wood decay fungi exploit a substrate by forming a network (mycelium) of filaments (hyphae), which are (b) visible under a 

laser scanning microscopy. (c) Mosaic pictures of thin sections allow the analysis of mycelium's morphology and enable to calibrate 

(d) mathematical models. 



Properties of microfibre 

reinforced cement 

Uniaxial tensile tests on microfibre rein- 

forced cement with aligned fibres were 

performed. 

At the Institute for Building Materials steel microfibers 

were produced by cutting a stainless steel fine wire 

(d=50µm) in 3mm fibres. These fibres were embedded in 

cement paste. The micro fibres were mixed with cement 

pastes with different water/cement ratios.With these mixtures 

dog bone shaped samples were produced for uniaxial 

tensile tests. With a special filling method the fibres 

were aligned in the loading direction in order to enhance 

the performance of the material. Uniaxial tensile tests 

were performed with freely rotating supports in closedloop 

displacement control. During testing the surface of 

the specimen was scanned with two high resolution cameras. 

With digital image correlation displacements and 

strains can be calculated and with this strain concentrations 

and cracks can be identified (Fig. 1). 

After testing the specimens were cut close to the crack.The 

cross section can be used to verify the fibre alignment. It 

could be shown that the filling method worked well for fibre 

alignment. As a consequence of the fibre alignment 

the results of the direct tensile tests showed a low scatter 

in the results. 

References: 

Proceedings „Advances in cement-based materials“, van 

Zijl & Boshoff eds. CRC press p. 67–73. Scaling of Fracture 

Properties of Fibre Reinforced Cement in FraMCoS-7, in 

press. 

Annual Report D-BAUG, 2008, p. 42. 


The impact fragmentation of plastic mate- 

rials of high industrial relevance is investi- 

gated. 

New universality class of 

fragmentation phenomena 

by C. Rieger, J. G.M. van Mier / IfB by G. Timar, F. Kun, H.J. Herrmann / IfB 

Fragmentation phenomena are ubiquitous in nature and 

play a crucial role in a wide variety of industrial processes 

related to mining and ore processing. Experiments have revealed 

a striking universality of fragmentation phenomena, 

i.e. the mass distribution of pieces of heterogeneous brittle 

materials has a power law form with an exponent depending 

solely on the dimensionality of the system. It is an 

important question of high industrial relevance whether 

such universality prevails for polymeric materials which exhibit 

ductile breaking. 

In cooperation with the Frauenhofer Institute and Thyssen, 

we carried out an experimental and theoretical study of 

the fragmentation of polymeric materials by impacting 

polyoxymethylen particles of spherical shape against a 

hard wall. Experiments revealed a power law mass distribution 

of fragments with an exponent of approx. 1.25, 

which is significantly different from the known exponents 

of three-dimensional bulk materials. Based on computer 

simulations of a three-dimensional discrete element 

model, we show that the dominance of shear in the crack 

formation and the healing of compressed crack surfaces 

are the key features which give rise to the emergence of 

the novel universality class of fragmentation phenomena 

(Fig. 2, 3).

Fig. 1: Crack mouth of micro fibre-reinforced cement. 


Fig.: Mass distribution of fragments of heterogeneous brittle 

materials (open diamonds) and for plastic materials (filled 

triangles). The slope of the fitted straight lines is 1.9 (blue) 

and 1.25 (red). The insets present corresponding final states 

of the breakup process where the white arrows indicate the 

velocity vector of a few pieces. 

Fig. 2: Final states of impact at low impact velocities in the experiment (a) and in the simulation (b). In the contact area with the hard 

wall large permanent deformation occurs due to compression, while above it vertical cracks are formed due to tensile stresses. The 

simulations are in a very good agreement with the measurements. 



Numerical simulation of rock fall 

impact on reinforced concrete slabs 

In order to improve the design of rock fall 

protection galleries, impact load capacity 

of reinforced concrete slabs is studied 

using finite element simulations. 

Applicability of numerical analysis is validated calibrating the 

results with falling-weight impact tests carried out in 2007.By 

using finite element results obtained simulating the impact 

loads which initiated the failure during the experiment, a criterion 

is proposed to investigate failure in the slabs. This provided 

a reasonable base for extrapolation of the numerical results 

beyond the range of performed experiments (Fig.1,Fig.2). 

In addition,a numerical approach is proposed for modelling reinforced 

concrete slabs subjected to consecutive impact loading, 

to improve understanding the behaviour of rock fall protection 

galleries subjected to impact of more than one rock in 

their history.The gained knowledge is used to model an existing 

rock fall protection gallery and to study a possible failure. 

Finite element methods will also be used to investigate the influence 

of parameters and assumptions made for a proposed 

analytical model.The model,which is based on a system of multiple 

degrees of freedom,enables an efficient way to carry out 

a performance based design and to predict shear and bending 

failure. 

The combination of analytical and finite element models facilitates 

a better understanding of the behaviour of slabs subjected 

to impact loads and allows the knowledge to be applied 

in improving design of rock fall protection galleries and calculating 

the capacity of the existing ones. 


Elastic wave propagation in a segmented 

X-ray computed tomography concrete 

model. 

by S. Ghadimi-Khasraghy, T. Vogel / IBK by G. K. Kocur, T. Vogel / IBK 

3D Structure of Concrete Specimens 

Cuboid-shaped, undestroyed concrete specimens (12x12x16 

cm) were scanned with X-ray computed tomography (CT) 

at the Institute of Diagnostic Radiology of the University 

Hospital Zurich. Based on the recorded two-dimensional 

X-ray slice data, the 3D structure was reconstructed in the 

post processing. By means of segmenting, the concrete 

constituents such as aggregate grains (Fig. 3, left) and air 

inclusions (Fig. 3, right) could be identified as different 

phases and separated digitally. In segmentation, related areas 

of contiguous pixels (2D) or voxels (3D) are allocated to 

a certain material (phase), i.e. based on threshold values. 

The digital format of the segmented phases (Fig. 4, left) can 

be used for further numerical procedures such as the simulation 

of wave propagation in concrete. The numerical 

simulations are performed with the finite difference 

method. 

The application of the segmented CT models allows for a 

differentiated study on the influence of single phases on 

the wave propagation behavior. The emphasis is on the 

scattering effect of air inclusions on the propagating wave 

fronts (Fig. 4, right) and the associated decreasing wave velocities. 

The study aims at quantifying these influences 

and at comparing with experimental results. 

The segmented CT model which represents the inner structure 

of the concrete specimen can as well be used to verify 

purely numerically generated concrete models.

� Fig 1: Finite element model of a large-scale falling weight 

test on a slab. 

Fig. 2: Comparison of crack patterns at soffit of slab obtained from 

experiment and finite element analysis for an impact. � 


Fig. 3: Two (threshold-) segmented 

phases of concrete of 

the X-ray CT slice data: aggregate 

grains (left) and air inclusions 

(right). 

Fig. 4: Segmented CT model (2D) of a concrete cuboid, scanned with X-rays and discretized on 400x400 grid points, displaying the 

density on a gray scale (left). Snapshot of one time step of the wave propagation (right) excited by an explosion source (red circle in 

Fig. 2, left). 


Highlights ▪ Infrastructure Systems 

Renewal of the hydropower station 

Rüchlig in Aarau 

Hybrid investigations to optimize the 

hydraulic structures of the planned power 

plant Rüchlig. 

The hydropower station Rüchlig is situated on the river Aare in 

Aarau. It is operated by the Nordostschweizerische Kraftwerke 

AG (NOK).The powerhouse and the main weir are separated by 

a small island called Zurlindeninsel. In connection with the imminent 

renewal of the concession, it is intended to rehabilitate 

the existent power station Rüchlig, to improve the flood protection 

in the city of Aarau, and to increase the residual flow. 

The existing powerhouse will be replaced by a new powerhouse 

with two units on the left hand side of the power channel. 

On the right hand side a gated flood weir will be built. In 

the future the flood protection will be improved by discharging 

a much higher flow through the power channel during a flood 

event. 

Numerical model experiments 

The numerical model covers the whole concession area and will 

provide information on the expected behaviour of the flow 

during normal operation and in case of a flood. New water 

level-discharge-relations and net heads will be determined. 

For flood events the freeboard and bed shear stress in the 

channel are examined.The extreme situation of an emergency 

shut-down of the turbines is investigated by means of up- and 

downsurge calculations (Fig. 1). 

The model is calibrated on the basis of measured water leveldischarge-relations 

at six different measuring points. 

The simulations are carried out with the software program 

BASEMENT. BASEMENT has been developed at VAW and is used 

for the simulation of transient flow in open channels. 

Physical model experiments 

The physical model of the powerhouse simulates a local section 

of the channel including the flood weir and the powerhouse at a 

scale of 1:30 (Fig. 2). The boundary conditions are based on numerical 

simulation results. The main focus is on the design of 

the power intake, the weir structures and the dividing pier. 


Hydraulics of dike breaching 

Flood events during the past years resul- 

ted in increased dike failures due to over- 

topping. 

by E. Rühli, N. Mache, A. Lais, D. Vetsch / VAW by L. Schmocker,W.H. Hager / VAW 

Dikes along rivers are designed to protect a valley including its 

population and property from floods. However, many dikes 

have not been maintained during decades and flood events 

during the past years resulted in increased dike failures due 

to overtopping. Breaching of a dike can lead to extensive 

flooding of nearby areas along with both monetary and human 

losses.An accurate prediction of the dike failure process 

is essential to develop effective emergency action plans or establish 

adequate safety measurements. 

The dike breach process is therefore systematically investigated 

in a hydraulic model at VAW. A small scale model dike 

was inserted in a model channel and subsequently completely 

eroded due to overtopping.The small scale model allows 

testing a wide range of parameters affecting the dike 

breach process with a comparatively small effort. Of particular 

interest are the dike erosion process, the dike failure time 

and the resulting outflow. Figure 3 shows a typical temporal 

advance of the dike breach. The water inflow results in dike 

crest overtopping at time t = 0 s. Its erosion starts at t = 2 s. 

At time t = 10 s almost half of the dike is eroded and at t = 100 s 

the original dike is completely destroyed.

Fig. 1: Wave propagation 16 s after an emergency shut-down of the turbines. 

Fig. 2: Final design of the intake. 

FIG. 3: Advance of dike erosion due to overtopping at various times. 

Infrastructure Systems ▪ Highlights 


Highlights ▪ Infrastructure Systems 

Intake structure of the Handeck 2 

power plant 

Enhancement of the Handeck 2 power plant's 

efficiency by increasing the discharge and 

reducing head losses. 

The Kraftwerke Oberhasli AG (KWO), based in Innertkirchen 

(BE), plans to enhance the Handeck 2 power plant's efficiency 

by increasing the discharge from 42.5 to 65.5 m 3 /s 

and reducing head losses in the hydraulic system.This upgrade 

is part of the project “KWO plus”.The project design 

uses the existing intake structure in the Räterichsboden 

reservoir. In addition to the existing head race tunnel, a parallel 

tunnel shall be constructed and connected by a junction 

to the existing tunnel. The upper edge of the intake 

cross-section is located about 9.5 m below the existent 

minimum operating water level. 

VAW was commissioned in April 2009 with the construction 

of a physical model at a scale of 1:35 in order to investigate 

and analyse the problems related to the vortex formation 

due to the increased flow velocity at the intake (Fig. 1). In an 

additional detail model the intake structure was reproduced 

in a channel at a scale of 1:25. This model should give information 

about scale effects related to vortex formation. 

The model tests show that the formation of vortices with 

risk of air entrainment would lead to an increase of about 

13 m of the minimum operating level.This would negatively 

affect the efficiency of the hydropower plant. At the moment, 

anti-vortex devices are tested in order to allow a further 

lowering of the reservoir water level. 

Because of the large number of upgrading projects of existing 

power plants and the related problem of tightening 

flow conditions, VAW launched a research project which 

should investigate the air entrainment rate due to vortices 

(Fig. 2).With this information it is possible to estimate 

the consequences of air in the pressure system and, if applicable, 

to accept air entrainment.The latter would require 

counter-measures such as de-aeration devices in the system. 

For a precise design of such de-aeration systems the 

air entrainment rate as input parameter has to be known. 


Cracking due to hygric or thermal 

shocks 

Concrete surfaces, such as floors and pave- 

ments, develop micro- and macrocracks 

when exposed to dry air. How can this 

phenomenon be explained? 

by G. Möller, M. Pinotti, A. Lais / VAW by J. Bisschop, F.K.Wittel / IfB 

The life-time of a concrete floor is strongly affected by the 

amount of surface damage. Pre-existing surface cracks accelerate 

deterioration of concrete by traffic loading and by the 

ingress of aggressive fluids. Drying shrinkage has long been 

recognized as an important cause for cracking of concrete. 

However,explaining the geometry of drying shrinkage crackpatterns 

in concrete is a difficult task because the shrinking 

material is constrained in multiple ways. 

In this project we explain a particular type of shrinkage 

cracks, namely those formed by pure contraction gradients. 

These form in unconfined samples of hardened cement 

paste suddenly exposed to severe drying conditions. 

The surface layers immediately contract, while the inner 

parts do not, since it takes time for moisture to diffuse out 

of the material.This problem is equivalent to the formation 

of surface cracks in certain materials under thermal shock. 

What has been theoretically predicted, also is confirmed 

experimentally in this project. The deeper surface cracks 

propagate into the material driven by the evolution of the 

contraction gradient, the more cracks are able to interact 

as explained by a hierarchical 2D model (Fig. 3). From some 

critical point onwards only every second crack can propagate, 

shielding the intermediate ones. We showed that 

this crack spacing doubling can occur once or twice, depending 

on the drying rate and sample thickness.

� Fig. 1: Hydraulic model at a scale of 1:35 at VAW. 

Infrastructure Systems ▪ Highlights 

⊳ Fig. 2: Air-entraining vortex at the intake structure in the 1:25 

scale model. 

Fig. 3: Desiccation crack-patterns in hardened cement paste after 5 hours drying at 25% relative humidity. Cracks are impregnated 

with a fluorescent resin. Left images: shock drying at ambient pressure (100 hPa). Right images: shock drying in an Environmental 

SEM (600 Pa). Section images are stretched in the vertical direction by a factor 4. 


Highlights ▪ Infrastructure Systems / Highlights ▪ Resources 

In situ tests on steel deck concrete 

composite slabs at Zurich International 

Airport 

Is the load bearing capacity after 35 years in 

service still sufficient? 

by M. Klippel, M. Knobloch, M. Fontana / IBK 

Terminal B at Zurich International Airport has been used by 

millions of tourists and business people. To implement 

the European Schengen agreement, the terminal has to be 

reconstructed after 35 years in service (Fig. 1). 

The terminal was built in 1974, basically as a steel frame 

construction with profiled steel sheeting as supporting 

structure. Does this structure still meet the current safety 

and serviceability standards or will it have to be replaced? 

The decision regarding demolition or modification, with all 

the associated economic and ecologic effects, has to be 

based on a firm foundation. Generally, how does the loadbearing 

behaviour of composite constructions change over 

the years? How appropriate are our design rules for assessing 

the capacity of existing and intensely used structures? 

The bond between steel sheeting and concrete is the critical 

factor for the load-bearing capacity of composite slabs. 

How has the bond between the concrete and the steel 

changed during 35 years of intensive use? Is it still sufficient? 

To clarify this and further questions, large-scale tests 

were performed in situ on the composite slabs at Zurich International 

Airport (Fig. 2). 

Useful data was generated by these tests to enable the assessment 

of the composite slabs. The tests showed that a 

sufficient bond still exists between the steel sheets and the 

concrete and that current design rules properly assess the 

load-bearing capacity of structures after long-term use. 


Shear band propagation in soils as a 

mechanism of tsunamigenic landslides 

Via physical tests an analytical model has 

been validated which provides an approach 

to calculate initial landslide velocity of sub- 

merged tsunamigenic landslides. 

by E. Saurer, A. M. Puzrin / IGT 

Conventional geotechnical methods to analyze the failure 

mechanisms of submerged slides tend to underestimate 

the real height of the resulting tsunami wave. In this 

study, an approach has been developed, which includes 

dynamic analysis of the landslide mechanism. This approach 

accounts for an initial landslide velocity, which justifies 

larger tsunami wave height predictions. 

The analytical model is based on the phenomenon of progressive 

and catastrophic shear band propagation in soils 

and on the energy balance approach from fracture mechanics. 

In order to validate this model, the rate of the 

progressive shear band propagation has been studied using 

physical trapdoor- and shear-blade tests and compared 

to the analytical solution (Fig. 5a, 5b). 

When applied to the dynamic process of catastrophic shear 

band propagation in slides, this energy balance approach 

allowed for an analytical solution for the initial landslide 

velocity to be derived (Fig. 6a). 

Application of the obtained analytical solution to historic 

and recent submerged landslides, such as the Weggis slide 

in Lake Lucerne (Fig. 6b), confirmed that this approach is an 

appropriate tool to explain more realistic tsunami wave 

heights.

Fig. 1: Terminal B, Zurich International Airport, shortly before 

refurbishment. 

Fig 3: Test preparation (fixing of measuring devices) at the bottom 

side of the profiled steel sheeting. 

a b 

Infrastructure Systems / Resources ▪ Highlights 

Fig. 2: Large-scale in situ tests on composite slabs with profiled 

steel sheeting – Testing procedure and test set-up. 

Fig 4: In situ tests on composite slabs with profiled steel sheeting 

– Top view cantilever beam test. 

Fig. 5a + 5b: Experiment (a) and analytical model (b) of the shear band propagation in shear-blade test. 

a b 

Abb. 6a + 6b: (a) Analytical model for the calculation of the initial slide velocity in a submerged landslide; (b) Weggis slide (from 

Strasser, Diss. ETH 17285, 2008). 


Highlights ▪ Resources 

Flood control measures at the “Kleine 

Emme” River 

Physical experiments on drift wood retention 

at the‘Kleine Emme’River near Malters, 

Canton Lucerne. 

The 2005 flood event caused large damages in many regions 

in Switzerland and so in the area of the Kleine Emme 

River. Initiated by this event, a combined approach including 

hydro power production and drift wood retention with 

a diversion channel and a drift wood rack (Fig. 1) for the 

Malters river stretch at the Kleine Emme has been projected. 

The Canton Lucerne has assigned the VAW to test 

and optimize the given configuration with the help of a 

physical model on a 1:50 scale with focus on flood protection 

aspects and the efficiency of the drift wood retention. 

The experiments showed that, with the given configuration, 

the intended efficiency of 50 % of retained drift wood 

can be achieved; however, certain flood protection aspects 

were not fulfilled.To improve the situation, a new concept 

regarding the direction of the approach flow towards the 

drift wood rack (parallel instead of frontal approach flow) 

(Fig. 2) has been tested.The parallel approach flow in combination 

with an area of recirculating flow, led to the same 

efficiency of retained drift wood, plus strongly improved 

flood safety conditions.This improvement can be explained 

by a reduced tendency of the drift wood for piling up in 

front of the drift wood rack with parallel approach flow, 

leading to reduced backwater effects. 

The final design includes a second drift wood rack downstream 

of the first one, which increases the drift wood retention 

efficiency by approximately 10 %, resulting in a total 

retention efficiency of roughly 2/3 of the oncoming 

drift wood. 


Flood protection project “Linth 2000” 

Hybrid modelling of a spillway to prevent 

dam breaks at the Linth Canal. 

by S. Tamagni, V. Weitbrecht / VAW by P. Seitz, Th. Berchtold, V. Weitbrecht, D. Vetsch / VAW 

Since river engineering and flood protection concepts are 

designed to work properly not only under design conditions, 

but as well for the overload scenario, the flood protection 

project “Linth 2000” is investigated at the VAW using 

a hybrid modelling approach, where physical and 

numerical experiments are combined. A regulated overfall 

weir in an 800 m long newly built local river widening is 

planned to limit the downstream discharge in the Linth 

Canal. The spillway is designed to reduce the peak flow of 

500 m 3 /s in the canal to a maximum of 420 m 3 /s. The 

mean discharge in the Linth Canal is about 54.6 m 3 /s. 

In the laboratory, the physical model on a 1:30 scale covers 

90 m 2 . It includes parts of the local widening, the spillway 

and the runoff in the stream course downstream of the 

spillway (Fig. 3). 

To assess upstream boundary conditions for the physical 

model, numerical simulations are performed covering a 

larger flow domain up- and downstream of the local 

widening (Fig. 3). In the numerical model, the water levels, 

the bed shear stress and the averaged flow velocities are 

calculated for several flood scenarios. In the physical model, 

the functionality of the spillway and the riverbed stability 

are tested. For the numerical computations, the modular 

software BASEMENT that has been developed at VAW is 

used.

1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

7 

8 

9 

main weir 

powerhouse 

drift wood weir 

stilling basin 

drift wood rack 

drop 

unregulated lateral weir 

local widening 

drift wood retention area 

Fig. 1: Initial configuration for the drift wood retention project at the Kleine Emme River near Malters. 

dam 

constant bed level 

drift wood rack with 

parallel approach flow 

Fig. 3: Perimeter of the numerical model (contour coloured topography) and of the physical model (black lines). 

8 

Resources ▪ Highlights 

Fig. 2: View of the adapted configuration of the drift wood retention area with parallel approach flow towards the drift wood rack 

(view against flow direction). 

1 

stilling basin downstream sill 

pier 

drop behind the rack 

7 

3 

2 

sill 

4 

block ramp 

5 

9 

6 

guiding wall 


Highlights ▪ Resources 

Bacterial biofilms develop 

heterogeneous structures 

Biofilms can be used in biological treatment 

processes to degrade contaminants. 

by E. Morgenroth / IfU + Eawag; K. Milferstedt / INRA LBE, 

Narbonne, France; N. Derlon / Eawag 

Bacteria in biofilms excrete a sticky polymeric matrix composed 

of polysaccharides, proteins, and extracellular DNA. 

This polymeric matrix allows the biofilm to remain attached 

to solid surfaces and protects the bacteria living inside the 

biofilm from the environment. This protection makes it difficult 

to remove unwanted biofilms, using disinfectants or 

cleaning agents in dental hygiene, on heat exchangers, and 

in drinking water distribution networks. In biological wastewater 

treatment we are developing reactors that take advantage 

of biofilms to degrade contaminants. Biofilm performance 

and persistence is closely linked to biofilm 

structure. We have developed an imaging technique and 

quantitative image analysis to monitor large-scale and longterm 

development of biofilm structures over time. 

In controlled growth experiments we initially observed the 

development of a homogeneous and steadily growing 

biofilm. When a critical biofilm thickness is reached, detachment 

occurs, reducing the stability of the remaining 

biofilm, resulting in subsequent random large scale detachment 

events that are no longer correlated to biofilm thickness. 

Our results provide first indications of developmental 

succession cycles initiated by sloughing of large amounts of 

biomass. While microscale development of biofilms (Fig. 1a, 

1b, 1c) is highly dynamic and unpredictable, the macroscale 

performance of biofilm reactors (Fig. 1e) is usually quite stable 

and can be well controlled.We are continuing to develop 

novel imaging techniques that allow us to monitor biofilm 

dynamics at relevant length and time scales (Fig. 2). 

Note: The majority of this work has been performed at the 

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign supported by a 

CAREER award to Eberhard Morgenroth from the National 

Science Foundation under grant No. BES-0134104. Figures 

are from Morgenroth, E. and Milferstedt, K. (2009) Reviews in 

Environmental Science and Biotechnology, 8 (3), 203-208. 


Turbulence and interfaces 

Laboratory experiments and numerical 

simulations reveal the nature of interfaces 

at the boundary of turbulent flow regions. 

by M. Holzner, B. Lüthi, W. Kinzelbach / IfU 

Sharp and strongly contorted interfaces are known to exist 

at the boundary of clouds, smoke plumes, volcanic eruptions, 

etc., which separate the turbulent flow from the irrotational 

ambient flow regions.These interfaces fluctuate 

vigorously on a wide spectrum of scales and are associated 

with entrainment and mixing of ambient fluid into the turbulent 

flow regions. Fundamental understanding of these 

processes is important, e.g., for the improvement of models 

for the dispersion of contaminants in the atmosphere. 

We conducted experiments by using 3D particle tracking 

velocimetry, a method that allows measuring in 3D the velocity 

of tracer particles that are passively advected by the 

flow.The unsteady turbulent flow of the experiment which 

had no mean shear and a small Reynolds number, Re λ = 50, 

was also simulated via direct numerical simulations. We 

measured that the local entrainment velocity, u a, scales 

with the smallest velocity scale of the flow, namely, the Kolmogorov 

velocity, uη. (Fig. 3) shows a snapshot of the spatial 

distribution of the magnitude of u a over the interface 

between turbulent and non-turbulent regions. On the 

other hand, globally, the interface propagates with a velocity 

u e, that is on the order of the integral velocity scale. 

We reconcile the two at first conflicting observations by 

showing that the interface area is strongly deformed by 

the turbulent eddies to account for the same global entrainment 

flux with a small characteristic velocity. The 

measured ratio between the integrated local and the 

global entrainment flux is close to unity, Q η./Q 0=1±5%. 

(Fig. 3) also shows qualitatively that the magnitude of ua, 

depends on the large-scale shape of the interface, being 

higher at the top of outward facing billows and smaller on 

their sides and inside the crests. Small- and large-scale 

features hence appear to strongly depend on each other.

Resources ▪ Highlights 

Fig. 1: Biofilm development can be characterized using different length scales: (a) Different types of microbial cells are distributed 

heterogeneously in different colonies (microscale), (b) internal pores and channels within the biofilm matrix can allow for limited 

advective flow inside the biofilm (micro- or mesoscale), (c) patchy distribution of biofilm clusters over the biofilm substratum (mesoscale), 

(d) heterogeneous distribution of biofilm within the overall system of an annular reactor in research (macroscale) and (e) 

in a rotating biological contactor as example for full-scale biofilm reactors (macroscale) (Photo: Siemens). 

Fig. 2: Experimental systems and biofilm reactors are characterized 

by length and time scales. Three time scales can be differentiated: 

Initial attachment (minutes – hours), initial biofilm 

development (days), growth, detachment, re-growth, maturation 

(weeks, months, years). Research relevant to biofilm reactors 

must integrate micro-, meso-, and macroscale and must evaluate 

long-term biofilm development. 

Fig. 3: The local entrainment velocity, u a , normalized by the Kolmogorov velocity, u η , is rendered over the turbulence interface visualized by 

using an isosurface of enstrophy, where the isolevel, c ω² , normalized by the mean enstrophy in the turbulent region is cω² / = 10 -3 . 


Highlights ▪ Geo-, Structural- and Environmental Data 

Gornergletscher and Gornersee Simulation of geodynamic processes 

‘Icequakes’: Seismic activity on Gornerglet- 

scher during Gornersee outburst floods. 

During the summers 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2007, the Laboratory 

of Hydraulics, Hydrology and Glaciology (VAW) installed 

high-density seismometer networks on Gornergletscher 

in order to study the yearly drainages of the 

nearby ice-marginal lake Gornersee. Among the record of 

the nearly 200,000 'icequakes' most seismic events are 

consequences of crevasse opening near the surface.This is 

supported by moment tensor inversions which show that 

source mechanisms are generally tensile dislocations. 

However, we also identified about one dozen of near-surface 

icequakes whose moment tensors represent solid evidence 

for shear fracturing within alpine glacier ice. Icequakes 

near the glacier bed or at intermediate depths 

make up only a small fraction of the recorded events.Their 

source mechanisms are generally tensile dislocations, as indicated 

by a detailed analysis of several icequake clusters. 

Qualitative waveform characteristics indicate that other 

basal icequake sources may also exist. 

Subglacial water pressure beneath Gornergletscher is 

strongly influenced by the daily surface melt cycle and the 

drainage of Gornersee.We analyzed how subglacial water 

pressure influences basal fracturing by comparing the activity 

of basal icequakes to fluctuations in the water table 

in boreholes drilled to the glacier bed. The results show 

that basal icequakes occur mainly during low or falling 

water pressure periods (Fig. 1). This indicates that basal 

fracturing occurs when the glacier couples to its bed after 

periods of water-enhanced basal sliding. 


Geodetic measurements provide impor- 

tant boundary conditions for the simula- 

tion of geodynamic processes. 

by Fabian Walter / VAW by M.D. Müller, A. Geiger, H.-G. Kahle / IGP 

The understanding of geodynamic processes such as the 

deformation of the Earth's crust along plate boundaries is 

of great importance for seismic hazard analysis. Stress accumulation 

in the lithosphere and related deformations 

depend on a multitude of geophysical parameters. Many of 

them are not directly measurable and therefore only approximately 

determined. 

Numerical simulation enables the reverse engineering of 

geodynamic processes and their calculation for a well-defined 

parameter range. A comparison of developed models 

and used parameters with geodetic and geologic observations 

yields a plausibility assessment. 

For the seismically very active region of the Eastern 

Mediterranean and especially for Greece GPS measurements 

provide detailed information about recent crustal 

deformations. Additionally, seismic and geologic observations 

are available. Using the Finite Elements method it is 

attempted to develop tectonic models in such a way that 

their kinematic patterns concur with existing observations. 

First models incorporate only the most active seismotectonic 

structures.They yield promising results and are going 

to be improved in an iterative process (Fig. 2, 3).

Geo-, Structural- and Environmental Data ▪ Highlights 

Fig. 1: Subglacial water pressure (black solid line) and basal icequakes (red squares) beneath Gornergletscher. In 2004 (left) a major 

lake drainage maintained high subglacial water pressures for several days. In 2006 (right) the pressure perturbation was rather 

minor, as a surface drainage produced only small discharge. 

Fig. 2: The North Aegean Trough (NAT) is one of the most active 

seismo-tectonic structures in Greece. According to GPS measurements 

the differential velocity across the NAT diminishes towards 

its western termination. In Figure 1a section of a Finite Elements 

model developed for the North Aegean sea is shown. The colour 

scheme corresponds to the calculated continuous dislocation field 

of this region. The red line indicates the location of the NAT. 

Fig. 3: : Residuals of motion as calculated with the Finite Elements 

method are shown with respect to a recent GPS velocity solution 

(red arrows). The red line indicates the location of the NAT. 


Highlights ▪ Geo-, Structural- and Environmental Data 

Alignment of the future 50 km Compact 

LInear Collider (CLIC) at CERN 

What is horizontal ? High-precision deter- 

mination of the geoid over short distances. 

Although the world’s largest particle accelerator, the LHC 

(Large Hadron Collider) at the European Organisation for 

Nuclear Research (CERN), has started its operation only 

very recently, the next generation of accelerators is already 

under intensive study.The CERN explores the feasibility of 

a new electron-positron linear collider of 50 km length 

called CLIC (Compact LInear Collider). One of the biggest 

technological challenges is the alignment of all components 

accelerating and steering the particle beam in a 

straight line. In fact, these elements must be aligned with 

a relative accuracy of 10 microns per 200 meters (compared 

to 0.1 mm per 100 meters for the LHC). 

For the vertical component a solution based on a hydrostatic 

leveling system (HLS) is under study giving promising 

results. Nevertheless, this technique is limited, amongst 

others, by the reference of the static water. In fact, the 

equilibrium state of static water does not coincide with a 

straight line, but matches the instantaneous equipotential 

surface of the gravity field, the geoid, which depends on 

the inhomogeneous density distribution in the vicinity. In 

other words, the geoid has to be determined with an accuracy 

of better than 10 microns per 200 meters, if instruments 

depending on gravity (such as the HLS) are used. 

In order to study the feasibility of this geoid determination, 

extremely dense measurements of the acceleration of gravity 

and the astro-geodetic deflection of the vertical are carried 

out at the surface and inside a straight tunnel of 850 

metres lengths at a depth of 100 m.The gravity acceleration 

is measured by the new gravimeter CG-5 with a resolution of 

one billionth of the Earth’s acceleration (g ≈ 9.81 m/s 2 ). The 

deflection of the vertical is determined with an accuracy of 

better than 0.1 arc second by the astro-geodetic system DI- 

ADEM developed at IGP. The combination of these measurements 

with geological information will be the basis to assess 

the variations in the gravity field over such short 

distances. 


Interactive Design of World Map 

Projections 

A new software-based approach to the 

design of projections for world maps. 

by S. Guillaume, B. Bürki / IGP von B. Jenny, L. Hurni / IKA 

The design of new map projections has until now required 

mathematical expertise that has limited this activity to a 

small group of specialists. The Institute of Cartography 

developed a new software-based method, enabling cartographers 

to easily design new world map projections. 

A new projection is designed interactively in an iterative 

process, which allows the designer to graphically and numerically 

assess the representation of the continents and 

the graticule (the network of lines of latitude and longitude 

upon which a map is drawn). 

The devised concepts were implemented in Flex Projector, 

a specialised free and open-source software application for 

the design of new world map projections. It enables users 

to quickly create new map projections and modify or combine 

existing projections. Flex Projector also offers complementary 

visualisations and numerical evaluation methods 

that illustrate the distribution and amount of the 

inevitable areal and angular distortion and help the projection 

designer optimize a projection. Flex Projector was 

used to create various new map projections, for example 

the Natural Earth projection (Fig. 3), which is a pseudocylindrical 

projection with a balanced appearance of major 

landmasses. It was decided to give the corners, where 

the pole lines and bounding meridians meet, a rounded appearance. 

The rounded corners suggest that the projection 

represents a spherical earth, and reduce the size of polar areas, 

thereby reducing the areal exaggeration of Antarctica.

Geo-, Structural- and Environmental Data ▪ Highlights 

Fig. 1: The Digital Astro-geodetic Deflection Measuring system 

(DIADEM) is composed of a 1000 mm telescope, a 

2184x1472 pixel CCD camera, a digital focuser, 6 ultra-precise 

tiltmeters, a GPS receiver, 2 computers, and 8 digitally 

steered DC motors. 

Fig. 2: The complete measurement system, ready to be deployed 

in difficult field areas. 

Fig. 3: The new pseudo-cylindrical Natural Earth projection, designed with the Flex Projector software application. 


Highlights ▪ Geo-, Structural- and Environmental Data / Highlights ▪ High-Tech Measuring Systems 

The Web-Based 

Swiss World Atlas interactive 

Development of future-oriented teaching 

material for modern geographic education. 

by Ch. Häberling, H. Bär, J. Cron, Ph. Marty, L. Hurni / IKA 

The Swiss World Atlas is the most widespread printed 

school atlas in Switzerland and commercially very successful. 

Since its first publication almost one hundred years 

ago, it was entirely and partially revised several times. The 

next edition will also comprise an up-to-date atlas information 

system. By projecting the atlas maps as wall maps 

or using them as an individual teaching aid, the screen visualizations 

offer a broad range of interactive applications. 

Besides classic orthogonal map representations (Fig. 1) the 

Swiss World Atlas interactive also consists of virtual globes 

and interactive block diagrams. The screen-optimized visualisations 

offer a high standard functionality like layer management 

or search tools. 

With the aid of a special texture mapping method, the virtual 

globe module is able to display satellite images as well 

as physical and thematic global maps (Fig. 2). With the integrated 

block diagrams depicting regionally and topographically 

interesting landscape models – a novelty among 

interactive school atlases – the students learn to better interpret 

contour lines and distinctive landforms (Fig. 3). Additionally 

developed visualization tools showing the revolution 

of the earth around the sun (Fig. 4) sharpen the 

spatial thinking of the students. All those representations 

are accessible by a functional and easy-to-handle graphical 

user interface. 

After finishing the prototype test phase a beta version will 

be available in June 2010.The official publication of the first 

edition of the SwissWorld Atlas interactive is planned in October 

2010 (www.swissworldatlas.ch). 


Air invasion structure 

Visualization of air injection into liquid- 

saturated 3D porous media. 

by X.-Z. Kong, M. Holzner, W. Kinzelbach, F. Stauffer / IfU 

The study of gas movement following injection into liquid-saturated 

movable porous media is an active area of investigation 

for theoretical and practical reasons,involving remediation,biological 

processes, aeration of filters, and others. Practically, 

most issues involve three-dimensional (3D) systems and therefore 

a corresponding detailed description in three spatial dimensions 

is extremely important for a full characterization of 

the phenomena occurring. 

Airinjectionpatternswereinvestigatedinfully3Dlaboratoryexperiments 

under gravity effects.Using the technique of refractive 

index matching between the porous medium (crushed silica 

glass) and the liquid phase (a glycerine-water solution), the 

air flow patterns are visualized in a non-intrusive way by tomographic 

laser sheet scanning (Fig. 5).While grains and fluid 

are completely transparent,air bubbles show by their very clear 

contrast. By using this technique, a series of preliminary laboratory 

experiments were performed in a box of the size 20 cm 

× 20 cm × 30 cm using silica glass grains of size 1.0-1.6 mm as 

granularmaterial.Aftersubsequent imageprocessingof the2D 

slices obtained in a linear sweep of the box, a 3D dynamic air 

flow pattern (Fig.6) appears,allowing a quantitative analysis of 

the air flow dynamics on pore-scale.The temporal resolution of 

the present configuration is 0.1 s,and the spatial resolution is 0.1 

mm in plane and about 1 mm out of plane of the laser sheet . 

In (Fig. 6),we can see that the invasion structure shows a fragmentation 

behavior for small injection rates.Once the air bubble 

elongates to a certain length, fragmentation occurs. This 

means that discrete air clusters are driven by their own buoyancy.

Fig. 1: Section of a topographic atlas 

map of the Moutier Gorge (Switzerland). 

Fig. 2: Interactive virtual globe draped 

with a thematic representation showing 

the global atmospheric pressure and 

main wind directions. 

High-Tech Measuring Systems ▪ Highlights 

Fig. 3: Block diagram showing a digital terrain 

model of the Moutier Gorge (Switzerland). 

Fig. 4: Dynamic visualisation tool showing the revolution of the earth around the sun combined with an interactive chart to explain 

the seasonal daylight pattern. 

Fig. 5: Experimental configuration in the laboratory: the laser beam is expanded 

and thinned to a light sheet, then scanned through the observation volume 

via the rotation of an eight-faced prism. 

Fig. 6: Images of the air invasion structure in the 

porous medium at times, from left to right, 2 s, 4 s, 

6 s, and 8 s. The height of the packing is 157 mm. 

The air flow rate is 8.25 ml/min. 


Highlights ▪ High-Tech Measuring Systems 

Material Research on Game Consoles 

First they conquered the playrooms of our chil- 

dren, now they are about to change computa- 

tional sciences. 

by K. Kovacs, F.K. Wittel, H.J. Herrmann / IfB 

Game consoles and so called Graphics Processing Units (GPUs) 

from high performance graphic cards promise an extreme performance 

leap for numeric simulations.Today the way we program 

numerical models and run our simulations is changing 

rapidly.Thereasoncanbefoundinprocessors(CPU),that require 

more complicated cooling concepts due to increase in clock 

frequency.To deal with this matter,frequencies were reduced in 

the last years and several processors,so called multi cores were 

integrated on one chip. CPUs under development will work 

with up to 64 cores and graphic cards already today work with 

up to512simpleprocessors that share thesamememoryonone 

GPU.The theoretical increase in performance of simple integer 

operationscompared tosinglecoreCPUsisup toafactorof200 

at a fraction of the energy.To be able to use such processors efficiently, 

software needs to be tailored to the architecture. Cell 

CPUs, that are the heart of the PlayStation3, are a promising 

compromise between CPUs and the cumbersome to program 

GPUs. 

To meet the challenges of high performance simulations on 

modernsharedmemory architectures,investments infast cluster 

solutions are essential.By extending our cluster to 456 cores 

with a total of 1.2TB memory,a peak performance of around 5- 

6 TFlops, fast 40GB/s interlink and a parallel file system with 

35TB,wearenowable tomeet ourneeds.Themultitudeofchallenging 

numerical approaches used to simulate building materials 

was awarded recently by an “IBM Faculty Award”. With 

this award,support in form of cell blade hardware and expertise 

from developers is granted to facilitate the implementation 

of our simulation programs to the cell blade architecture (Fig.1). 

Using this technology we can expect to run significantly larger 

simulationsup to10 times faster at 70% energy reductioncompared 

to the newest multi-core processors. 


Rockglacier monitoring with low-cost GPS: 

Case study on the Dirru glacier, Mattertal 

Is it possible to detect smallest move- 

ments by low-cost GPS receivers? 

by P. Limpach, A. Geiger, M. Rothacher / IGP 

This question shall be answered by a pilot project on the Dirru 

rockglacier in the Mattertal,where a test network for GPS monitoring 

has been installed in June 2009 (Fig.1a).The goal of the 

test network is to investigate the potential of low-cost GPS receiversfortheprecisemonitoringofslopeinstabilitiesinmountainous 

areas, in order to strengthen the understanding of 

processeslinked to permafrost-related slope instabilities and to 

enhance existing monitoring and early-warning systems. The 

test site was selected by the Alpine Cryosphere and Geomorphology 

research group of the University of Fribourg and the 

Swiss Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN),based on displacements 

detected by SAR interferometry and periodic GPS 

surveys.This study is financially supported by FOEN. 

The GPS test network consistsof three permanent GPSstations 

(Fig. 2a):one reference station (REFD) outside the instable area 

and twostations(DIR2 andDIR3)on the movingrockglacier.The 

three stations are equipped with low-cost single-frequency (L1) 

GPSreceiversbySwissmanufacturerµ-bloxandpoweredbysolar 

panels (Fig. 2b).The GPS data processing is based on differential 

carrier phase techniques.The low-cost GPS system provides 

continuous observations of surface motions with 

centimeter accuracy. It allowed to reliably observe station displacementsof2.5cm/day,whichsummedup 

to3mover theobservation 

period of 4 months (Fig.2c).

High-Tech Measuring Systems ▪ Highlights 

Fig. 1: Part of the new compute cluster, based on Intel new Nehalem architecture. The inset shows one blade (IBM HS22) in detail, 

with passive heat sinks. 

Fig. 2: (a) GPS test network on the Dirru rockglacier, with three permanent GPS stations. The yellow dashed line delimits the rockglacier 

area. (b) GPS station installed on the rockglacier, including (from right to left) GPS antenna, solar panel and instrument box containing 

GPS receiver and battery. (c) Time series of horizontal displacements of GPS stations DIR2 (green) and DIR3 (blue), from June 

12th to October 14th 2009 (4 months). 


Highlights ▪ High-Tech Measuring Systems 

GPS as Rotational Sensor 

Can GPS be used to estimate the orientation 

and rotational velocity of the antenna? 

by S. Häberling, A. Geiger / IGP 

To this day, the satellite-based navigation systems such as the 

Global Postioning System (GPS) are mainly used for positioning 

applications. An additional method to retrieve 3D rotation anglesfrommeasurementswithasingleGPSantennainreal-time 

was demonstrated by a master thesis.This information about 

the angular velocities and the full 3D rotation in addition to the 

position would enlarge the applicability of GPS in machine control 

and air navigation. 

The method is using the properties of the circularly polarized 

electromagnetic waves that are transmitted by the GPS satellites. 

The rotation of the receiver antenna relative to the satellite 

antenna generates a phase shift called “phase wind-up” 

(Fig.1).Depending on the type of rotation and on the elevation 

angleof theincomingsignal thisphaseshift,measuredfromdifferentsatellites,allows 

thedescriptionof thefull3Dantennarotation. 

For the detection of small phase shifts in GPS raw data it is necessary 

to build a linear combination between signals with different 

frequencies to eliminate error sources. After a statistical 

signal processing with appropriate filtering the results indicate 

that minimalrotationalvelocitiesof3–3.5°/saresignificantlydetected 

depending on time of day (e.g.ionosphere) and satellite 

constellation.Thealgorithmdevelopedfor thedeterminationof 

the full 3D rotation generates stable solutions.This was verified 

by simulations and real measurements (Fig.2). 


Fig. 1: A simplified schematic illustration of an incoming circularly 

polarized electromagnetic wave. Due to the rotation of the 

GPS antenna (blue to red) an angle (phase shift Δφ) occurs between 

the two dipole vectors (dashed). They can be described as 

a projection from the polarization plane (grey) onto the antenna 

plane. 

Fig. 2: Measurement setup with the rotation simulator and the 

mounted GPS antenna.

Organisation Chart D-BAUG 

Institutes (Date: January 1, 2010) 

Facts & Figures 2009 

IBB Institute for Construction Engineering and Management 

Prof. 

B. Adey 

Prof. 

G. Girmscheid 

Prof. 

H. Wallbaum (AP) 

IBK Institute of Structural Engineering 

Prof. 

M.H. Faber 


Curriculum Committee 

Departmental 

Administration, Offices 

Institutes 

Prof. 

M. Fontana 

Prof. 

P. Marti 

Department Conference 


IBB Construction Engineering and Management 

IBK Structural Engineering 

IfB Building Materials 

IfU Environmental Engineering 

IGP Geodesy and Photogrammetry 

IGT Geotechnical Engeneering 

IKA Cartography 

IRL Spatial and Landscape Planning 

IVT Transport Planning and Systems 

VAW Hydraulics, Hydrology and Glaciology 

Prof. 

T. Vogel 

Institute Directors Conference 

Conference on Examinations 

Laboratories, 

Workshops 

Curricula 

Prof. 

A. Dazio (AP) 

Civil Engineering (CE) 

Environmental Engineering (EE) 

Facts and Figures 

Geomatic Engineering and Planning (GP) 

Spatial Development & 

Infrastructure Systems (SDIS) 



IfB Institute for Building Materials 

Prof. 

H.J. Herrmann 

Prof. 

J.G.M. van Mier 


Prof. 

B. Elsener (TP) 

IfU Institute of Environmental Engineering 

Prof. 

P. Burlando 

Prof. 

E. Morgenroth 

Prof. 

P. Niemz (TP) 

IGP Institute of Geodesy and Photogrammetry 

Prof. 

H. Ingensand 

Prof. 

M. Rothacher 

IGT Institute for Geotechnical Engineering IKA Institute of Cartography 

Prof. 

G. Anagnostou 

Prof. 

A. Puzrin 

IRL Institute of Spatial and 

Landscape Planning 

Prof. 

B. Scholl 

Prof. 

A. Grêt-Regamey 

Prof. 

S.M.Springman 

VAW Laboratory of Hydraulics, Hydrology and Glaciology 

Prof. 

R. Boes 

Prof. 

W. Gujer 

Prof. 

F. Stauffer (TP) 

Prof. 

M. Funk (TP) 

Prof. 

I. Hajnsek 

Prof. 

W. Hager (TP) 

Prof. 

S. Hellweg 

Prof. 

F. Siegrist (TP; EAWAG) 

Prof. 

L. Hurni 

IVT Institute of Transport Planning and Systems 

Prof. 

K.W. Axhausen 

Prof. 

W. Kinzelbach 

Prof. 

U. Weidmann 

Prof. 

H.P. Lindenmann 

(TP) 

Prof. 

A. Geiger (TP) 

Prof. 

P. Spacek 

(TP) 

(AP) = Assistant Professor 

(TP) = Titular Professor

Faculty 

Retirements and Demissions: 

Prof. Hans-Gert Kahle Mathematical and Physical Geodesy Jan 2009 

Prof. Armin Grün Photogrammetry and Opical Remote Sensing July 2009 

Prof. Hans-Rudolf Schalcher Construction Planning and Management July 2009 

Prof. Jan G.M. van Mier Building Materials Dec 2009 

Appointments: 

Prof. Markus Rothacher Mathematical and Physical Geodesy Jan 2009 

Prof. Robert Boes Hydraulic Structures Feb 2009 

Prof. Eberhard Morgenroth Process Engineering in Urban Water Management Aug 2009 

Prof. Irena Hajnsek Earth Observation Nov 2009 

Prof. Brian Adey Infrastructure Management Jan 2010 

Students D-BAUG (Date: November 3, 2009) 

Staff D-BAUG (in capita; ETH and Third Party Funding; Date: End of December 2009) 

P AP TP Senior 

Scientist 

Senior 

Assistant 

BSc MSc 1) Total 

Senior Technical Staff 

(incl. ICT) 

Doctoral 

Students 

Admin. Staff Apprentices 


Curricula ♂ ♀ ♂ ♀ ♂ ♀ T ♂ ♀ T T 

Civil Engineering 373 81 102 28 475 109 584 112 26 138 

Environmental Engineering 132 67 66 42 198 109 307 25 8 33 


Staff total 

(capita) 

24 2 9 6 44 277 65 44 4 475 

Dissertations 

Geomatic Engineering & Planning 2) 46 14 27 10 73 24 97 26 7 33 

Spatial Development and 

Infrastructure Systems 

26 13 26 13 39 

Total 551 162 221 93 772 255 1027 163 41 204 38 

1) Without Guest and Mobility Students 

2) Including SDIS for PhD Students 

P = Professor 

AP = Assistant Professor 

TP = Titular Professor 

SA = Senior Assistant 

Scientific Staff = Doctoral students, Post-Docs, Assistants 

Figures without Student Assistants, Hourly Wage Employees, Trainees,“occupied Workplaces” 



Master of Advanced Studies (MAS), Certificate of Advanced Studies (CAS), Courses 

Workshops, Symposia, Congresses 


Institute Title 

MAS ETH IBK / HazNETH Natural Hazards Management 

MAS ETH IfU Sustainable Water Resources 

MAS ETH IRL / IVT / NSL Spatial Planning 

MAS EPFL EPFL + VAW / IfU Hydraulic Engineering 

CAS ETH IBK / IVT et al. Risk and Safety of Technical Systems (responsible body: D-MAVT) 

CAS ETH IGP / IKA Spatial Information Systems 

CAS ETH IRL / NSL Spatial Development 

CAS, HTA Luzern IBK Seismic design, HTA Luzern 

PhD Programme IRL International PhD Program 'Perspectives of Spatial Development in European Metropolitan 

Regions' 

Postgraduate Course IBB 3rd International Summer School for Sustainable Construction 

Course IBB Management in Construction Firms 

Kurs IBB Research Methodology in Construction Management 

Course IBK Earthquake Engineering and Structural Dynamics, invited Contribution on Displacement 

Based Methods in Earthquake Engineering, Austrian Standards, Vienna, Austria 

Course IBK Fundamentals of Seismic Design, ROSE School, Pavia Italia 

Course IBK Seismic Design of Building Structures, University of Stellenbosch, South Africa 

Course IBK / BFH Fire Safety in Timber Structures, Research Aspects 

Course IGP / IKA Efficient Work with VBA (Visual Basic for Applications) 

Course IGP / IKA From GIS Data to Interactive Web Map 

Course IGP / IKA Introduction to INTERLIS (basic and advanced training course) 

Course IGP / IKA Introduction to Photogrammetry, Satellite Optical Remote Sensing, Airborne Laser Scanning 

Course IGP / IKA Model Based Integration of Spatial Data in GIS as Key to their Use 

Course IGP / IKA Open Source GIS with GRASS and Quantum GIS 

Course IVT / VSS / bfu Safety Audits for Transport Projects 

Course IVT Estimation and Implementation of Decision Models 

Course IGP Introduction to Java for the GIS Development 

E-Learning IGT GEOTip - Geotechnical Information Platform (former CALICE): Soil Mechanic 

E-Learning IKA / IRL / et al. GITTA - Geographic Information Technology Training Alliance 

E-Learning IKA / UniZH / FHNW CartouCHe - Cartography for Swiss Higher Education 

Date (in 2009) Event Institute Topic 

15 January Symposium IfU Quality Oriented Groundwater Management 

22 - 23 January Congress IBB LIVING LAB - Design Study for a EU Research Infrastructure to research Human Interaction with, 

and Stimulate the Adoption of, Sustainable, Smart and Healthy Innovations Around the Home 

24 - 25 January Workshop IfB 'Rencontre de Physique Statistique' 

26 - 29 January Congress ETH / MIT / 

Uni Tokyo / 

Chalmers 

Annual Meeting 2009, Alliance for Global Sustainability 

27 January Workshop IRL Landscape and Renewable Energy 

29 January Workshop IRL Sustainability economic hubs - from Masdar in Abu Dhabi to a Swiss hub in Dübendorf 

9 - 13 February Workshop IGT Qualitative and Quantitative Analysis of Clay Minerals 

10 February Workshop IGP Satellite-Based Photogrammetry 

11 - 13 February Meeting IVT RailZurich2009: 3rd International Seminar on Railway Operations Modelling and Analysis 

17 February Seminar IVT / CCSS Telematics in Transportation 

18 - 20 February Symposium IRL Spaces and Projects of National Importance (SAPONI) 

22 - 27 February Workshop IfB / IGT From Shear Bands to Rapid Flow, Monte Verità, Ascona, CH 

25 - 28 February Workshop IGP 3D-Arch'2009, 3D Virtual Reconstruction and Visualization of Complex Architectures 

1 - 3 March Conference IRL Health and Recreation in Forest and Landscape 

3 March Colloquium VAW 'Kopswerk II - Modellversuche, numerische Simulationen und erste Betriebserfahrungen' 

10 March Colloquium IBK Inn Bridge Vulpera 

24 March Seminar IVT GSM Data for Transport Planning 

31 March Colloquium VAW 'Hochwasserschutz für das untere Mangfalltal: Eine integrale Lösung' 

2 April Symposium IBB PPP-School projects - Economic efficiency assessment 

3 / 6 April Workshop IKA From GIS & sensor data to Web maps, SANY (EU Project)

Workshops, Symposia, Congresses (cont.) 


7 April Colloquium IBK Hot-galvanising in steel construction 

21 - 24 April Meeting IVT MATSim Tutorial and User Meeting 2009 


22 - 24 April Meeting IVT D-A-CH EMS Conference 

22 - 25 April Conference IRL Advanced analysis of spatial multi-functionality to determine regional potenti als for 

renewable energies 

23 April Meeting IRL Space Plus, Mannheim 

24 April Symposium IGT SGBF 2009: Durchmesserlinie SBB Zürich 

28 April Colloquium VAW 'Hochwasserentlastungsstollen Lyssbach' 

30 April Symposium IGP Swiss Geodetic Commission, Spring Conference 

7 May Colloquium IGT 'Tunnelbau in druckhaftem Gebirge' 

7 May Seminar IVT How Does Accessibility Create Value? 

11 May Workshop IGP ESRI User Group of ETH Zurich 

13 - 16 May Congress IBK / IFED - 'Engineering Decision Making': viertes Forum - 'Long-term 

University Policy Makings for Sustainable Society', Hakone, Japan 

of Tokyo 

14 May Symposium IBB Contract award process by PPP 

19 May Colloquium VAW 'Alpenrhein, Rück- und Ausblick' 

26 May Colloquium IBK Stability in Steel Construction 

3 - 5 June Symposium IRL Higher Education in Spatial Planning (HESP) 

8 June Workshop IRL Airport Dübendorf, media information with workshop 

8 - 12 June Workshop IfB / IVT Coping with Crises in Complex Socio-Economic Systems 

9 June Workshop IRL Securing the Sustainable Provision of Ecosystem Services in the Alps and the Carpathians 

9 - 10 June Workshop IKA Design Workshop, 80 Days (EU Project) 

9 - 10 June Symposium IKA Internat. Cartographic Assoc. (ICA): 50th Anniversary, Celebration, Bern 

11 - 12 June Seminar IKA ICA Committee Meeting 

12 - 16 June Conference IRL IALE, Identifying the Regional Potential for Renewable Energy Using Ecosystem Services and 

Landscape Visualizations 

25 June Meeting IVT The Revolution of Automation - Impact on Tranportation and Society in the 20th and 21st Centuries 

29 June Colloquium IGP 45 Years in the Ivory Tower, Colloquium on Retirement of Prof. Armin Grün 

30 June Congress IBB Generating value for sustainable features of properties 

2 - 5 July Conference IGP Optical 3D Measurement Techniques 

7 July Seminar IVT Cities, Energy, Transportation 

16 July Symposium IRL / KIT Airport and Spatial Development 

2 - 3 August Conference IGP SPIE - Optics and Photonics, 'Videometrics, Range Imaging, and Applications X' 

19 August - 3 September Exhibition IGP Xaver Imfeld (1853-1909) - 'Meister der Alpentopografie' 

24 - 28 August Congress IBK / EMPA Research and Innovation in Building and Construction, Timber Structures, CIB-W18 

26 - 28 August Workshop IfU COST Experiments in Turbulence 

3 September Meeting IGP Geomatic Engineering with Tradition and Future, Anniversary Symposium at ETH Zurich to 

the 100th Obit of Xaver Imfeld 

4 September Symposium IfU Groundwater and More 

4 September Workshop IGP INSPIRE Data Harmonisation 

8 September Meeting IRL Landmanagement for a Sustainable Spatial Planning and Development 

10 - 11 September Meeting IBK 11th D-A-CH Conference, Earthquake and Masonry 

14 September Colloquium IfB Current Wood Research Questions 

17 - 19 September Congress IBB Construction Management Professorship Meeting - Teaching and Research 

21 - 22 September Workshop IBK / COST Actions TU0601 ('Robustness of Structures') und E55 ('Modelling of the Performance of 

University of 

Ljubljana 

Timber Structures'), Ljubljana, Slovenia 

22 September Colloquium VAW Perils of Glacier dammed Lakes 

23 September Seminar IVT Innovatiove Approaches for a Shift in Transalpine Freight Transport 

6 October Colloquium IBK MyZeil Frankfurt - 'Planung und Ausführung des avant-gardistischen Freiformdaches' 

14 - 18 October Conference IRL Dimensions of Ecology: from Global Change to Molecular Ecology, Linking 

Bayesian Networks to a GIS for ecosystem service management 

19 - 20 October Workshop IGP Airborne Laser Scanning Technology, Data Processing and Applications 

20 October Meeting D-BAUG Sponsor's event Excellence Scholarship Programme D-BAUG 

20 October Colloquium IBK Findings and Results of Earth Quake at L'Aquila on 6 April 2009 

20 October Colloquium VAW 'Geschiebeumleitstollen Solis: Bautechnische Herausforderungen im Bereich des Einlaufbauwerks' 

28 October Seminar IVT Freight Transport Models 



Workshops, Symposia, Congresses (cont.) 


2 - 6 November Workshop IRL How can cultural ecosystem services better be integrated into the concept of ecosystem services? 

3 November Colloquium IBK Melezza Bridge in Borgnone-Palagnedra 

5 - 6 November Symposium IGP AHORN 2009: Orientation, Navigation, Exchange in the Alpine Area 

6 November Colloquium IfB Physics and Reliablity of Wood and Wood Composites 

6 November Symposium IGT Autumn Meeting SGBG: Geotechnical Parameter and Coefficient 

12November Meeting IRL Geosuisse: Sustainable planning conditional on soil resources 

13 November Symposium IfU 39th LCA Discussion Forum, Regionalization in LCA 

13 November Seminar IVT Land Use Models 

13 November Conference IRL Ecosystem Services for Sustainable Planning 

17 November Colloquium VAW River Flows with Curvature 

17 November Colloquium IBK Sports Centre Mülimatt, Brugg 

19 - 20 November Symposium IRL / NSL Swiss Spatial Sciences Framework (SRF) 

24 - 25 November Meeting IVT / VöV / 

KöV / BAV 

Public Transport Forum Oberhofen 

26 November Workshop IRL Experiences with (participative) methods and integration of methods in spatial planning: 

Scenario workshop 

26 November Workshop IRL 3D Visualization for participative landscape development 

30 November Seminar IVT ETCS - History, State of the Art and Outlook 

2 December Seminar IVT Car Sharing in Japan 

3 December Seminar IVT Transportation Models between Planning Pretense and Methodological Advance 

10 December Colloquium IGT Urban Tunnelling 

10 - 13 December Workshop IfU Precipitation in Urban Areas 

11 - 12 December Workshop IGP / BKG Unified Analysis, Germany 

15 December Colloquium VAW Flood Water Protection Engelberg 

Honours 

Name Institute 

Prof. Dr. Fontana Mario IBK IABSE, Invited lecture Public Session, Bangkok 

Prof. Dr. Fontana Mario IBK Tokyo University of Science, Invited Lecture 

Prof. Dr. Grün Armin IGP RESGAT - Remote Sensing and GIS Ass. of Thailand, Dr. Boon Indrabarya Gold Medal 

Prof. Dr. Kinzelbach Wolfgang IfU Fellow of the American Geophysical Society 

Prof. Dr. Niemz Peter IfB Honorary Doctorate, the University of West Hungary, Sopron 

Prof. Dr. Niemz Peter IfB Nondestructive Testing and Evaluation of Wood Distinguished Service Award, confered by the 

International OC of the 'Nondestructive Testing and Evaluation of Wood' Symposium in Beijing 

Prof. Dr. Puzrin Alexander M. IGT 'Golden Owl VSETH 2009' - Excellence in Teaching in D-BAUG 

Prof. Dr. Springman Sarah M. IGT Fellow of the The Royal Academy of Engineering RAEng 

Dr. Akca Devrim IGP Carl Pulfrich Award 

Dr. Jenny Bernhard IKA CaGIS Scholarship Award at PhD Level 

Dr. Knobloch Markus IBK Tokyo University of Science, Invited Lecture 

Dr. Milzow Christian IfU Otto-Jaag-Prize for Protection of Waterbodies 

Dr. Staub Peter IGP Innovation Award e-geo.ch 

Dr. Weitbrecht Volker VAW ASCE Karl Hilgard Hydraulic Prize 

Aemisegger Franziska IfU Willi-Studer-Price; ETH-Medal; MSc Diploma with Distinction 

Anastasi Andrea IBK Culmann Award 

Bertsch Jonas IGP Geosuisse Award; MSc Diploma with Distinction 

Berweger Angelo IBK Culmann Award 

Braun Bernard IBK Culmann Award 

Coray Sandra IBK SIKA Award for excellent MSc Diploma Thesis 

Dalban-Canassy Pierre VAW Swiss Society for Snow, Ice and Permafrost, SEP-Award for Young Researchers, 3rd Best Presentation 

De Sanctis Gianluca IBK Culmann Award 

Dieterle Florian IGT Culmann Award 

Dürrenmatt David IfU DWA Award, 'Deutsche Vereinigung für Wasserwirtschaft, Abwasser und Abfall e.V.' 

Fehlmann Patrick IBK IABSE Photo Contest of Structures, 7th prize 

Gartmann Jürg VAW IM-Price for MSc Thesis 'Projektierung Kraftwerk Chlus', Ingegneria Maggia 


Honours (Forts.) 

Name Institute 


Haeberling Simon IGP Willi-Studer-Price; ETH-Medal; MSc Diploma with Distinction 

Imre Bernd IGT Best Presentation Award, International Conference 'From Shear Bands to Rapid Flow', Centro 

Stefano Franscini, Monte Verità, Ascona, CH 

Iten Michael IGT Young Researchers Award, Internat. Symposium, 'Prediction and Simulation Methods for Geohazard 

Mitigation', IS-Kyoto 

Kocher Lorenz IBK Culmann Award 

Minder Pascal Stefan IGT Willi-Studer-Price; ETH-Medal; MSc Diploma with Distinction 

Neuenschwander Martin IBK Culmann Award 

Riesen Patrick VAW Swiss Society for Snow, Ice and Permafrost, SEP-Award for Young Researchers, Best Presentation 

Rupf Michael IBK Culmann Award 

Schleifer Vanessa IBK Security Award 2009 VBSF 

Theiler Matthias IBK Culmann Award 

Verones Francesca IfU Geosuisse Award 

Villiger Sebastian IBK ETH-Medal 

Viry Emmanuel IBB Construction Management Award, 'Industrialisierungspotentiale des konventionellen 

Tunnelbaus am Beispiel des Ceneri-Basistunnels' 

Von der Tann Loretta IGT Culmann Award 

Wendeler Corinna IBK / WSL PLANAT Research Award 

Werder Mauro Angelo VAW European Geosciences Union (EGU), General Assembly, Young Scientists Outstanding Poster 

Paper (YSOPP) Award 2009 

Wiesmann Samuel IKA Swiss Society for Applied Geography (SGAG), 3rd price for Master Thesis 

Zingg Sara VAW Maggia Price 


Contacts 

Date: March 1, 2010 


Prof. Dr. L. Hurni 

Curricula 

Civil Engineering (BSc + MSc) 

Director 

Prof. Dr. G. Anagnostou 

Curricula 

Civil Engineering (BSc + MSc) 

Director 

Prof. Dr. W. Kinzelbach 

Curricula 

Geomatic Engineering and 

Planning (BSc + MSc) 

Director 

Prof. Dr. H. Ingensand 


Contacts 

Deputy Head of Department 

Prof. Dr. U. Weidmann 

Secretariat 

E. Manna M. Küpfer 

Secretariat 

S. Schirrmacher 

Secretariat 


Laboratory for Environmental 

Engineering 

R. Oertle D. Braun M. Hanyecz 

R. Oertle

Curriculum 

Spatial Development & Infrastructure 

Systems (MSc) 

Director 

Prof. Dr. B. Scholl 

Staff 

Education Doctorate 

Planning & 

Controlling 

M.Hänger B. Cuperus Dr. P. Dilger 

Mechanical 

Workshop 

Electronic 

Workshop 

Material & 

Chemical Stores 

P. Jenni C. Senn W. Dahinden 

Contacts 

Secretariat 


R. Oertle 

Secretariat ICT ICT 

E. Altenburger Dr.X.Studerus R.Alber 

ETH Zurich 

Department of Civil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering (D-BAUG) 

P.O. Box 193 

CH-8093 Zurich 

www.baug.ethz.ch 

Zurich, March 1, 2010 

Contacts 


Masthead / FSC Certificate 

Masthead 

Published by 


Editor 

Dr. Patrick Dilger 

Layout 

KGT Quaiser 

Communication, Advertising, PR 

Photos 


1st Edition March 2010 

2500 copies in German 

850 copies in English 


This Annual Report was printed on paper from well-managed 

forests and other controlled sources. For further information see: 

www.fsc-schweiz.ch

www.baug.ethz.ch

D-BAUG - Departement Bau, Umwelt und Geomatik - ETH Zürich

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